Sons Of Liberty

"Whatever you do, don't trust the Government."

The Sons of Liberty date back to the era of the Enlightenment and the two Revolutions of France and America. However, the Chapter quickly made a home for itself in the budding nation of the 13 Colonies and so today the SoL are synonymous with the United States of America.

Status: Active.

Facts:
-Most SoL do not identify as Conservative or Liberal, most identify as Libertarian.

-The SoL are a strange people: they must frequently work for the government, yet they possess an ideology that says all governments are extremely prone to totalitarianism and oppression. The SoL do not discriminate against the Ruling Orders, but they have a healthy distrust for those Orders.

-The SoL draw heavily from military and paramilitary professions, but they also champion other walks of life as well. Businessmen, scholars, and scientists are also seen as inventive and productive (ie, 'American'). Both fighters and workers are needed for a healthy nation, after all.

-The idea of Natural Law (and Natural Theology) are common subjects for the Sons of Liberty.

-The SoL have deep roots in America, especially the government and military. They possess a robust military capability and will often be able to deploy 'heavy assets' (military weapons, gear, equipment, even vehicles like Humvees and various helicopters).

-The Sons of Liberty move in whenever they detect a threat to the American way of life. While they concern themselves with issues abroad, the SoL see the U.S. as their home and place their best at its defense.

-The SoL accept Nazoreans from all Orders equally, so long as they are native citizens with a history of patriotism and who swear an oath to defend democracy and the republic.

-The SoL also have a history of allying themselves with the Fraternal Order of Builders.

-Like most Chapters with a nationalist streak, the SoL prefer to maintain their bases near areas of historical importance to America.

-Citizen's Rights is a very important principle to this Chapter and you'll hear it often around them.

-The Phrygian Cap is an archaic symbol for the Chapter. The American Bald Eagle is also a major symbol for the SoL as well.

-Foreigners tend to equate 'America' with the American government, something which even many Americans themselves are now doing. This frustrates the SoL because America wasn't supposed to be a government - it was a school of thought, an omni-philosophy that touched on an entire society. The SoL do not automatically fall in line with the president or the actions of the American government, in fact they frequently disagree with them. If you're looking for government sycophants, check out the White House Plumbers Chapter.

-A major problem the Chapter has always had with its recruitment is the motivation behind some Adepts joining the Chapter. Ideally, someone will join the SoL because they believe in the 'Great Experiment' that is American democracy. Unfortunately, what they often get is radicals, rebels, anarchists and sometimes hardened criminals. The best of the SoL are true statesmen, but the worst are opportunistic anarchs who hide their greed under the guise of fighting for freedom.

Book of Secrets:
The Book of Secrets is a legend among the SoL, that the American President possesses a book of sorts which details all the major secrets of the American government. This includes full and detailed knowledge of the mystical and urbane. If such an item does exist, it is probably guarded by the SoL.

-http://www.history.com/shows/americas-book-of-secrets

Champions of Democracy:
No system of government is perfect, but the Sons of Liberty have dedicated themselves to a balanced form of democracy. Tyrants, crime lords, corrupt officials, wherever anyone threatens the state and health of modern society, the SoL will probably show up to correct matters.

This pits the SoL against both the Ruling Orders, who often seek to control government or society with the best of intentions, or the Heretical Orders who often seek to tear it down. The SoL frequently also have to lock horns with the Ecclesiastical Orders, who often seek to write into law sweeping changes or programs that are designed to make society better, but often have the net result of limiting people's freedoms.

The formation of a rival America-based Chapter, the so-called True Sons of Liberty, was the product of the Order of Fundamentalists and their Ecclesiastical allies. The True Sons of Liberty believe that America is a Christian Nation specifically and this ideal must be brought back into the center of the national life for the country to thrive once again.

Current Challenges:
The SoL are struggling for membership in a world where people expect democracy to be a given and no longer have an appreciation for people's rights. An overall lack of interest in government or politics combined with a public feeling of apathy has dealt a heavy blow to the Son's recruitment quota.

The second major challenge facing the SoL right now is the Brotherhood of Man. The Brotherhood used to dominate Russia during the Soviet era, and America was the champion of the Sons of Liberty. Yet the past three decades have seen monumental shifts in politics and today the two countries seem to be trading both traditions and Chapters. More and more SoL are popping up across the world who aren't American while the 'traditional' SoL in America find themselves fighting a losing battle against an increasingly powerful, central government (ala NWO) backed by the Brotherhood and the Ruling Orders.

The Sons of Liberty are losing their adopted home, but in return they are gaining the world?

Endower Of Rights (Holy Name):
There is a specific Holy Name associated with this Chapter and its cause. God as the Endower Of Rights, is the source of natural and moral law, and the reason why individuals have inalienable rights.

The idea of inalienable Rights is largely lost on many modern people, but it is the founding concept to the idea of all men being able to form a society where they are more or less free. Throughout history, whether in the Magna Carta or the Declaration of Independence, these Rights have been attributed to a higher power in order to prove their legitimacy and importance.

