Knights Celestial
Structure
The Knights are lead by a council of five senior knights. These five are the only knights of the order to permanently reside in Uborum - the rest are either actively involved in questing, or on temporary assignment to a population center somewhere in the hemisphere. They are most commonly found in the western half of Helion.
The council consists of one knight appointed by each God, and a Prime Councilor voted on by those four. When one of the four is replaced (due to retirement, death, or in one case betrayal), a Knight Celestial of the same God will feel a calling and will proceed to Uborum. They present themselves to the council, and their new fellows should have a feeling from their God that this person is the new member. If the Prime Councilor needs to be replaced, the other four will discuss and come to a unanimous decision on the new Prime (the only time they have failed to reach unanimity was the same incident as the betrayal). The Prime is generally the oldest of the current four, but that is not always the case, and has come from outside the four in the past, including a notable incident where they brought in someone from outside the order.
Outside of these five, there is not a hierarchy to the order. Knights on assignment to a specific population center are generally deferred to in that area, but they have no authority over other knights. When two knights meet in the field, and work together on a quest, the knight that was originally given the quest will lead the group. Even then, consensus is sought between the knights and any other companions.
Culture
Knights Celestial devote themselves to good (or the golden end of Moribus, as some view the Truth). Their primary goal is to stand up to evil, especially in the form of undead and fiends. They can be a bit fanatical in this respect, and they may perceive things as evil when they don't truly fit the description. The few fallen knights of the order have done so because they became overzealous in the pursuit of their duties and began punishing people who committed no more than venal sins.
They will fight any undead they come across, and seek out others they may know about when they can. In the case that they become aware of anything fiendish, they will drop their current quest to eliminate them. They will fight more mundane evil as well, although they will attempt to bring evil doers to justice, rather than summarily execute them.
Knights primary activity is to go a-questing. They will accept requests from people that they determine to be good, or any quests that fall under the banner of eliminating undead and fiends. They are not required to accept quests, although their God will often nudge them towards what they want to have done. The Gods all respect the free will of their followers, and do not mete out punishment unless they ignore a significant evil, or ignore minor evil without a reason.
Public Agenda
The Knights Celestial pride themselves on their dedication to eliminating evil. They have gained a reputation for helping the weak and protecting people, and are generally welcomed.
Assets
The order itself does not have many assets, as they sink everything they have to their missions. Knights Celestail no longer tithe to their own church, but rather to the order. This money is used to help fund other knights, and to outfit them in the proper gear. A newly minted knight can visit Uborum and get a suit of armor built to their size. The best warhorses on the continent are raised by the order in Uborum, but they are still rare. A knight that has completed a major quest for the order will be gifted with such a horse.
History
The order has existed for more than 1000 years, and is one of the few organizations to survive the Collapse. They consider themselves to be the successors to the Aureum Vigil, and are one of the few groups that truly believe that the statue is the remains of an actual being. The order has many legends of the Aureum, including that one day they will fight along side a renewed Aureum against a renewed Aegrus Occisor for the soul of the Terrene.
Comments