3/5/03 by GM Warden

 

The Order of the Golvern Star (OGS) was created as one of several militaristic NPC organizations for GMs to work with in presenting an imperial perspective on various roleplaying issues. As players have noted, many specifics about the Order are unknown by the general population. Some is due to us not documenting every detail about every part of the empire. Detailing the OGS, the Imperial Drakes, the Horned Cabal, and other factions/organizations mentioned in the histories isn't really appropriate for a general history timeline or culture document. That being said, the OGS is by far the most developed of any of the imperial organizations. However, much of the lack of player-viewable documentation on the OGS is due to the Order being largely secretive regarding their training and tenets.

There is a lot about the OGS that is intended for GM-eyes-only in determining their motives in various events and how to RP them that we consider necessary to remain undisclosed. As such, when we created the order's basic structure, tenets, and charter, we specifically decided that the order would remain NPC-only. This doesn't mean that players can't find ways to claim that they have interacted with the OGS in the past, but it does mean that we do not intend to recognize any PC claims of membership or ex-membership as officers, etc., alterations implying membership notwithstanding. I would imagine that a player could craft a claim of being invited but dropping out of the training early on in the process, tho' again, it would gain the player no official recognition.

I have never before seen the information from the mentor website, and I think it needs to be emphasized that the information there is not official. As an observation on the information presented there, the OGS is not directly associated with the imperial military structure. The Golvern Star is a separate entity that often assists the imperial military in times of battle; from the perspective of training, chain of command, and day-to-day functions, the two are completely separate. Even along the Demonwall, battle plans are coordinated between the military and the OGS leadership, but the organizations do not mingle for patrols or combat. In addition to the clips from Nofret's post, I believe that Sir Edumond has provided more information on the OGS in his various appearances.

In response to the questions regarding information that would be known by the general population, I offer the following:

The citizens of the empire have lifted the Order of the Golvern Star to almost mythical status due to their constant battling against the Scourge, and it is considered a great (and rare) honor to be asked to join their ranks. Individually, OGS knights are formidable opponents, and it is generally believed that only the best of knights from other orders are on a comparable martial level. However, as a group, the OGS knights are considered to be virtually unstoppable. Their discipline, unflinching adherence to orders, fearlessness, and lack of compunction in carrying out their duties make them a unit with a single-mindedness that is, at times, terrifying to observe. Their might at arms is seldom on display for the general populace, however, as the OGS is rarely involved in conflict in the inner empire. The majority are stationed along the Demonwall, either near Barrett's Gorge to combat the Scourge, or along the southern border to aid Duke Chandrennin.

Only slightly less so than the legends of their martial skill, the members of the OGS are renowned for their incredible, some say inhuman, mental and emotional discipline. Beyond the fierce resolve displayed in their approach to combat and their duties, this discipline has given them a large degree of resistance against mind and emotion-based attacks, such as the aura of terror and despair exuded by demons and some of their spawn.

The membership of the OGS is strictly human, strictly warriors, predominantly male, and only gained through invitation. Nobility is not a prerequisite for knighthood in this organization. Early in the training, candidates are given the opportunity to decline to proceed (a common occurrence), at which point they are dismissed from the Order without loss of honor. Reports from those who have declined membership at this point have indicated that the training focuses on rigorous mental and emotional discipline, absolute submission to the commands of their direct superior, and intensified training at arms.

Once joining, a member of the OGS is considered always on duty. Nobles or members with obligations outside of the Order are relieved of those obligations. Land and wealth are either given to a relative or donated to the OGS to be overseen by one of the Order's seneschals (typically elder members of the Order). Marriage is not prohibited outright by the Order, but it is rare for married candidates to proceed beyond the initial stage of training, and rarer still for a knight to have children. It is unheard of for an OGS knight to marry after joining the Order.

The Order has a fair amount of wealth as a result of the donations of prospective members, but they are not an economic force within the empire. The wealth generated from their property is primarily used to maintain the needs of the Order.

While some of the OGS knights were knights in other orders prior to joining the OGS, the OGS is not a chivalric order per se. In many ways they are more myrmidons with an extreme sense of duty and discipline than righteous cavaliers pursuing the chivalric ideal, though their beliefs overlap in several areas. The members of the OGS do not engage in tournament competition with the chivalric orders of the empire, and they often ignore individual challenges to duel from those whom they consider inferior foes. Most OGS members were not knights of other Orders prior to joining the Golvern Star; few knights are willing to humble themselves to take the status of squire in the OGS after having attained knighthood elsewhere.

The OGS does not have law enforcement authority unless it is bestowed by the Emperor, a Sentinel, or the lord of whatever territory they inhabit. However, since the OGS has a primary purpose of defending the Empire against the Scourge and places its forces there unless needed elsewhere, it is likely that an OGS knight found elsewhere in the Empire is acting with the authority of the Empire or one of her nobles. For the occasions when the OGS has need of law enforcement authority for their own affairs, the Order must request bestowal of this authority from the Emperor, a Sentinel, or the territorial lord. When such authority is requested by the OGS, it is seldom denied.

The Order will occasionally accept special missions for the imperial throne, or infrequently for their own purposes. The nature of these missions is rarely revealed, though the missions are evidenced by occasional spottings of OGS knights, alone or in small groups, in various regions of the Empire and on the frontiers. The OGS is autonomous by and large, but it honors all requests from the imperial throne, and it is recognized by would-be usurpers as an unshakeable, loyal foe. Other nobles of baronial rank and above may request the aid of the OGS at times, primarily as escorts or security for internal diplomatic events where a neutral party is desired, and the Order rarely declines.

Finally, there are more than three dozen other orders in the Turamzzyrian Empire, and most have a more chivalric bent than the Golvern Star. While the OGS is certainly the order with the greatest historical effect on the Empire, some of these other orders play key roles in patrolling the fringes of Ba'Lathon, combatting the Horned Cabal along the southern borders, defending against Tehir raids, protecting overland trade routes throughout the Empire's interior, and maintaining imperial control over the western edge of the DragonSpine. While again, I would not expect GMs to officially recognize any claims of knighthood or nobility, there are plenty of opportunities for players to create chivalric backgrounds for their PCs.

Warden