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The Beogradian Inqusition (Bay-o-gradi-an)

In the year 264 TA, war enveloped the entire continent of Medolania again in the form what the great Rozani Empire to the north termed "a defensive war." In reality, they sought to annex valuable territories from the weak Infernal Alliance and the stronger Helvenic Dominion, seeking to collect on adamantine reserves. This war was brutally one-sided at first, with Infernal Alliance soldiers being slaughtered or captured in the thousands, with the Helvenic Dominion not doing much better. However, once the Dominion released her machines of war upon the border, they were able to reclaim most of their territory, though still suffered heavy losses and took a loss of over half their adamantine reserve, a key component in forging their hardy machines of war.   In the wake of the several wars that enveloped Medolania, many turned to their faith in order to persevere through trying times. Due to the brilliance of Firbolgs in spiritual understanding, clerical leaders of the Dwarven faith and the adjudicating abilities of the Vedalken, a loose compact was established between all of the realms in Medolania, including the dogmatic Dragonborn and religiously intolerant Dwarves.   To that end, wherever one travels in Medolania, there are seven legally recognised deities:   Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, chief of the Draconic pantheon.   Ioun, Goddess of Knowledge, worshipped heavily by both the Elves and Vedalken.   Corellon, God of Craftsmen, worshipped universally but especially revered by Men and Dwarves.   Melora, Goddess of the Wild, her worship is almost exclusively confined to firbolgs, halflings and gnomish peoples, though it has seen a surprising resurgence in Rozani cities.   Kord, God of the Storm and Tempest, worshipped mostly on the western coast of Medolania, his worship is almost universal on the western coast of Medolania but becomes scarcer the further east one goes.   Pelor, Goddess of Agriculture, worshipped universally by rural folk, her blessing is seen as the difference between life and death.   Dwindal, Arbiter of Peace and Prosecutor of War, predominantly worshipped by the races of the Rozani.   Worship of deities outside of this pantheon are allowed, within reason, as long as they are recognised as a legitimate avatar or lesser deity of the Seven.   To enforce these laws equally, or with the appearance of equality and impartiality, the city of Beograd, home to the Church of the Seven, negotiated itself a minor army in the form of the Beogradian Inquisition. Arming inquisitors was the responsibility of all nations, in order to maintain spiritual peace and their own interests. The Inqusition negotiated specific remits to carry out religious investigations with a service of clerics and paladins to serve as both investigators and enforcers of this religious law. In order to do this and preserve the appearance of being unbiased, they are not permitted to show their face during the course of their duties, they speak only in common and, where possible, they are to disguise their voice in order to show no obvious signs of racial features. Illusion magic is also approved to assist in this endeavour. Their power varies from region to region and they are headquartered on a collection of several isles in the Mythveil Sea, known as the Holy Isles, though their geographic name is actually the Malatorian Islands.

Structure

Office of the Tribunal of the Holy Order of Beograd:   Grand Inquisitor (1) Inquisitorial Counsel (6) Stormkeeper (15) Officer of the Faith (250)   Seen as the elite of the elite within the White City, these select few members of the Inquisition reside within the White Tower exclusively, with the exception of Lord Inquisitors, steering the goals of the Inquisition from on high.   Order of the Pelorian Seers, Administrative Branch:  
  • Lord Inquisitor (1)
  • Overseer (2)
  • Holy Warden (20)
  • Keepers of the Wick (150)
  • Officer of the Faith (1,000+)
  • A non-militant organisation, the Order of the Pelorian seers serves as an umbrella for those acolytes, sages or paladins that do not necessarily wish to do great battle or whose skills are better aligned with civil matters, such as healers, skilled farmers, researchers, preachers and treasurers, often cited as being the Purse and Palm of the Inquisition, their core strength lies in logistical superiority and diplomacy.   Order of the Righteous Blade, Militant:  
  • Lord Inquisitor (1)
  • Arbiter of Dwindal (2)
  • Dwindal's Chosen (15)
  • First Knight of Kord (150)
  • Second Knight of Kord (300)
  • Third Knight Honourable of Kord (1,500)

  • The primary backbone of the Inquisition, many knights, fighters and others of equal martial merit find themselves aligned with the Righteous Blade, an Order dedicated purely to the pursuit of martial perfection with the stated aim of laying low the unworthy, many of these Paladins are zealous, tempered and eager to do battle, often thought of when the Inquisition is brought to the mind of any of the average population, their zeal, numbers and willingness to do battle do them credit as warriors but oft serve to alienate those who see them as little better than holy hounds baying for blood with the cover of divinity to conceal their true bloodlust.   Order of the Platinum Justiciar, Militant:  
  • Lord Inquisitor (1)
  • Arbiter of the Scale (2)
  • Clawbearer (10)
  • First Blade of Bahamut (100)
  • Second Blade of Bahamut (250)
  • Third Blade of Bahamut (355)

