The Pilgrim Knights

The stench was nigh unbearable as Disciple Anya Preswyck inspected the man's wounds. A shepherd had been attacked in the hills close to Southhold. The wound had festered within days and his friends had carted him all the way to Greystone. 'A wolf did this you say?' she asked one of those who had carried him into the Hospital. 'Aye ma'am, it must've been. What else could it be?'.

She didn't answer, instead quickly muttering an incantation under her breath. As the spell took hold, she got an uncomfortable, yet familiar feeling in the back of her neck confirming what she already knew. The wound was not a normal wound, but one caused by necromantic magic. 'Fetch Healer Delrynd, please' she asked of a nearby attendant. 'Quickly!', she shouted after the attendant who started jogging as quickly as his halfling legs would bear him.

Two hours later, as the shepherd lay dying in a bed, two heavily armored knights gallop out of the hospital's gate, navy banners streaming from their spears. They will not return until their quarry is dead.

The Pilgrim Knights

Deities	Freya
Strength	~1000 armed, ~5000 non-combatants
Leaders	The Triumvirate
Major locations	Solstice, Greystone, Elderholm
Motto	Walk Ever in the Light

Spear Ranks

• Squire
• Protector
• Captain
• Templar
• Marshal

Charitor Ranks

• Acolyte
• Disciple
• Attendant
• Healer
• Archhealer

Seeker Ranks

• Scholar
• Inquisitor
• Specialist
• Adjunct
• Provost

The Pilgrim Knights (officially The Blessed Fellowship of Itinerant Defenders of Her Hallows) are champions of Freya, the goddess of the Sun, tasked with the protection of the innocent and defenseless populace. Dressed in their recognizable navy cloaks, these fierce warrior-priests are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Preferring to fight on horseback, their cavalry companies are some of the most expensive mercenaries across the realms. They value their honor supremely, and have never defaulted on a contract. Their headquarters are located in Solstice on Vanadis.

The money they make from mercenary work goes to serve the people at large. They run hospitals where anyone can come and be cured or at least treated free of charge. They are named for their stewardship of the shrines of the saints of Freya - many holy sites across the realm have a small detachment of knights who keep the surrounding area free from dangers. Where the Knights are, bandits are not. In times of peace, when major contracts are scarce, the Knights take smaller monster-hunting contracts. They do not always ask for money, and could instead perform a task in return for information, or the establishment of a safehouse for their intelligence gathering operations.

Pilgrim Knights have a special greeting gesture that they use both when meeting fellow Pilgrims as well as outsiders. It consists of a slight bow with both hands crossed at the wrists in front of the chest, palms turned inward and the fingers spread to mimic a rising sun, often paired with saying their motto, 'walk ever in the light'.

History

The Knights emerged from a small community of worshippers dedicated to a temple of Freya in Solstice, around 400 years ago when it was part of the Teccan Empire.

They fed the poor and protected pilgrims who wanted to travel to the shrine, which was in a dangerous backwater of the Empire at the time. Eventually, the order grew large enough to be noticed, both by people and their goddess.

In addition to their duties to the Temple, they started taking on mercenary contracts, and the early Knights earned enough gold to build several new temples and recruit more people to their cause.

Founders

The two most important founders are Arwyn Elsiter (some of her descendants still serve the Knights today) and Halvdan the First Spear. Both Arwyn and Halvdan were raised to sainthood by Freya, and they now live by her side in Folkvang.

Halvdan the First Spear

(human paladin, LN, 981-1016 AUC): One of the founders of the Pilgrim Knights. Born Halvdan Falconbrand, he became a martyr when he single-handedly delayed a horde of undead on a bridge while his comrades escaped. His spirit is now the guardian of the doors to Sessrumnir. Halvdan is buried in Arastfjord, and the Pilgrim Knights maintain a shrine in his honor there. While he was alive Halvdan wielded Dawnrender, leading the first column of knights sworn to the order.

Cormac Fairspirit

(gnome warlock, LG, 948-1123 AUC): While he was not among the first members of the Pilgrims, Cormac soon joined on orders from his patron, Aurora, a solar of Freya. He was tasked with finding the lost artifacts of the Lightgiver. Together with his closest allies, he recovered the Hallowed Scepter of Freya from a long-forgotten vault in the Underdark, where it was guarded by a maddened shadow dragon. At the end of his life, he bequeathed the scepter to the fledling organization, along with a sizable fortune. The Seekers have continued his lifelong search for lost relics.

