The Holy Order of the Light
"No greater light in the Freelands shine sbrighter than that of the Holy Order of the Light!"
Structure
From top to bottom the Holy Order of the Light resembles a pyramid, with the Hierophant at the top and ranks of Templars below. There is a temple dedicated to the Holy Order of the Light in almost every major city or town as well, so the eyes and ears of the Templars are always available to the people.
Culture
The culture of the Holy Order of the Light made a massive switch approximately 2000 years ago, prior to then it was simply known as the Holy Order and was dedicated to the worship of all Nine Deities and held all practices sacred. The whole of the Holy Order was not a military power despite the Clerics within it capable of supposedly calling down the wrath of the gods, it was a chantry and place of prayer throughout the Kingdom of Man and the Freelands. Its military, the Templars, however grew in power and influence. The Templars were preferential to the goddess Lady Bellona Albion due her influence upon humankind and the founding of the Kingdom of Man and largely saw the worship of the other deities to heretical and shameful, and over the centuries this view took hold through out the Holy Order and converted into the Holy Order of the Light, thus changing it to the violent fire and light purging beast it is today.
Public Agenda
The Holy Order of the Light sees itself as the first and last line of defense against threats foreign, domestic, and extra-planar. They actively hunt Elves, Half-Elves, Tieflings, Fey, Fiends, Undead, and any thing they deem to be heretical to the Holy Order of the Light. They also tend to be exceptionally prejudice against any non-human races such as Beastfolk, Dwellers, and non-human Freelancers. They see themselves as heroes and champions while the rest of the world fears them as witch-hunters and as secret police.
Assets
The Holy Order of the Light is a well-funded organization the relies on generous donations from the New Bloods, the general populace who pray at their temples at least once a week, and from seizing goods from heretics before purging them. They are clerics and paladins outfitted with medium to heavy armor and shields while wielding warhammers and mauls, and due to their ties with the New Bloods many of them are endowed with various firearms of size and caliber.
History
After the reformation and rebranding of the Holy Order, it disregarded and abandoned eight of the nine Deities. The Holy Order of the Light follows the tenets of Lady Bellona Albion to a violent and purging degree, taking her name in and using it to purge all those whom its followers degree dark and without her Light. Initially its Templars were founded as an inquisition to root out Elves and Elvish influences within the Freelancer Empire as the Holy Order, it later took on Lady Bellona Albion as their sole patron goddess and since then has hunted and rooted out any and all who they see as a threat to "humanity" as whole. Namely Elves, Beastfolk, "Mutant Humans", other non-humans, and those who worship any of the other Nine Deities.
Disbandment
The Holy Order of the Light persists to this day and serves the people as it always has with fire and bloodshed.
Demography and Population
Throughout the Freelands there are dozens of temples dedicated to the Holy Order of the Light with anywhere from a dozen to a hundred Templars stationed at each and everyone of them. The greatest population of Templars can be found in the Imperial City, the former capital of the Kingdom of Man. Roughly there are a couple ten-thousand known Templars throughout the Freelands, minimum.
Territories
The Holy Order of the Light claims to have control over the entirety of the Freelands, though this is half true. There are still are communities and families that worship the other eight Deities in addition to Lady Bellona Albion in secret even in towns and cities where one of their temples are present. They often however raid homes of suspected heretics and hunting down such practices. In addition the further away the town or city is from the Imperial City the weaker their influence or their ability to muster their Templar forces, they cannot be everywhere at once.
Military
Their military is much the same size as it was 2000 years ago, the New Blood's Warforged army may have shrunk and limited themselves but the Templars of the Holy Order of the Light have not. Despite that however, they were never and exceptionally large force with only a couple ten-thousand Templars and units ready to go at any time. However despite their smaller number, even a Templar alone is lethal and can go toe to toe against even the greatest of dangers.
Technological Level
Due to their support from the New Bloods and their artifice, the Holy Order of the Light has access to the latest weapons and magic created by them. As such many Templars are outfitted with firearms and various magical weaponry.
Religion
The Holy Order of the Light worships their one true goddess Lady Bellona Albion, all the other Deities are heretical and dangerous and must be purged from worship and prayer.
