Lord Timaeus Battleborn, Grandmaster.
Timeaus Battleborn earned his knighthood as a young man, fighting in Thurol under the then-elderly King Magnus. He served as squire to the now-deceased Grandmaster, Sieur Severin Kjora, before becoming a full knight himself. He is said to have been first onto the walls at the Siege of Kamerak, and, more recently, to have killed three of the High Boyars of Ambar himself on the field.
Lord Timaeus is a peasant-born knight, slender but whip-hard. He has spent his life fighting, and when Kjellos was not at war, he quested under the banner of the order in foreign lands, adventuring and testing his mettle. There are rumors that he confronted and slew three Solothen sorcerers single-hand on his adventures, and that he hunted down a powerful mirrorkin assassin in Golnia.
Brown of hair, long of limb, thick of jaw, but slight of frame, Lord Timaeus carries himself as a common soldier. He does not wear the gold-sheathed armor afforded by his station, and he carries no ancestral weapon at his side, but rather the sword he forged himself when he was but a boy, which now bears the name Wrath.
Sieur Aras Gorr, Master of the Reach.
Sieur Aras is a lesser scion of the House of Gorr, and often wears his own heraldry of a bull's head upon his tabard, surmounting the gold and blue of the Order. He has served as Master of the Reach for ten years, and was squire to none other than Prince Aegus in his youth. Most of his accomplishments were had in the Reach, fighting hobgoblins, goblin, trolls, and other beasts beyond the Iceflow.
Sieura Livorna Velgar, Chapter Master.
Chapter Master at the fortress of Damaron Rock, Sieura Livorna is the daughter of Greve Lareus Velgar, a house united by favorable marriage with the House of Gorr. There was once a firm belief that Livorna and Aras would marry, but she has since been promoted out of the Reach and become Master of her own Chapterhouse in Kjellos.
Sieur Malvenus Tordest, Chapter Master.
Eighth son of the much-hated Greveman Konradus Tordest, Sieur Malvenus has completely cast aside family and politics to serve as a knight. He is often at the forefront of the kingdom's wars, leading a small contingent of men-at-arms and mercenaries on behalf of the King. He has a very close relationship with Prince Vagyr, the Prince having often been guest at Malvenus' Chapterhouse of Rol.
Sieur Haemorus of Green Water, Chapter Master.
Haemorus of Green Water is another knight elevated from the peasantry, and was recruited in the swamps south of Kjellos. He has proved himself time and again, particularly in his skill as an armorer and swordsmith. He is not well-known for his battle prowess. He serves as Chapter Master of the Fortress on the shores of Thol called Highblade Keep.
Magister Toban, Master of Novices.
The Master of all wizards serving the Order, Magister Toban has tangled with necromancers, demons, and other such horrors. Most recently, he helped slay the Boyar of Paroslav in a battle which took the life of Lord Severin Kjora, the former Chapter Grandmaster.
Sieura Primara of the Hammer, Knight-Master.
Sieur Heimron the Bold, Knight-Master.
Sieur Telegorn Goldenspur, Knight-Sergeant.
THE FIVE
The Five, as they were known, were the bravest, boldest, and most battle-hardened of the knights in the Order. They set out in the spring of X.511 to Sunhome Keep, in the Bay of Ahrain, to reclaim it. Word has since returned that they are dead.
Sieur Morgas Arnmød
Third son of Grevan Kada Arnmød, Morgas is well-known in Kjellos for fighting ogres and trolls. A bold man, who outshone his elder brothers, Morgas slew Ubarish the Vile, a Night Troll Chieftain, in the bordering hills of the Reach, along the sea.
Sieura Ara Karhart
Cousin to Prince Aegus, Ara rejected the tutelage of a lady and pursued service to Haeron. She is daughter of Valyn Karhart, the King's now-dead elder brother. She was also called the Distaff Knight, and slew a manticore in Ambar in single combat, after her sword had shattered.