Emblem

The emblem of the Pilgrmis is a blue shield with a metal rim, in which is set a cross and a necklace of amber. Spears have a rhomboid shield while Charitor emblems are round. Seekers do not have an official design, and usually carry one of the other branches insignias as a cover.

Personal insignias are usually made of steel and real amber, and simpler ones made for paying expenses while on a mission are made from painted tin.

As a Pilgrim rises in rank, more amber stones are added to the necklace on their insignia, this symbolizes their progress in the hunt for the Brisingamen. The emblem on the right is that of the Marshal of the Spears, the highest rank of that branch.

Branches

The Knights are a diverse organization that employs people of many various professions and vocations. Apart from a small leadership, all members belong to one of three branches of the order. The first branch are the Charitors, who run the hospitals. Secondly, the Spears are highly trained warriors in the service of the Lady of Light. Finally, the Seekers gather intelligence in furtherance of the Knights' missions.

Initiates are not part of any branch, and are instead assigned positions that will make the best use of their ability, although the initiate does have some say in where they end up. The ceremony where an initiate is sworn in and granted the garb of their branch is a solemn moment in the life of any Pilgrim Knight.

Sometimes, when the mission calls for it, members from different branches can come together to solve a particular issue. Such groups are called flights, and some flights that prove themselves can be called upon multiple times. Being part of a successful flight is a sure way to get noticed by your superiors. Flights are usually, but not always, under the command of the Seekers.

Each branch is also presented with a background that you can use if you want to create a character that is part of the Pilgrim Knights.

The Triumvirate

The leader of each branch is a member of the Triumvirate, who together make decisions that affect all three branches. The Triumvirate meets in the highest tower of the Grand Refuge in Solstice.

Votes are decided by simple majority, with no ability to abstain. However, the Triumvirate is usually unanimous in its decisions, deferring to the vote of the member with the most expertise in the given subject. In effect, this means that the Marshal has the final say on military matters, the Archhealer on theological issues, and the Provost on intelligence-related topics.

When a branch leader dies or retires, the branch nominates a new leader, who needs unanimous approval from the remaining two triumvirs. This consent has only been withheld twice in the history of the Knights, both times of a leader of the Seekers.

Marshal George Grenwen

(human paladin, LG, 59): Leader of the Spears. George has served the Knights since he was only a small boy, as both his parents served as officers of the Spears. Through devout worship of Freya and a suberb mind for battlefield strategy, he quickly rose through the ranks, becoming Marshal fifteen years ago. While his hair has started to turn grey and his face has become wizened with age, he is still a capable fighter.

Archhealer Alexandra Sunheart

(aasimar sorceress, LG, 104): Leader of the Charitors. Alexandra is a powerful aasimar sorceress with flaming red hair, who is rumoured to be the daughter of a Solar. She carries the Hallowed Scepter of Freya, one of the Pilgrim's most valued treasures, during ceremonies and processions.

Provost Tialvar nan Vanadis

(high elf wizard, LN, 184): Leader of the Seekers. Tialvar is a cunning wizard, who is very secretive about his personal life. He is a true loremaster, with more information contained in his mind than many libraries hold.

The Charitors

All Are Welcome

The most visible and numerous wing, the Charitors run shrines, temples, hospitals, alms houses, and orphanages all over the realm. No one is turned away at a Charitor establishment. Simple services such as meals and minor nonmagical healing are free, but more difficult magical healing is not. The highest-ranking Charitor is the Archhealer, who is also high priestess at the Grand Refuge.

The size of the Charitor's various institutions varies greatly. A small shrine in a remote village might only have Disciple and an Acolyte stationed there, all the way up to the large city hospitals, like the one in Greystone, which employs around 200 Charitors of various ranks under the command of a Healer.

Being the sole Charitor in a small village is seen as an honorable assignment, and many get to know the settlement so well that they are sometimes a better source of information than the Seekers who might use their shrine as a safehouse. It happens that a Charitor who has been stationed in a small town for a long time has made the community their home and does not want to leave, despite having earned more than enough experience for a promotion. This behavior is jokingly called roosting by other Pilgrims.

While many Charitors perform mundane tasks at the various Pilgrim establishments, the higher ranks are mostly reserved for those who wield healing magic, primarily clerics of Freya and monks following the way of Mercy, but several other specialties are also welcomed. At the Grand Refuge the Charitors also train Corpsmen, combat medics that go with the Spears into battle.

