Good Orders

Background: Fighting Do-Gooders

The Order of Corean

The Order of Corean is a tightly knit collection of clerics, paladins and monks worshipping Corean. The cult is controlled by a High Priest in Mithril, and is very strict - at least within the city. The colors of Corean are white and gold, and the symbol is either a cross of 4 longswords, or a hammer on an anvil.
The Clerics of Corean are of two types: moralist and adventurous.
The moralists rarely leave Mithril and have little combat experience. They gain levels through study and meditation, and hold high positions in the cult of Corean. Moralists are strictly controlled by the clergy, and have many rules and strictures to follow. They are expected to give all of their time to Corean (except one day per month), remain celibate and keep no personal belongings. All they need is supplied by the cult. All moralist clerics of Corean must be lawful, and Lawful Good clerics are among the majority, with a small number Lawful Neutral.
Adventurous clerics of Corean are much less disciplined despite the requirement for Lawful Good or Neutral good alignment - their lives of adventure in the field, often with companions of dubious alignment and religion; require a more open-minded approach to problem-solving and relationships. Adventurous clerics are not required to observe poverty or chastity, but may still not marry outside the Cult. Adventurous clerics of Corean may camouflage their beliefs in order to infiltrate dens of evil, but they may never willfully deny their God - any breach will result in loss of cleric levels commensurate with the breach, with an atonement required to remove the level loss.
The Paladins of Corean are of one type only: crusading.
They crisscross the land, looking for evil to conquer and humanoids to convert. They prosecute life with a missionary zeal, always giving quarter to those who might convert to the True Religion of Goodness and Right, Corean. Paladins are all accomplished smiths, and must always have at least one rank in Profession (smithing) per paladin level. War Steeds of Corean always take the form of a huge white Coreanic Steed with an extra 2 hp per hit die.
Coreanic monks are called Lawgivers.
They spend equal amounts of time studying as they do training with their Mithril swords. They must always focus on the Longsword, and may take any fighter bonus feats for the longsword if desired. They may not use any other "monk-type" weapons, preferring melee combat with sword, hands and feet. Their order is authoritative, asking their monks to spend a lot of their time reporting back to headquarters, and giving out missions to accomplish. Unlike Coreanic paladins and clerics, Lawgivers are allowed to disguise themselves as needed, and may deny their God if necessary to their mission. Often, they will pass for rogues, rangers or city guards, sometimes hiding their longswords in walking sticks, staves or other long objects.

Madriel's Healers

Madriel's priestesses (and a few priests) roam the land, using their powers to heal the sick and mend the broken. They take up arms only when pressed, or when facing their dire enemies, the Undead and Lycanthropes. while more women than men follow this sun-goddess, many men have risen to positions of influence in the Church. Madriel is strongly aligned with Corean and Tanil.

Crusaders of Tanil

Called Tanil's Chosen, Holy Crusaders are errant warriors who have pledged their lives to fighting tyranny and oppression wherever it may be found. These do-gooders come from the ranks of fighters, clerics and even from Paladins who have had a life-altering change of heart.
The Crusaders have no rigid organizational structure, instead gaining their powers directly from Tanil or her Avatar. They have no center or power and no one tells them what to do. Some say this is their greatest strength and weakness, for while their enemies are often caught off-guard by their sudden appearance, they rarely attack such enemies in force or with the power of an organized church behind them.
Crusaders can easily resist compulsion and enchantment, and can help their friends do so as well. They do not work well in rigid environments and resent Paladins for their autocratic approach to problem-solving. They tend to believe the end justifies the means, but only if no one's freedom is trampled in the process.
Crusaders of Tanil have historically had difficulty allying themselves with followers of Corean, but given the tension between Corean on one side and Hedrada and Chardun on the other, they are willing to work to end the greater tyranny proposed by the Judge and the Tyrant.