Sieur Ovirius Tornborg
First son of Lendman Olgriev of Tornborg, Orvirius cut his teeth fighting elf-reavers and serving aboard merchant vessels. He spent a great of his training and younger years in the elvish land of Valcaela, where he was awarded with magical armor by the elves.
Sieur Laedus the Laughing
A common-born Reacher, Laedus was physically enormous, and well-known for his propensity to treat everything as a jest. He jousted wyverns on the far side of the Silverlode Mountains, and destroyed many ghosts and spirits along the Lost Paths for the Gwyderion of Tailimisia.
Sieura Amelia Holmgrinn
Sister to the Greve Varius Holmgrinn, Sieura Amelia was raised on stories of glory. Also called the Deathshead, Sieura Amelia was a fierce opponent, and spent her days questing in the extreme south of the Sun Shores, where she fought alongside mercenary units to help quell the dangers of that wild land.
Ruminations on fiction, roleplaying, and assorted irritants.
Showing posts with label paladins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paladins. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Holy Books: The Life of Orlandus -- Part 3
See Part 1 and Part 2.
Our Lord Orlandus sought for a blade with which to slay the Weeping King. He knew there was one place where he could find such a sword for certain: Hârnholme. The ancient kingdom of the dwarves was the one place where a man could earn himself a mighty blade, laid with magics that might slay an immortal tyrant like the King of Tears. For three years he worked and lived as a gestr to the dwarves. He abandoned his goodly works and there our lord of Sunhome shoveled coke and pumped the bellows of a forge. He worked as a drover, a carter, and a woodsman. All these things he did without the comfort of a place in the dwarven halls, a worker without a home.
In the deep winter of the third year, the Mountain Smith Magnr Smokebeard came to the rick wherein our lord slept and said, "For three years you have lived on scraps, as less than an apprentice amongst a people who have no love for you. For three years you have toiled in the workshops of my forge, smelting ore and moving fuel. Something must have brought you here. Why have you come?"
And when Orlandus our Lord told Magnr Smokebeard his quest to slay the Weeping King, Magnr brought him into his most intimate workshops, beyond the secret vaulted doors which only the Master Smiths could open; lo, our Lord was was shown the very heart of the Mountain Smiths' forges, where the ancient and mighty keys that are the patrimony of the dwarves must undo the mightiest locks ever devised. And in this place, Magnr Smokebeard told Orlandus, "You will learn to work steel and gold, balglamr and aedr. Only when this is done will we forge your sword."
For ten years, Orlandus studied under Magnr Smokebeard, and he learned only the most meager of the dwarf's secrets, for the Mountain Smiths rarely share their powerful art, and even in the aid of such a worthy cause this Smokebeard would not reveal to Orlandus the most mighty of arts. Yet even so, when the ten years were complete he spent one final year under Smokebeard's tutelage to forge the blade he would carry for the rest of his life; the holy sword, blessed by Haeron the Hammerer, which is called Angurvidal.
So, too, did Magnr Smokebeard forge for Orlandus our Lord a suit of armor in the old Milean fashion which is called Peaceward; a misericord called Heartpiercer; a hammer named Thalmung; and a spear called Atgir. With these weapons and harness, Roland of Sunhome ventured forth to confront the Weeping King.
North, he went, and northward, until at last he came into the Kingdom of Aedeion, within the mist-girdled forests. With him, too, was his sacral destrier, Lightning. As he went, the Weeping King's people flocked to his banner, eager to, at last, overthrow their awful lord. A great battle was joined before the gates of Lakra, the eternal city. The lieutenants of the Weeping King could not give battle or ride forth beneath the blazing sun. Thus, the armies of the vampire-lord were defeated without their leaders, and the city of Lakra was stormed. Hundreds of vile servants were woken from their enchanted slumber, and hundreds more who served willingly driven to the edge of the Red Lake and executed there until the waves ran with blood.