Charitors wear a signature white headband, along with white robes and a blue scapular with the emblem of the pilgrim knights and a hooded navy cloak that is fastened with a cloth sash. At higher ranks, amber-colored stripes are added to the robe and cloak. The highest ranking priestesses incorporate glimmersilk into their garb, a magical cloth which shimmers like it is in sunlight, even indoors.

The Spears

We are Her Fist

The armed wing of the Knights fields many fighters across the Estian Islands. With their superb martial prowess, they are feared mercenaries, although very few can afford their services. When not bound by contract, they roam the lands destroying evil creatures wherever they are found. The spears are divided into Companies of around fifty fighters each, which are then further divided into Squadrons of around a dozen. A Company is led by a Templar, and each Squadron is commanded by a Captain.

The Spears wear heavy armor, over which they wear a blue tabard and a blue cloak. Higher-ranked members wear golden stripes along the hem of their cloak and tabard. Their signature weapon are lances forged in the image of Dawnrender, the radiant weapon wielded by Halvdan the First Spear. Some prefer shorter spears which can be wielded with a shield, but most prefer the reach of fighting of the lance. A pilgrimage to Halvdan's tomb in Arastfjord is something that most Spears make during their initiation.

The most elite units of the Spears are the Amber Riders, a feared cohort of heavy shock cavalry, and the Lightning Hammer, a company of spellswords mounted on griffons. Both units train in the Grand Refuge in Solstice. The spears also operate small patrols of rangers that patrol the sacred pilgrimage paths and keep them clear of dangers for those who wish to undertake the journey. When the Pilgrim Knights deploy an army, these rangers serve as forward scouts.

The Seekers

The Goddess Guides Us

The covert wing of the Pilgrims is the smallest, although their true numbers are unknown. What is known is that few secrets are safe from these intelligence gatherers. They employ and maintain a wide-reaching network of couriers and safe-houses across the realm. Their primary mission is the hunt for the Brisingamen, although clues are few and far between.

The Seekers also have several teams of archaeologists who scour ruins of old for the lost relics of Freya. They also sometimes hire freelance adventurers to check out a rumour or lead for them.

There are some voices within the Knights who view the Seeker's mission as a distraction from the order's true calling, caring for the poor and sick. This is a minority opinion, especially among leadership.

Seekers wear whatever gear is required for their current mission. Most Seekers on intelligence duty have several aliases that they use to gather information surreptitiously. Even a low ranking Seeker has plenty of autonomy regarding how to complete their missions, and to follow up on any further leads they find.

The Seekers are the most adept at the arcane arts of the branches. They retain enchanters and artificers to keep the order well stocked with magical equipment and other arcane services.

Locations

The Pilgrims have many outposts across the Estian Sea and beyond. Even a small village of only a few hundred people might have a small shrine staffed by a single charitor.

Some temples are built on the holy sites where the Pilgrims that first gave the order its name visited, others are in cities and towns. Some are secret, their locations revealed only to initiated members.

The Grand Refuge

The largest Pilgrim facility, this multi-tiered temple-fortress is in the center of Solstice in Vanadis. Headquarters of the order and the seat of the Triumvirate. New recruits train in the courtyards and the tower libraries hold the vast intelligence and research gathered by the Seekers. Ceremonies to Freya are held regularly by the Archhealer herself.

Greystone Hospital

Situated in Greystone, the largest Pilgrim outpost on Estia. The highest ranking member is Healer Simeon Delrynd who oversees a small army of charitors in their work. While it is primarily a hospital, it also houses a company of Spears.

Covenant Temple

The temple in Covenant is part embassy to the Estian Council, part garrison and part hospital. The Charitors also operate an orphanage in the city.

Elderholm

A castle-island on the southwestern coast of Vanadis, this is a major center of training monks and clerics for the Charitors.

Pilgrimages

Journeys to these places are often undertaken by pilgrims. They are all staffed by Charitors, and most also have a small detachment of Spears to keep the roads safe.

• The Tomb of the First Spear in Arastfjord houses the remains of one of the Pilgrim Knight's founders.
• The Shrine of Saint Arwyn is located at the center of Tel Edhil , making it one of the most accessible pilgrimages.
• During the summer solstice, the druids of Leah's Grove on Vanadis hold dazzling sun-worshipping ceremonies.
• The Sunrock Shrine in Myrknes holds a large glowing crystal of sun quartz that is always hot to the touch.
• The refuge at Alyn Antor where the Eternal Dawn was compiled by Kendra Brighteyes.

When you pray at a pilgrimage for the first time, you gain 5 (2d4) piety with Freya. A pilgrim who visits and prays at three such holy places earns the Magic Initiate (Cleric) feat.