Lunar Paladins

> I, as a person, accept my duty to Eventide. I, as a holy man, recognize that the forces of chaos will bow only to my blade. I, as a Lunar Paladin, acknowledge that all of this shall be done in her name.
>
> -The Lunar Oath

## What is a Lunar Paladin?

### Definition

A Lunar Paladin is a person who has dedicated themselves to the survival of Eventide, someone who recognizes the need to destroy those who threaten the peace, and acknowledge The Lady as their Goddess. These Lunar Paladins are to join different sects, each with their own task.

### Reason for Existence

Before Year 0, Lunar Paladins were necessary as part of Eventide's defense against the forces of chaos. This was due to an ongoing Chaos War at the time demanding more and more Lunar Paladins to be made. Over time however, the need for Lunar Paladins would drop over time, and so did the number of Lunar Paladins. Most Lunar Paladins would retire from service before Year 200, while the extreme few left would retire sometime before Year 390, this being with the exception of Carolus. Carolus would go on to create the Overworld Alliance in 415, taking up Ulric as the first Lunar Paladin apprentice in over 400 years. While still unknown, this is expected to be a kind of renaissance for Lunar Paladins.

## Known Sects

### LPS-001 "Her Right Hand"

> When the right hand of our Goddess appears before them, that is when our enemies shall know true fear.
>
> -A phrase often repeated by the higher ranking members in the sect.

Her Right Hand was the main sect responsible for fighting on the front lines. Their Lunar Paladins were extremely skilled, and it was one of the few sects that would only recruit via selection, instead of allowing a Lunar Paladin to join it by their will.

#### Significance in History

Carolus was chosen to be part of this sect on the day of his ascension. 'Her Right Hand' worked directly with The Lady on the front lines of the war, assisting Koda's Templars whenever possible. They were a key part of the Chaos War. Carolus lived more than 500 years, eventually being killed by Viktor. His soul was long since freed from the control of Kingsmourne.

### LPS-002 "Her Left Hand"

Much like LPS-001 "Her Right Hand", doing many of the same things. This was one of the larger sects, as they were essentially used as brute force against the forces of Chaos. They were not extremely specialized, and unlike LPS-001, they do NOT pick out their members, instead allowing any to join.

#### Notable Members

Ulric Elbeck

Zenith, The Lightbringer

#### Significance in History

Ulric Elbeck is a Lunar Paladin trained by Carolus. At the time of writing, Ulric Elbeck is the last Lunar Paladin alive. So long as nothing goes wrong, it is believed that Vapper and Iset will be the next generation of Lunar Paladins, with Iset recieving the hilt of Carolus's blade, Protector of The Garden.

One of the missing sects that disappeared from Northwestern Ghulfrost. Those who did not die before Year 0 would retire before Year 10. The remainder were torn apart by The Shadow. Zenith was a rival of Carolus, though they never truly fought. Mostly competing through friendly games, even when on the battlefield. Zenith was killed on an unknown date before Year 0, causing his blade, Lightbringer, to become the darker and more recognizable runeblade known as Kingsmourne.

### LPS-003 "The Watchful Eyes"

> The forces of chaos will not find refuge in our borders, in any form they may take.
>
> -The mission statement of LPS-003 "The Watchful Eyes".

As their name implies, The Watchful Eyes were a group of Lunar Paladins mostly tasked with observing the inner portions of Eventide, ensuring that the land claimed by other sects was safe from the forces of chaos. Despite the overall size of the world's nations, The Watchful Eyes were few in number, but their gaze was consistent. While their main task was observing their borders for the forces of chaos, they also had a secondary mission, which was to index the level of crime in certain areas across Eventide. If a crime rate above 10% was found in any city-state, LPS-007 "Peacekeepers" would be dispatched.

#### Significance in History

LPS-003 "The Watchful Eyes" foresaw Viktor's rage, alerting LPS-007 "Peacekeepers" to his location. LPS-007 stopped the genocide Vik would otherwise have caused.

### LPS-007 "Peacekeepers"

> Our service ensures a united world.
>
> -The mission statement of LPS-007 "Peacekeepers".

The Peacekeepers were alerted whenever LPS-003, "The Watchful Eyes" picked up on a high crime rate within any given city-state. If this was the case, several of the Lunar Paladins within the sect were sent there for 3 months, and were expected to reduce the crime rate in the area by 5% by the end of their deployment. If this goal was not met, several more would be dispatched. This would continue until the goal was met. If it reached the second stage, the original Lunar Paladins that were sent originally would remain there for a full year.

#### Significance in History

LPS-007 "Peacekeepers" were alerted to the presence of a high threat level monster approaching a royal town. The monster was Viktor in an enraged form. LPS-007 wounded Viktor, and forced him into the Nether. This was done with help from nearby militia forces. This action would indirectly cause the formation of Wayfar and the subsequent rivalry between Ghulfrost and the future nation.

### LPS-010 "Reality Check"

> Even with her guidance, there are things in this world that we do not yet understand.
>
> -The mission statement of LPS-010 "Reality Check".

LPS-010 was notified whenever there was an unexplained phenomena within the secured areas of the Overworld. The sect was created early in the war, as the new magic being thrown into the Overworld created quite a few anomalies.