At last, as the sun set, the Weeping King came forth from his palace, flanked by his vampiric children. But our Lord Roland was a knight pure of heart and mighty of arm; seven of the eldest vampiric princes died by his hand in that bloody sunset, and then, at last, with lance, shield, and blade, he brought low the Weeping King.
Our Lord Orlandus sought for a blade with which to slay the Weeping King. He knew there was one place where he could find such a sword for certain: Hârnholme. The ancient kingdom of the dwarves was the one place where a man could earn himself a mighty blade, laid with magics that might slay an immortal tyrant like the King of Tears. For three years he worked and lived as a gestr to the dwarves. He abandoned his goodly works and there our lord of Sunhome shoveled coke and pumped the bellows of a forge. He worked as a drover, a carter, and a woodsman. All these things he did without the comfort of a place in the dwarven halls, a worker without a home.
In the deep winter of the third year, the Mountain Smith Magnr Smokebeard came to the rick wherein our lord slept and said, "For three years you have lived on scraps, as less than an apprentice amongst a people who have no love for you. For three years you have toiled in the workshops of my forge, smelting ore and moving fuel. Something must have brought you here. Why have you come?"
And when Orlandus our Lord told Magnr Smokebeard his quest to slay the Weeping King, Magnr brought him into his most intimate workshops, beyond the secret vaulted doors which only the Master Smiths could open; lo, our Lord was was shown the very heart of the Mountain Smiths' forges, where the ancient and mighty keys that are the patrimony of the dwarves must undo the mightiest locks ever devised. And in this place, Magnr Smokebeard told Orlandus, "You will learn to work steel and gold, balglamr and aedr. Only when this is done will we forge your sword."
For ten years, Orlandus studied under Magnr Smokebeard, and he learned only the most meager of the dwarf's secrets, for the Mountain Smiths rarely share their powerful art, and even in the aid of such a worthy cause this Smokebeard would not reveal to Orlandus the most mighty of arts. Yet even so, when the ten years were complete he spent one final year under Smokebeard's tutelage to forge the blade he would carry for the rest of his life; the holy sword, blessed by Haeron the Hammerer, which is called Angurvidal.
So, too, did Magnr Smokebeard forge for Orlandus our Lord a suit of armor in the old Milean fashion which is called Peaceward; a misericord called Heartpiercer; a hammer named Thalmung; and a spear called Atgir. With these weapons and harness, Roland of Sunhome ventured forth to confront the Weeping King.
North, he went, and northward, until at last he came into the Kingdom of Aedeion, within the mist-girdled forests. With him, too, was his sacral destrier, Lightning. As he went, the Weeping King's people flocked to his banner, eager to, at last, overthrow their awful lord. A great battle was joined before the gates of Lakra, the eternal city. The lieutenants of the Weeping King could not give battle or ride forth beneath the blazing sun. Thus, the armies of the vampire-lord were defeated without their leaders, and the city of Lakra was stormed. Hundreds of vile servants were woken from their enchanted slumber, and hundreds more who served willingly driven to the edge of the Red Lake and executed there until the waves ran with blood.
At last, as the sun set, the Weeping King came forth from his palace, flanked by his vampiric children. But our Lord Roland was a knight pure of heart and mighty of arm; seven of the eldest vampiric princes died by his hand in that bloody sunset, and then, at last, with lance, shield, and blade, he brought low the Weeping King.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Holy Books: The Life of Orlandus -- Part 1
The following text is from the Life of Orlandus, a hagiography of the founder of the Order of the Forge Divine, which is revered as one of that sacred knighthood's most holy writings.
Orlandus, Lord of Sunhome, founder of our Most Beneficent and Mighty Order, was born to a humble country knight. It is from beginnings such as these that the Smith forges into the greatest of heroes. By alloy and tempering, the High God reaches out and remakes his chosen. Such are the blessed strictures of the Golden Bands of Law! Joyous are our hearts, as he gives us joy.
