The Order of Saint Lazarus

This Catholic holy order is, on the surface, just one of many minor orders: the brothers are all doctors, nurses and other medical personnel. With the modern era, some of them are even paramedics. Many major Catholic hospitals in Europe and the Americas have at least a brother attached: the largest have a small chapter house in the area (while the Order is monastic, they are not cloistered).
Their avowed mission is to minister to the sick and dying, helping those who can be helped and helping those who cannot accept their mortality. Their secret mission is actually much the same: the Order of St. Lazarus is the Church's undead specialists.
Every member of the Order is either a full Soldier of God or a human that knows about the War. Considering their affiliations, it might be surprising to know that they are not directly overseen by Laurence: while he uses the Order as needed, and approves of it, the archangel of the Sword has found that Zadkiel has a knack for working with this group. That's what subordinates are for.
The Order spends most of its time doing perfectly mundane things associated with any healing Catholic Order: however, when the archangel of Protection discovers an infestation of undead, she'll make the call for the nearest group of Lazarines to investigate. Their human status allows them to remove particularly obnoxious examples of the breed without automatic disturbance, and their priestly status is useful when dealing with the more superstitious kinds of undead.
The major chapterhouse of the Order (in Vancouver, Canada) is a combination of communications nexus and research facility. The library alone contains some of the most comprehensive collections of necromantic lore in the world. New Lazarines also get "hands-on" experience, as it were: there's always a zombi or two to study, and sometimes someone will bring in a vampire ~ or even a mummy.
The Order is somewhat callous when it comes to using up their captives for instructional purposes: they do not torture, but neither do they show any mercy. The training procedures are designed to promote a healthy fear in the trainees, but a useful fear. Lazarines usually leave their training with a solid understanding of the undead ~ and a deep loathing of them.
PCs wishing to be Lazarines should take at least Medicine/3 and Knowledge (the Undead/3): a variety of Ranged Weapons and the Corporeal Songs of Fire, Healing, Light, and Might wouldn't be a bad idea, either.
Category:Organizations
Category:Soldiers
Category:Christianity