Foreign Relations
The Holy Order of the Light holds nothing but loathing for the existence of Avalon, if they could they would march across the sea and purge all Elves with out hesitation.
Agriculture & Industry
The Holy Order of the Light relies heavily on the resources and funding of the New Bloods and the general populace of the Freelands for food and such to keep persisting. They have no trade other than prayer and purging.
Trade & Transport
Through funding from the New Bloods, the Templars of the Holy Order of the Light have access to horses, carts, and ships to transport them in their time of need when purging heretics and such.
Education
Every temple throughout the Freelands, and especially in the Imperial City, has a school for young acolytes to be raised and trained to be Templars. This indoctrination holds all the basics of reading and writing to recognizing the various forms of heresy and extra-planar threats.
Infrastructure
Each and every temple in each of the cities and towns throughout the Freelands is reliant on local donations from the New Bloods and the general populace, but each and every temple must send a percentile of their collections to the Imperial City as well. Creating a pyramid of money flowing upward and protection flowing downward to each and every one of the towns and cities a temple is at.
Mythology & Lore
Father Lucien I wrote the Codex Stella outlining the Nine Deities that oversaw the creation of the Freelands and all it inhabitants approximately 4000 years ago and founded the Holy Order. But around 2000 years ago their was a shift in beliefs and a reformation within the Holy Order made it into the Holy Order of the Light and worshipped only one of the nine Deities instead.
Divine Origins
Originally, the Holy Order of the Light was the Holy Order. It use to worship all nine Deities equally, but roughly 2000 years ago just prior to the Great Rebellion their was a cultural shift that rebranded the name and purpose of the Order.
Cosmological Views
They worship only one of the suns, Paradiso, and disdain all the other suns and moons for they are the Planes and bodies of the other Deities.
Tenets of Faith
They hold the tenets of Lady Bellona Albion, but they have twisted their meaning to serve their own purposes.
Ethics
If you are not a follower or an official member of Lady Bellona Albion, then you either convert or burn.
Worship
Daily prayer at dawn, along with daily burnings of incense and heretics.
Priesthood
The Priesthood, also known as Templars, within the Holy Order of the Light is pyramid of sorts: Acolytes at the bottom, then Deacons/Nuns, then Priests/Priestesses, then Bishops, then Archbishops, and then the Hierophant sits at the top directing them all. Many of the followers and members within the Holy Order of the Light become Clerics and Paladins serving it. Originally however when it was just the Holy Order, the clergy and the chantry of the Holy Order had nothing to do with the Templars as they were just another branch of it.
Granted Divine Powers
They are gifted with the Domains and Oaths in the name of Lady Bellona Albion, it is unclear if she fully endorses them or not though.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The Holy Order of the Light was instrumental in coup that overthrew the former King of the Empire of the Freelands, they along with the "New Blood" Nobility are the reason the Freelands are in the broken fiefdom state that it is in.
Sects
There are no sects within the Holy Order of the Light, they will not tolerate such heresy or blasphemy within their own Order.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
"The Light that Guides, Inspires, & Purges"
Approximately 2000 years ago - Still Existing Presently
Type
Religious, Holy Order
Capital
Alternative Names
The Burning Crusade, The Witch-Hunters, The Templars
Training Level
Trained
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Demonym
Templars
Leader Title
Government System
Theocracy
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
They, like the rest of the Freelands, use the gold standard in coinage. They accept silver and copper coins as well.
Major Exports
No exports, save fire and death.
Major Imports
No imports, save what they receive from the New Bloods.
Official State Religion
Permeated Organizations
Deities
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
Non-Agression, allies during the Great Rebellion
The Holy Order of the Light has conflicted feelings regarded the Warforged
The Witchslayers have been under scrutiny from the Holy Order of the Light since their inception and are considered somewhat heretical in their eyes.
The Holy Order of the Light both hates and fears the Library for its "heresy."
The Holy Order of the Light utterly decimated the Old Bloods with the aid of the New Bloods
The Knightly Orders are declared Heretics in the eyes of the Holy Order of the Light
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments