Tyr's Hand

Structure

Their organization follows a strict hierarchy and chain of command, with all members demanding high levels of respect from the church.
Grandmaster: The sole head of the order who is in charge of overall operations and designating overarching missions and ideals for the rest of the order to follow. He is chosen among the strongest and most pious members of the order, and once one is chosen the position is for life. The rank of Grandmaster is reserved only for Storm Giants, Goliaths, and Humans. Although humans are the most rare and there has only ever been one Human Grandmaster.
Master of Ceremonies: In charge of all divine, and the seldom times that they are necessary arcane rituals and ceremonies that take place. He is also the architect of new rituals and ceremonies and often an established caster in the order. Although they are placed above the Martial head in any hierarchal list they hold similar power as the Martial Heads, just in different areas of the order.
Martial Head: The Martial Head is in charge of laying out plans of action for all Knights, Initiates and other members of the militaristic side of the order. They are responsible for the allegation of resources to train, arm, and modify their knights and begin the process of modification of initiates in the order. They also are the men who write out and submit declarations of holy war to the Grandmaster for him to ultimately sign off on or reject.
Inquisitor: Effectively the lawyers and purveyors of holy justice throughout the land, an Inquisitor's duty is simply to seek out Heretical movements throughout the world and either suppress it themselves through the help of local legislature and law enforcement or to call on the Knights, and in the case that a Holy War is needed to squash the Heresy the Crusaders.
Crusaders: While not all knights can become Crusaders, all Crusaders are, or at least were once knights. A Crusaders duties are simple, destroy Heresy in their homeland. If it is time for a Holy War to be carried out, they shall go to the site of the Heresy and squash it there as well. They are heavily modified through magic and alchemy, and seldom do they even remotely resemble the original race that they once were.
Knight: The Knights of the Hand of Tyr are the first line of defense against evil outsiders and other heretics. They rarely are ever called upon to go to Holy Wars declared by the Hand of Tyr, but have been called upon to join the Catholic Church's crusades in the middle east. They are battle hardened warriors but not always modified so drastically as the Crusaders. When they are not at war they are training for war, and handling policing and local legislative duties in their territories.
Initiates: Before a member of the Hand of Tyr becomes anything they are an Initiate. These men are selected from the finest of people found throughout the world and only the strong and pious are welcome into their ranks. Often though an Iniates day is filled with training and clerical duties. Sometimes Janitorial duties should it be deemed necessary. Although not a knight, crusader, or a member of the higher order they are still respected due to the high moral and physical requirements to join the order. They are trained not just to be strong of body but strong of will.

Public Agenda

Although there is much going on behind the scenes that the public need not know about their public agenda is as follows. Tyr's Hand first and foremost is to protect the old world and holy lands from any Heresy that they may find, reguardless of Origin. They are to defend the pious and lead the unfaithful down a path to redemption. However, should a person be considered an unredeemable heretic, a purge is a common thing to happen.
"Beware my men as they tear through your village to find Heresy. No count, lord, king, or emporer is safe from the Hand of Tyr. We will find you, and we will put a stop to your evil. Such is our creed. By Tyr we stand; By Tyr's side we shall fall." -Grandmaster of Tyr's Hand.

Assets

There are upwards of fifteen thousand men that make up Tyr's hand with most of them being either Knights of Initiates. With the help of Fire Giants their weapons are legendary, and with the help of the Storm Giants so are there fortresses. Magical items in the traditional sense are seldom found beyond ones simply made to slay more efficiently. However the amount of armor enchanted with various runes gifted to them by Tyr and Morradin is incredible and many fear the Crusaders who wear such armor. They also have alchemical knowledge to such a degree to turn a normal man, Goliath, or otherwise into a hulking beast of a man who lives to serve only the Gods and to purge Heresy wherever it may be found. Their riches, while not vast like the Catholic Church's are substantial and allow them to operate in Russia, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, The Holy Roman Empire, as well as Spain. In each of these lands they have a fortress that the peasants would deem impenetrable.

History

The order was started by a Storm Giant in the year 873 after witnessing the weakness of humanity. He strove to design an order that would be able to purge Heresy wherever it may crop up and keep the planet safe from evil. From there he began to recruit other Giants, Dragons, and Goliaths into the fold. Some humans would also join as scholars to research means to enhance them beyond natural levels. Their first true war was against a demonic incursion in Arabia that was causing devestation across the land. Within two years of the Hand of Tyr fighting, they had been pushed back and the threat sealed.

In Tyr's visage we purge the heretics.

Founding Date

July 15th, 873

Type

Military, Knightly Order

Training Level

Elite

Veterancy Level

Decorated/Honored