Paladins of the Great Church
Paladins are the warriors of the Great Church. Founded by Saint Anne, the first paladin (or according to the Church, the first “modern” paladin, as the many mortals who fought at the gods’ side before the Compact were all paladins), the holy order of paladins is vast, and dedicated to opposing evil wherever it arises.
The paladins do not pay homage to any single god. They worship them all, receive power from the angelic Choirs, or so Church scholars assert, and fight evil in the name of the gods. They are loyal to their order and, therefore, the Church—but were the Church to become corrupt, it likely would not take the paladins with it, as they have a deeper connection to the heavenly than most.
Loyal as they are, paladins are not the enforcing arm of the Church’s will, or servants and protectors to the clerics. Paladins are great heroes with their own wills and purposes. They wander the earth to fight evil in its many forms. Every paladin heeds a very personal call to do this, feeling destiny-bound to perform her duties. The primary purpose of paladins is to go questing, traveling widely and righting wrongs wherever they go.
Joining the Paladins
Becoming a paladin is simple enough: Those who hear the call know instinctively what they must do. They go to a Great Church and pray for three days without food or sleep until they are lifted up by the local paladins and taken into the order. For ten years, they are trained exhaustively in warfare and holy doctrine. In cases where the new paladin already knows much of this (a character with a religious education, for example), this period is reduced to a year. Paladins can choose any oath, but most swear the Oath of Devotion. Paladins are addressed as “sir” or “dame,” and introduced by full title. They are usually based at Churches where captains are regularly present.
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Religious
Famous in the Field
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