Paladinism

This page relates to lore, you can find the original lore here.

The Paladins of Xan Devotion through actions Patron: Xan Forums posts: The Knights of Xan; Paladinism Rewrite Xan the Aengul End Anthosi More Xan End of the Anthosia Era The day of Reckoning Sunwells

History

The history of the Order and how the origins first start is a tale unlike others, which was eventually forgotten with time. Of truths foretold and blasphemous acts created within the divines themselves. Though to state that all Aengul/Daemons are perfect is a flawed concept in and of itself. For their very views and influence upon the realm of mortalkind is a prime example of such imperfections, as they tend to their own devices or ways of power. Yet here at the beginning of this story falls upon an Aengul that descended down for a time. 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 each into Zyanna and Hilan, becoming the first paladins in existence.

But Xan’s purpose was not fulfilled, far from it. His next act caused a brief strife with his war-brother Tahariae, the Aengul of Purity, who forbid him from influencing the mortal realm further. A warning that Xan did not follow and with his arms opened wide, broke the desolate clouds that hung over the cursed Isle of Sheerok. Rays of sunlight and warmth poured through and the land was cleansed of the blight that had befallen it. It was then that the Isle became the home of the paladins of old and for several generations to come.

Yet with such a tale of hope, tragedy was soon to follow. During that brief time of the Lord of Sunlight being on the mortal realm, he met with Zyanna privately and eventually she birthed a child that was then hidden away. It was after this that he ascended back to the divines, and Zyanna sought a way to find him again. Five or so years passed since that day and with her travels she came upon a mountain side where she erected a tower so that she could eventually communicate with the Aengul. It was there that Gudour, The Night Terror, found her. Upon the next morning, her followers found the paladin encased in an crystal-like ebony shield. A sword straight through her heart under the bewitched spell of the Drakaar.

Zyanna could never find peace and rest again, and such was that the heavens cried out in rage and anger. The wrath of the Sunlight Lord was unlike that which the realm would see, as Hilan took up arms and the paladins became the first Dragonslayers. Species upon species of Dragur’s broods were hunted down and destroyed. The hunting of such mighty beasts lasted for eons to come and as well, became a starting point for what was seen as ‘Order’. It was here that Sol Invicta, the first born of Zyanna Athna and the Aengul of Order and Guardianship, rose up and became an instrument for her father’s wrath. His words gave her life and with her raw power of Order, she set forth to wipe out the dragonkin to near extinction. Her mother’s legacy of the Isle of Sheerok she protected and called home. There her followers protected the sacred area and with the Guardian’s Grimoire, fabled Tome of the Power of Xan, Sol Invicta transported the island to hide it away from all those that seek its destruction.

Yet despite the achievements of Sol Invicta and the removal of such dangerous foes from the world, all was not well with her view of ‘Order’. The Aengul Xan would see his mistake, when Sol Invicta began her own crusade against all which besmirched her vision of perfect Order upon the realm. She became a Tyrant that raged war and destruction to warp the world into her vision for it. Thus as the sapphire mists had developed her very soul with the use of the Grimoire, the Demi-God was struck down. Her body was torn azure by the raw power of Xan and she was cast down, falling into the deepest parts of the Abyss. There she was thought dead, but unbeknownst to even the Aengul himself, she survived.

It was then the Aengul saw the errors of his daughter. The concept of pure Order had cast away what devotion and love he had for mortalkind. Thus Guardianship truly took form and both views became one. From that point on, many events occurred throughout the history of the paladins. Abilities and ways of using the magic were created, while older ones were lost to the pages of history. The battle of Setherian among such achievements and even the war and conquering of Asura’s realm with the fall of the Daemon was done and had come to pass, as well as the attempt on Aeriel’s realm for the position of Archaengul. Yet that in the end was met with a failing and eventual retreat of Xan and his forces.

History became a place of stories and rumors surfacing, and so the passing of time would eventually come to the recent centuries and decades, of what the Paladin Order had become. It was clear with the lacking of servants, that instead of distain or dismay, the realm was, as a whole, changing. Thus the Aengul of Order and Guardianship saw fit to shift the magic of his servants once more. Their roots were long forgotten and it was time to give the knowledge and wisdom back. To invoke purpose in what they once were and find the meaning for them in this changing world.

