Hero Wars
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The Fraternity of the Golden ChaliceBy Jamie 'Trotsky' Revell
The old world is over and the righteous will prevail! The Fraternity of the Golden Chalice was founded in 1460 as an organisation to help the Rokari communities of Safelster by providing medical support and communal meeting places amidst a population full of scheming heretics and schismatics. For this reason, it took the Life rune as its symbol, commonly elaborated into a chalice design. Within a couple of decades, it began to take a more martial approach, realising that honest Rokari could face sometimes physical as well as spiritual peril in this fractious land. By the time the Seshnelan overlords were expelled from Safelster in 1511, the Fraternity was powerful and wealthy enough that it survived, and even prospered, in their absence. In the century or more since, the Fraternity has spread into surrounding lands, providing succour to merchants and other travellers, and promoting the True Faith. Today, the Fraternity is a powerful and widespread organisation, famous primarily for its knights, who take strict religious vows and live in cloistered communities that enable them to fully focus their minds on the importance of their faith. They are the strongest arm of Rokarism in Ralios, yet paradoxically, they are entirely independent of the Kingdom of Seshnela.
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OrganisationThe Fraternity has six levels of membership. The largest group are the lay brothers; members of the farmer caste (of both sexes) who fill numerous support roles throughout the Fraternity's many castles, such as merchants, cooks, ostlers, armourers and menial servants. Brothers-at-arms are also members of the farmer caste, but they work as foot soldiers and perform basic garrison duties. Like the lay brothers, they have no say in the actual organisation of the Fraternity, and are expected to obey their superiors without question. Unlike their lay brethren, however, they must abide by the same semi-monastic regulations as their seniors. The most senior post a brother-at-arms can aspire to is that of Master Esquire, the official who has charge of the stables and disburses horses and harness to all members of the Fraternity.About 400 members hold the rank of brother-knight. As the name implies, these are members of the knight caste, but they live according to strict religious rules similar to those followed by Rokari wizards elsewhere. For example, drunkenness and similar debauchery is forbidden, and even armour and clothing should be plain and unostentatious. Similarly, eating and sleeping is always communal where possible, with strict regulations outlining the times for each, although these may be suspended in case of military activity, especially when away from a castle. Above the brother-knights are the chaplains, members of the wizard caste who provide for the spiritual needs of the community. The most senior wizard holds the title of Gonfanier, and is responsible for the Fraternity's standard. There are also a small number of sisters, who hold rank similar to the brothers-at-arms, and are drawn from among the daughters of knights, wizards and nobles. They provide specialised support services, notably acting as junior physicians. Highest of all are the bailiffs of the Order, drawn exclusively from the noble caste. These are very limited in number, and new recruits are often drawn in from Seshnela to fill any gaps that arise. Each castle has a castellan, while the headquarters has three additional bailiffs: the Grand Master, the Grand Commander, who has charge of administrative matters, and the Marshall, who is the senior military official. Membership Keyword
Guardian Being
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