Followers of Kord 'God of Courage' (SC'20)

Written by Steve Tremblay

The city of Esterholt is one of the oldest on Ellara. It was founded nearly 300 years ago and it is robust, modern and well maintained. The city guard is a vast operation but is not the sole peacekeeping force in the city.
The Temple of Kord is the largest and oldest site dedicated to the God of Courage. For centuries, the Temple sends its recruits to patrol alongside or at some points, completely in place of the city guard. The leadership of the church throughout the years has attempted to draw in (or at least instill in new recruits) honesty, trust and the Temple's place within the city and the world. While followers of Kord may tend to be willing to join a fight or start one if the cause is right, they have always attempted to be on the right side of it.
To be fair, there have been members of the church more interested in bullying and abusing their position and power but the church leadership will deal with those folks before they become an issue for Esterholt. There have been several cases, rare as they might be, where a follower murdered someone in town or within the church itself. Even more rarely that person is apprehended by the city guard and remanded back to the Temple rather than dealing a blow to it's reputation.
Several years ago, the former head of the church, Craig Mason mysteriously disappeared and his two half daughters have taken the reins. His legacy was that of a true leader and peacekeeper but it was not without challenges. In the last years before his disappearance, a recruit named Una Anhelada trained at the temple and earned her paladin-hood. While she exceeded at the tenets of bravery and a willingness to fight for herself and friends she enjoyed 'practicing' her fighting skills outside of the temple in any bar that would allow or with anyone who might look at her sideways. Her training allowed her to best most men and her enthusiasm sent several to the closest clerics for healing. Craig was quick to retrieve her and tested the resolve of the longstanding tradition where the city looked the other way.
There was some amount of relieve when Una left the city to join the war on the Overwatch side. She may have been the one to break the long streak of the city guard not involving itself in church affairs.
There was cause for concern when Una and her new friends returned to Esterholt after years of relative peace. Instead of drama, Una was rewarded with the title Fist of Kord and after Craig's disappearance, she now trains new recruits with her half sister Julie Fairway and is the person responsible for making sure no one invites trouble back to the Temple.

God of Courage by Brianna Marie