Order Of The Warriors Of The Church

The Order of the Warriors of the Church are a fierce warrior order, assembled from the best of the armies of Ahlonia and lured by the massive church coffers. Former cavaliers and Kings Own, even a few of the nobler ex-roughriders are members of their diverse ranks. The order are charged with the protection of the church against those who would do her harm, and also with the pursuit of the enemies of the avowed church, particularly the Black Sarith, Willem Cole.

Patron: Koroth
Membership: 250 approx.
Marshal: Bane Robin
Home: The Warrior's Rest, Southaven

Origins


When the church splintered away from the state of Reddown in 131 HC by Vone I (not the oracle) when he became High Prelate of Sigard, shortly after the founding of that kingdom by King Lander it was widely believed that the church needed some means to defend herself that did not favour either nation by calling upon their forces. To that end each of the nations sent a hundred of their finest warriors to join the church in a new order which would serve as church soldiers. Over the years it became customary for these warriors to also train as priests, and even today the most elite veterans semi-retire to the order, where they undergo training to become brothers in the church and are then inducted directly into the order. Today, to keep the numbers in the order high, especially with the drain represented by the Koric Guard, the order also allows its members to take apprentices from amongst the lesser clergy, inducting these already-trained priests when they are deemed to be fit and experienced warriors.

Role


The role of the warriors of the church is a simple one, to hunt out those individuals and groups the church deems enemies of the faith, and by methodical military tactics, destroy those enemies in lawful warfare. For this task they are welcome anywhere in Ahlonia, and no government will turn away the warriors of the church when they are on the business of the Dioune.

Organization


The Order of the Warriors of the Church generally work in small units of two or three warriors, accompanied by whatever servants and employees they regularly retain, who search the land for enemies of the church. They have a general permission to kill any followers of the Cult of Gruna or the Order of the Black Sarith that they find, and so much of their time is spent rooting out these dire threats to the mother church. When a holy war is declared they come together in pre-determined units roughly twenty men strong each, and seize the military forces of whatever land the threat is detected in under their command. A contingent of twenty warriors, leading an ever-changing army of a couple of hundred strong is camped permanently in the north of the fenns keeping watch on the Black Sarith's tower for any mobilization of Cole's forces.

Priestly Orders in the Church of the Dioune
Order of the Blessed Remembrance; Order of the Fists of Koroth; Order of the Garden; Hands of Aliel; Order of the Living Heart; Order of the Sanctuary; Order of the Sixth Oracle; Order of the Warriors of the Church