The Order of the White Petal

Slogan: “Serve All or None”

The Order was founded in the year 540 by Ser Knosi Valdekian and his brother Ser Karli Valdekian. The Order came about because of corruption in the King’s Guard when they served the warlock-king Agnessios the Bleak. Agnessios practiced the dark arts extensively, including the raising of undead and demonology. A small number of the guard decided they could no longer serve the King, and by interpreting their oaths loosely saw a way to serve the kingdom without falling into the swirling black madness surrounding the King.

When Agnessios sacrificed a good portion of the King’s Guard in a ritual attempting to summon the demon lord Belios, the knights of the Order sealed off the crypt of Thand (where the ceremony was taking place) and set it afire. It is believed (hoped, rather) that Agnessios died in the fire along with his sacrifices. The demon lord Belios did not appear so the event was considered a victory. The crypt was re-sealed and all the entrances double-walled.

Since that time, the King’s Guard has had very mixed feelings about the Order of the White petal. On the one hand the Order saved them from complete dishonor and probable damnation. On the other hand, the Order set themselves apart as “better” than the Guard. An odd, malleable combination of gratitude, envy and resentment simmers in the heart of the guard to this day.

The current master of the Order is Lady Wilhelma Torodi (20^th level Knight). She was appointed by the king to the post rather than rising through the ranks, but has proven to be more than capable. Overall, about 10% of the order is women and 90% men. 75% of the knights are human and the rest various other humanoid races.

The goals of the Order have not changed since the days of Agnessios the Bleak. The motto, “Serve All or None”, indicates the Order’s belief that the Kingdom of Thand is more than just the personage of the King. The common people admire and respect the Order far more than they do the King’s Guard or even the various Paladin orders, chiefly because of their actions in the defense of the Kingdom as a whole. Knights of the White Petal are usually found on the frontiers of the realm slaying monsters, killing bandits and doing other tasks which benefit the kingdom overall.

Your mentor in the order is Ser Lokas Taethon (12^th level Knight). Ser Lokas is a young (20-something) Knight with an intense desire for glory and honor. At first he resented having someone to mentor since it took away time from his adventuring. After some time you came to respect each other. You wouldn’t consider him a friend, but you feel certain that Ser Lokas would help you without a second thought if the cause were just.

You have a number of friends equal to your charisma bonus, and a number of enemies equal to your charisma bonus – 1.

Your friends in the Order:

Your enemies in the Order: