The Bloody Purge
Around the year 400, a notable cross-reflection threat arose in The Funhouse in the personage of the Gravedigger, a fell necromancer of unknown origin. This being (about whom few concrete details are known, even now) arose from the chaos of a series of proxy wars being fought on the borders of the three great powers of the time, and soon became a legitimate threat to several different reflections. Unfortunately, all of these reflections were already torn by war and contested between the greater powers that were, meaning that they had no geopolitical power to save them from the ravages of the ever-growing necromantic horde that beset them hard on the heels of these devastating wars. At first, it seemed as if the Gravedigger would roam unopposed across the continent, until the undead armies under its sway grew too large to be stopped. Luckily, where secular powers turned a blind eye, those who took their orders from on high saw a grave and legitimate threat, and so banded together, forced by circumstance.
The Gale formed several reflections to the east upon hearing that a scourge of necromancy was breaking out, and marched to destroy it. It was a holy crusade composed predominantly of common worshipers of The Empty Lord, a death god of the wild plains worshiped widely in that region. The crusade was led by a much smaller core of priests of the Empty Lord, known as Whispers. As a whole, this is the least elite of the military formations composing this alliance. While the Whispers can bring significant amounts of power to bear on the battlefield, particularly when facing hordes of the undead, they were few in number, especially when compared to the large host that they led. Instead, the most important contributions of the Gale were made by the commoners which made up its majority. They significantly outnumbered the other two hosts, even when combined, and provided the pure numbers needed on many a battlefield. While not treated exactly as expendable chaff by their allies, they were not known for their fighting prowess, nor for their strict battlefield discipline, and sometimes a large mass of bodies is simply what is called for, especially when fighting against the overwhelming numbers undead hordes are so often composed of. In addition to providing a body of common soldiers however, the rank and file of the Gale also brought their skill as craftsmen to bear, especially as the crusade dragged on. Skilled carpenters, bowyers, and blacksmiths, as well as a dozen other trades are always needed by an army on the march, and while not every member of the Gale could bring such training to bear, those who could were an oft overlooked, but nevertheless appreciated element of the joint crusade.
The second of the forces to bring their concentrated power to bear on the Gravedigger was The Solarium of the Elorian Empire. A usually disparate collection of holy warriors, knights, and above all, spellcasters, this was the first true test of the Solarium's full might, the first challenge of such significance that the entire order felt the need to unite, and face it head on. Worshipers of Solaris, members of the Solarium were a diverse and varied bunch, who often went their own way, righting wrongs and taking up challenges as they saw fit across the length of breadth of the Elorian Empire. For the first time recorded since their formation, the respected members of the Solarium issued a general recall across the Empire, proclaiming official censure against both the Gravedigger, as well as their own government, for failing to act against it. After making this bold proclamation, the whole order embarked on a holy crusade towards the lands upon which the Gravedigger had settled as a scourge. Although a holy crusade much like the Gale, the Solarium was quite different in composition. There was very little, if any, military order to be found in it, since as a rule there was very little in the way of formal hierarchy to be found in their order. In addition, they were comparatively few in number, especially for the scope of the conflict they sought to engage in. Instead of bringing a host of poorly trained peasants, every member of the Solarium brought at most several squires, who were already well into their training. Full-fledged members themselves included powerful knights, skilled in weapons both magical and mundane, as well as fully fledged members of the International Magicians' Consortium. These troops would become the elites of the Purge, able to either concentrate into a powerful hammer and destroy the strongest monsters the Gravedigger had created, or to disperse throughout the force, bolstering the less gifted among the host with their skills and their very presence.
The final group to join this alliance was known as The Pilgrim Army. An ad hoc force composed of all the shattered survivors of the armies and mercenary bands that the Gravedigger had smashed during his career, they provided the steel backbone and military professionalism for the crusade. Hailing from several different reflections and nations, the Pilgrim Army was a diverse collection of soldiers indeed. If it were not for their dire straits, they never would have formed up into a coherent fighting force, considering many of them were at best uneasy rivals, and at worst embroiled in bitter blood feuds with one another. Having a necromancer's army kill and eat your comrades, despoil your homes, and raise your families from the dead to refill its ranks will make allies out of even the fiercest of enemies.
The Founding
On 2/15/406 representatives of the three constituent organizations mentioned above met and formed an official accord. From this date onward the Purge was officially in existence. While this was the official
The Gale formed several reflections to the east upon hearing that a scourge of necromancy was breaking out, and marched to destroy it. It was a holy crusade composed predominantly of common worshipers of The Empty Lord, a death god of the wild plains worshiped widely in that region. The crusade was led by a much smaller core of priests of the Empty Lord, known as Whispers. As a whole, this is the least elite of the military formations composing this alliance. While the Whispers can bring significant amounts of power to bear on the battlefield, particularly when facing hordes of the undead, they were few in number, especially when compared to the large host that they led. Instead, the most important contributions of the Gale were made by the commoners which made up its majority. They significantly outnumbered the other two hosts, even when combined, and provided the pure numbers needed on many a battlefield. While not treated exactly as expendable chaff by their allies, they were not known for their fighting prowess, nor for their strict battlefield discipline, and sometimes a large mass of bodies is simply what is called for, especially when fighting against the overwhelming numbers undead hordes are so often composed of. In addition to providing a body of common soldiers however, the rank and file of the Gale also brought their skill as craftsmen to bear, especially as the crusade dragged on. Skilled carpenters, bowyers, and blacksmiths, as well as a dozen other trades are always needed by an army on the march, and while not every member of the Gale could bring such training to bear, those who could were an oft overlooked, but nevertheless appreciated element of the joint crusade.
