Paladinism
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Contents
Origins
Xan is a descendant Aengul the likes of Tesion, Fastial and Artifai. As the Aengul of order and guardianship, he wishes to see order preserved among the mortal planes, to fulfill his goal for the mortals to survive and thrive. A time of which, the fabled Isle of Sheerok fell into darkness in the aftermath of the Betrayer’s war. It was a place of desolation where the once beautiful scape of a vast forest and fields of crops that held such a divine light from the Sun itself, turned into a barren waste of death and disease. It was here where the Aengul decided to descend, for this place, for those that knew him, praised and served him. It was then the chance encounter of the siblings Zyanna and Hilan occurred. Whether it was faith that decided or a mere chance, the Aengul took notice in the siblings that day. Splitting two of the four wings from his back, he infused one each into Zyanna and Hilan, the siblings becoming the first paladins in existence.
Ordainment
Once a person has been deemed worthy they will be taken to a Sanctuary where one of the paladin elders, and Arkknight will connect the being to the realm of Xan and install them with his blessing. However in order to get to this stage they will need to pass trials and prove themselves worthy of Xan's blessing.
The Covenants of Xan
The Covenants of Xan are sacrosanct laws that the Knights of Xan once upheld, set before them by their deity since the advent of his gifted power. If one is to break these tenants they would be considered Oathbreakers and hunted down by other paladins in order to be forcibly disconnected.
The First Covenant
You are the child of the Maker, the Creator, the Divine, for it is HE who made all the First, the Aenguls and Daemons, and the Second, the Descendants. The Four Races, the Second Children, the Descendants, given life divine by the Creator’s breath, have Xan’s shield and his sword. For that reason, a Paladin may not put himself above descendants, for they are equal. It is also not the concerns of mortal wars which draws the Lion’s gaze. For always there is war amongst the Descendants for struggle is eternal, a curse of the Betrayer which cannot be given relief, a result of the first sins. So it is that the wars of mortals are not touched upon by the Lion’s Pride, for they are meant to be absolved by the descendants by whom they are waged.
The Second Covenant
As Xan demands service from his champions, he expects them not to equate him with the same reverence as God, chiefly expecting it over worship. In the same vein, he allows them to serve other organizations and militias, as long as they continue following their order’s credo and do nothing that would count as breaking it.
The Third Covenant
As all Knights of Xan are equal before him, they shall treat each other equally and as brethren. No sword or mace or axe or any other weapon of warfare shall be raised in malice against the fellow followers of the Sunlit Lord.
The Forth Covenant
While it is said that the Order protects all Descendants from foulness, using the magic given to them by their patron, it should not be confused with offering said magic to just everyone. There is a difference between selling divine artifacts for personal gain and teaching those willing of Paladinism. Offering divine artifacts in such a manner, whether it is trading in coin, power or favours, is strictly frowned upon and shall not be tolerated by either the Order or its patron.
The Fifth Covenant
The light is the fire in our hearts, the light is the wrath of Xan, the light is the Creator’s glory manifest, and with it we burn away the shadow, cleanse the darkness and all the taint within. The power of Xan is not used lightly, nor ever against the Descendants save for those corrupted and turned against their brothers. We wield the Light only in defense of them, only in service of Xan, or against those once-children of the Creator whose hearts have been made blackened ash, and turned to darkness. Never shall the light of Xan be used against a descendant, except in the most extreme of cases of those poor souls misled by the evil present in all hearts. And yet so all attempts shall be made to cause no permanent harm, all instances of such reported to the rest of the Order.
The Sixth Covenant
A Paladin serves as an extension, the blade, of Xan’s will. As Aengul of Order & Guardianship, the forces of the dark that spread chaos and prey on the Descendant races must not be assisted nor permitted in their nefarious acts. The antithesis to Xan and His Champions, any Paladin who assists dark groups, participates in their misdoings, or observes without interfering as they harm innocents has forsaken their sacred vow to Xan and their duty. There is a fine line that can be walked, as far as tricking or infiltrating a questionable group. However, any participation or willful allowing in dark acts will result in this Covenant being broken.
Revocation of the Light
When words of an oath breaker reach the ears of the wardens they are tasked with hunting them down and disconnecting them from Xan and his realm, it is a vital task for the paladins. However there are other reasons why a paladin might be disconnected from Xan, perhaps they have finished their service or are too old to continue serving.
Willing
Performed for a seasoned paladin who is no longer willing or capable of continuing their service. Their days may be numbered or their strength far too dwindled, so a fulfilling end is offered by those of their chapter to mark the conclusion of their duties in the name of Xan. Gentle and benevolent in nature, this manner of revocation begets far less physical and mental trauma to the Knight.
