Order of the Shattered Throne

One cannot talk about the story of the Order of the Shattered Throne without first speaking of Osterath, the Astarian Paradux, and the Fall, for these stories are one and the same. 

Before the Fall, the Astarian Paradux was the greatest empire Agnar had ever seen and had ruled all of Selejia and much of the world from its throne city of Osterath. Although it would now be considered blasphemous to say, the legends tell that the Astarians possessed power to rival that of the Everlasting. They could shape the land to their will, conjure the elements, heal the most grievous of wounds, and stave off death for so long that they may as well have been immortal. They had been granted this power by the Everlasting themselves and entrusted with a divine mission: The Astarian Paradux would spread the word and wisdom of the Everlasting through the world and manifest their grand vision for all mortal beings. 

The Age of Relics that preceded the Fall was largely defined by the Astarians’ crusade to accomplish this divine mandate. Sadly the grand vision of the Everlasting would never come to pass, for Osterath was betrayed. The Everlasting Relics that were housed in Osterath were stolen away or sabotaged by those of corrupted hearts who would work against the grand vision. When at its most vulnerable, Osterath was sieged by many nations for they knew that, when the grand vision was accomplished, the Everlasting would return and find their actions wicked and their people unworthy. 

And then there is the Throne itself. The greatest of the Everlasting Relics and key to the realization of the grand vision. No one knows what truly happened on that cursed day, but the Throne, a Relic created and granted by the Everlasting themselves, was shattered. Some say the forces that sieged the city did it, to prevent the return of the Everlasting. Others say the very servants of the Throne destroyed it, to keep its awesome power from the hands of the wicked. Whatever the case, no one can conceive of a force capable of sundering such a powerful artifact, but all can agree that this last blasphemous act was the catalyst for the Fall. 

Betrayed, sieged, and shattered, both the Astarian Paradux and the Everlasting Throne would be the greatest victims of the Fall, but not the only ones. Magic itself took a deep wound that day and would never fully recover. Without it, civilization would crumble all around the world, for it had grown dependent on it. Never again would a nation as great as the Astarian Paradux rise. Except, of course, for the Order of the Shattered Throne, for as far as the Dynans are concerned, the story of the Astarian Paradux is only the prelude to their own story.

The Throne was shattered into many pieces, but its radiance endured in every single one of them. Each of its shards carried within it a piece of the original grand vision, and this inner light cannot be easily extinguished. Even as Osterath fell and the entire region was consumed by the Malediction, this light protected the few surviving faithful. The Shards of the Throne had spread throughout the city and beyond, and those who gathered around them were protected from the depredations of this now-cursed land. They formed groups around these shards and, much like the Seekers of today, the Shards chose those who would be powerful and righteous enough to wield them, and learn the deep secrets of their magic and of the Everlasting who had forged the Throne. These Prime Lucidi, as they were called, lit the path out of the Malediction and saved the faithful who would become the first members of the Valcarist Church. Although they each escaped the endless chaos at different times and in different places, they all managed to find each other as if moved by an invisible force. While the Lucidi each carried a Shard of the Throne itself, the other faithful brought with them various Relics, rescued from the devastation. These artifacts would be essential for the next steps of the plan that had been revealed to the Lucidi. Each of the Lucidi carried the wisdom of one great Everlasting through their connection with the shards, and each of them founded a Rite based on the principles that Everlasting espoused. With the Seven Rites united under one banner, the Valcarist Church and all of its faithful marched north, away from their once sacred land.  

On their path North, the Valcarists found many settlements that had been left in disarray due to the Fall and bid them join them, but the most significant meeting was the one with the Knights of Charn. Hailing from one of the most distant corners of the empire, the Knights had departed several months earlier in a great crusade, in hopes of reaching Osterath and relieving it of the siege. Unfortunately, they had been waylaid by ceaseless battles with barbarian hordes and the armies of the faithless and did not make it in time. When they heard from the Valcarists what had befallen the capital of the empire, they swore that never again would they fail the legacy of Osterath as they had failed the great city. 

With the two groups united, the Lucidi and the Lord of Charn guided their people to the Valley of Dynas, an Astarian province far to the north of Selejia, embraced by two mountain chains with only a single pass between them to the south. In that passage, the Church and the Knights would build a great walled city, to both guard the pass and remember the fallen of the Astarian Paradux. They would name this great city Astaris, and on the lands beyond its Aurean Gates, the survivors of Osterath settled and they would try to rebuild here what had been lost. Protected by both the Knights of Charn and blessed by the light of the Valcarist Church, the kingdom thrived while the faithless outside the walls faced the evergrowing dangers of the Age of Struggle. As the world outside descended into chaos, the Order of the Shattered Throne thrived under the order provided by the Everlasting’s grand vision.