The second of the forces to bring their concentrated power to bear on the Gravedigger was The Solarium of the Elorian Empire. A usually disparate collection of holy warriors, knights, and above all, spellcasters, this was the first true test of the Solarium's full might, the first challenge of such significance that the entire order felt the need to unite, and face it head on. Worshipers of Solaris, members of the Solarium were a diverse and varied bunch, who often went their own way, righting wrongs and taking up challenges as they saw fit across the length of breadth of the Elorian Empire. For the first time recorded since their formation, the respected members of the Solarium issued a general recall across the Empire, proclaiming official censure against both the Gravedigger, as well as their own government, for failing to act against it. After making this bold proclamation, the whole order embarked on a holy crusade towards the lands upon which the Gravedigger had settled as a scourge. Although a holy crusade much like the Gale, the Solarium was quite different in composition. There was very little, if any, military order to be found in it, since as a rule there was very little in the way of formal hierarchy to be found in their order. In addition, they were comparatively few in number, especially for the scope of the conflict they sought to engage in. Instead of bringing a host of poorly trained peasants, every member of the Solarium brought at most several squires, who were already well into their training. Full-fledged members themselves included powerful knights, skilled in weapons both magical and mundane, as well as fully fledged members of the International Magicians' Consortium. These troops would become the elites of the Purge, able to either concentrate into a powerful hammer and destroy the strongest monsters the Gravedigger had created, or to disperse throughout the force, bolstering the less gifted among the host with their skills and their very presence.
The final group to join this alliance was known as The Pilgrim Army. An ad hoc force composed of all the shattered survivors of the armies and mercenary bands that the Gravedigger had smashed during his career, they provided the steel backbone and military professionalism for the crusade. Hailing from several different reflections and nations, the Pilgrim Army was a diverse collection of soldiers indeed. If it were not for their dire straits, they never would have formed up into a coherent fighting force, considering many of them were at best uneasy rivals, and at worst embroiled in bitter blood feuds with one another. Having a necromancer's army kill and eat your comrades, despoil your homes, and raise your families from the dead to refill its ranks will make allies out of even the fiercest of enemies.
The Founding
On 2/15/406 representatives of the three constituent organizations mentioned above met and formed an official accord. From this date onward the Purge was officially in existence. While this was the official
Disbandment
After the final defeat of the Gravedigger, there was no longer any purpose for this alliance to exist, and so it was disbanded. Each of the three constituents went their own separate ways, back to their respective reflections. While losses were extreme across all three member organizations by this time, and there had been notable periods of strife over the course of the campaign, all parted on amicable terms. Although the homelands of the three are separated by vast geographic and planar distances, it is likely that if one was beset by a significant enough threat, and had time to send out a call for help, they would receive assistance in some form or another from the other ex-members.
Religion
The Bloody Purge was a rather abnormal crusade for several reasons. At the organizational level, two thirds of it was motivated by actual religious reasons, as all crusades claim to be. However, one of the three member organizations had no interest at all in the religious connotations usually found in a crusade, and was simply out for vengeance and survival. While wars which are fought for supposed religious purposes often possess this dichotomy, there was less than conflict than one would expect from the different members in this case than one would expect when it came to the prosecution of the campaign.
Perhaps even more unusual than this however is the fact the the two different religious groups were actually crusading as representatives of different deities, and very different ones at that. Most would not have expected the devout of The Empty Lord to be able to get along especially well with those of Solaris, much less large concentrations of the upper hierarchy of each religion. Due to the unique nature of their task however (purging the host of a notorious necromancer) they were able to remain united in goals, and even in methods, for the majority of their crusade. There were of course differences of opinion (as is to be expected when the worshipers of a death god are brought in close proximity to the worshipers of a goddess of magic and light) but most of them were not allowed to grow to disastrous proportions, and either kept quiet from the majority of the host or resolved in a swift and equitable manner.
Perhaps even more unusual than this however is the fact the the two different religious groups were actually crusading as representatives of different deities, and very different ones at that. Most would not have expected the devout of The Empty Lord to be able to get along especially well with those of Solaris, much less large concentrations of the upper hierarchy of each religion. Due to the unique nature of their task however (purging the host of a notorious necromancer) they were able to remain united in goals, and even in methods, for the majority of their crusade. There were of course differences of opinion (as is to be expected when the worshipers of a death god are brought in close proximity to the worshipers of a goddess of magic and light) but most of them were not allowed to grow to disastrous proportions, and either kept quiet from the majority of the host or resolved in a swift and equitable manner.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
406 - 416
Type
Religious, Divine Host
Training Level
Semi-professional
Veterancy Level
Experienced
The Foe:
The Gravedigger
A powerful necromancer of unknown origin, very little is known about this mysterious figure (which can partially be attributed to how recently its career was brought to its bloody end). So little is known in fact, that while rumors are rife, specifics as to what species, race, or other classification of being it may have belonged, or whether said classification even has an age or gender. Apparently there was not a body left behind in the aftermath of the crusade, and eyewitness reports have been notoriously unreliable. Surprisingly, the survival rate of a fight that saw avatars of various gods do battle with a continent-threatening necromancer by regular soldiers is rather low. And the odds of getting one of the holy warriors who summoned an avatar to that battlefield to gossip about the events there are even lower.
What is known is that this figure arose from the battlefields of the central Funhouse, where a number of proxy wars fought by the three great empires of the day had created ample employment opportunities for battlefield gravediggers, and a disturbing lack of magical oversight as to what one with an interest in necromancy might be doing with all of those bodies. From whence this scourge originated before this point is unknown at this time however.
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