The Poor Brothers

The first militant order of the Solar Faith, the Order of the Poor Brothers is a loose organization of warrior-priests dedicated to protecting Solarian temples and spreading the Solar Faith.

Structure

The Poor Brothers have no formal internal leadership. Each warrior of the order typically answers to anointed priests of temples, but all Poor Brothers are considered equals. Neophytes of the order have their initiation ritual overseen by a leading temple priest, or a member of the Poor Brothers.

Culture

The Poor Brothers stress humility above all else; their humble origins are greatly respected, they demand no praise for their service protecting Solarians, and many members of the order swear a vow of poverty - they will renounce any frivolous worldly possessions, partake in no excesses, and will place their own welfare second to that of Solarians in need.
The initiation ritual of the Poor Brothers requires members to fast for a week while doing nothing but the Five Prayers, wearing only a set of roughspun robes marked with the symbol of the Poor Brothers. This ritual is designed to test a member's readiness for a life of hardship, which is expected for any Poor Brother. Those who fail are barred from joining the order.

Public Agenda

The Poor Brothers started as a loose order of warrior-priests dedicated to defending their temples. However, with Solar Faith's rise in power, their missions have expanded to include helping establish temples in foreign lands and protecting Solarians from persecution.
Some Poor Brothers go on pilgrimages or journeys, walking the earth and going wherever they are needed, never settling in any one place for too long for there is always work to be done.

History

The Poor Brothers trace their origins many centuries back when the Drangian Kaiserreich reigned. According to the histories, five priests of the faith had freed dozens of enslaved Solarians that were being moved from a salt mine near Altenau, bringing the freed slaves to a hidden temple. The five priests, unable to feed both themselves and the slaves, chose to starve and let their fellow Solarians eat what little food the temple had available.
When the slavers arrived to the temple to reclaim their slaves and burn the temple, the priests took up arms and fought off the slavers despite their exhaustion and weakness from starvation. In the end, only one priest survived the battle, and was able to lead the Solarians to a safe haven near the village of Draiser. The surviving priest then embarked on a pilgrimage to seek absolution for his part in the battle, and was never seen again.
This story inspired other priests to similarly take up arms to defend their temples, and sometime around the year 95 the Lioness of the Sun officially founded the Order of the Poor Brothers, and absolved the Poor Brothers of the need to seek absolution for fighting - so long as it was done to protect Solarians. Throughout the centuries, the Poor Brothers helped lead escaped Solarian slaves to safety, and fought off slavers or warbands that emerged to crush their temples. During the Solaris Rebellion, the Poor Brothers helped rally the slave population into revolt, and thousands of Poor Brothers fought during the rebellion - their fanaticism in combat inspiring others around them to fight just as hard.

Founding Date

95

Type

Religious, Monastic Order

Parent Organization

The Solar Faith