O is for Order of the Holy Cross

“This world is not the same one as before, because it is so much more dangerous. It is clear that God has chosen us, his true Knights, to defend this land and its people as if they were our own. Indeed, they are our own now. So, the Knights of the Holy Cross, armed with God's power as we are, will lead this new land to the truth of God's teachings, and bring these hellspawn creatures to their deserved fate.” Anselme, Knight of the Holy Cross.

The Christian priests who accompanied Eadric's armies from Earth were in a state of shock upon their arrival, as their entire philosophical and religious understanding of the world was completely overturned. However, they never lost their faith in God, and they continued to teach the faith and minister to the needy. They would have remained in this supporting role had it not been for what happened shortly after the Arrival.

Dark magic was unleashed by unknown forces, and the dead rose from the graves and began to prey on the living. Skeletons, zombies, ghouls, vampires and others creatures from the blackest pits of a fever dream began ravaging the lands, and the knights who defended the realms were powerless against their dark energies. Even the wizards could do little to stop them. Only the power of faith proved to be their undoing, and a few brave priests accompanied adventurers in an attempt to stop these creatures.

When they proved successful in driving back the forces of darkness, King Eadric commissioned a new religious order, the Knights of the Holy Cross. These men were both warriors and priests, wielding the might of God against forces too strong for mortals to defeat, and fighting hand-to-hand against other, less infernal creatures. Unlike the other knights, however, the Knights of the Holy Cross refused to use swords and other bladed weapons; it was forbidden by God, said the priests, and the King reluctantly agreed. Since then, adventuring clerics have joined up with adventurers in their efforts to protect the realm.

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Of course there are clerics; it's a D&D world, after all. But these clerics aren't your basic priests, or monks from monasteries; these are knights similar to the medieval orders such as the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers of St. John. As one online personality described them, they were a combination of priests and Navy SEALS. Tough in a fight, but with the power of faith to back them up.

Tomorrow, we'll meet the head of the Order, and the leader of the Church in Meterra.