paladin
Status: Lancea Sanctum (•+)
A paladin (•+) is a lay member who swears an oath of personal loyalty to a member of the clergy. Paladins most often serve as bodyguards to clergy members or to Legates who must travel more than the typical Priest. A paladin specializes in combat and self-defense techniques, and while a member of the laity (and thus not a Crusader; see above), she must demonstrate faithfulness to both her charge and to The Lancea Sanctum as a whole. This loyalty is occasionally augmented by The Vinculum, but most members of the covenant eschew this because it removes the element of free will. In the case of especially high-ranking clergy, paladins often voluntarily submit to Vinculums to their charges. Serving as paladin to a Cardinal, for example, carries both prestige within the covenant and temporal power in the city. In some cases, the Sheriff in a domain governed by an Archbishop or Cardinal is a trusted paladin.
Type
Religious
Used By