Sisters of Saint George

The Sisters of Saint George are an order of the Catholic church, dedicated to combatting the draconic menace, and are the foremost experts in the known world on the history of the dragons.

## Founding and History

The order that came to be known as the Sisters of Saint George was originally formed of a band of nuns who accompanied the legendary Saint George and his knights into his epic battle with the Ancient Dragon Satihan. The church had come to see the Ancient Dragons as forces of evil from Hell itself, generals of Satan turned flesh, and so declared a Holy crusade against the draconic hordes. The dragons were noted as wielding a strange magic aside from their massive strength and breath of fire, a magic that in secret, the church had managed to reverse engineer and grant to a handful of their most devout warriors and clergy.

After a long and violent struggle with many lives lost, George finally felled the beast, albeit at the cost of his own life. Saint Marie de Chastel had been George's closest companion, and some say lover, and it was she who led the others alongside him. Mourning his death, Marie swore to carry on his legacy, and in agreement with her masters, came to form the Sisters of Saint George. Accepting small numbers of women into their fold only, they began to learn all they could regarding the subjects of the dragons. Their origins, their language and incantations, their strengths and weaknesses. In a short while, they were the foremost experts in the world on the draconic horde, with their order dividing into sects stationed across the countries of Europe. Whenever the dragons attacked and made their presence known, the Sisters of Saint George were there, front and center, instantly recognisable in white.

Over the years, they became less active as the dragons were culled, but still exist, hidden away within their cloisters and ready to answer the call should the horde ever threaten humanity once more.

## Joining Ritual

Only a few will ever have the honour of joining the Sisters of Saint George, and even less will survive the ordeal of joining the order.

All hopefuls to join must first be women, be members of the Catholic church, and have spent a minimum of three years within a nunnery. If an application to the order is accepted, then the candidate is invited to their specific chapter's cloister, where they must show both their devotion to God and their resolve by spending a year in silence and solitude.

If the candidate succeeds, they will enter the final stage of the trial, and by far the most dangerous. In order to channel the dragon's weapons against them, any candidate must ingest the blood of an Ancient Dragon. This will not only grant them access to the power of the dragons, but also protect them from the dragonrot plague. While the dragon blood can grant them these advantages, not all will drink it and survive, with the blood sometimes corrupting a weak resolve. If it does not outright kill the candidate, they are slain, lest they be fully corrupted.

If however, the candidate survives the trial, they are inducted into the order, and their true training begins.

## Ranks

### **Chatelaine Superior**

The head of the Sisters of Saint George, and the ultimate authority in the known world on draconic studies. Always chosen from a former Chatelaine, the Chatelaine Superior takes any orders directly from the Pope and passes them on to the order.

### **Chatelaine**

A special rank which few ever attain. Chatelaine's are the sisters of the order who are permitted to engage in field activity, whether it be investigation or combat, and as such are specially trained in a multitude or disciplines. Armed with distinct white rapiers, they wield the magic of the dragons against their old enemy.

### **Cloister Mother**

A long standing sister who has become the head of the cloister in which she resides.

### **Cloister Sister**

A former initiate who has trained with the Sisters of Saint George for a minimum of three years. In that time, they will have studied everything surrounding the dragons, from their words of power to the history of the order.

### **Initiate**

Newly inducted candidates of the order and those who have passed the trials.

## Equipment and Apparel

The Sisters of Saint George are known for their pure white outfits first and foremost. Any sight of a white robed woman usually is a sign of trouble to do with the dragons, and is an unwelcome sight by most.

### **Habit**

The most recognisable and iconic symbol of one a sister of the order, the Sisters of Saint George wear habits of pure white, rather than their church affiliated counterparts in black.

The white is a sign of their veneration to Saint George, and to their founder Marie de Chastel, after which the Chastelaines take their name. There is a difference however, in the outfits in which the sisters of the order wear, compared to the Chatelaines.

Sisters of the order will wear their habit over plain robes and garments, with nothing specific in the way of protection. Chatelaines also wear the white garb, but over combinations of armour and leather, as they must always be prepared to engage in combat at any point in their duties.

### **Magic**

The Ancient Dragons wielded a magic among them that has never truly been understood my humanity, despite deep research into it and an eventual breakthrough by the church to use the enemy's strength against them.

While humans could never achieve the dragon's feats of breathing fire and soaring through the skies, the Sisters of Saint George, and notably the Chatelaines, can utilise draconic magic through reciting the ancient language of the dragons, placing protective shields and wards upon themselves and others around them, though this protection is not impenetrable.

Chatelaines can also tap into the magic in their blood to sense any draconic presence nearby, be it any creature with draconic blood in its veins.

### **White Rapier**

The Chatelaines each wield distinct white rapiers, that are considered by those who see them as signs of Holy righteousness and protection.

Each blade is carved, pommel to point, from a fang of a fallen Ancient Dragon, imbuing them with draconic magic, as well as making them harder than steel and near unbreakable.