Order of the Gauntlet

The symbol of the Order of the Gauntlet

## Overview

The Order of the Gauntlet was formed to destroy evil in the world at large. Its core members were clerics and paladins. These religious paragons were united in ideals from their faiths though anyone with a fervor and will to fight evil had a place. Members of the Order were staunch comrades, never failing to trust in
each other completely. The clerics and paladins strove for excellence in
 everything they did, and were not afraid to fight evil. It was very uncommon to see a lone member of the Order as they almost always traveled in groups. They kept a close eye on any potential threats, and stood ready to stop any aggression.

The Order used faith in its stand against evil. This faith ranged from believing in one's personal god, close friends, and oneself. They believed evil must be dealt with, it could not be ignored. They would not punish someone who had not committed an evil act, and believed that just thinking a bad thought was not a punishable offense.

## Organization

The Order is a strongly knitted group but its members often act in unilaterally. Most members travel in groups and act as cells, defending settlements or attack evildoers as needed along their travels. In times of serious threat, the Order has shown itself highly capable of coordinating its members into a devastating force. The Order takes its direction from its lead from a council of its highest members at the time of need. There is no standing leader. The Order also takes council from the various churches of good aligned deities, particularly those of Gods dedicated to Justice and Protection, but the Order does not follow the churches blindly nor does it go along with everything they request.

Members of the Order are taught to keep their inner eye vigilant and focused on their own thoughts and emotions. In this way they purify themselves from within before taking up their swords to cleanse the world. Like highly motivated soldiers, members of the Order of the Gauntlet seek to become the best at what they do and look forward to testing their mettle. There are few, if any, “lone wolves” in this organization

### Goals

* Be armed and vigilant against evil.
* Identify evil threats such as secretive power groups and inherently evil creatures.
* Enforce justice.
* Enact retribution against evil actions — do not strike preemptively.

### Beliefs

* Faith is the greatest weapon against evil — faith in one’s god, one’s friends, and one’s self.
* Battling evil is an extraordinary task that requires extraordinary strength and bravery.
* Punishing an evil act is just. Punishing an evil thought is not.

### Ranks

Members of the Order are awarded the following rank titles (in ascending order):

* Chevall
* Marcheon
* Whitehawk
* Vindicator
* Righteous Hand

### Iconography

The Order uses many symbols of combat, faith, victory and vanquish as their symbols but none is more popular nor common as the Order's emblem: a gauntlet grasping a sword by the blade. It symbolizes the willingness to face danger head on and protect those that evil would strike against.

## Involvement

### The Lost Mine of Phandelver (Campaign)

The Order of the Gauntlet has had only a minor role in the happenings of this campaign so far. The party (Ellaria Nightwood, Yamcha, Wobbly Killa and Gwendoline Wood) have received a number of tidbits of info about the area around and people in Phandalin from the retired adventurer and former member Daran Edermath. The party also scouted out rumours of undead at Old Owl Well at the request of Daran, something he knew the Order would like done if they had any manpower on hand in the area at the time. Upon hearing from Gundren Rockseeker that a second Lords' Alliance agent would be traveling to the town, Daran made contact with the Order once more when the Dwarf did not return to town (let alone the Alliance agent) to request that they send somebody to help defend the town until a formal town guard could be formed. The old Half-Elf told the party that a man by the name of Rahris Brandchet, a former colleague, would likely arrive in town shortly to fill the role of the dead Sildar Hallwinter.

Rahris did indeed arrive in town, and his first act was to gather up a party of locals to clear out the caverns beneath Tesendar Manor. Having been told of the Nothic beneath the building, Rahris and his team went in prepared, slaying the beast without incident. The party learned of his arrival and deeds when they found the Nothic's head on display outside the town as a warning to would-be attackers that the town was under the protection of the Order of the Gauntlet. After meeting with the party, Rahris aided them by giving them supplies of Potions of Health, as well as the spellcasting focus of a fellow member who was recently killed in the Mere of Dead Men. He hoped it would help them in their travels.

## Notable People and Places

### People

* Rahris Brandchet, an adventures and active member of the Order in the Northern Sword Coast
* Daran Edermath, a retired adventurer and former member who still has strong ties to the Order.

### Places

There are no notable places associated with the Order of the Gauntlet as of yet.