Greyguard
"Greyguard" is the general term used for vigilantes who are religiously or ideologically driven to weed out the forces of chaos in society. They are so-named in contrast with paladins and antipaladins, who are sometimes called brightguards and blackguards, respectively.
It is a relatively thankless job: greyguards do their duty without expectation of glory, celebrity or wealth, sometimes tracking quarries for days through adverse conditions. Harsh and uncompromising, they sometimes take on negative connotations even in communities they're trying to defend, being seen as grim reapers that blur the boundary between justice and thuggery. Still, for all the fear and sometimes disdain they inspire, the greyguards are an important part of most civilized ecosystems on Waking Materia, taking on duties that classical "heroes" might deem too distasteful. The stark, back-to-basics simplicity of their philosophy is also sought after in many fields, from mental health to finances. They are sometimes approached to adjudicate on disputes as a third party, however both sides often find themselves deemed inadequate in the eyes of the Order’s strict dogmas, and punished thusly.
Greyguards are almost always aligned Lawful Neutral, though some especially hardened individuals may lean towards Lawful Evil. The difference between a LE greyguard and a LE blackguard is the opposition to chaos rather than good.Relations
Unlike the good-aligned paladins, greyguards are less bound by lofty notions of morality or heroism, often embodying the philosophy that, sometimes, you have to be as ruthless as the bad guys in order to win the day. Though rarely outright adversarial with paladins, greyguards often think of them as preening and naive, and often have more than one story in their pocket of a paladin's defeat at the hands of a savvier foe. A common conceit is that victory is typically won by the side that drives for it the hardest. Paladins, in turn, often distrust greyguards, thinking them vulnerable to corruption.Religions
Several religions, both Waking and Umbral, count greyguards among their ranks.Uhrmazd
The most commonplace and well-received of greyguards are those of Uhrmazd, Overbeing of Order, Darkness & Simplicity and partner to the Mother of Light, Aios. Given the duality of the church, greyguards of the Voidfather work willingly with paladins of the Starmother despite the latter's chaotic tendencies (though the two groups are not immune to bickering). Many of history's most famous greyguards, like Syr Gavvan Grimbold and Valaan Blackblade, were worshippers of the Uhrmazd.The Field Marshal
While the god of justice and swordsmanship is Lawful Good-aligned, not all societies are plagued with evil monsters or necromancers to slay, and as such paladins of the Knight of Petals sometimes lean more "grey" in their search for villains. They are more apt to emphasize the Field Marshal's mortal history as an assassin before repenting and becoming a monk of the Insurgent Gods, maintaining that these prior skills were still useful in his subsequent feats of heroism.Morrigan
Despite her ruthless nature, the Goddess of the Black Magicks is known to value balance and sustainability over wanton carnage; as such her church has a dedicated group of witchhunters whose purpose is to weed out black mages who overstep their bounds and bring too much risk to the Morganite church as a whole. These individuals are greyguards with added specializations in mage-hunting. Some whisper that their purpose is, rather, to eliminate threats to Morrigan's supremacy.
The Greyguards
Deity
Various
Favoured Classes
Greyguard, Ranger, Rogue
Alignment
Generally LN
Purviews
Justice
Hunting, tracking
Necessity
Comments