The Divine Order of Alabaster Knights

New recruits are trained in both combat and religious studies. When they are deemed ready, they undergo the Holy Vigil, during which they are presented to the Archangels in search of their blessing. The powers that the recruit develops as a result will determine further training, as those who pass the Holy Vigil are separated in accordance to which Archangel chose them as part of their flock. The recruits live and study with priests from the Church, learning the best way to use their newfound abilities. Then, they are allowed into the world, first with a mentor, and then by themselves. Though all members of the Order follow the same general principles and perform the same general duties, the specifics of their assignments and allocation of their partners is determined by the Domain:  

Swords of the Divine

Followers of Fala, tempered by her fire like the steel of a fine blade. The Swords get the most rigorous combat training. Their duties focus on hunting down dangerous mages and other magical beings that threaten the world's balance. They also often serve as protectors and guardians of the Towers of Magic, being most well-adapted to handling any dangerous situations. The Swords are fierce and noble warriors that accept no weakness in their ranks. On many occasions, a Sword is appointed to accompany a Wrath to ensure they use their powers appropriately. Their emblem is a crimson sword on fire. Their colors are crimson and gold.  

Shadows of Death

Followers of Fel'rekt, who tend to describe their experience during the Vigil as 'feeling the touch of death itself'. They study death, both through books and by sitting with people in their last moments. They work with priests to hold funeral pyres, ensure that the cycle of life and death continues undisturbed, and when reports concerning the undead arise, the Shadows are the first to be sent to deal with them. They often work with the Protectors to guard the balance of life and death - heal those who can be healed, bid farewell to those who have passed. Their emblem is a black scythe. Their colors are black and grey.  

Bearers of the Holy Scroll

Followers of Xanathar, few in number and rarely seen by common-folk outside their library temples. The Bearers' main responsibility is study of lore, history, and any new sites believed to relate to Aidios and her teachings. For that reason, they are sanctioned to conduct their own studies by the Church, so long as their findings are promptly and properly recorded. Their emblem is a silver scroll. Their colors are silver and black.  

Divine Protectors

Followers of Nat, who are often blessed with longevity following their Vigil. They are trained as healers, not warriors, and at the end of their training take a vow of non-aggression, much like their Archangel did in life. They serve as medics and travel from settlement to settlement to offer comfort and healing to those who have been unduly hurt. Because they do not fight, they tend to travel in groups of at least two, and are often seen working with both the Shadows and the Guides. Their symbol is a green laurel. Their colors are green and dark green.  

Divine Guides

Followers of Mirt, many of who started as underdogs in their recruit groups. This group counts the most non-humans among them among all the Domains. Aside from their regular responsibilities, they dedicate much of their time to charity work, using their temples to house and feed those less fortunate, offering them assistance when they can. As a result, the Guides often stay in one place longer than their peers, unless an urgent duty takes them away. They are also frequently assigned to live at the Tower of Magic to help lead the mages towards a better path. Their emblem is a blue lantern. Their colors are blue and white.  

Shields of the Earth

Followers of Dalakhar, almost as rare as the Bearers, and just as solitary in their travelling habits. The Shields rarely visit settlements, especially city, instead travelling through remote reaches of wilderness. Their duty is to keep the balance of magic on the frontier, keep an eye out for danger, and protect the balance of nature with civilizations. They are the only ones allowed to intervene with the decisions of the rulers of various nations when they receive sign that their actions would offset the natural balance and displease Dalakhar. Their emblem is the bronze bear. Their colors are bronze and blue.  

Wrath of the Heavens

Followers of Soth, who have the shortest lifespans and are infamous for the number of them that were put to death by the very Order they serve. The powers that the Wraths receive are powerful, but volatile and dangerous, and those that are touched by Soth during the Vigil and decide to accept his blessing do so with the full knowledge that one day, they may become the very thing they are sworn to fight. Still, it is a noble duty, and the Wraths are often sent alongside the Swords to fight the strongest magics, defend the most key positions. Their emblem is a purple wing. Their colors are purple and gold.  

In the aftermath of the Battle for Lost Hope and the turning of the tide in the battle with the undead scourge, Aidios turned to her followers, bloody and wounded but proud, and proclaimed that from this day forth, such a threat would never be allowed to occur unimpeded again. She stood on the corpse of the Fell Dragon, slain only hours ago, and held an initiation ceremony for the first members of what would eventually become the Order of Alabaster Knights. These brave souls were her closest followers and member of the Inner Circle: Fala, Fel'Rekt, Nat, Mirt, Xanathar, Dalakhar, Soth, and Athtor. Many later texts would raise into question whether Athtor was indeed indicted into the Order, or if he was merely present for the ceremony.   It was only a year after that Aidios was betrayed and her Inner Circle, one by one, were executed, exiled, or disappeared into the night. This put an end to the original members of the Order. However, the miracles witnessed by the people on the Night of Absolution, as well as the Storm of Wrath, caused some people to recall the promise made by Aidios, and make it themselves. Such individuals, which only on occasion travelled in groups, were considered little more than vigilantes at the time, and largely lacked the divine power seen in the Order today.   With the rise of the Church of Aidios among the survivors of the Storm of Wrath, those who carried on the legacy of Aidios and her Inner Circle began to experience strange and unexplainable phenomena. Some recall vibrant visions of member of the Inner Circle, while others claimed they had been saved in times of great peril, or received gifts of healing. Those who devoted their entire lives to the cause of protecting the world from magical abominations began to develop supernatural abilities of their own, bathed in holy light. Such events were sparse at first, but slowly word spread. Some thought witchcraft was at fault, but more and more often people turned to divine intervention as an explanation, recalling the events of the Night of Absolution.   The scattered chosen of the Archangels needed a leader, and such a leader would eventually appear. The young Amelie Cortanos raised her voice and spoke of a vision she received on the day she miraculously survived a shipwreck during the Storm of Wrath. She said that Aidios herself, surrounded by her Seven Archangels, came to her in her time of need and healed her wounds with a single wave of a dainty hand. "It is not your time yet, child," the Divine Bride spoke. "You must live. Your life belongs to the Maker, and in his name you shall raise an army to fight all those that seek to bring disaster upon the land. In doing so, you will begin to earn forgiveness from Him for the rage and pain mortals have caused him." Amelie lifted her hands them, and moved her shawl, showing the mark burned onto her face where the radiance of Aidios had touched her. She showed the gifts that Aidios blessed her with. She swore an oath to the people, giving up her name in order to become the first Lady Alabaster   The Divine Order of Alabaster Knights gained official recognition from the Holy Church of Aidios in the year 5 P.A., with the two entities becoming two halves of the same whole. In the year 12 P.A., the King of Anduril, as a gesture of good faith, gave a section of his land for the construction of the Alabaster Fortress, where Lady Alabaster lived and from where she communicated her will through her messengers.   In the year 67 P.A., following the cataclysm later named the Flame Disaster, the Holy Church called for a meeting of all the Maker-worshipping nations' leaders, as well as Lady Alabaster and the High Priestess herself. Although the High Priestess was in strong opposition in taking away the freedoms of even the most sin-ridden citizens, the assembly was seen as a threat by some mages, who colluded to decimate the Grand Cathedral in which the gathering was held. Lady Alabaster was one of the few that managed to survive the attack, though it left her in a greatly weakened state. Days later, through her Speaker, she would decree that magic users are dangerous if left uncontrolled, and thus the Order would take on a new responsibility: to control the flow of magic in the world, to make a place for mages to learn their skills, and to hunt down and eradicate those who seek to use their abilities for vile purposes.