Knightly Order of the Winged Lion

—OWLs mission statement

The symbol of the Order.

The **Knightly** **Order of the Winged Lion**, colloquially referred to as the **OWLs**, is a religious organisation in Archaeus. It was founded in recent years when a small group of friends and islanders sought out and found the location of what they believed to be a Small God by the name of Dìonadair [Dee-on-a-dare].

The being known as Dìonadair entrusted the adventuring party with a task: To do good, a simple task that they have taken on as a calling and set off into the world to pursue.

Recently, members of the Order have travelled with Queen Adalhard's Caravan, participating in the conflict between dwarven clans Arbeth and Tegerron and the hunt for the Journal of Jack Ketch. Multiple members also number among the caravan's other organisations, including the Guild of History.

In Mansarki of Å-622, the Order was proclaimed an official Knightly Order of the realm after a heroic excursion into the Mortuus Arvum.

## Creed and Tenets

> **Honesty:** Do not lie or cheat. Let your word be your promise.
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> **Courage:** Never fear to act, though caution is wise.
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> **Compassion:** Aid others, protect the weak, and punish those who threaten them. Show mercy to your foes, but temper it with wisdom.
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> **Honour:** Treat others with fairness, and let your honourable deeds be an example to them. Do as much good as possible while causing the least amount of harm.
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> **Duty:** Be responsible for your actions and their consequences, protect those entrusted to your care, and obey those who have just authority over you.
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The OWLs are currently led by a human male by the name Bernard Fauchon, noted for his openness, welcoming demeanour, and idealistic manner.

## Notable members

**Guiding Wisdom**, more commonly referred to simply as Guide, is a female sylvan from the deep forests of the island intrinsically tied to seeking and raising the spirits of those that find themselves lost in whatever form that takes. She is friendly and approachable but equally fiercely protective of those she deems her charges, the OWLs among them. Guide was taken captive during the Invasion of the Pale Elves and is believed to be held in the slave camps.

**Dyani**, a female sylvan named by the port folk for her faun nature, who like Guide is from the forests of the island- specifically tied to the fresh water spring. She embodies the tenet of Compassion: kind and protective; always willing to give of herself; and while she tends towards merciful and forgiving, she will not suffer those who are wantonly cruel or willingly foolish.

**Olwen Llewellyn**, a female Almiraj, is a curious and gentle soul. Her parents ran the general store in the port town, and ensured she received the best education available. Her ability to read, write, and count combined with Bernard and Renard's enthusiasm lead to a childhood of getting into and (usually) out of shenanigans. It was on one such quest, based on a line in an old book, that the group met Dìonadair. Most comfortable in the serenity of the forest, the lion's request is just common sense to her. She's not big or strong, but she does what she can to support and protect her friends.

**Peregrine Wright**, a male human, slightly older than the core of enthusiastic youngsters, grew up on their home island of Port Carron and was one of the town wardens. Used to protecting the townsfolk, and getting the youngsters out of this week’s trouble, his meeting with the Lion convinced him to widen his perspectives of how far he could spread that protection of others in danger…whilst still trying to keep the younger members out of too much trouble.

**Renard Fauchon**, a male human. Renard always felt something was missing, he learned the arts of battle and these gave him some satisfaction but still something was not there. Then he saw Dionadair, The Winged Lion, and that emptiness began to fill. He had a place, a purpose, alongside his cousin Bernard to head out into the world and bring the protection of the forest to one and all. Renard is utterly devoted to the Winged lion and through this faith his latent power for ritual magic has bloomed, the emptiness that needed filled. Now Renard targets his learning towards the fulcrum arts to make the Order stronger to face the darkness of this world.

**Dwynen** came to the island nearly forty years ago, leaving behind a life that no one currently living on the island either knows or shares openly. Pretty much the only Dwarf on the island, he joined his skills with the ageing Human blacksmith and continued that work when they passed. His stand-offish attitude dissuaded many of the adults from forming friendships with him when he arrived, but the youngsters of the island seemed to be a soft spot for the reclusive smith and those relationships softened his stance to those adults who grew up with his steadfast presence in the island community. His character rings true with two of the orders tenets to a major degree; Honesty and Duty, he will never over promise and at times will be brutal in his assessments of the situation, for only if there are no illusions, no hidden motives can a duty be done properly. Dwynen became the centre of a series of events involving a piece of the Arvum, which he absorbed into himself during the hunt for the Journal of Jack Ketch, causing his arm to become blackened. The fellow members of his order performed a ritual to kill him and resurrect him as a Fext, but as a result became trapped in the Arvum for six weeks.

**Darius the Lion** is a Sylven bodyguard who joined the Order during the Invasion of the Pale Elves. Though a worshipper of Aea, he believes that her goals align with Dìonadair's.