Considering its origins it’s no surprise that the Order is a highly religious and militaristic faction but faith and war permeate all of life within the walls of Dynas. The Valcarist Church must bless every child born in Dynas, and virtually all citizens attend service in one way or another. While in Astaris and the Holy City of Tempras, this worship may occur in grandiose cathedrals, the most distant settlements make do with much simpler temples. The faithful also keep shrines in their homes or take religious icons with them when they travel. They worship fervorously and honestly and, while some celebrate their faith privately, worship is considered a social activity, to be enjoyed with your family and your peers. Every member of the Order is blessed by one of the Seven Rites when coming of age and must pay tribute to the Valcarist faith, for the great works the Church has performed in the name of the Everlasting can only happen with the help of its faithful. Now, although none would freely admit it, not all citizens of the Order are true believers, but even the most secular among them will still perform the rituals and follow the traditions. For them, the Order itself is sacred, for the peace and stability it brings as well as for the purpose it provides. 

The Church is responsible for identifying all children who have an aptitude for magic and training them in the doctrines of Valcaris so that their powers may be directed toward the Everlasting’s grand vision. These acolytes and priests are also trained in the handling and usage of Volatile Relics, for the Valcarist Church is the authority within the order on the fate of any Relics that are recovered in a holy campaign.   

If faith is the air the Order breathes, war is the blood in their veins. It is considered a great honor to join one of the many knightly traditions, but this opportunity is not available to all. Instead, every single city has its own very well-trained militia and every able-bodied citizen who is not a member of the clergy or performs an essential trade is officially a member of that militia. When a holy war is declared, soldiers need not be conscripted, in fact, the Order has trouble keeping some villages populated due to the high number of volunteers. The rank-and-file soldier of the Order is usually one of these volunteers, but don’t be fooled. They are well trained, well armed, well armored, disciplined like no other, and, barring the use of magic, can usually outclass the average soldier of any other nation. 

The knights themselves are on another level entirely. Each knightly tradition trains under the banner of one of the Princepts, the noble class that descends from the holy heroes of the Order. Not only can each Princept family trace its origins to a great sanctified hero of the Order, but they also tend to maintain at least one Relic in their possession, passed from generation to generation as an heirloom. Those deemed worthy to wield the Relics have become formidable warriors of legendary status. The Princepts are entrusted with the defense of Dynas from any outside threat and often rally their troops to go hunting for monsters in the mountains or for savages outside the walls. There is a saying: A Dynan blade stays sharpest when put to work frequently. All the Princepts answer directly to the Lord of Charn, the supreme military commander of the order. The only exceptions are the few who decided to serve directly under the Valcarist Faith, for even the Church needs staunch protectors. 

The Princept Knights and the Valcarist Church form together the governing border of Dynas, The Order of the Shattered Throne. Through centuries of faith, discipline, and rigorous labor the Order has managed to create a nation that the Everlasting would pride themselves on, but to the fear of the faithless outsiders, they do not intend to limit themselves to the northern reaches of the continent. The creation of the Order and the establishment of a nation in Dynas are only the first steps revealed to the Prime Lucidi. The holy mission of the Order is to go beyond the borders of the nation and bring the same peace and stability they enjoy to the whole world. To this effect they have sent envoys to as far south as Veloma and as far east as Gateway, with the intent of spreading their faith and preparing these settlements for salvation. They have also started to establish settlements outside their traditional borders, with the most prominent one being New Osterath. The significance of the name has not been lost on the courts of the Legion in Abysola or in the Inner Spheres of the Conclave. The Order considers itself the direct continuation of the Astarian Paradux, and the rightful rulers of the entire continent. 

The Order understands that this dream of peace can only be truly accomplished by the return of the Everlasting, an event that was interrupted by the betrayal Osterath suffered and the shattering of the Throne. They know that the Throne must be restored, the corruption of the Malediction must be purified, and the Relics that had been lost to the storm of chaos must be recovered. Over the centuries, the Order has tried many times to brave the dangers of the Malediction, usually by sending great hosts and hoping that the magic of its priests would be enough to protect them. Very few of these efforts were fruitful in recovering Relics, let alone the shards of the Throne that remain in the Malediction, and all of them ended with disastrous losses to the Order. Every single one of those deaths was declared a holy one, for every single one of the dead perished performing their sacred duty. A soldier of the order may be well trained and the numbers the Order is able to field are astonishing, but what most disturbs outsiders is how willing every single one of those soldiers is to sacrifice life and limb for the cause.   

After centuries of minimal gains, things are changing now for the Order. The most important change was the appearance of Seekers, those capable of wielding ancient and powerful Relics, to safely guide their companions through the Malediction. This was seen as a great portent and the Order itself has gained several powerful assets in recent decades. Each Seeker the order finds within its ranks is seen as a great blessing and one more sign that the time to act has arrived. The last sign the Order needed was the Ebbing of the Malediction. When the scouts reported that regions previously consumed by the corruption were once again traversable, a great celebration erupted within the walls of Astaris and preparations started. A Great March was declared, a crusade to cleanse the continent of the Malediction and then to proceed to the ruins of Osterath. Not since before the Fall have so many been joined under a single banner, with a single purpose. The greatest host on the continent waits impatiently now, ready to pour through the Aurean Gates of Astaris like a great flood that can no longer be held back. Ahead of them, the Seekers have been sent to clear a path, and millennia after the Fall, once again the world may come to know and fear the sharpness of Astarian steel.