Order of the Copper Dragon

Leader: Lord Chandari Galadaeros

Copper dragons are born pranksters, jokesters, and riddlers, and the Order of the Copper Dragon took upon themselves the mantle of using that love of deceit to act as the Draconic Orders' intelligence arm. Coppers are no strangers to the shadows, and while they may flaunt law at times in order to obtain the information they need, it is always in furtherance of the larger goal: the identification and eradication of persons or organizations that seek to promote evil.

Because of the nature of their work, Coppers tend to maintain a more clandestine presence; only one Copper chapterhouse exists, nestled securely inside the boundaries of the Platinums' home chapter, and Coppers tend not to draw attention to themselves openly, preferring instead to wear a small insignia in some fashion somewhere on their person (woven into a collar, on a signet ring, sometimes even braided into their hair) in such a way that allows for quick identification of other Coppers and Copper agents, but without revealing themselves.

Coppers are often the first sent on assignment to investigate rumors of evil activity, and many Coppers have been known to take undercover assignments within less-reputable organizations so as to gather information to be reported back to the Orders. It is rumored that Coppers have an agent in every city on the map in Azgaarnoth, and their means of communication between agents and from the field to the chapterhouses are equal parts mysterious and legendary. It is said that if you needed to know what the King of Bedia had for breakfast in the morning, the Coppers could have that information in your hands before lunch was served.

Coppers are also the most aggressive at making use of agents outside of the Order itself, and maintain a network of non-Order members who undertake missions on behalf of the Order. Most agents are aware that they are working with or for the Copper Order, although not all are (particularly at first), and it is not uncommon for an agent to be openly recruited to join the Copper Order if they have proven themselves skilled, useful, and trustworthy.

Membership

Thieves are naturally drawn to the Coppers, particularly those who are not entirely out for themselves. Assassins are also quietly accepted, as a sub-culture within the Order (known as the "Copper Fangs" or "Copper Talons"), as there are times when a quiet knife in the night can accomplish more than an army in the morning; such assassins however must be kept on a careful leash, and should such a one grow too fond of the killing, it wouldn't be the first time a Talon was dispatched to eliminate a Fang. Rangers find membership with the Copper Order to be quite compatible with their wilderness skills, while paladins are generally encouraged to go speak with a member of the Order of the Gold Dragon about sponsorship for entry. Magi and clerics can be found within the Coppers, but generally only if their domains are given towards enabling greater sneakiness, or towards divination and information-gathering.

Relations

Coppers are the most cosmopolitan of the Orders, engaging in some capacity with almost every organization in Azgaarnoth larger than a hundred people. Merchant guilds, mercenary companies, religions, the Coppers see them all as valuable resources to understand the current events surrounding them, and Coppers have even been known to work out "mutually beneficial arrangements" with some of the underground organizations (Rogues' Guilds).

Coppers are prized as advisors in almost every royal court in Azgaarnoth, except in those places where good-aligned values are not held in high esteem (most notably, the Dread Empire and the Ulmhorde). However, even the most trusting king knows to take the Coppers' advice with a grain of salt, because their loyalty is always first to the good of the world, second to the Draconic Orders as a whole, and third to the Copper Order; a running whispered joke suggests that a Copper's loyalty to the crown they serve is roughly twenty-seventh on the list.