I thought I would take the time to further flesh out the world of Anglica as the players discover more facets of the world. In this one, I wanted to flesh out some knightly orders adjacent to the Order of the Black Maul, including the Black Maul. As I wrote them, it eventually turned into other groups and guilds in the world, that the party might care about, but probably won't. The Rangers of Anglica are probably going to be a new guild addition in the future as well, as some players were asking for it.
Order of the Black Maul
Members: ~1,200
The Order of the Black Maul is a knightly order founded by the great Knight-Paladin of Tyr and Lord of the Black Maul, Sir Jans Hammerwielder. Sir Jans died during a battle against a vile lich and was captured, with a Final Rest spell being laid upon him, killing him permanently. He was immortalized by his signature weapon (an obsidian maul) and many of his fellow knights followed in his footsteps, establishing an order of knights. Many of the knights come from the Free City of Gravelfield, though there are a nominal amount of Jerovian and Shireman Knights.
Weapons: two-handed weapons of any type except polearms (spears, billhooks, etc)
Armor: chainmail suits, painted pot-helms, occasionally breastplates
Colors: black and blue, checkered.
Knights of Forseti
Members: ~800
The Knights of Forseti was formed during a revolt in the year 975 K.R., when a robber baron (as he is described, despite him being a Count) demanded too much from his vassals. The First Knights, as they are known, prayed to Forseti and made a pact to uphold justice through thick and thin and swore to always be impartial to all matters and be good Lords. In return, Forseti gave them all the power to fight with the strength and prowess of ten men each.
Together, the five knights stormed the Count's Keep at night, imprisoning him and persuading his court to join his cause. Instead of killing him, he was stripped of his titles and thrown in jail. Today, the Knights of Forseti uphold justice despite not being required to, through the knowledge granted to them from Forseti. They are extremely chivalrous people and are known to be held in very high esteem by the warrior caste of Anglica.
Weapons: broad swords and maces
Armor: chainmail suits, painted full-helms, elaborately painted kite shields
Colors: azure and maroon, saltire.
Grey Paladins
Members: ~200
The Grey Paladins are warriors dedicated to Tyr. They are more like mercenaries than knights, and travel the lands looking for just conflicts to fight in to prove that their courage and military prowess. They are led by Lord Olkolfri of the North. The Grey Paladins are welcoming to all, but prefer lowborn orphans rather than grown men or lords.
Weapons: swords
Armor: chainmail suits, painted full-helms, occasionally kite shields
Colors: grey and dark blue, bordure.
Rangers of Anglica
Members: ~500
The Rangers of Anglica are a coalition of Men and Low Elves who have dedicated themselves to protecting the forests of the lands, killing monsters, tracking down bandits and other miscreants, and preventing poaching. They are known to be excellent archers compared to even the best of Anglican nobles, and are known for their rigorous training routines that focus on skirmishing combat rather than combat en masse.
Weapons: bows, seaxes
Armor: heavy cloth and cuir bouilli breastplates
Colors: no specifics; all types of brown and green.
Rangers of Thule
Members: ~150
The Rangers of Thule are much like their counterparts in Anglica, but are descendant from tribal peoples of Thule, who had many of their forests cut down when Anglican settlers arrived on Thule. They protect the forests which exist with extreme guerilla warfare, using skirmish tactics against even peasants as well as deep local trail knowledge to take on even 3:1 forces and win. Thulic Rangers are well desired among adventuring parties in Thule, but very few ever join up with them.
Weapons: bows, seaxes, hatchets
Armor: heavy cloth and furs
Colors: no specifics; all types of brown and green.
