Heldannic Sects and Groups


The Anvil of Blood   (the hammer).

It is the sanctum sanctorum of the Order, a sect of priests from The Hammer guarding Vanya's
artifact at the Holy Citadel in Davania. The sect is legitimate among the Order and known of most priests of The Hammer and the upper ranks of the other two branches. It includes only those priests who have at some point in their life guarded the artifact. These guards cannot reveal to anyone their function as present or past guardians of the artifact. The sect itself chooses who they want to join their ranks. The choice is communicated to the recipient through an anonymous message slid under one's door in the middle of the night, which the recipient may decline by not responding. Else, the recipient is to come to pray or confess at a specific time and place (most likely a chapel or a confessional expected to be empty at the time). Further instructions are left there for the recipient.
A special antechamber at the Holy Citadel leads to various chapels and priories under the fortress.Only one person may enter the antechamber at a time, and not until its previous occupant has exited. Inside the antechamber are several doors leading out. One of them requires a special mechanism to unlock. It leads to the area of the citadel that only the Anvil of Blood may access. The guardian must then put on a special uniform left on the other side of the door. It consists of red-enamelled armour and face-concealing helm, as well as a crimson tabard. Members of the sect come and go at different times to avoid meeting at the door. Few of the members know each other as a result, other than the handful controlling the sect. They are known simply as the Guides. The rest is part of a well choreographed series of actions to rotate and replace the guardians so the artifact always has at least twelve guardians at all times.
The members of the sect are sworn to defend the artifact with their life, and leave on a quest to retrieve it should it be stolen. A swift death awaits those who would reveal their function or anything about the artifact. If found lacking in any way, the guardian will find the door's intricate mechanism has changed, which is a clear sign one must depart. Members of the sect are considered the cream of the crop among priests of The Hammer, and all have in common that they had been awarded the cord.


Fist of Hattias (the)

It is an outlawed sect that includes only the most hateful and brutal Hattians in the Order, especially in the military. Their goal is to promote Hattian influence and dominance among the Order. They are certainly capable to driving away new recruits that they don't like. They'd rather have no brotherhood at all, no Order, and no Laws, rather than share what they see as exclusive Heldannic rights and privileges with conquered underlings, slaves to the Order. They see the old tales of the early Hattian knights storming the Heldann Freehold and ruling as they pleased, as the true glorious destiny of the Hattians. To make things worse, a number of chaplains from The Hammer serving in the military fancy this thinking and support the sect with tacit help and a certain lack of zeal when it comes to fighting intolerance, making the sect's detection even harder. This sect entertains links with Hattian nobility in Thyatis. They know of the Partisans (q.v.) whom they consider they primary target. Some of these Hattians also belong to the Company of the Orb (q.v.). There may be a plot to eliminate or kidnap either or the Grand Master of the Order and the Primate of the Heart. Members of the Fist of Hattias have remained impervious to the influence of the Star of Vanya (q.v.), so thick is their hatred.


Company of the Orb

This sect includes in general abbots and commanding knights who have served on Heldannic warbirds. They call themselves Fellows of the Orb. The more illustrious members, known as The Witnesses, are those who have actually served in outer space, following the belief that they came closer to the divine realm of their Immortal Patron. A cheerful and boisterous ceremony awaits those who return from their first assignment in space. Their names are engraved on a metal plate, and hung on the Wall of Fame, inside the sect's main rallying hall in Freiburg.

The purpose of the sect is to gather, organise, study, develop, and protect all knowledge about outer space. The sect administrates a highly- restricted and well-hidden library and a workshop available to Witnesses. Witnesses are also required to give a complete account of what they found and observed while in service outside Mystara's Skyshield. Although membership is not an obligation, warbird commanders send into space are chosen from Fellows of the Orb or Witnesses.

The Company of the Orb is a legitimate sect that is governed by The Heart, since outer space is viewed as a sort of holy land. It is believed by most to be a stuffy, high-brow military club for warbird officers. Activities related to outer space, the library, and the workshop are, however, known only of the Witnesses and the three Primates. The sect has full jurisdiction to immediately pursue and at their entire discretion, eliminate thieves and those who learned too much. The sect commands at least one warbird and an experienced crew, and has authority to commandeer others if an important discovery is at hand, provided warbirds are not put at risk in doing so.


The Fallen

These are knights & priest who for whatever reason have been exiled from the Order. Most of these had cause, but a few may have been wrongly accused and forced out. Needless to say these are bitter and vengeful individuals. As exiles continue they are slowly banding together and plan on forcing themselves back into the Order by A) Showing that they are worthy or B) By showing that they are strong (sounds like a STNG episode "We are strong!")
Of course this is a forbidden sect and stomped harshly where ever it is found. It is thought that this sect has found a home in the northern territories such as those controlled by Siegfried Meinhard in Landfall.


