The Holy Fist

[Judas D'arc]

The Knights of the Holy Fist:

Background:

Formed under the auspices of the Trinsic Council, a non-governmental body concerned with the welfare and citizens of the City of Trinsic as well as other local matters, the Knights of the Holy Fist are an order dedicated to the city's defense and security. The membership of the Holy Fist consists of local paladins, knights, mages, and others that are sworn to protect their home and its inhabitants in a manner that favors virtues over law. Although the group's primary concern is Trinsic, they do not consider their involvement in matters of right and wrong to be limited by official jurisdiction.

Membership Structure:

The structure of the Knights of the Holy Fist are broken down into three ranks:

Knight-Marshall: This is the head and ultimate authority of the order and also maintains a seat on the Trinsic Council. The current Knight-Marshall is Piper Swift, former Empress of the Purple Guardians of Honor.

Knights: These are the full-ranking members of the order. They must adhere to its code in all aspects of their lives.

Squires: These are the junior members of the order. They must follow the commands of their superiors and demonstrate an understanding of the order's purpose in all aspects of their lives. Once they have done so to the unanimous satisfaction of the Knight-Marshall and ranking Knights, they will be promoted to full membership.

Code:

Knights of the Holy Fist are required to swear an oath of fealty, to obey the commands of their superior without question, and to never betray nor undermine their peers. They shall be made to face their worst fears, and come to the aid of their fellows in the face of their own. They shall defend against injustice, and end it wherever they may find it. They shall utter no falsehood, nor act with devious intent against his fellow man. They shall have compassion for their fellow man by protecting the innocent from evil, defending the weak from the strong, and showing mercy unto evil by extinguishing them. They must be prepared without hesitation to give their lives for their peers, for their order, and for Trinsic.

Oath:

The oath of the Knights of the Holy Fist, made upon first joining, is as follows:

"I solemnly swear by my faith and honor, and by my own free will without threat or coercion, to be a true and chivalric knight. I swear to uphold the rule of the Knights of the Holy Fist, to preserve the order of Trinsic, to punish evil, to defend the weak, to come to the aid of my peers, to obey the commander of my order, and to uphold the Honor of the knights and the city of Trinsic. By my honor."

Location:

The Knights of the Holy Fist are often found in and around Trinsic. Their hall, The House of the Holy Fist, is located outside the city's western gate, at 101.46'S, 22.08'E. They also frequent the Keg & Anchor tavern.

How to Join:

In order to join the Knights of the Holy Fist, those interested must contact one of the Knights of the order, who will then present them to the Knight-Marshall for consideration of their request.

[Judas D'arc]

Current Roster:

Knight Marshall:

1. Piper Swift

Knights:

2. Deraj
3. Lyra Darkstar
4. John

Squires:

5. Faeryl Tyra'them
6. Aila
7. Erollisi

[Judas D'arc]

The Holy Fist:

Background:

After the conflict over the Sextant of the Ancients, including the murder of Lord Alfred de Hugh of the Trinsic Council, it was determined that the Knights of the Holy Fist needed to evolve to better protect the City of Trinsic. Now known only as the Holy Fist, the membership still consists of local paladins, knights, mages, and others that are sworn to protect their home and its inhabitants in a manner that favors virtues over law and who do not consider involvement in matters of right and wrong to be limited by official jurisdiction.

Membership Structure:

The membership structure of the Holy Fist is broken down into two separate paths, or sub-orders, as follows:

Knight-Marshall: The head of the order and voice of authority. This individual occupies a seat on the Trinsic council and is ultimately responsible for leading the group and all advancement decisions. He or she can only be chosen from the ranks of the knights, but must be voted in by a majority of Knights and Wardens.

The Path of the Knights:

This is the path for the traditional, virtuous or chivalrous warrior or paladin.

Squires: The beginner rank for the knight path. They are paired with a knight for mentoring and must obey this mentor, the Knight-Marshall, and other superiors in all things. Their conduct must adhere to the code of the order and be in accordance with the virtues. In order to advance to the rank of knight, a squire must meet the following conditions:

1) Six months service in the Holy Fist;
2) The recommendation of their mentoring Knight;
3) Approval of the Knight Marshall; and
4) Completion of a noteworthy, significant deed in service to the City of Trinsic and/or the Holy Fist that exemplifies either Valor, Justice, or Honor.

