Paladins

I am a paladin of Wothat, and you will let me through.

— Heiden, demanding access to the city struck by the Long Death

Being a paladin is something that is respected and wished by many people in almost all societies. Chosen by a god, not always according to the will of the paladin himself, they are most known as divine warriors, individuals with close ties to the gods. The usual powers granted to a paladin include immunity to all diseases and most poisons, especially slow ones, outstanding health and strength, as well as significantly improved potential in arcane magic.
Becoming a paladin is no hard thing at all, but few are fit for it. If one's aura is compatible with a god's aura, the two can form a very special bond. A seal of an individual design is integrated into the future paladin's aura; and that seal, a small independent aura pattern itself, acts as a link between the paladin and their god.
Through that seal, a paladin gets access to some of the god's divine powers, as the seal is part of the god and thus can provide the divine magic even without the concern of the said god. In return, some of the divine energy gathered by the paladin is captured by the seal and transferred to the god. Normally, both the provided divine power and the efficiency of such transfer would be rather low, though it's still the only known way of transferring divine energy.
Yet, the more matching are the two auras, paladin's and god's, the better is the seal integrated into paladin's aura and the stronger is their connection. Some of the legendary paladins were said to have little to no divine energy and yet being able to defeat monstrous creatures and gods in a fight. Such link makes both the god and the paladin highly dependent on each other and their power.
Moreover, it becomes easier for them to reach the minds of each other, speaking and even sharing emotions and visions if the link is very strong. For what one could have to pray for years, another can simply ask for. Some paladins are even able to communicate with other paladins of the same god through their seals. Sometimes, they can even become a deity; though it is rather hard for a paladin, especially with close ties to their god, to collect enough divine energy to advance to a proper god.

Martial arts, religion, literacy... You might be chosen, but you still have a lot to learn. This temple here would be your new home.

— Cleric to a newly initiated paladin

Once a man or woman gets chosen by a god, they are taken to train in the temple or under another paladin, though the latter is rather uncommon. Many future paladins train as acolytes in the temple before their initiation and then get formally introduced to the god by their clerics in a certain ritual which is said to improve the chances of becoming a paladin. The paladins are not required to undergo the training, though almost all choose to do at least some form of it.
Afterwards, some of the paladins spend their time protecting the temples and clerics of their god while others travel across the lands in pursuit of their god's ideals. Paladins also have groups called Orders, united by the same goals, most of whose members are the travelling ones. The most famous and probably the most respected, though often feared, paladin order are the Custodians, paladins whose job is to fight diseases including the terrifying Dust of the Dead. Yet, in times of danger and need all paladins toss away their usual activities and stand as a shield in defence of the things they have sworn to protect.

Career

Qualifications

To become a paladin, you do not need any skills or knowledge; you may not even know the god that you'll serve. Yet, most of the people became paladins after being formally introduced by a member of the clergy, and everything seems to affect one's chances of being chosen. There were even paladins that did not want to devote their lives to a god in the first place.

Payment & Reimbursement

Money? Yes, the money is quite good. I mean, I make more a year than anyone in my home village does!

— Village kids asking questions of a paladin

Wealthy people would often send money to the passing paladin of their patron. If a god protects a certain settlement or country, the financial support for their paladins could be astonishing, often better than that for the temples. Most of the bigger temples have a special place where anyone could sacrifice as little or as much as they wanted to the god's paladins, who can get some of that money when passing by. Those places are often visited by the common folk, who can not afford to give enough money to do it directly but still want to help. The sums discussed are often enough to support the whole of the paladin's family.

Other Benefits

Utmost respect and hospitality. In many villages, a paladin could often be offered by locals to share food with them or stay for the night. Those locals may not even be the followers of the same god as the paladin.

Operations

Tools

Being the god's warriors, paladins are usually heavily armed and well protected by their armour. Yet, some paladins choose the path of peace over their nature and may not carry weapons at all. Most of them also have a sigil of their god, wearing it either openly or concealed.

Provided Services

Most of the paladins spend their days fighting monsters and protecting the temples, or just preaching and travelling around the world. They often help the ill and wounded, including the usage of divine magic via the god's seal, as well as teach kids and adults alike the basics of literacy.
It is also not such a rare thing to meet the paladins protecting the weak and fighting the tyrants, as most of them take the ideals of their god rather close to the heart. Some paladins collect and preserve knowledge, some study and fight diseases. Some are, after all, simply living their lives. The paladins do not really have any list of services they can provide, being specific to the paladin.

Alternative Names

Divine warriors, god's avatars

Type

Religious

Demand

Overall, the paladins are someone about who you can often hear things like "if only there were more people like them", though they do not play any indispensable role except for the times of diseases

Legality

Paladins are free to move all across the world, except for the rare places where deities are banned or under the strict control forbidding them to have any kind of servants. However, in many cultures including humans, paladins cannot hold any positions of power, as they are perceived as having too close of a bond with the gods.

Famous in the Field

• Razzira

Other Associated professions

• Deity

Used By

• Custodians