The Dawn Flame Crusaders

The Dawn Flame Crusaders are the militant arm of the Church of the Dawn Host. They are charged with protecting Erath from evil and especially against fiendish influences. Additionally, they vow to protect the faith, its followers, the clergy, and holy sites. Lastly they actively engage the enemies of the Dawn Host and spread its truth through force, when required.

Structure

The Crusaders are organized and regimented as a military organization. However, they don't answer to or explicitly endorse any government. Instead, they take orders directly from and owe their allegiance to the Church of the Dawn Host.

• Lord Marshal- Leader and general of the Crusaders. Reports directly only to the Dawn Herald
• Knight Sentinel- Second in command to the Lord Marshal
• Knight Commander- Leaders of a Bastion. A fortress or an outpost of the Crusaders that can house 5 to 8 battalions
• Knight Captain- leaders for battalions which number around 100 ( 4 troops)
• Knight Sergeant- Leaders of a troop which numbers around 20 knight brothers and squires
• Knight Brother- Full-fledged knight who has taken his vows.
• Squire- Knight in training usually apprenticing to a knight but still serves in a combat capacity.
• Novitiate- trainee rank within the Crusaders. Some obtain this rank at a very young age especially if they were given to the crusaders after birth. it is not uncommon to hold this station for many years until at least adulthood (around 18 years old). Does a lot of the "grunt work".

There are special duty ranks within the Crusader that serve special functions within the organization.

• Knight Protector- These are the honor guard of the dawn herald. They number one hundred and are fulfilled only by Knight Brothers, Knight Sergeants, and led by a Knight Captain, only one troop of knights guards the Herald at a time.
• Chaplain- Administers and maintains worship spaces within bastions like a priest would. Sees to the spiritual well-being of the bastion as well as rooting out any potential heresy. Additionally, they assist and spreading the truth of the Hallowed Doctrine to liberated territories. Chaplains are usually Knight Captain rank
• Knight Cantor- Fulfills the duties of the Chaplain but at the battalion level and fulfills acolyte duties at bastion worship spaces. Usually Knight Sergeant or Knight Captain.
• Sergeant at Arms- overseas bastion grounds as well as its financials. additionally in charge of recruitment and training of novitiates. Typically fulfilled by a Knight Sergeant.
• Quartermaster- Ensures the operational state of equipment and barracks for a battalion. Typically fulfilled by a knight brother
• Knight Questor- Normally once assigned to a bastion, battalion, or troop a Crusader is not permitted to leave unless they submit the proper request for downtime away from their unit. Knight Questors on the other hand are different. They are assigned to leave their unit and travel alone or in the company of their Squire, usually undertaking a great task with no specified return time. This is done when it would be more advantageous for a Crusader to work alone or in a smaller group or when a quest is set before an aspiring knight who wishes to obtain the next higher rank. In this case, once the knight returns with their task completed they will be welcomed as their new rank. Additionally, this can be a self inposed or requested "exile" when a Crusader seeks atonement after they have strayed from their oaths and the tenets of the faith.
• Standard Bearer- While in battle they hold a standard blessed by the clergy and depicting one or all of the host or a particular saint and is a position of great honor. Fulfilled by a knight brother or squire
• Brother Scribe- Only special duty not fulfilled by another crusader. Typically an Anchorite is given over to a bastion for about 4 years where they record deeds and maintain administrative records for that bastion. They receive some combat training and can be called upon to serve in the field but this is not a common occurrence.

Culture

Amongst the Crusaders there is a strong culture of Brotherhood and Comraderee. Any knight is willing to lay their life on the line for their brothers in arms and to die for their beliefs.

Type

Military Order

Training Level

Elite

Veterancy Level

Decorated/Honored

Ruling Organization

Covenant of the Dawn Host

Parent Organization

Covenant of the Dawn Host

Location

City of Aeternium