Unwilling
For the first year, the trauma of disconnection leaves the damned Knight with a pervading sensation of cold emptiness in the place of the soul as the light that once illuminated it is now absent, forsaken. Similarly, does this bring about mental trauma that is equally, perhaps more so detrimental to the damned, as their resolve wavers due to the guilt, shame, and other negative ailments that may wrack the mind of a now disempowered mortal. The forceful severance of a soul’s connection to a deity leaves a persisting mental mark upon one, for souls were never meant to be tampered with so lightly or so violently.
Sanctuaries of Xan
Sanctuaries act as the keeps of the paladins as well as their homes, it is where they may perform their rituals and rights in peace, it is the only place where a paladin may be given the blessing by Xan or cure a darkspawn.
Shrine
The most basic archetype. A shrine requires just a drop of Warden blood upon a reliquary. Reliquaries can be created by blessing a single object such as a suit of armor, a relic, a weapon, and so on with the power of two light stones.
Temple
The intermediate progression. A temple requires a shrine that has connected three Knights of Xan at the very least, thus emboldening the presence of the Sunlit Lord with these sanctified deeds.
Sanctuary
The final and greatest nexus of the Sunlit Lord’s presence upon the living world. A Sanctuary requires a ritual at a temple performed by six unique Knights of Xan and the original Warden, and a sacrifice of some manner to Xan.
Deific Purging
Deific Purging serves as a ritual for the latter purpose, allowing multiple paladins to collaborate in a concerted effort to cleanse an object or an individual of a particular blight, curse, illness, or other varieties of unnatural influences.
The Mists of Xan
The Triumvirate of Hues
The mists of Xan are the quintessence of a paladin’s capabilities, the very groundwork of Xan’s power evoked and harnessed from his realm to perform his will. The mists may manifest in three colors with a forth reserved for Xan and his lieutenants. Each of these has a special meaning behind them and are a key part of Xan's powers
Gold
- Gold epitomises the selfless, the empathetic and the resolute.
Sliver
- Silver is the colour of the dogmatic, merciless and uncompromising.
Emerald
- Emerald augurs goodness and piety, perhaps the most compassionate out of the main three.
Cobalt
- Cobalt mists are only made manifest in the direct presence of the Sunlit Lord, or his direct subordinates entrusted with his very insignia, primarily given to his patrons such as Keepers and their kin.
Healing
In healing, the mist is used to knit back together torn flesh or fractured bone. The extent of a paladin’s ability depends on their experience.
Manipulation
The mists of Xan, though at first summoning seem a simple cloud of particles, can be concentrated into a solid forms, the particles interlocking to create physical surfaces.
Armor of the Mist
- In the creation of armor, a paladin must be capable of summoning large amounts of mist. They cloak themselves in the mist before forcing the particles to close upon one another, condensing into a suit of gilded armour.
Weapons
- In the creation of weapons, a paladin must be capable of summoning the equivalent amount of mist; Larger weapons require a higher concentration of mists. A paladin must be able to summon a blade before they can create a large polearm.
Ranged Weaponry
- In the case of weapons leaving the paladin’s hands and becoming airborne, such as throwing spears, the weapon will gradually lose its density the longer it is out of the paladin’s hands, resulting in it shattering upon impact with the target, making them of little use against armoured foes and the practice of little possible use.
Holy Alteration
The paladin will be able to imbue the mists, and therefore the very power of Xan, within objects and weapons, enchanting them with a holy affinity.
Mist Weaving
The fundamental font of a paladin’s strength, mistweaving is the particular manipulation of the mists of Xan evoked for the derivation of spells, constructs and other utile abilities. As it is the most basic form and manifestation of the Sunlit Lord’s power, mistweaving is the first technique to be taught to newly attuned paladins prior to the third tier, though it remains an important part of a Knight’s arsenal even beyond. The splendour and capabilities of this cardinal sorcery evolves with the paladin’s eternal embers and archetype, enabling further augments throughout a paladin’s journey.
Xan’s Vindicators and Wyrmstalkers
The followers of Xan are split into two primary subgroups, the Apostles who defined such paths were the Vindicator Marian Cross, and the Wyrmstalker Seyren Windsor. One sought to protect and defend with its magic, the latter saw it fit to hunt the darkspawn ruthlessly. Though they share the same ideals of Order and Guardianship, their means to achieving them could not be further apart. The Chapter of Vindicators and the Chapter of Wyrmstalkers thus came to be, under the banner of the Order of the Golden Lance.
