A Gathering of Raven members.
The Fraternal Order of the Raven is an ex-Founders-affiliated organization in Columbia, concerned with maintaining the city's "racial purity." Worshippers of the deceased Lady Comstock, they honor the symbols of the sword, the raven, and the coffin in her name (as contrasted with the sword, the key and the scroll, the holy symbols of Columbia). Their emblem is that of a stylized eye with five swords crossing behind it, and a banner which reads "Audemus Patria Nostra Defendere".
The group glorifies John Wilkes Booth as a saint for assassinating Abraham Lincoln, "the Emancipator" or "the Apostate" (a term Comstock often uses in reference to the same), whom they view as wicked for abolishing slavery. Members of the Order cloak themselves in hoods and robes, with lesser members wearing indigo and leaders wearing black. The Order believes that Columbia's racist ideals make it and its citizens superior to the rest of the world, and they seek to enforce a doctrine of racial purity.
The most prominent members of the Order are the Crows: fearsome, sword-carrying, coffin-bearing enemies whose powers mirror that of the Order's namesake. They count among the elite forces of the Founders, and are occasionally sent to kill Booker DeWitt.
The Ravens protest against the Founders' decision to deny them vengeance.
Booker discovers the Order's headquarters in Comstock Center on his journey to Monument Island. The courtyard has a statue of Comstock fighting the "Serpent of Nations", depicted as a serpentine creature with heads of people from different nations. The building's interior is squalid, with debris littering the floor, lights dim and continually flickering, and raven guano scattered throughout. Platters of rotten food are ubiquitous, especially in the dining hall, and attract many flies and ravens. There is also a statue of John Wilkes Booth in the foyer, a lounge and bar, a reading room, a large ceremony hall, a dungeon cell hidden behind a bookcase, and a marsh-like indoor garden where victims are kept in golden cages hanging from trees. In the ceremony hall is a mural of George Washington holding the Liberty Bell in one hand and the Ten Commandments in the other, standing above racist caricatures of people of different ethnicities. in the other While traversing the building, Booker clashes with several Order members when he happens upon their meeting. After taking them out, Booker ends up battling their leader, a Crow.
A 1920's cartoon concerning the Massacre of 1924 within Columbia.
Eventually, after the death of Comstock, the Order soon became disgusted with the Founders, along with the new major parties that occurred, and thus became a terrorist movement hellbent on taking over the city and avenging the prophet. In the 1920's, before converting to terrorism, the Order protested to the Columbian government while demanding revenge against the "sodom below" and the False Shepard. However, seeing that the city was still in need for recovery, the Founders soon denied the Order its wish and thus resulted in the Columbian Massacre of 1924, in which race riots occurred rapidly and lasted for no longer than three days.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Due to their appearance and ideology, it is likely that they are based off the real-world Ku Klux Klan.
- Their aprons and headquarters are also reminiscent of Freemasonry, which is significant, as George Washington was a famous Freemason. This may also be found in The Art of BioShock Infinite, which show aspects of their attire were inspired and combined from the Freemasons, as well as military and religious orders from history. Revisions of their attire were also alternated with their inspirations, such as a Freemason helmet with a satin attire, or a military uniform and cap with the Founder's religious symbols and a order's masked veil. There was even a concept for a leader resembling a Catholic Cardinal, which may or may not be meant as the Resurrector, one of Siren's earlier revised concepts.
- Their motto means "We dare to defend our country."
- In bar in the Raven headquarters can be found a flask of Unknown Booze. If the player performs the right moves, they should be able to achieve the Achievement/Trophy "Lost Weekend" in a single game.