Invoking the Endower Of Rights will grant a Theist the powers of Freedom. This power seems flimsy, but indirectly it is quite significant since it can liberate an Adept from everything including curses, Magick, laws of physics, and even Death itself.. Most Theists will only be able to channel a sliver of the full powers of Freedom.

Modus Operandi:
The Sons of Liberty adhere to what they call the "Two T's," which are Tactics and Technology. This policy or intellectual paradigm dates back to the American Revolution when the early SoL used greater mobility to outflank British troops and better, upgraded American-style rifles to the more basic and less accurate British guns.

This thinking became codified and continues to this day. The SoL put stress on keeping abreast of significant advances in firearm technology and employing those changes to increase strategic capabilities.

Relics:
Many surviving items from the early periods of American history are today Holy Relics used by the SoL. This includes Old Glory (the first US flag), weapons or equipment of the Founding Fathers and other such items.

- Benjamin Franklin's Notebook = A notebook supposedly containing Unknown Science.

- Book of Secrets = See the section above for info on this Relic.

- Daniel Boone's Axe = A hand-axe owned by Daniel Boone which was recovered after the Battle of the Alamo.

- Johnny Appleseed's Tin Hat = Most people don't know this but the folk hero Johnny Appleseed was a real-life person and an early member of the Unitarian Tribe.

- Old Glory = Old Glory is the original flag of the United States of America, and more specifically it was the personal flag of early Patriot William Driver. The flag is hung during important meetings of the Chapter's leaders and is stored in a secret location. For more info see this Link.

- Swords of the Union = The Swords of the Union are the twin swords of Ulysses S. Grant and General Lee of the opposing American armies during the American Civil War. There is a prophecy of sorts attached to the swords that states that, as long as the swords remain in the hands of Americans, the United States will never again suffer a civil war.

- Washington's Key = A simple iron key, but one which is able to unlock several massive storehouses of Masonic treasure and secrets scattered across the first 13 States. The key is also able to unlock a hidden tunnel that leads, supposedly, into the depths of Washington DC.

Separation of Church & State:
The doctrine of the separation of church and state, one of the founding principles of American democracy, is precisely the reason the True Sons of Liberty splintered off from the main Chapter. The doctrine dictates that any man, woman or child is free to profess any faith they wish too, no matter how ridiculous or offensive it might be.

With such a simple idea, you'd think it would be easy to implement, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Individual states have attempted to enact laws raising one religious denomination as the 'official' state religion, and secular forces push to have any and all religion banned from public or government property.

It also doesn't help that political parties routinely curry favor with certain religious groups (the ones that can get them votes) and attempt to legislate towards that faith position. Or that certain religious leaders involve themselves in politics unnecessarily. The wall that separates church and state is a vital one to the American way of life, but there's never been a shortage of people trying to chip away at that wall.

Fate of the Tomahawk:
During the early years of the SoL, when they had just arrived in the New World and were making a place for themselves, the early Adepts decided that to fulfill their Chapter's idealogy they would reach out to the native peoples of the land. Plans were drawn up to form an entire branch of the Chapter dedicated to the Amerindian peoples, something which was eventually labelled Project Tomahawk or simply Tomahawk for short.

Native tribes who were in contact with the SoL were historically allied to the French and English, but some of them responded and joined the Chapter. These native Adepts quickly made a name for themselves during the era of the Revolutionary War, attacking individuals and assets in league with foreign powers who had stationed themselves deep within the American frontier. They would use their superior stalking and tracking skills to take out targets quickly and cleanly, usually leaving nothing in their wake but a mysterious tomahawk embedded in a tree or post. The only sign of their passing (aside from the dead enemies littering the ground).

These Elite fighters within the Chapter were so succesffully that several members of Tomahawk were named repeatedly in some of the earliest documents of the Chapter. But after the war, the name of Tomahawk disappears completely from the record. There are no known instances of Tomahawk activity anywhere when the War of 1812 breaks out, and no documents since then even give a clear answer as to what became of the group?

This has led to no small amount of speculation: theories range from the Tomahawks simply disbanding to turning on their European collegues. Some believe the SoL used them and then, once the war was finished, rounded them up in a coup. Such dire theories seem unwarranted - Tomahawk was clearly a very succesfull branch of the Chapter.

Still, Colonnial fears of the Amerindians were not unfounded. Even putting the issue of whose land it was aside, Amerindian culture believed in raiding and pillaging rival peoples. Native American braves would routinely commit acts of murder and theft against unprotected colonists. The two groups were clearly set against one another from the beginning.

The most likely fate of Tomahawk was that, following their service to the Chapter during the war, they realized they could never ally themselves with colonnial forces in the long run and simply left. Still, the fact that no one in the early SoL even mentions why they left or what exactly became of their Chapter brothers is a little unsettling...

The Patriots:
The Elite fighting force within the Sons of Liberty is the Patriots. The Patriots form the inner-circle of true believers and committed fighters who serve the Chapter's needs. Attaining the Title is open to any member of the Chapter, and accepting it is committing oneself to future missions to defend the Chapter against its many enemies.

Being a Patriot will allow an Adept to gain access to many of the Chapter's resources and assets. They will also be privy to the interactions of the Chapter's leaders.