From: Mark C Wallace (mcwalla@algol.cs.umbc.edu)
Date: Thu 19 Mar 1992 - 09:56:33 EET
The disorganized notes at the top are from the heroquest
rules, the text which follows is my fleshing out of those notes.
You'll be able to infer quickly that I plan to use Pendragon
Personality Traits to encourage role playing.
General Civilized Virtues:
Nobility: Brave, loyal, Proud, (P)Hospitable
Clergy: Loyal, Just
Peasantry: Indulgent, Lustful, Generous
Arkat:
Dormal: Generous
Saint Hrestol: RUNES: MAGIC,Mastery
Saint Malkion: RUNES: LAW, Mastery
Saint Waertag: RUNES: OCEAN, MAN
Saint Gerlant Flamesword: Just, Loyal RUNE:Truth
Saint Talor: Brave RUNES: LIGHT,DEATH
Saint Xemela: mercy RUNE: Life
[NOTE: Gerlant = Gabrielite/Dominican
Talor = Michaeline/Templar
Urielist = /Jesuit
Gerlantists Hate Urielists]
Gerlantines
The Gerlantines wear purple robes with gold girdles; colors which
are ordinarily the perogative only of royalty. They have both a fighting
order and a cloistered order.
The fighting order is charged with fighting the foes of justice.
The fighting order is also known as the Kings Knights. The Gerlantines
almost always fight on the side of the king of the region, unless that
king's cause is unjust. Oftimes, if the Gerlantine order informs the king
that they cannot support him, he will resign his cause, realizing that the
absense of the Gerlantine forces will attract others to the opposition.
When political controversies are quiet, the Gerlantine Knights ride out
into the world to find, and conquer injustice. In lands dominated by the
Gerlantine knights, knights errant will find little work. Gerlantines do
not ride for glory (although they enjoy it) and will not pursue strange
beasts, nor will they fight for love of combat. Knights are encouraged
however to act as champions in trials by combat for any cause they feel is
just. Each Knight bears a shield gules, in chief a cheqy gules and or.
The cloistered order is charged with prayer and works of
scholarship to encourage justice. Although the order is charged with the
obligation of justice for all, they generally support the king. However,
history records several monasteries which have acted forcefully to secure
the rights of the common man, to protect the peasantry from unjust
Tallage, and to secure justice for the accused.
Within each Abbey, the Archivist is charged with maintaining
records of all matters which might be relevant to future findings of
justice. For this reason, they compile extensive geneologies, and have
copies of each royal proclamation. The abbot of each abbey is required to
hold court each week, and accept any plea for justice which might reach
his ears. Usually the finding of a Gerlantine abbot is persuasive in a
shire moot, or even a high court.
Priests and Brothers of the Order of Saint Gerlant are taught the
spells of Sense Truth, and the unique Oathbond.
The Order of Saint Talor, the Illuminator
Taloran knights wear black robes with silver and red cinctures, and
bear the arms Sable, in chief a sun rayonny argent in base a pile gules.
The primary arm of the cult is the fighting order, and the clerical order
exists primarily to support the Knights of Saint Talor (the illuminator).
The Knights of Saint Talor are charged to go forth in the world
and supress the foes of religion. Their primary purpose is to destroy
chaotic temples, and other horrors which encroach on the world with
darkness, but they have historically been equally happy combatting other
foes, including heretical cults, theists, etc. They are unwilling to
sully their weapons with bandits, or other ignoble foes. Taloran knights
are always armed and armoured with the best the order can provide, and
they would prefer to field fewer knights than to field a knight who was
not properly armed. Members of the fighting orders who are not equipped
may serve as squires, at the discretion of the Knight Commander. Among
the other duties of a squire of a Taloran knight is the dweomering of his
knights armour.
On the battlefield Taloran knights are fearsome for several
reasons. First, their arms and equipment, second their magical
preparation, third their considerable combat skills, and fourth, and most
important, their tactical organisation. Taloran knights train as part of
a unit, and are rarely separated from that unit. Due to familiarity and
training, the unit commander has an exceptionally high battle skill, and
will inspire his followers. Nearly all Taloran knights are mounted
lancers with a secondary weapon of bastard sword; they discourage any
other weapons.
The clerical order exists solely to provide magical support,
training, and research for the fighting order. Entire abbey's of Taloran
clerics cooperate to enchant arms and equipment for a Knight. Taloran
Clerics also train squires in the spells of damage boosting, damage
resist, spirit resist, and spell resist, and the skills of intensify and
multispell. They are reluctant to share this training with individuals
who are not members of the order.
Within each abbey of the Taloran knights, it is the responsibility
of the Archivist and his assistants to search out, through magic, and
research, threats to the faith. The Chiurgeon has the responsibility of
training squires in first aid and minor healing magics. (Taloran knights
rarely return from the field wounded).
The order of Saint Xemela the Merciful
Xemelan Sisters wear white robes with red cinctures, and bear the
arms Argent goutty. The order is primarily clerical, but a small
mendicant order exists. The entire order is ascetic and charitable.
Xemelan Abbeys are dominated by the Chiurgeons, who ranks
alongside the subprior. Each member of the order must serve in the
chiurgery each day, according to the Rule. Second in importance is the
Novitian, who is responsible for training aspirants. The order of Xemela
will provide training only to aspirants of the order, but requires no
binding commitments from aspirants, so many nobles choose to park their
younger daughters in an abbey where they will learn something useful. The
order requests, and usually receives, a small endowment for each aspirant.
The majority of aspirants are taught only first aid and herbalism; those
few who are gifted for magic are given advanced instruction and actively
encouraged to join the order. The assistant Chiurgeon serves as the
Porter for the order, and the second assistant is the hospitaler.
The smaller mendicant order is charged with healing in the world.
Often a sister will request assignment to the order as penance for some
infraction of the Rule of the order. These sisters wander through the
world with an obligation to heal anyone they encounter, unless that
healing will directly contribute to further violence (consequently, they
will not enter a battlefield until after the battle has been declared a
victory for one side). They are also expected to gather rare herbs and
other supplies and return them to the abbeys, and to solicit endowments
from their patients. Oddly enough, they have little or no skill at
midwifery, although they are capable assistants to a midwife; their
teachings advocate self sacrifice, of which death in pregnancy is the
epitome.
The sisters request that anyone brought back from mortal danger
take the oath of Saint Xemela, which forbids ever taking up a weapon
again.
Sisters of Saint Xemela are taught the spells of Diminish Pain,
Treat Wounds, and Regenerate. They are widely rumoured to have a secret
body of advanced teaching, but no details are available.
There is a resurgent heresy within the order, which holds that
knighthood is the flower of self sacrifice. This heresy has been
condemmed by the Grand Abbess of the order several times in history, but
it persists in secret. Adherents of this heresy will join the mendicant
order, and offer their services to knights prior to, and during battle.
Persistent rumour indicates that they can, through magic and drugs, double
a Knights hit points, at the nearly certain cost of his life.
-- Mark C. Wallace breah Sullivan: noonaut Copyright 1992 Mark C. Wallace. This version is freely redistributable as long as this copyright message is included. Commercial rights for derivative works are retained by the author. ======================================================================
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