#### Significance in History

The last of the missing sects that disappeared in Northwestern Ghulfrost, dispatched to investigate the anomaly that was ripping apart entire sects of Lunar Paladins. Last seen in Year 14, August 8th, 1:43 AM. They were never heard from after this point. Carolus had a brief exchange with one of these Lunar Paladins while in The Shadow, but the only information he retrieved was that they found something they couldn't hope to fight.

### LPS-018 "Yours Truly"

LPS-018 was a sect dedicated to gathering powerful artifacts to be converted into pure Eden Magic. This sect was directly responsible for a large pool of Eden Magic under Ghulfrost, which The Lady used quite often to cast spells tirelessly for weeks towards the encroaching Nether forces. They would often be assisted by LPS-010 "Reality Check, and LPS-034 "The Lady's Rule", who would feed artifacts to LPS-018. LPS-010 would find anomalies, while LPS-034 would bring in confiscated artifacts from rebellious groups within Ghulfrost.

#### Significance in History

One of the missing sects that disappeared in Northwestern Ghulfrost. All paladins were reassigned to other sects after Year 0, but the last seven Lunar Paladins to exit Northwestern Ghulfrost were never recieved by other sects. Unlike most of the other missing sects, this disappearance has little connection with The Shadow, as it is possible that the Lunar Paladins simply abandoned their service and died of old age some time later.

### LPS-034 "The Lady's Rule"

LPS-034 was a sect involved in the internal monitoring of cities in Ghulfrost. They would always watch for someone who was worshipping something other than the defined Gods of Eden, and... 'silence' them. In most cases, this was not necessary. Many targets 'silenced' by LPS-034 were worshipping Dakarda or their own idols. All idols found would be confiscated and given to LPS-018, "Yours Truly".

#### Significance in History

LPS-034 fed the confiscated idols to LPS-018. Both of these sects were two of the four missing sects in Northwestern Ghulfrost. Unlike the others however, LPS-034 has no reason to be linked to The Shadow, but it is highly speculated. After no word from LPS-034 for 3 months, several members of LPS-010 were sent in to get a status report. LPS-010 found the site completely deserted. This mission was the reason for LPS-010's disappearance.

## Where They Went

After the Chaos War, the need and amount of Lunar Paladins dropped immensely. This is the reason why they nearly went completely extinct.

### Natural Death

When a Lunar Paladin retires from service, they are no longer given the blessing that The Lady grants other Lunar Paladins. This blessing stops their aging, so that each Lunar Paladin stays at their current age, often the prime of their life. As an example, Carolus ascended at age 18, has the body of a 30-40 year old, and is actually 500+ years old. The reason he aged after his ascension was because of his time in The Shadow, where the blessing faltered just enough to allow him to age. This explains the natural deaths of hundreds of former Lunar Paladins.

### Thinned Numbers

The Chaos War was a bloody conflict, no matter from whose perspective one looks at it. Many Lunar Paladins did not survive, though their service will always be remembered by all those who survived.

### The Missing

Between the years 10-300, entire sects of Lunar Paladins would seemingly cease to exist at random points. This was because of The Shadow hunting down The Lady's followers in Ghulfrost. The same force causing them to disappear was the same the attacked Nik before he became the Avatar of The Shadow. It was also the reason why Northwestern Ghulfrost was evacuated, and over time, completely forgotten. Below is a list of missing sects.

* LPS-018 "Yours Truly"
* LPS-034 "The Lady's Rule"
* LPS-002 "Her Left Hand"
* LPS-010 "Reality Check"

### The Last Lunar Paladin

The last surviving Lunar Paladin was Carolus, part of LPS-001, "Her Right Hand". He was a leader of the OVA, and assists them in their mission to protect the Overworld from dangerous beings that threaten to wipe humanity away. Using his skills learned over the time he was deployed, he is still alive today, ensuring the safety of those he protects with an unshaken and complete loyalty to The Lady. Thankfully, Carolus was able to train a new Lunar Paladin, Ulric Elbeck. Shortly after the training was complete, Carolus would be killed by Viktor Von Doom and raised in service to Kallethus and the Well of Power. Upon VARHLIN's betrayal, Carolus was freed from the grasp of Kallethus, and began to think for himself. After Kallethus's death, Carolus retreated back into his life within the OVA, this time as an advisor and friend to the now High King Ulric Elbeck.

## New Lunar Order

With the help of the OVA, Carolus and Ulric will no longer stand alone as the final Lunar Paladins.

### LPS-001 is Repurposed

While it will remain with it's original directives, LPS-001, "Her Right Hand" will also act as a sect that displays the masters of the New Lunar Order. Those in LPS-001 will be able to take up a student, and the student will then choose a sect to join. The only case in which LPS-001 does not have sole control of apprenticeship is if a sect has less than five members. Any sect with less than five members will be able to take up an amount of students that will elevate the sect to five members. If a Lunar Paladin wishes to become a teacher, they can either go before several members of LPS-001 to decide if they are ready to join "Her Right Hand" or they can request Temporary Master Status. They must first be part of a sect to do so.