  • Knightly members of the Order of the Platinum Justiciar are often Dragonborn or those with a great connection to the Platinum Dragon, their duties primarily lead them to join the Ordo Hereticus whilst maintaining members of the Order of the Platinum Justiciar, ever watchful for those who would break with the laws of the Inquisition or come into conflict with the tenets of their god, eager to steer them on the right path but also willing to bring fire and sword to those who are unrepentant.   Order of the Awakened Mistress, Academic:  
  • Lord Inquisitor (1)
  • Weavekeepers (2)
  • The Watchful (200)

  • Primarily worshippers of Ioun, this Order is one shrouded in secrecy, for their profession often leads to the discovery of dark relics, ancient powers and dangerous ruins, more often than not coveted by enemies of the Inquisition or rival institutions such as the Iounic Order, Arcanum Dracoris or the House of Black and Gold. To this end, their organisational structure and even their true numbers are unknown, even to members of the Ordo Noxus, the ruling body of the Inquisition in practice.  
    The Three Ordos, which all members of the Inquisition must join at least one, serve as umbrellas for non-specific but recurring duties, such as the hunting of heretics, destruction or collection of unauthorised worship materials such as books on banned deities or the distribution of alms to the needy, to name a few examples. They are listed as follows:  
    The Ordo Noxus:
      The original founding point of the Inquisition, started allegedly by the Grand Inquisitor himself and steered by the Lord Inquisitors council, they are without a doubt the most powerful of the Ordos within the Inquisition, able to influence policy, treasury and militant action directly, as well as presiding almost exclusively over international relations. Not much is known about this mysterious order, save their preference for exotic magics, their famed black armours and their unaccountability to any except the Inquisitor Lords and the Grand Inquisitor himself. Members are selected from the best and brightest, or best connected, members of the Inquisition and invited to the Ordo and stood for by at least two members before entry is considered.   The Ordo Hereticus:   The largest and boldest of the Inquisitorial Ordos, usually the first Ordo any Inquisitor will serve in, their primary goals are the recovery or destruction of banned worship materials, the conversion, incarceration or pacification of worshippers of the occult, protection of Inquisitorial property and personnel, as well as serving as first-line ambassadors to the wider world of the Inquisition's good intentions.   Ordo Faeranis:   An Ordo dedicated specifically to the preservation, study and eradication of hostile Fey entities, their numbers are small and organisational structure incredibly lax, usually no more than half a dozen Inquisitors gathered together at any one time. These brave men and women oft venture into the Sylvan Reserve, the Fir Forests and, if they're feeling very brave, the Harranian Archive with the express intention of gathering more information on the poorly documented Feywild. Difficulties do occur with their documentation process however, as the Feywild, defensively, often cleanses the secrets learned from the minds of non-Fey individuals over time, making it difficult to remember, record or otherwise pin down concrete facts about this elusive place. To combat this, a marked attempt at recruiting Elven individuals to the Inquisition has been made, though that particular race has shown reluctance to join such a structured organisation, other efforts must be made in concert to ensure that the Inquisition is best armed against the potentially hostile unknown of the Feywild.

    Culture

    Members of the Beogradian Inquisition primarily believe in the common nation of Medolania, seeing past borders and national boundaries in favour of the common good, Elf, Human, Dwarf, Orc, Tiefling, Vedalken, race matters not to the Inquisition so long as your heart is true and your view set on a global stage, not defined by narrow national and regional disputes. They are not unaware of the perception of the organisation, for the history of the Ordo Noxus is dark and full of violence, subterfuge and suspicion, though there has been a marked effort to change that in recent years by taking a softer approach to expansion, offering monetary aid, facilitating diplomatic discussions between nations when no arbiter is available, allowing individuals from different races to come together to train in the arts of the divine and share their culture, all the while being bonded together by the common thread: we are all Medolanian, war is folly, peace is uncertain, the will to act is the only safeguard against the madness and chaos of the many wars and magical catastrophes that have so often warped the continent in the favour of tyrants.

    Public Agenda

  • The complete eradication of non-approved deity worship.
  • International co-operation between the three major nations of Medolania, The Dominion, The Empire and The Ascendancy.
  • Serving as a conduit for cultural exchange and a neutral third-party through which diplomatic deliberations can occur during times of great political stress between the Big Three.
  • Avoiding open war between the Big Three at all costs, for none knows the cost of the folly of Man and Dwarf than the sunken shores of what was once Beograd.
  • Hond Ebrath

    Founding Date
    264 TA
    Type
    Religious, Holy Order
    Alternative Names
    The Inquisition
    Demonym
    Inquisitors (Informal), Order of the Guarded Faith
    Ruling Organization
    Government System
    Theocracy
    Power Structure
    Autonomous area
    Economic System
    Command/Planned economy
    Legislative Body
    The Inquisitor Lords
    Judicial Body
    The Inquisitor Lords
    Executive Body
    The Inquisitor Lords
    Location
    Neighboring Nations

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