The Lord's Paladins

"I see a day where these halls are not bloodied, and their cloisters no longer harbour rebels and schemers. I hope for a time where this great project of statecraft can stand above the petty fueds that killed my husband. It is you I blame, and you alone. From this day on, the Seat of Gwendor no longer holds the sword, I pass it to those who can be trusted: the stewards, may they carry the burden better than you ever did." - Esther Gerwin-Düngal, Gerwain's widow, and pioneer of the Lord's Paladins.

The Paladins began as Esther Gerwin-Düngal's attempt to curb the powers of the Lord, and further insulate the Lord's Court and family from the effects of rebellion. Seen as mostly a response to the political and sctructural failings that forced the fateful voyage of Gerwain Broadbane, the Paladins were concieved to solve the intense factionalism and resultant administrative ineffectiveness that had plauged the Lordship since the rise of the Houses. Regardless, Esther envisioned a group of oathbound guardians whose role was to protect the Lord, his station, and his loved ones. Their role would be both practical and judicial insofar as their existence necessitated the existence of said oath. In proposing this, Esther had forced the Lordship and the powers within it to officially codify the powers of the Lord's office. Before this, the powers of the Lord had been entirely dictated by the holder: the alliances and skills of the individual wholly informing the parameters of their reign.
In this sense, the Paladins' inception is more than the creation of another organisation: it's the recognition and response to a constitutional crisis that had been looming since the Lordship's birth decades before. Fundementally, there was no codified constitution that could unite the different factions that Girith Broadbane had originally brought together, with the main common strands being the shared cultural fabric of the Cairn Clans, and the loyalties these connections afforded. As a result, government was- in every sense- a local and chaotic affair, with the needs of a developing polity quickly outgrowing the preexisting processes of law and bureacracy on which the Clans before it were founded. This overarching issue had remained unadressed on a systemic level, with every Lord and local chief before preferring instead to put down regional uprisings on an individual basis, not recognising that many rebellions sprang out of inequality, sqaulor or abuses of power all enabled by mismangement further up. The consequence was a widly decentralised and discordant governmental system wherein laws and their enforcement were the prerogative of contesting relics of Clan heirarchy.
The Oath that was eventually created was a coalition of the aforementioned Clan laws and traditions. Predictably, the requirements of this premise made the process of formulating the Oath grind to a halt as those same issues that demanded the oath impeded its ratification. It was during this phase that Esther died, hopeful that the Oath would be agreed. It was at this point that Gentos Broadbane took up the responsibility of finalising the Oath, and under his tutelage the Monannan Trakkus was written and agreed upon.
In light of this, the Lord's Paladins were officially founded as material expressions of the Lord's limitations, while also acting as his most prized soldiers in times of war, and ceremonial guard in times of peace. Officially, they remain apolitical, comprising of a mixture of predecessor organisations such as The Havenguard and the Hünikk Champions, representing an alliance of houses. Moreover, the participation of these falbed warriors of great houses symbolises that house's compliance with and acceptance of the Lord's power of them: creating another explicit mechanism of government accountability.
The Paladins have not served in many conflicts, only being deployed to the battlefield by Seriticus Broadbane during his expansions southward, but their ongoing cultural and constitutional importance has kept them near the spotlight of House politics whether they fight or not. Principally, they stood against the The Gwendorian Army during the mutiny at Mutineer's Ravine, killing many in service of the Lord. This has soured public perception in recent years, and diagreement within the organisation has done more to muddy their commitments and principles. Nevertheless, their power and prestige remains, albeit blemished.

"By both sword and stone this house stands"

Founding Date

4414 MRE

Type

Military, Knightly Order

Alternative Names

Lord's Stewards, Gentos' Order, Seatkeepers

Predecessor Organizations

• Hünikk Champions
• The Havenguard

Training Level

Elite

Veterancy Level

Decorated/Honored

Demonym

Paladin/Steward (War/Peacetime)

Leader

Jaredikk Volkmar

Leader Title

Lord's Own Squires

Founders

• Esther Gerwin-Düngal
• Gentos Broadbane

Location

Paladin's Quarters