Origins

Xan is a descendant Aengul the likes of Tesion, Fastial and Artifai. He is the Aengul of order and guardianship. He wishes to see order preserved among the mortal planes, as he wishes for the mortals to survive and thrive. Why he feels this way is not entirely clear, whether it be out of generosity towards the mortals, or out of amusement surrounding their actions. Regardless, as a result of this, he sometimes rewards mortals who demonstrate a strong sense of guardianship and fortitude, those who promote order among mortals. Often times, these gifts are merely a strengthening of one’s mind, will or body. However, to those who embodied the traits of Xan most boldly, he would grant magical skills akin to clerical magic.

The reasoning for Xan’s intervention with mortals is still that of a mystery today, but the Wingless Lion, capable of ripping off his own wings for mere mortals, would be heralded as Guardian of the Weak, for those wings would be a symbol of Xan’s sacrifice for the greater good. He would give up his own divine weapon, the Golden Lance, in order to aid the mortals in their defeat of the corrupted dragons, Chrysteria, Setherien, Gudour, that threatened the far flung lands, upon the isles of Sheerok. The Athna bloodline, long serving champions of order and guardianship, were the first to be blessed with His divine presence. Nazh’ghal, would be the first Prophet of Xan, whose son, Hilan Athna, would inherit the title to be the Herald of the Ten Apostles, and bearer of the Golden Lance, leading to the rise of the Order of the Golden Lance. Hilan would be the first Vindicator, Zyanna the first Vestal. Though that bloodline would be met with misfortune, as Zyanna was devoured by Gudour atop her tower, and Hilan immolated by the black flames of Setherien.

The loss of the battle and the immolation of the Apostles would turn them as the first twelve Harbingers in service to the Drakaar and his mysterious armies; they became known as his Dark Lieutenants. Setherien would break Golden Lance into three pieces, hidden away in a faraway land, confident that no other weapon would match it. Seeing their defeat, Herun Athna would open a portal to Anthos, the Doors of Eternity, so that the wounded bannermen could make their escape, to live to fight another day. And that day would come, many years later. Their fallen home would turn into the deadened Red Realm, also known as the Burzumkototaz. The Black Wyrm would eventually travel through the portal himself, plaguing the lands of Anthos after totally destroying Sheerok. Over the course of a couple of years, the Order of the Golden Lance became vagabonds relentlessly pursuing the Drakaar after he followed them through the portal -- what would later be named the Door of Eternity. If he were to be given the chance to recoup and rebuild, he could quite possibly inflict harm and devastation upon these new found lands of Anthos. Fearing what could happen if Setherien were to make contact with the Descendants, they explored the farthest reaches of the Northern Wastes only to discover to their horror that the race of Pig-Men, the Boh’ra, had been enslaved to the will of the Black Wyrm.

The Black Scourge would lay siege to the heartland of Anthos and ravaged the known world with an undead army consisting of Bohra, Drakes, and all manners of life-less, twisted aberrations. In service to their dark master they destroyed many settlements, among them the capital city of the elves Leumalin. It seemed as though their forces were unstoppable and people began to lose all hope. However, a mysterious adventurer in service to Xan emerged from obscurity to guide the new paladins of the reformed Order of the Golden Lance to the Door of Eternity, alongside the Descendants as all hope appeared to be lost and the flood waters were sinking Anthos. The world was losing their combined fight against the terrifying forces of the Drakaar, and sought to escape annihilation by fleeing the land as blood shards started spreading in major settlements, forcing the Descendants to flee to the Fringe through the reopened Door of Eternity.

Arriving at the Fringe, the mysterious adventurer, who now came to be known as the Seeker Jack began to rebuild the Order of the Golden Lance in preparation for what was to come. The final battle would commence upon the mustering of vast elven, human, dwarven, and orcish armies at the helm of a massive portal leading to the realm of Burzȗmkȗtotaz. As the Harbingers’ master Setherien was extinguished through the combined efforts of the citizens of all the world, and the Harbingers were pressed into hiding. Anthos was swept over in a flood that submerged the continent, and now the Descendants were trapped in a foreign world. Xan would once again descend as he did in Aegis, and in Sheerok, in the lands of Arcas; as the threat of the Inferi were heralded by the death of Metzli. Together with Aeriel, Gazardiel, Eshtael, and Malchediel, the Pantheon sought to stop the latest plot of Iblees to be reborned. Inhabiting the body of Keeper Yulia Horen, Xan would lead the Paladins to circumvent the Straits of Al’faiz, smiting down foes with its spears and lances, to storm the main Inferi encampment. After the resolution of Gazardiel, Xan and his brethren left for the skies again, entrusting the future of the grey to His mortal instruments once more.

