Goldoath Knights

Led by paladins, clerics and war priests of the three lawful good deities of Creacia—Iomedae, Erastil, and Torag—the Goldoath Knights consider themselves the ultimate force of law and goodness as well as the punisher of chaos and evil. This rigid creed often puts them at deadly odds with rulers and other organizations of the Centerlands—whether they be good, neutral, or evil—especially because the Knights of the Goldoath also deem themselves the final judge of what is good and evil in the world. They are therefore considered benevolent saviors by some and dangerous fanatics by others, depending on what side of the sword one finds themselves.

The Goldoath itself has not changed since its inception, and is repeated often by its adherents: “Good Shall Prevail, Order Shall Conquer All.” The true fanatics, however, add the third line, included in the original version: “Nothing Shall Stand In Its Way.”

History

A relatively new order, the Knights started as a splinter group from the Soul Weavers after the Battle of Annihilation in 1954 AFR, when the Koradrim unexpectedly rose from the ashes of world war in the chaos and destruction following the Second Ruination to instigate its ancient plan to end all life on Creacia. Two of the four leaders of the Soul Weavers decided that the ancient order of Soulvein archaeomancers were not rigid enough in their application of justice when the Weavers opted not to eradicate the living agents of the Koradrim. The two paladins, Jobiah and Arisa Jod, a fanatical Human husband and wife devoted to Iomadae, left the Soul Weavers and founded the Goldoath Knights in the great Eshian city of Gathis in 1958 AFR, taking almost half of the Weavers and recruiting other like-minded zealots. Ironically, the Goldoath Knights were originally allied with the Reavers against the increasingly evil Voran Empire, and it was a descendant of the founders of the Knights, Jesephin Jod, who, after the disappointing end of Iomedae's War, took the Reavers down the dark and destructive path that would lead them to be diametrically opposed to the order of her ancestors.

Structure

The Goldoath Knights are highly stratified, with five distinct orders: Squires, Creed Knights, Oath Knights, Goldoath Knights, and three High Knights, one for each of the three lawful good deities. The High Knights are said to be chosen by their respective gods themselves, though it is rumored that their are always prominent political machinations happening in the background. The High Knight of Iomadae is almost always a Human—with one Hearth Halfling (Koemfer) exception, 120 years ago—and has traded hands dozens of times since the founding. The current leader is the extremely powerful and ruthless Sunpriest of Ruos, Efferen Tron; the High Knight of Erastil has been a more benevolent and less meddling female Wood Elf (Ceralnesti) paladin, Ta’nathiel Fedria, since its inception; and the High Knight of Torag has been a Dwarf, recently replaced after the assassination of the Mountain Dwarf (Tuzutain) prior leader, by a Hill Dwarf (Dusterdor) warpriest from Thendarim in Feldorn, aptly named Tomzer Goldforge.

Good Shall Prevail, Order Shall Conquer All