The Ten Paladins

The Réy Valén of Laurë
marched forth with his ten Paladins.
They were men of great repute and virtue and purgers of the faithless.

The first among his
paladins was Relén the Golden, the scion of that Imperial blood of Rëline.  In his hand he held aloft the sword called
Lullemane, the Light of Man.  He excelled
in all things that he did and was the closest friend of Valén.  His is the Order of Saint Relén, the Order of
the Light of Man, which serves no man, but come often to the aid of the Reya
Rëline.

The second among them was
Orë the Glorious.  It is he who wrote the
code of the Paladins and who was the virtue of the ten.  He bore the lance Paulaenon.  He was the scion of the Laurë Tremelle.  His is the Orëcian Order, the Order of the
Code, and it serves the Reya Laurë.

The third among them was
Averé the Bold, the bravest of the ten who was of the caste of the retainers,
but was raised by the lions of the Laurë.
It was he who brought the glory of the Paladin’s by charging the host of
the Aman Heathens while alone, slaying a thousand of them.  His is the Averian Order, the Order of the Fearless.  It serves the Reya Laurë.

The fourth is Savon the
Wise, the Adanë scholar and soldier.  It
is he who was most cunning of the Paladins and he who won the city of the
Narraki with his wits and words alone.
His was the book of names, given unto him to speak to the souls of all
men.  His order is the Savonian Order,
and it once served the Reya Arthadë.  But
when the Sethanos rose, they were cast out.

The fifth was Calaron the
Lion, scion of Mallanë and the most well-spoken and beloved of the Paladins
among his men.  He alone saved young
Valén as a youth when he chose to follow the Ecclesia of Aman, defending him
passionately to his mutinous men.  His
order is the Order of the Lionhearts.  It
serves the Reya Amellen.

The sixth was Pelenon the
Grey, the Armsman of Lenorë who was the most obedient and loyal of all of the
Paladins, accompanying the Saint Emperor as his guard and having the stoic
heart of a northman.  He was the
shield-bearer of the emperor and he took many near-killing blows for
Valén.  It is said that he lived long
past his lifetime to protect his Emperor and when Valén died, he closed his
eyes and died standing at attention.  His
order is known as the Order of Saint Pelenon, and as the Grey Order.  They are often the shield bearers of various
Deya and Reya throughout Valén’s former Empire.

The seventh among them,
was the Paladin Peniel the Just.  A
Palatine of Pallas, he led a host of the Ancient Paladins to fight the Saint
Emperor.  Instead, he kneeled at the justice
of his cause and ruled Pallas.  He is
remembered for his just punishment and wise mercy in equal measures. His order
is the Order of Saint Peniel and calls itself, the Order of the Pillars.  They serve whomever they consider to be the
Repalatine of the Laurëan Empire and refuse to serve as warriors.

The eighth among them was
Deogon, the Beggar, who was the richest of all men but gave all he had unto the
world and took up only his armor, horse, and weapons.  He begged for his meals and would give no
quarrel to those who denied him.  His order
is known as the Order of Saint Deogon and as the Order of the Ragged Splendor.

The ninth among them was
Thesselon, the Paladin of Righteous Fury, who cleft apart an entire army in
defense of his Emperor.  He once came
across five hundred men raping a village while riding alone.  He is said to have been filled with such
wrath that he struck them all to the ground, and not a single one lived.  His axe was named Théfusal, the Wrath of God.  His Order is known as the Order of Saint
Thessselon and the Order of the Furies.

The tenth was the traitor
redeemed, Galanon the Redeemed.  He was
once the sworn brother of Valén but his heart was false and full of venom. It
is said that he struck Valén in the back with an dagger and fled to aid his
enemies against him.  Yet the Godhead
came unto him in a dream and spoke his true name.  Galanon rode to his friend’s side and
confessed his crime, and he redeemed himself by executing himself upon the
order of the Saint Emperor.  He has no
order but is the patron of the Forlorn Hopes, men who seek redemption through a
noble death.

The Paladins