Tome of the Creed Resolute
The Tome of the Creed Resolute, or simply the Creed Resolute, was the guide book which all members of the Order of the Companion and Hellriders were made to swear to live during the reign of Elturgard. In actuality, the Creed Resolute was a tool by the cult of Zariel that bound all that swore by it and their children to be reborn as devils upon their deaths.
Content
I solemnly pledge my soul and blood and blade to serve as a knight of Elturel and share the Oath of the High Observer in honoring the Gift of the Companion. I shall guard the realm of Elturgard and all those lands which lie under Elturel’s Shield, upholding the laws of Elturgard and the commands of the High Observer. I shall live my life in strict accord to the Creed Resolute, placing it and this oath above all other doctrines. I shall be bound to all others who swear this oath, declaring them now and forevermore, whether in life or beyond the veil of death, to be my brothers in arms. To ensure the perfect harmony of our brotherhood, I shall permit no difference in faith to come between us, but rather hold the Companion, which I shall never attribute to one god or another, as our common star.The first page of the Tome of the Creed Resolute contains contains the formal oath all who swear by the Creed must agree to. The next several pages contain the full text of the Creed itself. The full Creed is a lengthy document proscribing and prescribing various courses of action that are “right and proper” for a knight. This includes some guidance that’s ethical and moral, following a chivalry-style code, and other guidance that’s more practical, such as codes of dress and the list of arms and armor which any follower of the Creed must maintain. The back of the Tome of the Creed Resolute is magic. Every person who swears on the Creed must prick their thumb place the blood-mark on one of the back pages of the Tome. The signature of the swearer then appears underneath each blood-mark, and the Tome magically gains pages whenever it appears to be running out.
Purpose
The Creed Resolute was created during the founding days of the Order of the Companion to encompass all the rules and guidelines the new order would live and operate under. While containing practical information, such as armor maintenance, and a general guideline of behavior deemed appropriate for knights, above all the tome was created to unite all the people who swear it under one oath to protect Elturel and its people.
Historical Details
History
In 1448, following the Reign of Vampires, Cathasach Restat founded the Order of the Companion, a new paladin order created to protect Elturel and unified under the eternal light of the Companion. That same year, the Order created the Creed Resolute, the standard practice by which all members must swear by. The Creed Resolute, and the formation of the Order of the Companion as a whole, were formally approved by High Observer Naja Bellandi by the end of 1448.
However, the Order of the Companion was quickly becoming the public face of the Elturian cult of Zariel. The Creed Resolute was thusly worded to bind those that swore by it to the obey the same "Oath of the High Observer," namely to Naja Bellandi's Pact with Zariel, damning their souls. In addition, the pledge of their "blood" also damns all of the offspring of those that swore this oath.
In the 1470's, Cathasach Restat, now High Observer, ordered the Hellriders to also adopt the Creed Resolute, on the basis of fostering greater unity between all of Elturgard's people. This decision was controversial at the time, but by the 1490's was readily accepted.
During the Damnation of Elturel in 1497, the true nature of the pact was revealed when Elturel was teleported into Avernus. The leadership of Elturel and its military forces had been infiltrated by the cult of Zariel, and those Zarielites, as the result of their own private pacts, transformed into devils upon Elturel's arrival in Hell. These Hell Knights then began slaughtering their fellow companions-in-arms and their families, causing the dead to be reborn as devils and to swear their ranks. Meanwhile, similar actions were being taken on the Material Plane, where organizations, such as the Baldurian cult of Zariel, began hunting and killing Hellriders, Order of the Companion members, and their families.
The true nature of the Creed Resolute was discovered by the Lost Star Detectives upon their arrival in Elturel in Avernus, but by then most in the city had taken to hiding anyone that had sworn to the Creed or the children of those who had sworn to it.
After the Battle of Elturel and Zariel's redemption, the pact between Zariel and Naja Bellandi was broken, nullifying the effects of the Creed.
Legacy
The Creed Resolute was well known among Elturians. It was not uncommon to hear Elturians, even ones who aren't in the Order of the Companion or Hellriders, to tell one another to "recall the Creed" when advising one another to make good choices.
Following the salvation of Etlurel, the Creed Resolute's true nature was revealed and public attitude towards it shifted considerably. The physical document itself was destroyed to ensure it would never entrap anyone again, and nearly overnight all allusions to the Creed were stripped from Elturian speech.
Medium
Paper
Authoring Date
1448
Expiration Date
1498
Location
Signatories (Organizations)
Comments