Ordainment

In the wake of trials and tribulations, when they are conquered by an aspirant initiate and thus deemed worthy by their Master, they will be ordained through a resplendent ritual at a Chancery of Xan to be granted His power. The ritual proper is naturally freeform, left to the aesthetic discretion of one who performs it, but the principle outline is that the soul is awakened in a painful, perhaps even gruesome, unpleasant experience to Xan’s mists by the mandate of His cobalt mists to manifest a tether, a connection to Xan’s realm akin to a voidal magi’s attunement to the Void. Following this awakening, an eternal ember is sparked within the soul of the ordained knight, forevermore signifying their duty to their Aengul, to Order and Guardianship. As the paladin grows in power, so too does the vigour of these embers, which serve as their means of calling upon Xan’s mists to fulfill his duties as well as a pervading reminder of their responsibility. To the untrained initiate who has only attained His power, the gaze of an Aengul is intimidating, they may fear blunder, inadequacy or incompetence, as though their work is always scrutinised, judged. Yet as one becomes more experienced, this gaze becomes more comforting like a parental gaze, a reminder that their righteous deeds are seen and even if they fall, salvation is promised by their Lord; one becomes emboldened to do what they must, discouraged to do what they must not, and over time, the growth of these embers and this presence proffers a mental sanctuary for the Knight in the face of adversity, peril and fear.

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. They have been adhered for as long as history recalls, though varying Chapters across the Mortal Plane may profess to Covenants significantly different, yet still adequate of performing His bidding. Covenants are guidelines to which the Knights harken, bare necessities in how one should act, making it absolutely essential to follow them to the letter when it comes to it. If an oathbreaker’s deed reaches the ears of their brothers and sisters, it is their duty to search them and punish them through a path of redemption or disconnection. Varieties of deific runes have often been used for the former purpose, however methods of punishment vary from chapter to chapter. The following Covenants are what are simply considered "cultural convention", but are by no means concrete, for they are left to the wisdom of Wardens and Seekers who lead Knights of Xan in their righteous duty.

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 a Knight of Xan is too far gone, when a Paladin has strayed too far from the light and when the fire within them begins to fade must revocation be considered for one deemed irredeemable in the name of Xan’s covenants and ideals. The ritual of revocation is a guarded secret reserved only for the greatest among Xan’s servitors, those capable of delivering Xan’s very judgement on his own behalf, and thus it can only be taught to another by those with knowledge and practice of this sanctified rite. When a seasoned paladin with mastery of the mists is taught, it is indicated by an Aengulic rune upon their self which manifests only when Xan’s power is called upon, a marker of their divine mandate to exercise the will of their Lord, indicating their status as an anointed Wardens. Wardens are entrusted with the duty of redemption and disconnection, and thus have the right to consider one "redeemed", or perform revocation when they deem it necessary. Conduction the rite of revocation requires two Wardens and one paladins, those with the ability and knowledge of the rite’s inner workings, where the damned Knight is restrained in place as their connection to Xan’s realm is severed by the same cobalt mists that once made them whole, and their eternal embers snuffed out, leaving behind a forlorn soul in its wake, devoid and deprived of the light it once coveted.

Willing

Nonetheless, the revocation may also be a willing one, 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 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 week, 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

