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The Paladins of Mortis
In the beginning, tens of thousands of years in the past, a unique school of religious thought, referred to as the Church of Mortis, sprung up within the Galactic Core from a splinter group of Jedi Knights, preaching an unorthodox view of the Force compared to the Jedi Order: That the Force was not the be-all-end-all and the creator of life itself, but merely one aspect of an all-powerful creator, the Maker of All, that took physical form in the Galaxy eons ago as a being known as the Father, with this form creating the Daughter and the Son to teach mortals about the Light and Dark Sides of the Force, until the Son's corruption and the battles that caused led to the three leaving the physical universe to live in exile on Mortis. This belief system is called Mortism.
The Church existed peacefully for millennia, with a holy order being created to protect the Church and its followers, the Mortisites: The Holy Order of the Paladins of Mortis, otherwise known as the Paladins of Mortis-- or simply, "The Paladins". But as the Republic expanded and the Jedi became more associated with the Republic Senate, the Church disagreed with this direction as well as various Jedi tenets, and left the Galaxy and traveled to the Unknown Regions to live in peace. In time, the Galaxy at large forgot them, and Mortis and its inhabitants became known as myths, their worshippers becoming little more than a distant memory.
In the meantime, after reaching the Unknown Regions and settling on various worlds while coming into contact with new alien species, the Mortisites eventually developed their own society revolving around a feudal system, with numerous Force-sensitive dynasties such as the Tyrises, the Swyfts, and the Andrians forming and gaining power across a number of planets. Things went rather well for this new society, with the Church and the nobles sponsoring business and creating an economy, and conflicts between lords were rather minor, but this peace was not to last.
Eventually, problems in the Church began to arise between the standard dogma and a sect that put more focus on the Son and did not vilify him. Eventually this led to a separate Mortisite group breaking away from the Church: The Blackguard of the Son, with its practitioners harnessing the Dark Side as exclusively as the Paladins used the Light. Much like their counterparts in the Jedi and Sith, the Paladins and the Blackguard have clashed numerous times throughout the centuries, each time with the Paladins emerging victorious-- at greater and greater costs. This gradually caused a shift in Church dogma, one which called for the utter elimination of anything and anyone aligned with the Dark Side-- and thus the Son.
Over the past few years, the Blackguard had risen again and once more engaged the Paladins in open warfare, but this time they proved able to be highly destructive and gave as good as they got on the battlefield. Now, by the end of this latest war, the society the Church had built up lays in ruins, the Church has collapsed, and while one could say that it "won" the war during the Battle of Nihir which saw the destruction of the Blackguard once again, the only part of it that remains now is the Holy Order of the Paladins of Mortis-- and the Order is greatly weakened, with its leadership all but wiped out.
Seeing that there was nothing for them left in the Unknown Regions, what remained of the Order and as many Mortisites as possible were rounded up by Lady Helin Tyris of Duskmote, and after taking the vacant title of Grand Master for herself, she has led her people into the Galaxy proper, reintroducing them to the rest of the Galaxy after thousands of years of isolation, settling on the Wild Space planet Adumar and attempting to recreate their way of life...
RANKS and PATHS
This is the standard rank structure of the Paladins, but due to the circumstances behind the group's current conditions, several of these positions are unfilled and will be filled as needed. Ranks are not the same as noble titles such as Ser, Lord, or Lady, and not all nobles in the Order are Force-sensitive, but all Force-sensitive warriors in the Order are nobles of some form or another-- even if they must be made nobility in name only.
Grand Master: The head of the entire Paladin faction. The crossguard lightsaber, and cape, belonging to the Grand Master is passed from holder to holder. Ordinarily the Grand Master is selected from among the Council of Marshals by vote, but current circumstances have forced this method to be suspended.
Paladin Marshal: Equivalent to the rank of Jedi Master, Paladin Marshals are highly accomplished members of the Order and have usually raised at least one Squire to the rank of Knight in their lifetimes, or otherwise done something meritorious enough to warrant the promotion. Because the Order does not have enough kyber crystals to make lightsabers a regular weapon, instead using vibroweapons, upon reaching this rank a Paladin is formally presented with a crossguard lightsaber-- either made for them, or passed down from the last holder of the office they might now hold. Certain families may instead use, and ask for, lightfoils.
Paladin Knight: The standard nobleman and warrior of the Paladins of Mortis, Knights have completed their training as Squires and have proven their devotion to the tenets of the Paladin Code. Paladins reaching this rank are awarded personally-crafted vibroweapons.
