Knights of the Cloth

The Knights of the Cloth have a storied history. The group was originally comprised of a number of mercenary bands – independent of one another – recruited by the Eryqq Orthodoxy for an Inquisition. The church was having problems with corrupted priests, and needed someone to do the dirty work of cleaning up the mess. This was, naturally, something that priests could not do, so the task was outsourced to the mercenaries. Over the course of a few years, the newly formed Knights of the Cloth investigated, outed, and executed over one hundred Eryqqian priests, some of whom were rather high ranking members of the church. When the Orthodoxy had recovered from the Inquisition, the Knights of the Cloth were made official Blades of the Church, serving as a civil peacekeeping force, as well as being the military arm of the Orthodoxy. This caused a need for restructuring, leading to the establishment of proper ranks, policies, and bases of operation. These would remain in place until the Massacre of Tel Ma'Hashar, when the entire leadership was decimated, and all that remained was a single regiment. That is the present of the organization, led entirely by Asher al Ahadin, and spread thin across the nation. They do what they can, but they are simply not the same force that once was.

Structure

Al’qayid is the highest ranking member of the Knights. He gives orders to the whole, and, when they all march as a unit, he serves as the field commander. Mi’leh is the regional commanders. These are the ones charged with training new recruits, and giving commands to the squads within his region. Ko’pe are the squad commanders. Each squad is comprised of four members, and they all have a single leader.

History

The Knights of the Cloth have an interesting and somewhat sordid history. The original inception and purpose of the Knights was during an inquisition into the Eryqq Orthodoxy. It was immediately following the fall of Mala and the establishment of Kirgadesh as a nation. At the time, the Orthodoxy had an issue of their church officials abusing power and leveraging their position in a blackmail, cloak-and-dagger routine. Not wanting to dirty the hands of the church further, the Qel – the highest rank in the Orthodoxy – hired a slew of mercenaries. In the following months, these mercenaries outed and punished over 60 church officials, reaching over 130 by the end of the inquisition. Out of thanks and respect for helping them heal their faith, the Orthodoxy officially inducted them as “Blades of the Church”. However, they elected to self-title as “Knights of the Cloth”. Believing themselves to be genuinely honorable men, the Knights sought further legitimacy by ceasing to accept mercenary pay, instead asking for a Priest’s stipend. Over the next few generations, the Knights of the Cloth grew to have over 400 members.

Type

Military, Knightly Order

Location

Kirgadesh

Notable Members