Upon doing so, a knighting ceremony is performed by either the Knight-Marshall or one of the other two lords of the Trinsic council.

Knights: The full-ranking members of the knight path and the face of the Holy Fist. They are expected to conduct themselves with the highest of standards and exemplify the values of the order, particularly the virtues of Valor, Justice, and Honor. They are also responsible for mentoring squires.

The Path of the Wardens:

This is the path for bards, healers, mages, scouts, and any others who do not fit the traditional image of the knight yet would act in support of the order.

Aspirants: The beginner rank for the warden path. They do not have mentors but answer directly to the Knight-Marshall, and they must obey the commands of all superiors and must adhere to the code of the order. In order to advance to the rank of warden, an aspirant must meet the following conditions:

1) Six months service in the Holy Fist;
2) Approval of the Knight-Marshall; and
3) Completion of three noteworthy tasks in service to the City of Trinsic and/or the Holy Fist that are recognized as such by either the Knight-Marshall, a knight, or a warden.

Wardens: The full-ranking members of the warden path. They must obey the Knight-Marshall in all things and must conduct themselves in accordance with the code of the order.

Code:

The Holy Fist are required to swear an oath of fealty, to obey the commands of their superior without question, and to never betray nor undermine their peers. They shall be made to face their worst fears, and come to the aid of their fellows in the face of their own. They shall defend against injustice, and end it wherever they may find it. They shall utter no falsehood, nor act with devious intent against his fellow man. They shall have compassion for their fellow man by protecting the innocent from evil, defending the weak from the strong, and showing mercy unto evil by extinguishing them. They must be prepared without hesitation to give their lives for their peers, for their order, and for Trinsic.

Oath:

The oath of for the knight path of the Holy Fist, made upon first joining, is as follows:

"I solemnly swear by my faith and honor, and by my own free will without threat or coercion, to be a true and chivalric knight. I swear to uphold the rule of the Knights of the Holy Fist, to preserve the order of Trinsic, to punish evil, to defend the weak, to come to the aid of my peers, to obey the commander of my order, and to uphold the Honor of the knights and the city of Trinsic. By my honor."

The oath of for the warden path of the Holy Fist, made upon first joining, is as follows:

"I solemnly swear by my faith and honor, and by my own free will without threat or coercion, to uphold the rule of the Holy Fist, to preserve the order of Trinsic, to punish evil, to defend the weak, to come to the aid of my peers, to obey the commander of my order, and to uphold the Honor of the order and the city of Trinsic. By my honor."

Location:

The Holy Fist are often found in and around Trinsic. Their hall, The House of the Holy Fist, is located outside the city's western gate, at 101.46'S, 22.08'E. They also frequent the Keg & Anchor tavern.

How to Join:

In order to join the Knights of the Holy Fist, those interested must approach the Knight-Marshall for consideration of their request.

[Judas D'arc]

Current Roster:

Knight Marshall:

1. Piper Swift

Knights:

2. Deraj
3. Lyra Darkstar
4. John

Wardens:

Squires:

5. Erollisi

Aspirants:

6. Aila

Initiates:

7. Faeryl Tyra'them
8. Sergio Jarrett
9. Catalina

[Judas D'arc]

Current Roster:

Knight Marshall:

1. Piper Swift

Knights:

2. Deraj
3. Lyra Darkstar
4. John

Wardens:

Squires:

5. Erollisi (Squire to John)
6. Faeryl Tyra'them (Squire to Lyra Darkstar)

Aspirants:

7. Aila
8. Sergio Jarrett
9. Ezekial Roberts

Initiates:

10. Ormaline Dalora
11. Ullyan

[Judas D'arc]

Current Roster:

Knight Marshall:

1. Piper Swift

Knights:

2. Deraj
3. Lyra Darkstar
4. John

Wardens:

Squires:

5. Erollisi (Squire to John)
6. Faeryl Tyra'them (Squire to Lyra Darkstar)

Aspirants:

