Peace in Alven

What is this item?

'Peace in Alven' is a book of precepts for the Knights of the Torr written in the old druidic language. It was written by the order's founder, Airel Brightsee. Airel lived two centuries ago and was part of the now much-maligned and disbanded order of the Druids.

At that time, the Arkivon had just been created by Thane Thingor Gremane. The influence of the Arkivon, after the devastation brought by The War of the Adders, was swift and relentless. The Druids who did not comply with the new state religion to Brigand (see The Sanctuary were sent out of the clanlands or killed.

It was during these times of great changes into Alven society that Airel decided to create The Knights of the Torr to protect The Ouma Caves  and their secrets. 

The manuscript is a concise one, comprising ten standard vellum pages, all bound within a thick, black leather jacket. The plain jacket is kept close with an emerald brooch - one of the relics found within the cave. The emerald brooch, known as the Eye of Melandir, is said to deter unwanted eyes from noticing the book and 'keep it within the shadows'.

Purpose

The precepts in 'Peace of Alven' detail many of the beliefs of the Old Faith or The Old Ways. Airel hoped to keep the tenets of the millennia-old druidic faith for posterity, while preserving what she saw as the Druids' sacred duties to the Ancestors and their relics. The Knights presented themselves as a legitimate order in the Alven reshaped by Thane Gremane, under the aegis of the Sanctuary seers in Amotorr. The seers had replaced the Druids in that ancient place in the Amorvale. 

Airel, and her companions followed the new precepts to Brid, still worshipping the Old Ways in secret. To give the Knights an air of legitimacy and purpose, Airel added to the legitimacy of the newly formed order by giving it a charitable purpose. The Knights were entrusted with the rebuilding of the Amorvale, who had been deeply affected by the succession war. 

Content

The manuscript is now safely kept in a secret alcove of the Ouma Cave under Amotorr. Every Knight swears on it as they take the knee to become a knight. The manuscript is 'brought out of the shadows', but on an ancient stone altar where dragons have been carved, and in a simple but effective ceremony, under the eyes of the guardian Hell's Cur, every would-be knight swears to follow its precepts 

The precepts are also very simple and refer to the beliefs that the Ancestors were key to the survival of Alven and the clanlands - reverence and worship were due to them. Defending their legacy, including the treasures of the Ouma caves, was essential to keeping the people safe.

 (More on the precepts to come as these would have been at the heart of Tide's beliefs and heritage.)