Orlandus was born near the end of the Eighth Age of men, in the Kingdom of Wilderlund. His father was a knight minor who served the house of Queen Evandyn the Just. They were an impoverished family, granted only a single estate near the ancient city of Toleiere. At court, Orlandus learned the measure of cruelty and barbarism when Queen Evandyn was murdered by her sister. The coup cost Orlandus' father his life, and Orlandus was expelled from the royal court after the accession of Queen Mir.
Orlandus, Lord of Sunhome, founder of our Most Beneficent and Mighty Order, was born to a humble country knight. It is from beginnings such as these that the Smith forges into the greatest of heroes. By alloy and tempering, the High God reaches out and remakes his chosen. Such are the blessed strictures of the Golden Bands of Law! Joyous are our hearts, as he gives us joy.
Orlandus was born near the end of the Eighth Age of men, in the Kingdom of Wilderlund. His father was a knight minor who served the house of Queen Evandyn the Just. They were an impoverished family, granted only a single estate near the ancient city of Toleiere. At court, Orlandus learned the measure of cruelty and barbarism when Queen Evandyn was murdered by her sister. The coup cost Orlandus' father his life, and Orlandus was expelled from the royal court after the accession of Queen Mir.
This is where the extraordinary Life of the blessed knight begins. Until that time, he was merely a boy, but after he escaped the Night of Tears and the Hall of the Drawn Knives, Orlandus would be a boy no longer. No, for he watched his father die defending Queen Evandyn, and saw the queen herself cut down by none other than Ghuron the Butcher. Friendless and hunted, Orlandus fled the palace into the city, seeking refuge.
Refuge, he found, in the form of a temple devoted to the Hammerer. Our lord fled westward, passing ever farther from the danger of Queen Mir and her faithful right hand, the Butcher. So it was that he came at last to the kingdom of Byrne upon the Rootwood. After many long months of travel, our young lord entered the service of Timarus the Leper in the city of Vectedréa, who was then the Metropolitan of that place.
Though he had been noble-born, Orlandus feared to speak his father's name, for the agents of Queen Mir roamed far and wide, and the Kingdom of Wilderlund was one of the mightiest of its day. So he called himself Roland and served as an acolyte in Timarus' temple. But there came three signs of his fated destiny.
The first was the touch which healed Timarus of his leprosy. The ancient priest had suffered from the wasting death since he was a young man, but one afternoon in the enclosure our lord placed his hands upon Timarus and they prayed together to the Hammerer in the way that Timarus had taught him. When they rose, the old man suddenly found that he could feel the fire in his joints, the pain in his fingers, the cold in his toes. Lo! They thanked the Hammerer for the display of a miracle, and Timarus turned his eye to watch our Orlandus, who was called Roland.
The second sign came when a storm collapsed the ancient dome of the Vectedréan temple. It had been built long ago by the Milean emperors, and a stroke of lightning sent from the vault of heaven smashed the stone and sent it tumbling to the earth within. Several acolytes were cleaning the temple hall during the storm, and one among their number was our lord Orlandus. He saw an acolyte struck by falling stone, felled like a cow hit with a pole-axe. He rushed to his companion's aid, and where his hands touched the bloodied head, they came away clean; the boy was healed, and he survived to become a smith in the city.
The final sign came in Roland's sixteenth year. Ghuron the Butcher had been dispatched by Queen Mir to find and murder all the exiles of Wilderlund that they might not form a league abroad and convince the king of Byrne to make war. Ghuron's assassins fanned through the city, seeking many who had come with our lord Orlandus. When the Butcher arrived at the temple, he came in the guise of a penitent, but he concealed a sword beneath his cloak.
Roland, he recognized amongst the acolytes at once. He drew his blade and lay into the boy, who was struck by the poisoned edge; the blow, which should have split his skull, merely ripped open his scalp and sent him plunging to the floor. Ghuron escaped before the temple guard could apprehend him, certain that Orlandus of Wilderlund had been slain. For three days and three nights, Roland lay in fevered dreams. No medici of the city could help him. Even Timarus did not have the power to put the poison out of the boy's body. But lo! On the third day, Roland awoke, saved by the grace of the Hammerer, a scar upon his brow.
