Paladins
by Eron12 with Hero Forge"We Paladins are the fully realized vision of Mera's mandate of protecting the masses. You will find few other lands where the peasants sleep as soundly at night knowing they need not fear invading armies nor empty bellies. All this is due to the fastidious leadership and valiant protection we provide." -Daana, Defender of the Hearth
[by me with Hero Forge"I fought besides Paladins against dabeshi once, and it was a sight to behold. They are not cowards or hypocrites, and they will unhesitatingly put their lives on the line to defend their charges from all external threats, but while they are worthy allies battle, I wouldn't want them as peace-time rulers. I've visited lands they control and the peasants are physically well-cared for, but they have a distant look in their eyes like their spirits are slowly being crushed" -Gaatha of Musseland, Lantern of Zarthus
The controversial faction of Tenders that break the stereotype that Tenders are apolitical pacifists. The Paladins are very proactive and harsh in carrying out their mandate to defend the defenseless, up the point of sponsoring powerful military orders and in some cases, establishing theocratic regimes with very tight system of control."The Paladins are well-meaning fools at best, dangerous heretics at worst. Sometimes Mera's faithful need to pick up a sword to defend the innocent. I am not opposed to this. But a Tender of the Sacred Hearth who chooses live by the sword and shield to an extreme is missing the forest for the trees and is in the long run working against Mother Mera's interests." Beslyfle the gnome, , matron of the Fumayan Tenders
History
The Paladins are a relative new religious group, but they have have roots centuries in the making.
Any large religious group is going to have a wide range of philosophical and theological interpretations among their members.
The Tenders are famous for their pacifistic stances, but every generation of Tenders has had some members willing and even eager to take up arms to fight for Mera's ideals. Among these, some have taken this further and espoused the belief that Mera-aligned holy warriors should be more proactive in fighting evil.
Inspired by tales of their success, A different Paladins was able to establish control over the Dragon Springs Barony a continent away.
From these philosophical underpinnings, grew a movement which eventually evolved into the modern Paladins. After many failed starts, the Paladins finally found their first unqualified success in the establishment of the nation of Meraland which not only did an excellent job at defending their lands from dark elves and dabeshi but were and are a critical pillar of the Colassian Confederacy.
Meraland white on blue by Me with Worldspinner's Heraldry Program
Demography and Population
Usurprisingly, a lot of Paladins are sons and daughters of warriors who take their codes of chivalry and honor very seriously.
Thus far, the Paladins are mostly a human group, with a token number of non-human Mera supporters endorsing pro-Paladin viewpoints. Gnome Tenders are often outspoken critics of the Paladins.
Territories
The Paladins outright control the territories of Dragon Springs Barony in the Border Baronies Region and Meraland in the Colassian Confederacy.
The Paladins have scattered supporters throughout Scarterra, but they don't have large geographic concentrations outside of these two territories they control outright, helped by the fact that their most ardent supporters abroad often migrate to these two Paladin-controlled territories.
Laws
The Paladins tend to support harsh laws and harsh punishments in the name of preserving order and safety though they are very loathe to sentence criminals to execution.
Most controversially, the Paladins sometimes use Healing magic as a tool of punishment, viewing as a strong deterrent to wrongdoing that is far more merciful than execution. Detractors say using Healing magic in a such a fashion is a perversion of Mera's gifts.
Tenets of Faith
Paladins espouse all the same values of other Mera worshipers, but they place greater emphasis on protecting the physical safety of their charges and less emphasis on the intangible needs of their charges.
Ethics
The Paladins encourage martial excellence tempered by unquestionable honor. They take the chivalrous imperative to protect the weak very seriously.
Granted Divine Powers
On average, Paladins have roughly the same proportion of theurgists to non-theurgists in their ranks that more mainstream Tenders, but the theurgists they do have tend to be quite powerful because many of them are seasoned adventurers.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The Paladins control two small nations outright. There are frightened whispers that they are rumored to be plotting coups against existing regimes across Scarterra in order to create more Paladin-controlled realms.
The Paladins and their supporters vehemently deny this rumor. They claim that their coup in the Borderlands was against an evil tyrant and with the backing of the vast majority local populace (true). They claim that their coup in Meraland was back by the locals and was fully bloodless (a half truth at best).
The Paladins claim that they have zero interest in deposing just leaders. In the land of Kantoc, they sponsor a small knightly order that (supposedly) fully supports the king. There are other groups of Paladin or Paladin sympathizers who want to establish similar above board Mera-aligned militant groups that protect the populace on behalf of their local king or queen. Kings and queens are afraid to authorize these because they have heard the rumors that the Paladins are fomenting coups.
Sects
The Paladin enclave in the Dragon Springs Barony and Meraland were founded on similar philosophical principles, but they have little else in common. They are very far away from each other geographically, so they have very communication with each other, so they are predicted to split into two fully separate factions adapted to their local needs.
Outside of Dragon Springs and Meraland, most Paladins and Paladin sympathizers merely espouse Paladin action as a matter of theory.
We are Mera's shield
Type
Religious, Sect
Parent Organization
Deities
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
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