In the depths below the Order of the Golden Lance’s Keep, in a far away land of Sheerok, stood a symbol of worship and prayer to their patron deity, the Lord of Sunlight, of Order and Guardianship, the Wingless Lion, the Aengul Xan. Murals and icons would decorate the marbled halls, where the Prophets and their Apostles would give sermons and lead the faithful in prayer. Though as their world crumbled beneath the onslaught of the Black Scourge, as the Apostles were immolated upon the snowy fields by Setherien, the survivors fled, only with the memory of their gilded halls, where they made their vows to their Lord, to protect the grey against the dark. Though the temples and shrines of Xan now lay in ruins across worlds, the Keepers preserve the tradition, of honouring sacrifice, of forming covenants to the Sunlit Path, and of seeking communion and guidance, under the Aengul Xan’s watchful gaze. A drop of devoted blood, a reliquary to house it, and prayer is all that is needed to consecrate the grounds, to bless the area known as a Chancery. It is said that the blood of the Paladin represents the sacred waters of the Immaculate Palace, and that the realms are connected by the covenant, as the Lightsworn are bequeathed Xan’s powers, to serve as His will upon the mortal plane. Sacred powers, in exchange for their devotion and service to the lands. The Chancery is also the foundation in which sunlit armaments are made, as the forge of Jared Blockfoot was only a stone’s throw away from the chanceries of the Golden Lance. Any acts of the dark arts are hindered in the presence of these hallowed grounds, while the devoted are baptized in the azure mists, upon connection to the Aengul Xan. Rituals to commune, to sacrifice, to honour, and to even embalm the fallen are all conducted upon the holiest of grounds to the Paladins, under the Lord’s watchful gaze. Salt, ash, candles, incense, oils, the ritual tools of the Xannic traditions expand upon each culture it has brought in, but will never stray from its purpose for the ritualist Vestals.

Shrine

The most basic archetype. A shrine requires just a drop of Warden blood upon a reliquary, an ST signed holy artifact serving as the shrine’s epicenter. Reliquaries can be created by blessing a single object such as a suit of armour, a relic, a weapon, and so on with the power of two lightstones.

Temple

The intermediate progression. A temple requires a shrine that has connected 3 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 such as the bones of a darkspawn, or symbols of the hunt, a testament to its storied history in celebrating the ideals of 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. With the vigour that comes with these rituals, they must be performed either directly under Xan’s light at a Chancery, or through the use of a lightforged trinket possessing the “Sunlight’s Wrath” enchantment.

The Mists of Xan

Order and Guardianship incarnate, 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, when manifested, form in a fluid gaseous state much akin to their namesake; they are a force of order and guardianship wielded by those endowed with its power, a microcosm of the Sunlit Aengul from which they originate. Warmth is brought to the innocents and grays in its fray, while those of dark or draconic inclinations are exempted from this effect, instead experiencing a wintry scorn characteristic of Xan’s own. The enemies of the Sunlit Lord, those perceived as the blights of the breathing world, are dubbed darkspawn - corrupted, twisted or ineffably dark, daemonic or draconic beings that have long been Xan’s foes: Dragonkin, the Undead, the Inferis and all their respective servants, Siliti, Strigae, Frost Witches and Vargs are but examples of these scourges. Born of the unnatural meddling of mortals and the mortal world, the Darkspawn are the eternal enemies of Xan’s Order, evermore facing the searing ire of His mists when His servants make war with their kind.

The Triumvirate of Hues

Like centuries that came before, harkening back to the first days of Xan’s lordship over Sheerok, the mists of Xan may manifest in three colours, each representing the first of their kind from the fabled Apostles and Athnas– Marian Cross’ stalwart guardianship of gold, Seyren Windsor’s vindictive order of silver, and Zyanna Athna’s remediating faith of emerald. The colour of one’s mists is the defining colour of a paladin's spells and is believed to be reflective of one’s fundamental nature in the eyes of the Sunlit Lord, perhaps even suggestive of their true calling in their servitude as Xan’s patrons.

Gold

• Gold epitomises the selfless, the empathetic and the resolute, like the Apostle Marian Cross who once offered his life where many did not in his stand against Setherien’s forces. A man who always believed in redemption, that descendants are made imperfect so as to grow and change for the better, Marian Cross vindicated those perceived to have been condemned forever, bringing countless who walked darkened paths back to the light. As the Vindicator’s hue, it symbolises Xan’s guardianship and a guardian’s traits, those of a stalwart sentinel against adversity, and those of the redeemer that offers refuge to the lost.
  

Sliver

• Silver is the colour of the dogmatic, merciless and uncompromising, its beginnings trailing back to the first Wyrmstalker, the Apostle Seyren Windsor, a legendary hunter of Sheerok who mercilessly felled countless servants of Setherien through his skill of the hunt. Reminiscent of the Sunlit Aengul’s distant brother, Tahariae, the mists of silver also echo His purifying sentiments, the duty of maintaining Xan’s eternal Order through ridding the world of its many reprehensible scourges. As the Wyrmstalker’s hue, it symbolises Xan’s order and a hunter’s traits, meticulous, calculating and fleeting.
  

