League of the Silver Cross

The League of the Silver Cross is an adventuring order of zealot missionaries devoted to spreading the worship and ideals of the Truest King throughout Soi. These men and women have forsaken the inheritance of worldly goods, the rearing of families, and the pursuit of status to become something more, something less, and something perhaps more dangerous than others borne of the Kingdom.

## The Purpose

Following the Great Gogalith Crusades at the turn of the first millennia of the Immortal presence, the League was founded by the Black Cathedral and the clergy of the Truest King at the King's behest. Having witnessed the power of widespread religious belief, and recognizing the need to both spread the worship of his own godhood as well as dilute the worship of other gods lest such an uprising should occur again, the Truest commissioned the League of the Silver Cross to be the active hand of his Church outside of the borders of the Kingdom.

## The League

The League of the Silver Cross trains at the Black Citadel with the Trinity Order, each member expected to spend a year learning what they can from each of the three branches. This is followed by a year of training specifically under the direction of the League's own, the trainers being a collection of members of the League who have aged out of the traveling lifestyle but due to their tenants and vows are unable to take their place as Elders in the Kingdom.

The League itself places few restrictions on its membership unlike the armored riders. There is no test of battle prowess to enter and all who meet the few restrictions in place are accepted be they male or female, young or old as long as they are borne of the People of Stone and can sincerely profess true faith in the divinity of the Truest King before three members of the Order of Truth.

Barred from membership in the order are fathers and mothers with children under the age of seventeen, youths who have not yet sworn their Oath of Stone, anyone bearing a criminal brand from the Kingdom, those who have been punished as Cowards, armored riders, anyone less than two degrees from being a Royal Heir, Royals and their immediate family, and members of the Trinity Order.

The League is overseen by its own council of twelve. This council consists of the High Master of each branch of the Trinity Order, the three eldest members of the League, the three most newly minted Paladins still in the Cathedral, three random members of the Scarlet Cross, and finally by the Truest King should a thirteenth vote or his direct input ever be required.

## The Paladins

The warrior clergy of the League of the Silver Cross are known as Paladins. These men and women are widely varied in their skill sets as each come to wear the Silver Cross in their own way. Aged smiths and young farm-girls alike take up the cause driven by reasons as varied as each person. The eclectic collection are bound only by their martial nature, cemented faith, and adherence to their tenants. While the League places few restrictions on joining its numbers, those who join do so with the knowledge that the only release from its ranks is death and the following rebirth.

In the act of joining the League, each has forsaken their right to claim any inheritance, their ability to hold land in the kingdom, the ability wed, and to pass on inheritance. This means that any member of the order producing a child is left with the need to find others to raise the child, or face the prospect of doing so as a nomad bound to battle and danger.

The penalty for abandoning the order is horrific, those who do so being decreed as the reborn spirits of cowards that have been even further corrupted by the evil spirits of deceit during their time in the Grey. As the utter embodiment of evil and cowardice, these treacherous souls are to be utterly discouraged from ever taking material form again and thus are to spend their final days in the greatest agony which can be rendered upon them. Standard punishment is for the guilty party to undergo twelve days of the most vicious tortures they can endure followed by being crucified on a wooden cross via spikes driven through the wrists and ankles, doused in pure alcohol and lit afire. While instances of this punishment being issued are extremely rare, it is generally known that the fires do not tend to finish their victims, leaving them to suffer in further misery as they are abandoned to the now inevitable fate.

## The Tenets

*The Truest King is the divine made flesh to walk among mortals and guide them. The Truest King's divinity is shown in his strength, invulnerability, ability to divine the truth from lies, and his influence upon the course of battles. Denial of this is heresy.'*

*True gods walk among mortals, aiding their people and using their power for the betterment of the world. False gods are unable to take physical form and are unworthy of worship. Denial of this is heresy.*

*Spread the Truth of your King so that all may embrace his faith. Denial of this is heresy.*

*Valiant death and honorable life begets reincarnation from the Grey to be reborn once more into this life anew. Anything less risks becoming lost in anonymity and the Grey, to wander endlessly. Denial of this is heresy.*

*Your actions define your honor, consequences resulting from honorable actions do not define your honor. Conduct yourself always with honor worthy of your King's blessing. Denial of this is heresy.*

*Your word is your bond, your utterance is only Truth. Root out Untruth and expose those who would Deceive. Allow no untruth or deceit to pass in your presence.Those who deceive your Word or lead you to spread Untruth are deserving of Vengeance. Denial of this is heresy.*

*You are bound to the protection of the Truest King and the Stone Kingdom, any threat discovered to either must be opposed and exposed to the Black Cathedral. Denial of this is heresy.*

*You are bound errant among the clergy, you must go forth in the world for a period of twelve years. Your thirteenth year must be spent in study at the Black Cathedral before you depart again to the world. You shall not gather in numbers greater than twelve unless a thirteenth arises to lead you in quest and cause worthy of song and your King. Denial of this is heresy.*

*You are bound to avenge the travesties visited upon your King and Kingdom, any harm directed upon them must be visited upon those responsible, their kith, and their kin twelve-fold. Denial of this is heresy.*

*The faith of Gog'alith is to be opposed and driven to extinction unless the coward god presents himself before the Truest King on the field of battle. You are oathed to vengeance against the faithful of Gog'alith, suffer not his clergy to draw breath. Bring the truth of your King to his laymen that they may embrace a living god as their own. Denial of this is heresy.*

*You are oathed to vengeance against the Tallet and their Emperor of Deceit. The destiny of the Faceless Emperor is destined to kneel before your King and receive judgement for his crimes. Denial of this is heresy.*

*Unwitting heresy must be instructed. Heresy in the face of instruction must be instructed forcefully. Heresy in the League of the Silver Cross must be purged with fire before midnight of the twelfth day. Denial of this is heresy.*

## *The Uniform*

Members of the Silver Cross dress in black surcoats trimmed in red. These surcoats bear silver crosses formed of four V elements with a ring around them, joining the elements together ((a ring maltese cross)) which is likewise outlined in red. With the surcoat is a double-sided cloak trimmed in silver. The cloak is normally worn with the black outward and red below. A paladin wearing the cloak reversed with the red outward signifies that they are vowing victory or death and is typically only seen during suicide missions.