The Order of the Grave Wardens

The brave men and women fighting in the great Crimson Crusade

There is a war, that has been raging for far longer then any normal mortal would know. While the Church tries to suppress as best they can the knowledge of the occult, and the blood suckers of undeath, there are others who fight the vampire. Vampires are far more common then most would like to admit, and the fear that many high ranking officials are vampires is a very real concern. However, it is thanks to groups operating in the shadows that stem their tide, and even the vampires understand that the so called "cattle races" can bite back. Many small time orders exist, some sponsored by the church, others are simply a gang of brigands trying to do right in the Flame's name. One however exists within the secretive veil of darkness above others, and one that takes the war to the heart of the vampire menace: the Order of the Grave Wardens. The Wardens rage what they have deemed, The Crimson Crusade, a war to forever expunge the taint of vampirism, by any means necessary...

Culture

Above all, brotherhood and unity are taught first to new initiates. The Order recruits from all over the world, and as such acquire people from a variety of backgrounds. Some are the lowliest murdering scum, others the noblest of knight's. People of different religions and cultures are expected to work together to fight a common enemy, that of the supernatural creatures lurking in the cover of night. For this reason, while obviously interpersonal conflict does occur, the order teaches its warriors to learn to move past their differences and work together.
Another thing taught to those in the order, is the bigger picture. The Crimson Crusade is a war that must be fought with selflessness and cunning. Simply rushing ahead and stabbing anything that moves can only get one so far, as such the order teaches its members to use any means necessary to slay their targets. As such, paganistic and other methods some religions might consider heretical are used if it means getting the job done. There are some limits of course, demonic methods are obviously not tolerated, but largely the Order sees fit to use any methods if it means slaying a few more of the creatures of the night,
Secrecy is the greatest weapon of the order. Their enemy can be anywhere, and so the silent shadows of night must be the allies of those who hunt the hunters. Due to this, many of the Orders operatives are expected to not tell a soul, swearing oaths of secrecy upon pain of death to keep the Order as secret as possible. This adds many benifits to the order, as they are able to slink into many places unhindered, and can use their social status of their many double lives to help get the job done. Some hunters even join up with mercenary bands or adventuring parties, using their traveling nature to hunt a variety of threats they may hear about.
The Order of the Grave Wardens is not a religious one by nature. It stands out as one of the few orders dedicated to hunting supernatural threats that isn't by nature a religious institution. This is due to them preferring to not be sponsored by churches, and as such is largely self funded from what some suspect to be a few ultra wealthy nobility. Due to this, it allows the Order the ability to operate with a sense of pragmatism, and not be bound by faiths and creeds except for the ones they give themselves.

Assets

The Order of the Grave Wardens is scattered throughout the world, resorting to small teams operating around the globe in semi independent conclaves. Many of the orders warriors live double lives as traveling doctors, nobility, workers, and the like. Due to their scattered nature, the order is surprisingly well stocked, though most of the orders operatives are expected to largely fend for themselves. However should operatives be in need of reinforcements or resources, they can request for rearmament. It is said that many of the orders hunters live in a fortified citadel somewhere on the planet. While the location of the citadel is not known, many believe it is out in the sea somewhere.

History

The knowledge of the history of the vampire is a very debated upon and confusing labyrinth of ruses, truths, and outright lies. Most vampires do not even know their own history, with many of the different clans having their own little spin on how their hateful disease came to be. However, the Grave Wardens have, somehow, hold the true history of the vampire (unverifiable). 
It all starts with the Mad Blood Dragon, Cain. He was but a simple dragon, before he would kill his family in a fit of rage. He would go mad from guilt, but not before in his sons dying breath, called upon all the gods in the world to curse Cain. The gods were too happy to oblige, and the half insane, half blood sucker Cain was turned into he who would become the first vampire. He would gift his curse to mortals worshipping him as a diety, and would make the Sanguine Realm for his kin to travel to. However, there was one watching his flock, that hid their true intentions. A lone hunter, hid amongst the crowd and watched the vampires travel into this new realm, studying the magic used to travel there. When they had left, the hunter got to work, fashioning weapons of silver, and blessing them in strange pagan rituals before traveling into this vampiric realm under the cover of blackest darkness. While Cain held court with vampiric nobles, suddenly, blades and arrows would descend upon them, as cain was slain in horrifying brutality, as the hunter would utter to the survivors: "Know now, and forever, that those you would one day prey upon, are not disarmed. Remember as well, that you can still die." before suddenly vanishing back to the mortal realm. Such was the first vampire slain, and such was the shadow war between mortals and vampires begun.
The order has existed since the earliest days, even when kingdoms such as Ashenfeld or Neundorf were just beginning to form, the order was already in operation for a long time. Much of their history is unkown, but some hints exist. The Crusades in Tajir have tales of strange individuals entering and soon burning down a bazaar in a Tajiran city, with inhuman screeches being heard. When Vebastonne and Ashenfeld went to war, a group of knights broke off from a battle and shivered their lances into a group of blood suckers seemingly orchestrating a plot to bring both nations to their knees. In Orliea, when Catai and Kanto fought, a group of masked hunters would fire arrows into generals from both armies, who turned to ash upon dying. Many moments like this exist in history, and very few know the truth of the conflict.
The Deadlands forming was a cause for alarm within the Order, and it is here that the Crimson Crusade would reach its peak. While the other nations of Nilush saw fit to largely ignore the Deadlands after the first few failed colonization attempts, the Grave Wardens were raging bloody wars within the cursed streets of the many cities left behind. It was here that they also began fighting in the Sanguine Realm, hunting the hunters of mortal man in their own home. Then the Crusade of Light came, and the hunters while invigorated at first, would see the warning signs and simply slip back into the night. The Chosen One failed, but it is said those warriors who bore his body back to the hands of his allies, bore no heraldry and no insignias. 
Ever since the failed Crusade of Light, the order has kept its campaign in the shadows. It is said in some cities of the Deadlands, gunshots can be heard as hunters fight the damned undead with shot, bolt, and blade.

Political Influence & Intrigue

Some small time orders hunting the supernatural creatures of the night, but not all. Even then, fewer still know of the orders history. The Church of the Flame has a strange relationship with the Grave Wardens. Only the highest ranking members of the church and their secret orders know of their existence, and while many do approve of the Grave Wardens mission, they raise issue with their willingness to do anything to win. The Church does not appreciate the open acceptance of pagan magic and even, if rumors are to be believed, necromancy and sangromancy in order to win against the creatures of the night. For this reason, the relations between the Church and the Order are tense, and have at time resulting in teams from both organizations coming to blows on the field.

"For the next Sunrise"

Founding Date

Unkown

Type

Secret, Brotherhood

Alternative Names

The Grave Wardens