7. Aila
8. Sergio Jarrett
9. Ezekial Roberts
10. Ullyan

Initiates:

11. Ormaline Dalora

[Judas D'arc]

Current Roster:

Knight Marshall:

1. Piper Swift

Knights:

2. Deraj
3. Lyra Darkstar
4. John

Wardens:

Squires:

5. Erollisi (Squire to John)
6. Faeryl Tyra'them (Squire to Lyra Darkstar)
7. Avalynn

Aspirants:

8. Aila
9. Sergio Jarrett
10. Ezekial Roberts
11. Ullyan
12. Ormaline Dalora
13. Stephania the Gypsy

Initiates:

[Judas D'arc]

Current Roster:

Knight Marshall:

1. Piper Swift

Knights:

2. Deraj
3. John

Wardens:

None

Squires:

4. Avalynn (Inactive)

Aspirants:

5. Aila
6. Sergio Jarrett
7. Ezekial Roberts
8. Ullyan (Inactive)
9. Ormaline Dalora (Inactive)

Initiates:

None

Former Members:

1. Lyra Darkstar, Knight (Deceased)
2. Erollisi Stower (Resigned)
3. Faeryl Tyra'them, Squire (Deceased)
4. Stevie the Gypsy (Resigned)

[Judas D'arc]

Current Roster:

Knight Marshall:

1. Piper Swift

Knights:

2. John

Wardens:

None

Squires:

3. Avalynn

Aspirants:

4. Sergio Jarrett
5. Ezekial Roberts

Initiates:

None

Former Members:

1. Deraj, Knight (Fate Unknown, Entered a One-Way Portal to the Dark Woods)
2. Lyra Darkstar, Knight (Deceased, Murdered by Ine Dir'ath)
3. Erollisi Stower (Resigned over Personal Disagreements)
4. Faeryl Tyra'them, Squire (Deceased, Decapitated by John, Revealed Later as In Quas Xen, or Magickal Duplicate created by Relthor of the Broken Ankh)
5. Stevie the Gypsy (Resigned over Personal Disagreements)
6. Aila, Aspirant (Resigned to Care for her daughter Denna)
7. Ullyan (Inactive, Whereabouts Unknown)
8. Ormaline Dalora (Inactive, Whereabouts Unknown)

[Judas D'arc]

ADDENDUM: For nearly a year and a half, the Holy Fist served as Trinsic's defenders, striving to protect the city from threats, including a band of rogue paladins tainted by Fauleini Shadowlord of Falsehood; the notorious bandit-lord Thatcher; Kalaric, his Guild of Thieves, and their quest to assemble the Sextant of the Ancients; an invasion by the Titans of Pagan; the corrupt, sentient axe Bane and the dark god called Tenebris; the rebel followers of former Governor Ine Dir'ath; and most notably, the Broken Ankh and it various machinations. It was during the last of these conflicts that the order lost one of its founding members, the paladin Deraj.

When Knight-Marshall Piper Swift investigated the disappearance and subsequent murder of Frieda de Hugh, a young noble of Trinsic, she uncovered evidence of a new danger. Known as the Technocrats, they hailed from a different, twisted reflection of Sosaria, utilizing strange technology and automatons in service to their Techno-Prophet, an half-machine version of Lord Blackthorn. Their motivation in traveling to this Sosaria was to avenge a transgression committed against their lord.

After the Holy Fist and their allies defended both Trinsic and the Meer town of Lakeshire from a deadly Technocrat attack, Knight-Marshall Piper abruptly informed Governor Haxley of the order's intention to disband, though indicated she would always be available to aid the city she had called home for so many years. While the specific reasons for the Holy Fist's demise were not entirely known, it was rumored that its remaining roster, Piper, "Call me John," Ezekial Roberts, and Sergio Jarrett, planned to stay together for some new, mysterious purpose.

"By my honor."

For more background, please see the Simple Equation event recaps:

playersofroles.proboards.com/post/4421/thread
playersofroles.proboards.com/post/4423/thread
playersofroles.proboards.com/post/4436/thread