Paladin Squire: Equivalent to a Jedi Padawan, Squires are sworn to the service of a Knight or Marshal, and because most Squires begin as children, they usually spend years honing their skills before being deemed worthy of knighthood.
There are a large number of lowborn, non-Force-Sensitive support staff for the Paladins-- or at least there were-- ranging from sergeants-at-arms who supplement the Paladins in battle with vibroblades and ranged weaponry like bowcasters, to engineers and pilots that maintain the Paladins' ships, to layservants who do whatever they are asked to do at a given time. What ranks they may have are mostly informal, but non-Force-sensitive nobles maintain the ranks of the Order.
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Upon reaching knighthood, a Paladin is given an option to take one of several specializations that are unconnected to their rank but are more a reflection of their general interests.
The Warrior is a common Paladin specialization, focusing on martial prowess, leading troops into battle, and utilizing the Force in pursuit of those goals. Non-Force-sensitive nobles that join the Paladins do not usually take this path due to its reliance on the Force, but it isn't unheard of. Upon reaching Knighthood, a Paladin taking this path is allowed a vibroblade laced with songsteel to allow it more resistance to other vibroweapons and lightsabers, but not immunity.
The Scribe, while less combat-intensive than the Warrior, is no less important. Scribes are often researchers, medics, and lorekeepers, but they also direct the layservants employed by the Paladins in day-to-day things. Due to the background nature of their roles, Scribes can be sent out to infiltrate and observe places the Paladins have never been before. And because of the lessened focus on combat, non-Force-sensitive nobles are readily able to join this branch.
The Cavalier is focused on maintaining the technology used by the Paladins, and the nobles among them are pilots of their fighter craft. As with the Scribes, non-Force-sensitive nobles are more commonly seen here.
THE CODE
The Paladin Code is a set of tenets that all those within their ranks are required to live by. There are a number of miscellaneous sayings alongside the primary ones, the latter of which are listed here. The Code is quite black and white with little room for open interpretation-- if a Paladin follows it then they are just; if they do not, they are unjust. As with all people, there are those that take these tenets more seriously than others.
Serve our Lord the Maker with all thine heart, mind, and soul, so that thou may live a holy life.
Serve thine liege lord in valor and faith as is thine solemn duty, and obey any authority put over thee, insofar as thine service does not conflict with the Code.
Protect and show compassion toward the innocent, the weak, and the helpless, as the Daughter would to thee.
Show loyalty toward thine comrades and family, insofar as they show loyalty to others and the Maker.
Face the wicked without fear, and show no mercy if given none beforehand.
Speak the truth and show humility at all times, that others might know thee as trustworthy.
Do good works not for physical gain nor personal acclaim; do them because they are right.
Show purity in both thought and action, so as to show others the Maker's Light through example.
Suffer not the Bogan to thrive; destroy it wherever possible, so as to let life continue its necessary course.
ROSTER
@Oncaro (FL) - Grand Master Helin Tyris
@Chask274 (AFL) - Marshal Leonatas Belisarion
@Elijah Brockway - Marshal Cotan Sar'andor
@Tristar - Ser Johann Ardent Kass
@Dawnrider - Ser Volken Sandanar
@Prudence - Ser Korren Vyllas
@Jacano - Lady Eve Tsula
@StandbyRanger - Rouslyn ke Tiberium
ASSETS
x1 XPG-400 starfighter
x1 PM-21F "Bolt" starfighter squadron
x1 PM-11C Crusader-class carrier
x7 large personnel transports
~7,000 civilians/workers
INTENT
The overall intent of this faction is to provide a new flavor, a new spin of sorts, on not just the way the Force is viewed by characters, but also the kinds of organizations that adhere to it, with this group being the European knights to the Jedi's space ronin monks. For example, most of the Paladins do not use lightsabers but vibroweapons, and those that do use crossguard sabers or, occasionally, lightfoils. They also have no issue with ruling over others due to their societal structure which encourages rulership and protection of the ruled, unlike the Jedi who view themselves as Galactic servants, and also unlike the Jedi they're not simply interested in upholding peace and justice, nor simply conquest like the Sith; they actively want to spread their faith to Force-sensitive and not alike.
Despite this, they're likely going to ally with the Jedi at some point due to a shared devotion to the Light, and due to coming from the Jedi in the ancient past their ranks are similar. But their society, and their doctrine on just what the Force is, is different enough to make them distinct I feel.
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