Thus, after the third sign, did Timarus tell Orlandus that he had been chosen by the Hammerer for great things. The boy was given arms and armor from the vaults of the temple. Timarus told him: "Go forth, boy, and bring his light into dark places."
Though he had been noble-born, Orlandus feared to speak his father's name, for the agents of Queen Mir roamed far and wide, and the Kingdom of Wilderlund was one of the mightiest of its day. So he called himself Roland and served as an acolyte in Timarus' temple. But there came three signs of his fated destiny.
The first was the touch which healed Timarus of his leprosy. The ancient priest had suffered from the wasting death since he was a young man, but one afternoon in the enclosure our lord placed his hands upon Timarus and they prayed together to the Hammerer in the way that Timarus had taught him. When they rose, the old man suddenly found that he could feel the fire in his joints, the pain in his fingers, the cold in his toes. Lo! They thanked the Hammerer for the display of a miracle, and Timarus turned his eye to watch our Orlandus, who was called Roland.
The second sign came when a storm collapsed the ancient dome of the Vectedréan temple. It had been built long ago by the Milean emperors, and a stroke of lightning sent from the vault of heaven smashed the stone and sent it tumbling to the earth within. Several acolytes were cleaning the temple hall during the storm, and one among their number was our lord Orlandus. He saw an acolyte struck by falling stone, felled like a cow hit with a pole-axe. He rushed to his companion's aid, and where his hands touched the bloodied head, they came away clean; the boy was healed, and he survived to become a smith in the city.
The final sign came in Roland's sixteenth year. Ghuron the Butcher had been dispatched by Queen Mir to find and murder all the exiles of Wilderlund that they might not form a league abroad and convince the king of Byrne to make war. Ghuron's assassins fanned through the city, seeking many who had come with our lord Orlandus. When the Butcher arrived at the temple, he came in the guise of a penitent, but he concealed a sword beneath his cloak.
Roland, he recognized amongst the acolytes at once. He drew his blade and lay into the boy, who was struck by the poisoned edge; the blow, which should have split his skull, merely ripped open his scalp and sent him plunging to the floor. Ghuron escaped before the temple guard could apprehend him, certain that Orlandus of Wilderlund had been slain. For three days and three nights, Roland lay in fevered dreams. No medici of the city could help him. Even Timarus did not have the power to put the poison out of the boy's body. But lo! On the third day, Roland awoke, saved by the grace of the Hammerer, a scar upon his brow.
Thus, after the third sign, did Timarus tell Orlandus that he had been chosen by the Hammerer for great things. The boy was given arms and armor from the vaults of the temple. Timarus told him: "Go forth, boy, and bring his light into dark places."
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Tomb of the Nightmare-King: The Order of the Golden Swan
The Order of the Golden Swan was founded by joint order under the Autocephalon's bull Against the Unbelieving and the Imeprial edict For the Safety of the Faith during the reign of Emperor Telmidon and Autocephalon Burastis. In that same year, the Endarch of Deyas, then the infamous Auregon II, issued his own bull Against the Swan and denounced the creation of the order, establishing the infamous Knights of Ruyael.
Structure of the Order
The order serves the Custodian of the Swan, currently Auriliac of Benat. The Custodian himself rules over a council of four other knights who are known as the Knights of the Sacred Stone and comprise the governing council of the order. They all report directly to Emperor Voemydas.
There is a threefold order of servants of the Holy Flame and the Golden Swan: these are the lay brothers, the Knights, and the canons regular. Lay brothers comprise the sergeants and men-at-arms that serve with the knights. The Knights proper are paladins. Canons regular are priests sworn to the service of the Custodian of the Swan.
