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| Artist unknown |
Order
of the Sable Maid
Banner:
Argent, a rose sable thorny wreath sable
Oath:
-
To protect the weak
-
To comfort the suffering
-
To liberate the oppressed and resist the tyrant
-
To live in simplicity and humility
Disposition:
Gentle, quiet, dependable, diplomatic
Motto:
“We Follow Where She Leads”
The
first followers of the Sable Maid of Orlei were no knights. They knew
nothing of the sword or its wielding, but took to its learning in
service of the Maid and the people she loved. It was not until after
her death and the end of that horrible war that the order was formed
proper. Amateur hands were by then tempered by wisdom and
experience, and ready for the teaching of students.
Today the
order's military and monastic branches are widespread. Common born-women are traditionally the backbone of the order: men who join the order will act as
auxiliaries or aides to the knights or join a monastic community, and
the noble-born must forfeit any inheritance upon taking the oath.
They swear no allegiance to any lord or temporal authority. The commoners adore them.
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| "Forever Burning Heart" by apteris |
Order
of the Knights Coronal
Banner:
Carbones, a sun tenné-or in his splendor, eight swords tenné-or
rayed
Oath:
-
To strike down the enemies of the Undying Sun
-
To wage ceaseless war against death
-
To end the dominion of night
-
To burn out all evil from the world
Disposition:
Zealous, noble, unyielding, haughty
Motto:
“Until The Endless Dawn”
To
become a Knight Coronal, one journey to their hidden monastery at the
desert’s edge. One must eat a fallen sunspark and sacrifice the
mortality of their body for the service of undeath. They walk in the
courts of kings and dukes, ever-seeking darkness to destroy and
unstoppable in their devotion to war. They wage their war on solitary
fronts; for all their hatred of the night, they can rarely stand the
existence of an equal. A Knight Coronal must be exemplar among all.
The
people fear them. They spit upon the gods of man and worship only a
distant SUN and will raise pogroms against those found evil in their
sight. The forces of the night cower from their shining march and
their blades of flame, this is true, but it is a fearsome sight.
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| Pretty sure this is from the FFG Star Wars RPG |
Order
of the Ascendant Heart
Banner:
Gules, a chief sable a man rampant crowned or
Oath:
-
To each, ownership of their flesh
-
To each, a most beautiful prison of their eternal gnosis
-
To each, a breaking of the shackles upon their soul
-
To each, a rejection of the corruption of nature
Disposition:
Driven, audacious, impractical, visionary
Motto:
“Mastered Soul, Conquered Flesh”
The
gods are but cells of the Demiurge: the Ascendant Heart ignores their
pleas and schemes. Divinity is internal, trapped in the body. The
corrupted world cannot be shed, not yet, but the slave can become the
master of his prison.
To
this end, the order has studied the arcane arts extensively, focusing
on the school of fleshcrafting. Their attention is turned inwards,
to the delicate shifts of nerve and gene and chemical receptor.
Deformities of the outer shell are nothing: what is more corruption?
Beauty is not matter, and their universities grow in renown each
passing year.
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| Concept art for the Skywind mod |
Order
of the Ashpath
Banner:
Tattered brunâtre, a wheel argent
Oath:
-
Hold no home, no lands, no lord
-
Words are to be few; do not pollute upon silence
-
Carry with you and protect the relics of vanished Radh
-
Be carried upon the wind as dust
Disposition:
Dry, introverted, self-sufficient, unapproachable
Motto:
“Sing Always Of Radh”
The
Order of the Ashpath outlived their lords, their home, and their
gods. With Radh buried under the ash of mount Vesun, the homeless
knights of that city scattered to the winds. They have no purpose
now, save the keeping of their memories. Even those are fading now.
In due time, the Knights Ashpath will die out, and the songs of Radh
will cease.
They are skilled in navigating the wilderness and the bowels of the earth. Ruins and wild places are their domain. Though they speak little they are keen with languages. They have little love for gold but much for art, which they will treat with great care and then destroy.
They are skilled in navigating the wilderness and the bowels of the earth. Ruins and wild places are their domain. Though they speak little they are keen with languages. They have little love for gold but much for art, which they will treat with great care and then destroy.
Addendum
This
post was written to meet a challenge made by Connor W. of Fists of
Cinder and Stone, as follows: “I want you to write a post about
the last book you read. I don't want a review of the book, but rather
take some (large or small) tid bit from it and write a relevant to
gaming thing.”
I am
currently reading Mark Twain’s Personal Recollections of Joan of
Arc, (having previously finished King’s The Gunslinger)
and I have learned a very important lesson from reading it.
Don’t
base your paladins on Joan of Arc. That had been my initial approach
to this post, which led me nowhere and generated nothing but
consternation. She might potentially be the worst example of a
real-life player character to exist. She is nowhere near greedy
enough, and would not be seen tramping through a dungeon in search of
monsters to kill and treasure to steal. Boozing and whoring are right
out.
Addendum 2
People not citing their art sources so that I might in turn cite those sources continues to be exasperating.
Addendum 2
People not citing their art sources so that I might in turn cite those sources continues to be exasperating.