Vindicators
Vindicators are the gradians of Xan, preferring to defend the weak from evil then anything else.
Wyrmstalkers
Wyrmstalkers are the hunters and warriors of Xan, preferring to fight and hunt the evils that lurks in this world
Tiers of Paladins
This Section Relates to OOC information on the Tiers of Paladinism
Tier 1
A fledgling initiate only newly attuned to the mists of Xan will find much difficulty in adequately harnessing the mists for its greater purposes, their eternal embers only just awoken with their connection.
- Embers available: 4
- Spells available: Xannic Fervour
- Lasts 1 week.
Tier 2
Better acquainted with the mistweaving arts, a paladin at the second tier is able to harness it for more sophisticated uses such as healing and concentrating it to smite foes.
- Embers available: 6
- Spells unlocked: Mist Healing, Xannic Armaments
- Lasts 2 weeks.
Tier 3
There will come a time in the Sunlit Path, that the road diverges. Two schools of mist weaving, though derived from the same source, expands it in a completely different manner with different goals. One to protect, and one to hunt. At this point in a paladin’s journey, they will often begin to learn under the tutelages of both Wyrmstalkers and Vindicators that will teach them their ways, before they themselves will have to make a decision, and commit to a higher tier of learning from the legacy of Marian Cross or of Seyren Windsor. Harnessing and manipulating the mists becomes close to a triviality for the paladin, however energising them to their respective states of light and lightning becomes a new difficulty for them to overcome.
Trial mechanics
To join either school, the paladin must take a trial that deems them worthy of that school. Either by performing a feat of sacrifice for Vindicator, or a feat of the hunt for Wrymstalkers. Ritual to join said Brotherhood to be performed at a Chancery, with the mentor to consign them as a twice-ordained Knight of Xan. Naturally, the nature of these trials may vary depending on cultural preferences, though this is generally a recommended outline.
- Embers Available: 8
- Spells unlocked: Sunlit Salvo
- Vindicators: Guardian’s Bulwark
- Wyrmstalkers: Henryk’s Binding (Ambuscade Rune), Stalker’s Step
- Sacred Artificery: Blessings can be learned and practised.
- Lasts 4 weeks after an archetype has been chosen.
Tier 4
As the Paladin grows more familiar in their role and duty in the world, the time will come for them to begin proselytizing, and guiding the next generation of Paladins on how to uphold their oath. They become eligible for applying for a TA and being taught the ritual of connection by their master, beginning their trials to become a Seeker themselves, to stoke their eternal embers through proof of duty. Alongside other requirements, the most important aspect of this tier is their duty to ordain and train a protege in the Sunlit Path until the protege “graduates” at tier 4. In terms of their powers, a T4 paladin is known as an Arknight, one who has acquainted themselves with their newfound archetypes reasonably well, though they still continue to learn the intricacies of their more refined arts alongside Sacred Artificery.
- Embers Available: 10
- Spells unlocked:
- Vindicators - Arknight’s Rally, Marian’s Refuge
- Wyrmstalkers - Sunlit Volley, Daybreak Spear
- Purging rituals can be led.
- Sacred Artificery: Orisons and Lightforging can be learned and practised.
- Eligible for a [TA], but they may only take up and connect ONE student until they reach Tier 5.
- Lasts 9 weeks and requires the trials of the Arknight to be completed.
Trials of the Arknight for progression:
- The Arknight must have graduated at least one student
- The Arknight has performed great feats that embodies the faith of paladin, like hunting darkspawn, charity for innocents, saving another from grave danger, aiding those of their brotherhood in a grand endeavour such as a crusade, etc.
- The Arknight has written a manuscript on Xan and his teachings, which may be in the form of a mechanical tome or a forum post.
- The Arknight has crafted and created Sacred Artificery, and has learned of all blessings and orisons.
Tier 5
Tier 5 The Paladin is now dubbed a Seeker, one who has seen decades of service, with the oldest Seeker spanning worlds and centuries. They who are the backbone of the Order, who are at the pinnacle of service and faith to their Lord. With this, they reach the peak of their capabilities in Xan’s mists, able to wield his gift of light or lightning with ease to perform righteous deeds in his name, or weave storied tales of myths and legends for many to behold. Their eternal embers burn the brightest, to the extent that they seem to exude a sanctified aura only indicative of their years of service and faith.
- Embers available: 14
- Spells unlocked:
- Vindicators - Vindicator’s Mantle
- Wyrmstalkers - Sunlight Spear
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Created by: JoshBright
