Order of the Aquiline Cross
Small chapels that teach the doctrine of Raphael and the Order of the Aquiline Cross have grown up throughout the lands of the Imperial Seat of Acheron and its neighbors, preaching mercy, sacrifice, and a fierce defense of life. Knights of this order dress in white and red tabards marked with a cross. The Knights of the Aquiline Cross are clerics and paladins who see healing as the best way to fight evil. They cannot refuse using their healing powers to those who ask (though they’re not required to heal enemies who have not surrendered). Followers of the order who maintain their vow of healing are said to miraculously survive injury, as if they simply do not bleed from even seemingly-fatal wounds.
Structure
The Order of the Aquiline Cross is organized as a monastic order with a strong chain of authority. Each country with a major Aquiline presence have a Master of the Order of the Aquiline Cross in that region.
All of them are subject to the Grand Master, appointed for life, who oversees both the order's military efforts and their financial holdings. The Grand Master exercises his authority via the visitors-general of the order, who are knights specially appointed by the Grand Master to visit the different provinces, correct malpractices, introduce new regulations, and resolve important disputes. The visitors-general have the power to remove knights from office and to suspend the Master of the province concerned.
No precise numbers exist, but it is estimated that the order's numbers are between 1,500 and 2,000 Knights.
Ranks Within the Order
Three Main Ranks
There is a threefold division of the ranks of the Order: the noble knights, the non-noble sergeants, and the chaplains. The Order does not perform knighting ceremonies, so any knight wishing to become a Knight of the Order has to be a knight already. They are the most visible branch of the order, and wear the famous white mantles to symbolize their purity and chastity. They are equipped as heavy cavalry, with three or four horses and one or two squires. Squires are generally not members of the order but are instead outsiders who are hired for a set period of time. Beneath the knights in the order and drawn from non-noble families are the sergeants. They bring vital skills and trades from blacksmiths and builders, including administration of many of the order's properties. They fight alongside the knights as light cavalry with a single horse. Several of the order's most senior positions are reserved for sergeants, including the post of Commander. The sergeants wear black or brown. Chaplains constitute the third Order class. They are priests of The AllFather who care for the Order's spiritual needs. All three classes of brother wear the Order's red cross.Grand Masters
The Order's highest office is that of Grand Master, a position which is held for life, though considering the martial nature of the order, this could mean a very short tenure. The Grand Master oversees all of the operations of the Order, including both the military operations and the Order's' financial and spiritual dealings. Grand Masters also serve as battlefield commanders.Conduct and Costume
Knights are to take their meals in silence, eat meat no more than three times per week, and not have physical contact of any kind with women, even members of their own family. A Master of the Order is assigned 4 horses, and one chaplain-brother and one clerk with three horses, and one sergeant brother with two horses, and one gentleman valet to carry his shield and lance, with one horse. The knights wear a white surcoat with a red cross, and a white mantle also with a red cross; the sergeants wear a black tunic with a red cross on the front and a black or brown mantle. Under the Rule, the knights are to wear the white mantle at all times: they were even forbidden to eat or drink unless wearing it. The red cross that the Order wear on their robes is a symbol of martyrdom, and to die in combat is considered a great honour that assures a place in Heaven. There is a cardinal rule that the warriors of the Order should never surrender unless the Order flag had fallen. Only after their flag has fallen are they allowed to leave the battlefield. This uncompromising principle, along with their reputation for courage, excellent training, and heavy armament, makes the Order of the Aquiline Cross one of the most feared combat forces in Eldarr. Initiation into the Order is a profound commitment and involves a solemn ceremony. Outsiders are discouraged from attending the ceremony. New members have to willingly sign over all of their wealth and goods to the order and take vows of poverty, chastity, piety, and obedience. Most brothers join for life, although some are allowed to join for a set period. Sometimes a married man is allowed to join if he has his wife's permission, but he is not allowed to wear the white mantle.
Type
Religious, Holy Order
Leader Title
Parent Organization
Related Ranks & Titles
Notable Members
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