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PALADINS OF THEMARTIES DIE |
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PALADINS OF THEMARTIES DIE |
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The military orders of the Church have a long if not altogether illustrious history, and have provided Aiyanism with many heroes, figureheads and saints (along with a few embarrassments). The original Paladin was a gladiator slave of the False Emperor Tendeknazor, who sent Narasath the Kaiat into exile (see Saints).
History - Organisation - Kapitri - The Rule - The Quest, Free Paladins and Dark Paladins
Paladin's noble sacrifice had been celebrated in art and song, and much emulated by Armorian warriors, for almost a millennium before Kanathrann V founded the Order of Paladin in AC 522. This body of knights was charged with organising the conquest of Ghamvalia and cleansing it of the native orcs. It was not until 550 that Prince Onathrann (later Onathrann II), himself a paladin, turned the order into the more organised Blaide of Stonngard. They were in effect his personal bodyguard, since Onathrann feared losing the throne to at least one of his many cousins. In reward for their loyalty (and to further secure his own power), he appointed them as royal governors of the most important towns and cities in Armoria when he finally reached the throne in 556. These original paladins were not at this point a religious order.
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The Armorian Civil War (10th Century AC) pitched paladin against paladin, dividing the Blaide. Those who sided with the House Corondril argued that the loyalty of the Blaide was to the Ebenor Throne, not the monarch per se. Supporters of Imathrann Demonchild in Ghamvalia responded by founding a rival body, the Order of Titan, in AC 936. (Titan, as described in the Libris Annales, was a giant who fought in the army of the 4th Kaiat, and no heathen army could withstand him.) Blessed by the Guurat of Tarin Eth, they swore eternal fealty to God and the Church in the name of the True King as the first command of the Rule of the Order, and styled themselves Marties Die, Warriors of God. The Titans, therefore, were the first true religious order of knights, and all subsequent orders have been modelled on them. |
| Shield of the Blaide - three stars (the Trilumi) above the Kirukuna and crossed swords. |
The Titans were, and remain, an exclusively male order. The next order to be founded was restricted to female knights or minartes. As early as 940 some female knights were styling themselves Hildefrau ('hilt-wife'), but they were not gathered together as a coherent body until 975, under the patronage of Queen Alathwynne. The Hildefrauen adopted a rule similar to that of the Titans and became warrior nuns, nominally fighting for the Church but, like the Titans, more actively involved with the war against eastern Armoria, which was by then coming to be known as Sudenin.
The formal end of the civil war in 1081, and the recognition of Sudenin as a separate realm from Armoria, prompted a reconsolidation of territory by both sides, and it was only then that the Blaide was reorganised on the line of the Armorian orders, with a rule modelled on that of the Titans. Theirs was, however, an unsegregated order, and continued in its secular administrative role.
As the threat of Shadowfall loomed during the next century, the orders often found themselves working against the Demonikus, either alone or in tandem. Both the Titans and the Blaide were engaged in the attempt (1139) to seize Narazon from the army of Dead left behind by the Rotorii working for Tarin Eth. Ten years previously, the Blaide had also arranged for the death of the kronetic Guurat of Stonngard, who urged an end to war against the Demonikus. The Blaide were also pitted against the Inquisition founded by Tobas Grull, the Ullkaiat, and were eventually (1179) excommunicated. They then retired to Argund, where they raised Guthwynne, daughter of Evawynne Immortal, from her arrival in 1191. They would later become honoured allies of the Queen Immortal throughout her reign.
Both the Titans and the Hildefrauen refused to submit to the kronetics when they deposed Evawynne in 1191, and many joined her in exile. These too were excommunicated, and most perished in the battle for Tarin Mor [Map 31] in 1208 (where Guthrann slew Evawynne and broke the Shadowblade, allowing Guthwynne to escape with a shard of her own). The rest unhappily retained their loyalty to the Church, kronetic though it was, until YL 30, when King Lenethrann, Guthrann's puppet, was hacked to death by the Righteous Plot. Among this plot were the Hocmartion of the Titans and at least two Hildefrauen. They then invited Guthwynne to take the Armorian throne, and oversaw the dismantling of the kronetic church.
