The Midogoths (MIH-doh-goths)

Also known as the Order of Witch Hunters and the Old Order. Called the Mydotoths in the Canterlund and the Mirognotts in the north past Pfinsk. They were the only radical sect of Demestipher to gain significant influence and exercised political control in Nilofaur and parts of the Mindreland for centuries.

Combatting the Unholy Sickness

The followers of Demestipher were few for a long time in the years after Helenaphe's Descent . But when she fell ill after her interactions with Anagreite of the Rustborn, the outpouring of sympathy from the people spurred a religious movement. The doctors and angels who treated her became regaled as leaders of a new Order which sought to destroy Anagreite and the "Unholies" that stalked the Earth. Though Demestipher perished, her followers only grew and thus so did their power. By [??], the Midogoths had thousands of followers and exerted influence in almost every town in Nilofaur.
As part of acceptance into the Order, medical training was mandated. The leaders of the Order were some of the most skilled doctors in Nilofaur and it is by this that Demestipher became identified as a goddess of sickness and health. In their early days, the Order did much good including the funding of hospitals and clinics, the training of nurses and doctors, and the educating of people on health and sanitation. But they did have their dark side and a great deal of their efforts went toward the purging of those ungodly evils which in their belief were the root of all sickness. They helped fund bounties on Hekkauthra and allied with enemies of the Earthenborn. Though they never did confront Anagreite, a great many Earthen creatures fell by their hands.

Influence in the Mindreland

As sorcerers gained power in Nilofaur, the hunting of Hekkauthra went out of fashion and the Order, with their old ideas and old enemies, were pushed south. In the Mindreland, they gained influence in large cities and towns where hospitals were already in place or were there was a demand to build them. Their symbology preceded them and they were often welcomed even in small towns. In this period, the Order spread far and lost a central focus, diminishing in unified strength. In several pockets, however, they held significant political power. In the Handland, they operated as a clandestine organization on the right arm of the law, controlling the courts and holding a powerful lobby in the Low Councils. In the wilder parts of the southern Mindreland, they operated more overtly, cooperating with local police and bribing hunters to drag suspected witches and disguised Earthen creatures from their homes. By this, they adopted their title of "witch hunters" which, like their imagery of Demestipher, spread far and wide.
They were allies off and on with the Holy Church of Helen. Essentially, when the head of Church was adamant for purges and religious violence, such as a under [??] in the mid-1500s, they worked closely with one another

Type

Religious, Cult

Deities

• Demestipher