Emerald

• Emerald augurs goodness and piety, perhaps the most compassionate out of the three as it was first the token of the first Prophet of Xan Zyanna Athna, the first Vestal who compensated martial strength for sorcerous prowess. A priestly figure who presided over the people of Sheerok while Hilan traversed the world in Xan’s name, her life was taken at the hand of the Night Terror Gudour, and thus the blood of goodness spilled inevitably sparked the birth of an eternal conflict. As the Vestal’s hue, it symbolises faith in Xan’s cause and a priest’s traits, reverent and pious, yet also amicable and clement.
  

Cobalt

• Cobalt mists are only made manifest in the direct presence of the Sunlit Lord, or His direct subordinates entrusted with His very insignia, 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. It is summoned in a haze form at the paladin’s hands in great concentration. Then, it is pressed to the wound, and the paladin directs the particles within and around, healing the damage done. Depending on the paladin’s experience, if the wound is great they may not be able to fully heal it. The greater amount of mist the paladin can summon, the faster the healing, which reduces the likelihood of the paladin using their powers to the point of exhaustion.

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. The most common uses are either in creation of armor, or weapons; However, the mist can also be kept in a semi-solid state, similar to when used in healing, and used to cleanse taint. While this is not capable of killing a tainted being, it can reveal their presence by virtue of the holy power of the mists eating away at their very being, causing immense pain.

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, the weight of which matches the weight of normal iron armor. This being said, the suit of armour and said weapon would be weigh less to the Paladin.

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. The process is similar to the creation of the armor; a paladin must summon the mists and slowly condense them into the form of the weapon they wish to summon, be it a knife, a longsword, a shield, a polearm, spear or bow. These weapons will have a similar weight to their material counterparts.

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

A rare gift, taught only to those most capable. If taught, 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. This power is similar to voidal alteration in the creation of holy wards against the dark arts, though it differs in the additional power it grants paladins. Those trained in holy alteration are capable of projecting the mists in a more powerful manner, creating a display of brilliant holy fire, though it is draining for the paladin. This fire can be made to show itself atop their conjured weapons, however it will always expunge and eventually fade. This flame is commonly known as Aengul fire, the manifestation of the wrath of the paladin’s Patron, Xan.

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

Though the power of the mists granted to the Prophets was nigh immeasurable, it was a formless magic that simply seared dark beings. It was the innovations of the various Apostles that lead to the arsenal of spells that the Paladins have, and it is only after continuous dedication to holy spellcraft that more branches and opportunities open upon the Sunlit Path. Upon reaching the third tier, an initiate will be given the choice by their master, of whether they wish to become a Vindicator, the guardians of the grays, or Wyrmstalkers, wrathful keepers of order. This often comes as a culmination of being tutored the ways and beliefs of both under their master's tutelage, leading to a ritual at a Chancery where the soul of the initiated Knight is ordained once more, awakened to either the radiance of Xan’s light or the power of Xan’s lightning. 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, paragons of guardianship. They were those who came first, for after all, it was Xan’s guardianship that was first made known to the mortal world through his intervention. Their lineage traces back to the second apostle of Xan who rose in the wake of his sacrifice and vindications, Marian Cross, the progenitor of all other Vindicators to come. Sworn protectors of Xan, it is for atonement that they would sacrifice anything in the name of order and guardianship. Every grey has a purpose, and even the most cowardly and petty will fight ferociously for what it believes in, and will commit the same sacrifice to protect what it cherishes, becoming vindicated in the eyes of the Aengul Xan. Service through deeds, faith through actions.

Wyrmstalkers

The dogmatic and zealous silver sentinels of the Order, reforged by Seyren Windsor to be the Wyrmstalkers. They who are guided by the Sun yet seek the advantages of the Moon, there is nothing more noble than achieving their goals, and to successfully hunt their prey. No quarter to be given to those of the dark, it is the Wrymstalkers who fashioned traps, tactics, and perfected the spears of lightning as reprisal against the Black Wyrm, for it is the ingenuity of the grey that will triumph, rather than the raw, unchecked powers. These Huntsman of Yore are reflective of the gift of lightning they wield, featuring a strange volatility, erraticness and hints of static suggestive of their nascent capabilities.\

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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