The extirpation of the Demonikus and the Rotor Okuros offered the knights of the orders many opportunities to perform deeds of great renown, and also inspired the founding of a number of lesser orders, most notably the Minartes Rosa (YL 148, in response to the recurrent threat from Dhiel Umbra) and the Kurrasigi Negera (YL 221, to repel the Westriders invading Noremor [Map 43]).
The discovery of what was widely believed to be the tomb of Narasath Kaiat in the forests of Ammath Albin inspired the founding of the Marties Albin in YL 505, closely followed by the Minartes Sune in 522. The former seized the land of Cenderath by 550, whilst the latter came to rule the island of Salnathia [Map 51].
| The Great Crusade against Saro led to
the founding of the Gran Krussatori in 624 (the first
order to incorporate chapters based in Rhannagon) and the
Marties Okra in 649. The Minartes Helentallia were
founded in 670 after the death of Helentallia, Queen of
Sudenin and wife of Niathrann Immortal. The most recent orders of note to be founded are the Uverholden (or 'Obsoletes'), who arose during Gwentallia's defence of Argund against the Nocjeks in 1253, and the Marties Zamba, consisting entirely of sudenic knights of Azamban blood, founded by escaped slaves in 1325. Both of these orders represent the Sudenic Church, as founded by the beleaguered Gwentallia in 1251. |
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| Shield of the Minartes Sune, reflecting their maritime concerns. |
One other order deserves mention: the Marties Venga were formed in 1233, after the death of Ardrenel Derelbor (r.1203-33) to protect the Sinjenik arm of the Church in Sudenin from the Parajenik heir Gwentallia. This drove them into uneasy alliance with the aggressively expansionist Nocjeks, who then invaded Sudenin in 1235. The Marties Venga were lured to Tharaxhan, city of the Shadow Orcs in Dwn Doloch, where they were seduced into serving the Demonikus as the Marties Suria, worshipping the demonic Regal-God Anaxhi Suri (slain by Guthwynne's expedition into Koredaur in YL 506). As agents of the Demonikus, the Marties Suria are widely encountered, faceless behind their seamless suits of black armour. They are reputed to be steeped in demonic lore, and wield a sinister power that makes them rightly feared by agents of the Rotor Kontras.
Each order or monasterion of the Marties Die is comprised of a variable number of kapitri ('chapters' or 'lodges'). Some orders have very few kapitri, others can boast many (though these larger orders tend to be somewhat factionalised).
The monasterion is ultimately ruled by the Hocmartion (or Hocminartia) of the order's kapitro primos or headquarters. He or she is elected by the Obermarties, of which there is one or more for each kapitro. The post of Hocmartion is normally held for life, though it is not unknown for a Hocmartion to step down voluntarily, or to be impeached and ousted. The Hocmartion and Obermarties are collectively responsible for the fiscal, legal and other administrative duties necessary to the running of the order, as well as representing the order in secular and other councils.
Administration of a kapitro falls to the Obermartion and the Kivales Tutas. A Kivalos Tutas is a 'full' knight, who receives from the order the lands necessary to support himself along with the horses of his lance and those of his Kivales Demos. A Kivalos Tutas holds a place on the council of the kapitro and is entitled to vote on matters of policy. He may, should the opportunity occur, go on to become the Obermartion of his kapitro.
