In this compendium I will attempt to consolidate the most prodigious and influential Orders of our past and present times. While the Crown, may it long reign and protect us all, is our most important lineage, the many guilds and organizations that have been built around it have proven just as emblematic and influential to our daily lives.

The Great Neterian Purge was a turning point in the history of mankind, the end of the Age of Reclamation, and the beginning of the Age of Reason. The new age would not be born however, until the Kragten War came to its final, bloody conclusion.

Like an invasive species, the rapacious daemons who were summoned by the Paladins in a last desperate attempt to destroy the Neterian cultists, proved an even greater threat than the one they were tasked to eliminate. Such was the desolation caused by these netrus-devouring spirits, the shinn deposits of our world were all but spoiled before Saint Cieriss brought forth the Seal of Balis, inscribing it on the shields and banners of his loyal Ashuran Knights, and exorcising the daemons back to the vorx from which they came.

The Fall of Paladius created a vacuum which the booming Zoniran Church was quick to fill. The Ashuran Knighthood was granted the lands and powers once enjoyed by the Order of Paladius. As the swords of the Zenthien Church, the Ashurans have grown powerful in the many nations which have converted to Zonirism and have claimed the mythic status once held by the Holy Paladins. Like their predecessors, they enjoy immunity from man’s laws and can be judged only by the Holy Church.

Their mission is as singular in purpose as that of their Church - to convert all heathens and heretics to the righteous Path of Amounting. They will only assist those who claim the Zoniran Faith as their own, or are willing to pay for the Ashuran’s protection and services, with conversion.

While claiming to be the highest representation of honor and morality in the world, Swords of the Father, and Most Righteous, the Ashura are known to burn all temples not of their own make — with their respective faithful trapped alive within. As followers of the Golden Stair, they will strip the lands they invade of every ounce of gold they can wrap their armored gauntlets around, confiscate holdings, sell their captives to slavery, and lay claim to vast territories in the name of their golden god.

Divided into three branches, the Halls of Testament are told to be as old as the written word itself. They have transcribed every law man has ever made and faithfully enforced their adherence. They are a pillar of unshakable order in a world otherwise ruled by the changing tides of time.

Founded by the Lost Saint, Miria Qunei, Sacred Parliament sees to the administration of, and adherence to, Man’s Rule of Law.

As written in the Qunei Stone, a Lord Magistrate must sit at the right of every monarch in where the Rule of Law is held. It is not the Magistrate’s duty to create law, but to enforce it. For this purpose there is a Magistrate in every major population across every human territory. When the population is too large for a single Magistrate to administer, these in turn employ an Arbiter’s Court. Arbiters assist the Magistrate in the legal administration of large townships and cities. The Magistrate also administers organizations that serve the Crown directly, such as the Range Seeker’s Guild, the Head Hunter’s Lodge, and the Fraternity of Collections, among others.

In Capital cities, Arbiters might employ Clerks, Solicitors, and Advocates to further assist in the execution of Parliament Law.

Founded by the First Hammer, Suli Mordagan, the office of the Inquisition is taxed with the finding traitors who might undermine the power of Law in the land, and in the eliminating of any threat posed by the ever insidious vorx.

Granted nearly unimpeachable power by the Hall of Testament, the Inquisition actively seek out enemies of the Crown and practitioners of vorxcraft. They cleanse the world of those unfortunates tainted by the vorx and are trained to confront vorxspawn when encountered. Their work is subtle and many times goes unseen.

Heretics are known to cease activity completely if an Inquisitor is discovered sniffing about. If the necessity arises, an Inquisitor’s powers of dominion allow them to take legal control over the administrative and military forces of any land they work in, but such powers are rarely utilized. In larger cities, Inquisitors are placed in charge of the Order of Hammers.

Led by a Lord Commander known as The Anvil, the Order of Hammers are ordained Knights of the Inquisition. The chances of the Vorx infecting a population grows with its size. For this purpose, the Hammers are vowed to defend the people from its influence. Held by a strict code of ethics, they relinquish all titles and claims to land. They take a vows of chastity and poverty. They are recognized by their black tunics which display three crossed white stakes, and by the three iron stakes and forger’s hammer they carry on their belts at all times. When a Hammer finds an unfortunate possessed by the malice of the vorx, they expel the spirit by hammering their blessed stakes into the person’s head. Two for the eyes, one for the mouth.

A Hammer is in his rights to employ up to three agents in his investigations, which are bequeathed the title of Nails, and who operate with the full backing of the Order of Hammers. Nails will sometimes remain hidden among the populace, gathering information and not revealing themselves until the Hammer requires it of them.

Ratified after the end of the Kragten War, the newly reformed Academy of Alchemy is an independent Order under the supervision of the Office of the Inquisition. There have been numerous checks put in place to ensure that the horrors committed by the Neterian faithful are never repeated. The Kaltan Treaty specifically limits the use of shinn in alchemy and dictates that all new formulas involving shinn must be approved by the Academy Masters and signed off by an Inquisitor. All alchemists must be registered with the Academy and are subject to inspection by the Order of Hammers at any time. Failure to follow the specifics of the Kaltan Treaty can be very dangerous. Alchemists found practicing alchemy outside this accord are considered Apostate, a threat to the peace, and subject to the judgment of the Order of Hammers.

Colloquially known as “Vorx Rakes” or simply “Rakes”, these individuals strive to end events that might lead to an incursion by the vorx, long before they become a problem for the Holy Inquisition. The Vorx is known to work insidiously, corrupting the meek and unsuspecting, staying out of sight until it gains a foothold on our world. The Gardeners are the forward scouts to such activities, seeking out weaknesses in the social fiber that the vorx might exploit.

While scrutinized by the Inquisition, the Gardeners are granted leave to practice certain methods some consider occultism, so they might balm these minor abrasions before they become infested and begin to rot. They are the first line of defense against the vorx, working individually or with an apprentice.

A corps created for the sole purpose of hunting down the followers of Neteri who fled after their faith and all of its components were deemed heretical. In the overture of the Neterian Purge, Testament’s Hammers and Calusian Paladins were charged with this task, but they proved no match for Cala-Neteri’s forces.

The Mastiffs were said to be altered through sacred rituals, transformed into living weapons capable of overtaking even the dreaded Wyrvens. They were granted political autonomy by Parliament, making them invulnerable to local law, and had the wealth of Calusian coffers to back them.

The dreaded “Hellhounds” as the Neterians knew them, were merciless in the face of heresy. The guilty and innocent alike were fearful in their presence.

A mercenary group who proved indispensable to Queen Aviedeen during the Greenfire War. Known in every other country as Royal Rangers, Queen Aviedeen of Tepley found the name distasteful and changed their title upon their official ratification. Range Seekers perform various duties for the Crown such as long distance reconnaissance, protection of the Queen’s forests from poachers, defense of her royal convoys from bandits, exploration, and purveyance.

Copper Hawks are found anywhere money is available and steel is required. The Guild was formed to create a sense of security among the common folk, who wished to hire mercenaries without fear of being robbed or assaulted by those very sell-swords — a common event before the creation of the Guild.

Copper Hawk Lodges can be found in every mayor city in Obsal, working as hubs for mercenaries to find work protecting merchant caravans, escorting important figures, hunting down highwaymen, or any other number of odd jobs.

Known by some as “guild-swords”, they demand a higher price than one might pay for a lone sell-sword or a small band of local muscle, but their codes guarantee them as the safest and most effective alternative.