Aspirants are knighted upon reaching level 3 and swearing the Oath of Empire (below). They will progress through the ranks of bailiff, knight of the gate, knight of the ankh, knight of the flame, and knight of the swan. Ranks beyond these are Knight-Captain (who command squadrons of the Order) and Knight-Commander (who command one of the Order's three fortresses).
Oath of the Empire
Paladins swearing the Oath of Empire pledge their support to the empire itself, its integrity, the faith of Deyas, and the laws of the civilized world. All paladins entering the Order of the Golden Swan must swear this oath upon achieving 3rd level. They also swear to protect the empire from the nobility, explicitly excluding them from the oath of protection.
Tenets
Law. Paladins of the Order of the Golden Swan must obey the laws promulgated by the Emperor. They may not transgress against them, as it is only through these laws that the empire exists at all.
Faith. The Autocephalon and the Emperor represent two poles of faith that the Golden Knight must obey and respect. Deyas is the chief above all things, however, and the paladin must not blaspheme, or through his actions or inactions allow a temple of Deyas or its clerics to be harmed or fall into ruin if he could prevent it. The tenet of faith also requires Golden Knights to root out the secretly unfaithful and undevout—worshippers of the Old Nightmares or nobility working against the empire must be punished.
Loyalty. Golden Knights must be absolutely loyal to the Autocephalon, the Emperor, and the imperial successor.
Decisiveness. When the time comes to act, Golden Knights act. They do not allow corruption to fester and grow strong.
OATH SPELLS
3rd zone of truth, command
5th Hold Person, Protection from Poison
9th Crusader's Mantle, Dispel Magic
13th Staggering Smite
17th Geas
CHANNEL DIVINITY
Doom of Judgment. The Golden Knight may pronounce someone guilty of a crime against the emperor merely by saying it is so. This doom expends the channel divinity and gives all allies advantage when attacking the target for purposes of restraining them until the target is restrained, dropped to 0 hp, or the target breaks line of sight with its attackers.
Tactician's Command. The Golden Knight may use his channel divinity to allow any ally within 120 feet to take an action immediately.
COMMAND OF THE LAW
At 7th level, the Golden Knight may issue a command of up to 5 words when casting command.
NO POISON SHALL HINDER ME
At 15th level, the Golden Knight gains resistance to poisons.
BEACON OF DEYAS
At 20th level, the Golden Knight may use the Holy Nimbus power of the Oath of Devotion.
The order serves the Custodian of the Swan, currently Auriliac of Benat. The Custodian himself rules over a council of four other knights who are known as the Knights of the Sacred Stone and comprise the governing council of the order. They all report directly to Emperor Voemydas.
There is a threefold order of servants of the Holy Flame and the Golden Swan: these are the lay brothers, the Knights, and the canons regular. Lay brothers comprise the sergeants and men-at-arms that serve with the knights. The Knights proper are paladins. Canons regular are priests sworn to the service of the Custodian of the Swan.
Aspirants are knighted upon reaching level 3 and swearing the Oath of Empire (below). They will progress through the ranks of bailiff, knight of the gate, knight of the ankh, knight of the flame, and knight of the swan. Ranks beyond these are Knight-Captain (who command squadrons of the Order) and Knight-Commander (who command one of the Order's three fortresses).
Oath of the Empire
Paladins swearing the Oath of Empire pledge their support to the empire itself, its integrity, the faith of Deyas, and the laws of the civilized world. All paladins entering the Order of the Golden Swan must swear this oath upon achieving 3rd level. They also swear to protect the empire from the nobility, explicitly excluding them from the oath of protection.
Tenets
Law. Paladins of the Order of the Golden Swan must obey the laws promulgated by the Emperor. They may not transgress against them, as it is only through these laws that the empire exists at all.
Faith. The Autocephalon and the Emperor represent two poles of faith that the Golden Knight must obey and respect. Deyas is the chief above all things, however, and the paladin must not blaspheme, or through his actions or inactions allow a temple of Deyas or its clerics to be harmed or fall into ruin if he could prevent it. The tenet of faith also requires Golden Knights to root out the secretly unfaithful and undevout—worshippers of the Old Nightmares or nobility working against the empire must be punished.