The Eyes

This sect is a legal part of The Voice. It is known of most inside and outside the Order, although its activities and its members remain secret. The Eyes includes a relatively small number of knights and priests whose role is hire and control native mercenary spies in the various territories under Heldannic control, or others the knights covet. Most of the spies are paid foreigners, unless operations are conducted inside the Order itself. The Eyes' responsibility is to provide information to The Voice needed to better administrate the land and its people and conduct successful diplomacy abroad. Military commanders receive useful information directly from The Voice before battles or to support major campaigns. During conflicts, spies of The Eyes are often assigned directly to military commanders for practical reasons. Information is also provided to The Hammer especially in regards to tracking down outlawed sects and enemy organisations such as the Wolves of Heldann.Occasionally, The Eyes may be used to watch over the activities of The Hammer especially if leaders of The Voice suspect foul play there. As can be expected, leaders of The Eyes spend a great deal of effort trying to keep out members of The Partisans, and The Fist of Hattias for obvious reasons, not to mention spies from other kingdoms. Occasionally, a few bad apples have been known to slip in. In the recent years of Heldannic history, some of the best and most loyal spies working for The Eyes have been allowed to take the Oath of Service and become permanent members of the Order - much to the rage of the Fist of Hattias. These "foreigners" are generally more open to the ideals of The Partisans than those of The Fist, but their integrity and loyalty to The Eyes has remained unquestionable so far.


The Pathfinders

The Pathfinders: Created in AC 1015, this fellowship is affiliated to The Voice. It regroups the knights whose faith proves the most exalted. Pathfinders for the most part are paladins whose role is to expand Vanya's faith and values, based upon the original writings of Ledeia (see timeline AC 829). It is an informal and benevolent fellowship requiring Pathfinders to preach by example.
Another one of their roles is specifically to watch for abuses of power and acts of wanton brutality against the weak and the poor. In particular, they watch for manifestations of Immortal power from Entropy (Thanatos) that may corrupt the land, its people, and the Order . For the most part, they are largely autonomous troubleshooters in the Order who operate individually. Pathfinders remain a good example of Knights Errant. Whenever a problem is encountered, their mission is to show the way to solve a conflict. They are called the Pathfinders because it is thought that they will lead the Order to golden age. The fellowship is legitimate, and its members known to the public.


The Partisans

This is an illegal sect among the Heldannic Order. It secretly harbours many indentured sergeants, priests, and knights. These are people who most likely have been victimised, presumably by members of the Fist of Hattias (q.v.). They have regrouped among this secret sect as a means to defend themselves against abuse in general, and the threat from the Hattian sect. It is generally a peaceful sect that tries to avoid fanning the fires of hatred among the Order whenever possible.
Partisans have extensive links with Heldann and Norwold civilians such as tavern owners, shop keepers, farmers, fishermen, or trappers who can hide those of them whose lives are in danger.Some disenchanted members of the Order are using the Partisans' outside connections to leakpotentially damaging information to various rebellious groups, such as the Wolves of Heldann. Some Partisans have infiltrated the Fist of Hattias or are also members of the Company of the Orb (q.v.).


Storm Soldiers -- Consistency Errata

I checked in the origins of the Heldannic Knights, finally. There is one nasty bit of inconsistency in the Dawn of the Emperors (DotE) boxed set. In the DM's Sourcebook, Thanatos is the main instigator behind the Hattian Storm Soldiers, while in the player's book, they are worshipers of Vanya.
Harumpf...

Sorry for that clunker, folks. Let's see if I can come up with a patch for this one.

Thanatos indeed was the instigator of the Hattian Storm Soldiers. He passed himself off as Heinrich Oesterhaus and controlled the Storm Soldiers through magic and suggestions. This smacked of direct intervention and eventually Thanatos had to retire, staging his "death" around AC1004.

Meanwhile, Vanya noticed his subterfuge. She started a small church following in Hattias in AC 940, and later sent dreams to some of the more influent Storm Soldiers to join this new warriors' church. Clerics of Vanya knew to dispel any charm or mind-control spells that may have been cast upon visiting Storm Soldiers. Most remained with the church. It wasn't long before the Storm Soldiers split into two groups, the ones under Thanatos's influence, and the others actually worshipping Vanya.

Around AC 945 the Church of Vanya becomes entirely separate from the Storm Soldiers. It had enough following on its own and ceased targeting the Storm Soldiers. In AC 950, Vanya's clerics leave Hattias to conquer the Heldann Freeholds. They leave nothing behind in Hattias, as a sign to all that there is no turning back.

After Thanatos's departure Hansel Oesterhaus, the son of the late Heinrich and Thanatos's mortal minion, remains as the Hattian clique's top dog to perpetrate even more crimes against the Thyatis Empire. Some ties remains between the Storm Soldiers and the Heldannic Knights, especially among the sect called Fist of Hattias. It isn't rare when a Storm Soldier in trouble with the Imperial Law leaves to join the Heldannic Knights.


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