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A Kivalos Demos (or 'half'
knight) looks to his Tutas for horse, though he may bear
his own arms and armour. A Demos is very much at the beck
and call of his Tutas, though he may be given leave to go
questing and may be entrusted with important missions on
behalf of the order. A Demos has no place on the
kapitro's council, though he may sit in place of his
Tutas. He is normally chosen by a Tutas from the
Senkivales, and though he has the right of refusal, to
exercise such may mean permanent relegation to the
Senkivales or even expulsion from the order. The Senkivales are the horseless knights of the order. Their arms and armour are lent rather than bestowed, and they represent a pool of knights answerable to the Obermartion and the Kivales Tutas. A Senkivalos rarely goes questing alone, but often accompanies a Tutas or Demos on a quest or mission, acting as a squire. (Although technically horseless, a Senkivalos is usually assigned a mount for such tasks.) Senkivales also play an active part in the day-to-day management of the monasterion, in much the same way as non-martial monks. Many are skilled craftsmen, scribes, herbalists, chirurgeons, stone masons, sculptors, armourers etc. |
| Shield of the Marties Okra, with the winged angelsword and the eight-petalled sunfoil - one petal for each chapter of the order. |
There is, then, a clear hierarchical structure. A new initiate typically enters the order as a Senkivalos, and he may through dutiful service and piety earn the right to become first Demos, then Tutas, perhaps Obermartion and ultimately Hocmartion. Indeed, many hocmarties have been able to claim the humblest of origins, including a hocminartia of the Minartes Rosa who entered the order as a repentant prostitute. However, there is more mobility in some orders than in others, and in the more rigid orders (such as the Titans, the Minartes Sune and the Marties Okra) initiates of noble birth enter the order as a Demos or even a Tutas.
Within the Parajenik orders, such as the Minartes Rosa and the Marties Zamba, the hierarchy is less rigid. The distinction between Kivales Demos and Senkivales is particularly blurred, the lesser knights having much freedom to choose which Tutas they follow, and for how long.
A kapitro of a martial order may be a fortified stronghold, though more often it is a building or enclave within a town or city. As well as the knights of various ranks, it also houses many commoners who perform the more menial duties. They work alongside the Senkivales, sharing many of their tasks, though they have no right to bear arms in the name of the Church. These vulgares pietas follow the same regimen of prayer and observance as the marties, at least when working on the order's property or in its name. Many vulgares are part-time or seasonal workers, and receive a humble wage for their labours. Others may be indentured as a penance for their sins, and live off the order's charity. Some have come seeking sanctuary. A few may be considered worthy to join the Senkivales. Vulgares are not normally bound by the sexual segregation enforced in most orders - female vulgares will be employed by the male orders, and vice versa - though there are exceptions. The Kurassigi Negera, for example, will not permit a woman to enter the order's buildings, though she may work in the fields.
A kapitro always contains at least one church or chapel, often several, and an order will supply its own priests to administer the service wherever possible, though regular priests from outside the order may be employed for this function. There is also a communal dining hall where all meals are eaten. Breakfast is taken immediately after morning mass, shortly after sunrise, with supper following the evening service at sunset, though many vulgares will return to their homes in town at this time. A third meal is normally taken at midday, though this is deferred to late in the evening during the winter. No member of the order may venture abroad during the hours of darkness without the express permission of a Tutas.
Beyond the kapitro building, each chapter of the order will hold a considerable acreage of land. Land is essential to support the horses for the knights and the knights themselves. This land will normally consist of many holdings scattered far and wide. Since land represents wealth, it follows that the orders are usually rich and consequently wield considerable political power. This is particularly true of the Blaide, who act as town governors on behalf of the Ebenor Throne, and reaches its apogee in the Martial Palatinates, where rule is by the order directly.
All martial orders hold to a rule based on that of the Order of Titan, which was in turn derived from the rule of the existing monastic communities though modified to include the special needs of these martial monastics. The principles of piety, celibacy, poverty and charity are common to all orders, even the Marties Suria. The principal points are as follows:
A knight of the orders shall attend the sunrise and sunset services whilst in the kapitro, or observe these times as is best possible whilst venturing abroad.
A knight of the orders is charged with defending the souls of the faithful whenever and wherever s/he may be asked to do so, to pursue justice for high and low alike as ordained by Aiyas, and to show good example before the misguided and heathen that they might come to respect the Word and Law of Aiyas, but not to show mercy or compassion to those who have rejected Aiyas and profane His Name.
A knight of the orders is expected to shun finery and wealth in all matter of garb and possession, save that the trappings of service to Aiyas shall be of the finest quality possible that the Cause of Aiyas shall be pursued to the utmost.
A knight of the orders shall refrain from indulgence in the pleasures of body and mind, and seek neither pride nor pleasure in piety for to do so debases the nobility of service to Aiyas.