Loyalty. Golden Knights must be absolutely loyal to the Autocephalon, the Emperor, and the imperial successor.
Decisiveness. When the time comes to act, Golden Knights act. They do not allow corruption to fester and grow strong.
OATH SPELLS
3rd zone of truth, command
5th Hold Person, Protection from Poison
9th Crusader's Mantle, Dispel Magic
13th Staggering Smite
17th Geas
CHANNEL DIVINITY
Doom of Judgment. The Golden Knight may pronounce someone guilty of a crime against the emperor merely by saying it is so. This doom expends the channel divinity and gives all allies advantage when attacking the target for purposes of restraining them until the target is restrained, dropped to 0 hp, or the target breaks line of sight with its attackers.
Tactician's Command. The Golden Knight may use his channel divinity to allow any ally within 120 feet to take an action immediately.
COMMAND OF THE LAW
At 7th level, the Golden Knight may issue a command of up to 5 words when casting command.
NO POISON SHALL HINDER ME
At 15th level, the Golden Knight gains resistance to poisons.
BEACON OF DEYAS
At 20th level, the Golden Knight may use the Holy Nimbus power of the Oath of Devotion.
Friday, February 19, 2016
Holy Orders: The Forge Divine
Of all the knightly orders in the North, it is likely that the Order of the Forge Divine is the oldest and most esteemed. It traces its roots back to the end of the second Second Empire, when the Mileans ruled the North from the Cloud Sea to the Sea of Gold. The sacred knights of Haeron gathered in the west to found the order during the Second Elf-Dragon war, when the rulers of Synd threatened the west. The western provinces of the Empire remained more or less in tact thanks to the presence of the Milean Temple. The Western Divine, Sormus Calinus, gathered the clerics of the Sun Shores at a great conclave at the seat of the Western Temple, at the ruins of what is now Nightguard Temple in Tholverin.
During the Synod of Nightguard, the Forge Divine was organized and established as a chapter of the Western Divine's authority. Its first Grandmaster, Orlandus Sunholme, brought together the disparate orders of Hierian clergy and built a keep on Sunholme Isle in the bay south of the Kaelian Marsh. In the following Ages, the Forge Divine acted as a semi-independent religious order, owing no allegiance to the secular rulers of the nearby kingdoms. It helped knight together the Sun Shores and provide a cultural lynchpin for the human lands of that region, most particularly powerful during the Sixth and Seventh Ages.
Sunholme Keep was abandoned after the Ambarite kings forced the Forge Divine to withdraw from the puppet-kingdoms it was establishing. Golnian power aided in this expulsion, and a long siege of Sunholme Keep ended only when King Baldur Karhart extended his protection to Grandmaster Larelus and invited the order to settle at Elborg in X.337. For one hundred and seventy-three years (as of the year X.510), the Forge Divine has been governed from the Kjellan stronghold of Highwater Keep, near the Five Hamlets of Elborg.
The Order of the Forge Divine has no holy book equivalent to the Codex Devout of the Order of the Sword Militant. The sacred texts of the Forge Divine are, in fact, cobbled together from centuries of rulings and writings. Collectively these are called the Sacral Index and are stored at Highwater Keep in the archives, which were taken from Sunholme Keep when the Forge fled.
Grandmaster: Sieur Severin Kjora
Master of the Reach: Sieur Aras Gorr
Paladin Ranks within the Order
Paige (levels 1-3)
Knight
Knight-Sergeant
Knight-Captain
Knight-Master
Chapter Master
The Forge Divine prizes skill at smithing, and treats its sword- and armor-smiths with great reverence. The symbol of the Forge is the golden anvil of Haeron. Paladins of the Order are not technically full priests, but they are inducted as clerics minor of the Temple. This is even though the High Lawkeeper and the central Temple of Miles does not recognize the authority of the Order Divine to conduct Hierian ceremonies.
