Alternate Dimensions Presents: Damara – Order of Fallen Princes

When you commit a cardinal sin against your deity how do you atone for those sins if no one will give you a chance to redeem yourself.

This order of former divine servants (and some redeemed ones) is just such a place where the formerly favoured seek to atone for past crimes and regain that which was lost.

History of the Order of Fallen Princes

In 1150 DR a paladin of Ilmater was forced to slay his own father in order to protect a nation of people from years of pain and suffering. That this paladin was a prince and his father the King of Damara is not important, what is important is that he sacrificed his honour, reputation, and virtue that others might live.

Feldrin Bloodfeathers was to be the third King of Damara and the third to bear that name. After his crime he was moved in the line of succession and his name was considered bad luck; no other Bloodfeathers king would be named Feldrin because of this.

Feldrin was exiled from Damara and ordered not to return or face the risk of execution. For many years he wandered the Bloodstone Lands helping those in need while seeking to atone for his crime.

When his paladinhood was not restored, despite many years of penance, he realised that only through an act equally virtuous and exceptional as his crime was abhorrent and evil, could he regain his honour. It was likely that such an act would mean his death.

It was in 1160 DR that with secret aid from his brother King Veldrin I of Damara that he set up an order of fallen divine servants like himself that dedicated their lives to atoning for their crimes and regaining the favour of their god.

In the Badlands of Impiltur he had constructed the headquarters of this order, called the Hall of Broken Oaths, and the ranks of the order began to steadily grow with those cast out from their former religions.

At first a secular order of knights (primarily former paladins), it soon became affiliated with numerous churches as members of the order regained their status when they atoned for their crimes (if they survived). The first test of this order came in 1169 DR when Rilaun of Impiltur caused civil war in Impiltur by pressing his claim to the throne.

The Order of Fallen Princes by then several hundred members strong were among the first to lend their aid to Queen Ilmara, and the order was present at every major engagement against the forces of Rilaun. They suffered heavy casualties, but enough survived to rejoin their previous churches.

Then in 1171 DR, the grandmaster of the order, Feldrin the Exile, perished in battle against the marilith Queen Vaas and her 66 strong royal guard of demonic orcs. In that confrontation Feldrin was said to be surrounded by a glowing nimbus of light and every blow he struck split apart his foe with golden rays. Despite slaughtering the royal guard, Feldrin and his fellow knights could not beat Vaas, her six blades plunged into the body of the redeemed paladin tearing him asunder.

From that day onwards the Order of Fallen Princes has been primarily dedicated to Ilmater and his ideals.

Organisation

The leader of the order is known as the Exiled Prince. He is served by a number of Fallen Crusaders (depending on the size of the order) who are elected by the Redeemed. The Fallen Crusaders are in charge of the rank and file of the order who may be of any class or former class as long as they are of good or neutral alignment and have at least one level in a divine class which they are barred from because of their actions.

The Redeemed are those members of the order that have regained use of their divine class by atoning for their crimes. They are no longer part of the hierarchy of the order and need not take a direct role in engagements (although most still do). Many have returned to their former lives but some remain in the Hall of Broken Oaths as advisors and mentors to other fallen. Those present in the Hall also form the Council of Redeemed which approves the propositions of the Exiled Prince and also votes for the next Exiled Prince (should the current one die or be redeemed).

Members: 31 as of 1363 DR (The Order of Fallen Princes suffered heavy casualties in the war with Zhengyi and Vaasa).

Hierarchy: Strict, militaristic
Leader: The Exiled Prince (Fallodric Demster, direct descendant of Feldrin the Exile)
Religions: Any good or neutral. Typically Tyr, Torm, Ilmater, Helm
Alignment: Any good, any neutral
Secrecy: None
Symbol: An upright sword impaling a red heart shape.

Hierarchy

The hierarchy of the order is very strict. Advancement can only occur through appointment by your superiors (The Exiled Prince, Fallen Crusaders, or the Redeemed). All rank and file members of the order are treated exactly the same with no preference or favouritism.

The Exiled Prince: This title is given to the grandmaster of the Order of Fallen Princes. He oversees the running of the Hall of Broken Oaths and is the order’s representative to the outside world.

While he does not approve the individual missions of the knights of the order, he is consulted on particularly dangerous missions, and it is only the Exiled Prince who can call all members to war (or a similar mission that requires all members to be involved), although even this action must be approved by the Council of Redeemed.

Fallodric Demster (LG hm Pal 7): The current Exiled Prince has held the post since 1357 DR when the last holder was slain in battle at the Ford of Goliad. Fallodric is a direct descendant from Feldrin the Exile himself.

Fallodric is also the only member to have stood on the Council of Redeemed before becoming the Exiled Prince. Fallodric is an infected werewolf and is seeking atonement a second time for his latest crimes (which resulted in the death of an entire hamlet while he was in werewolf form).

He longs for a cause that is worthy enough and that will require his death so that he may be freed from the curse of lycanthropy and atone for his sins.

However he recognises the order is in dire need of rebuilding following the war with Zhengyi and needs a stable leadership for many years to guide it through the next few years. As such he has resigned himself to the fact that his redeeming act may never come and he will die serving the order without atonement.

Motivation and Goals

Every knight of the order wishes to redeem themselves in the eyes of their former god. They listen far and wide for news of righteous causes that they can embark upon, many wait in the Hall of Broken Oaths for people arriving requesting the aid of a number of knights of the order.

The rest of the time is spent in training and meditation as they seek to better their skills and understand their crimes and punishment.

Recruiting

Anyone arriving at the Hall of Broken Oaths may request entry into the order. Such applicants are reviewed by the Council of Redeemed who assess whether they are of pure heart and if they truly seek atonement for their crimes (usually such assessment is performed with magical aid).

If their application is successful then they are given a room at the Hall and full access to the facilities (training room, armoury, kitchen, etc).

Equipment

The Hall of Broken Oaths has its own armoury and treasury, usually filled with the equipment and gold of former members that died seeking redemption.

Any member of the order can apply to access such equipment. Any application must be approved by a Fallen Crusader or a member of the Council (or more rarely the Exiled Prince himself).

The equipment is given for free and for life but typically it is returned when the knight no longer has need of it and or has finished his quest.

All knights are required to engrave the emblem of the order onto their armour, helmet, or shield.

The Sword of Sacrifice: This sword is the blade that plunged into the heart of Feldrin II on the steps of Bloodfeather Palace in Damara. In that moment the grief of Feldrin the Exile forged a bond between himself and the sword that manifested itself in the ability it now possesses.

It was left at the steps by Feldrin and remained behind when he went into exile. When he returned at the head of Impiltur’s armies to fight the demon hordes of Queen Vaas, King Veldrin I of Damara returned the sword to his brother. Since Feldrin’s death it has remained in the vaults of the Hall of Broken Oaths waiting for a quest worthy of it.

It is a +2 longsword that can use the wielders own hit points to increase the amount of damage dealt to its foes. Such extra damage is non lethal to the target (unless the target is evil in which case it is lethal damage and the extra damage is doubled).
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:39, Tue 03 Oct 2023.