A knight of the orders shall maintain his/er peace within the order and with knights of other orders, unless the Wrath of Aiyas must be summoned to chastise those who have debased the nobility of service and no recourse to the counsel of a wiser knight is there to be sought.
A knight of the orders must obey the commands received from a wiser and greater knight, and must ensure that any command placed upon a lesser knight is both fair and just and issued with due deference to the service of Aiyas.
The concept of the Quest is deeply ingrained into the paladin mindset, though its origins are obscure. The practice of questing seems to originate from the time of the Armorian Civil War (AC 932-1081) and might have been a means for knights to escape the fighting between fellow Aiyans. The original questing knight of legend is Tarmedon the Titan, whose many adventures in strange and foreign lands are a staple element of Armorian and Sudenic folklore. Exactly when he set out on his long journey, or indeed if he ever existed, is uncertain, but more important is Tarmedon's quest for self-discovery and assurance of his fidelity to Aiyas. The Quest is also known as the Test, for the questing knight seeks challenge and adversity through which to prove her/imself. Whilst this includes courage in the face of powerful adversaries, it also extends to a test of faith and wisdom, through resisting temptations and seeking a resolution of moral dilemmas. Strength of arms is merely a means to an end (and a practical necessity for the lone adventurer), though for some questing paladins it seems to be an end in itself.
Tales of questing knights are legion, and characteristically marked by ultimate defeat. Questers push themselves to the limits against the challenges they encounter, but it's the pushing that counts, not victory. Paladins who overcome all obstacles are somehow regarded as failures, since they have never found the ultimate challenge to their prowess, the one that can only defeat them. The paladin is ennobled in defeat, providing he or she has done the utmost to face up to the threat. A common theme is of the paladin who slays a succession of increasingly powerful monsters, finally falling to the most dangerous of all. Others are ensnared in complex and contradictory obligations of allegiance, or destroyed in their inner battle with an unrequitable love. The saga of Tereldon and Rozilda recounts the anguish of forbidden love between a martion and a minartia, who fall from grace in the consummation of their passion, leave their respective orders, journey far and wide after parting, remeet, and finally redeem themselves by slaying each other.
From the early decades of the Lisbaric era, a new dimension entered the concept of the Quest, that of the True Sword. This, according to legend, was forged by the Rotor Sagassitos for the Paladin Ultima, though exactly when is unknown. Somewhere in the proverbial Mists of Time would be an apt description. One account has it that the True Sword was found by Emma Demonsbane in Irrad Denatis, but since she was heathen it turned against her and severed her leg. This clearly contradicts the traditional Anachek account of Emma losing her leg after being savaged by one of her own hounds. The True Sword has cropped up many times in legends and stories, none of them verifiable, and if they are all even half true then it has clearly travelled around a lot. The Paladin Ultima, whoever he or she might prove to be, is obviously the ultimate paladin, of the truest faith and greatest prowess, and unsurprisingly many paladins like to cast themselves in that role. Hence the emergence of the Free Paladin, unbound to any order, with his or her own rule which is at least as strict as that of the formal orders. Free Paladins are loners, dedicated to the quest for the True Sword, which they seek relentlessly. The orders are suspicious of these mavericks, but acknowledge their piety and devotion.
Without the discipline of a martial order to govern them, free paladins are at grave risk of falling from grace, and those that do so are known as Dark Paladins or Paladines Okuras. Though often considered figures of evil, this is not necessarily the case. A dark paladin may be seeking for some means of atonement, to redeem himself or herself in the eyes of Aiyas and thus once again be worthy to continue the Quest. Indeed, atonement itself is regarded as part of the Quest, a worthy challenge to faith and virtue. But it is also true that there are dark paladins who have forsaken Aiyas and given themselves to the Consort, or to heathen gods, and these false knights are not always obvious for what they are. Some flaunt their status shamelessly, whilst others masquerade as free paladins who have not fallen. The orders are right to be suspicious of any knight claiming to be a free paladin. (NB: Dark paladins should not be confused with Black Paladins, ie knights of the Marties Zamba).