There are several major chapters of the Forge within Kjellos and one in the region of Craftsman's Reach. The Forge holds its lands directly from King Karhart, and thus owes him their fealty.
All members of the Order of the Forge Divine may receive either the Religion (Haeron) or Blacksmithing NWP for free.
During the Synod of Nightguard, the Forge Divine was organized and established as a chapter of the Western Divine's authority. Its first Grandmaster, Orlandus Sunholme, brought together the disparate orders of Hierian clergy and built a keep on Sunholme Isle in the bay south of the Kaelian Marsh. In the following Ages, the Forge Divine acted as a semi-independent religious order, owing no allegiance to the secular rulers of the nearby kingdoms. It helped knight together the Sun Shores and provide a cultural lynchpin for the human lands of that region, most particularly powerful during the Sixth and Seventh Ages.
Sunholme Keep was abandoned after the Ambarite kings forced the Forge Divine to withdraw from the puppet-kingdoms it was establishing. Golnian power aided in this expulsion, and a long siege of Sunholme Keep ended only when King Baldur Karhart extended his protection to Grandmaster Larelus and invited the order to settle at Elborg in X.337. For one hundred and seventy-three years (as of the year X.510), the Forge Divine has been governed from the Kjellan stronghold of Highwater Keep, near the Five Hamlets of Elborg.
The Order of the Forge Divine has no holy book equivalent to the Codex Devout of the Order of the Sword Militant. The sacred texts of the Forge Divine are, in fact, cobbled together from centuries of rulings and writings. Collectively these are called the Sacral Index and are stored at Highwater Keep in the archives, which were taken from Sunholme Keep when the Forge fled.
Grandmaster: Sieur Severin Kjora
Master of the Reach: Sieur Aras Gorr
Paladin Ranks within the Order
Paige (levels 1-3)
Knight
Knight-Sergeant
Knight-Captain
Knight-Master
Chapter Master
The Forge Divine prizes skill at smithing, and treats its sword- and armor-smiths with great reverence. The symbol of the Forge is the golden anvil of Haeron. Paladins of the Order are not technically full priests, but they are inducted as clerics minor of the Temple. This is even though the High Lawkeeper and the central Temple of Miles does not recognize the authority of the Order Divine to conduct Hierian ceremonies.
There are several major chapters of the Forge within Kjellos and one in the region of Craftsman's Reach. The Forge holds its lands directly from King Karhart, and thus owes him their fealty.
All members of the Order of the Forge Divine may receive either the Religion (Haeron) or Blacksmithing NWP for free.
Friday, February 24, 2012
The Sword of Virtue
A few days ago we discussed alignments; what they mean according to the AD&D PHB and why they weren't simplistic or useless. Clearly, the thought of an alignment straightjacket still beats strong in the hearts of angry gamers who have perhaps been abused by their DMs or simply do not understand it. I will attempt to address the functional aspects of alignment in this essay, rather than the theoretical aspects of it. Allow me to reiterate that alignments do not proscribe a character's personality, but rather simply describe a general set of guidelines that they tend to follow.
This brings us without pause straight to the question of paladins and alignment spells. These seem to be a bone of contention even more so than alignments themselves. When arguments against alignment are brought up, the most frequent complaint is that the universe itself recognizes alignments; there are spells and abilities that affect different people based on their alignment, which many think of as silly. Since we've brought the paladin into this, though, we will also have to discuss a few misconceptions that people have about that class in regards to alignment and behavior.
This brings us without pause straight to the question of paladins and alignment spells. These seem to be a bone of contention even more so than alignments themselves. When arguments against alignment are brought up, the most frequent complaint is that the universe itself recognizes alignments; there are spells and abilities that affect different people based on their alignment, which many think of as silly. Since we've brought the paladin into this, though, we will also have to discuss a few misconceptions that people have about that class in regards to alignment and behavior.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)