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Order of the Dawn

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tagseraedal, faction, ptolus, order-of-the-dawn, chivalry, paladins, holy

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Information
Faction TierMajor Militant Chivalric Order & Holy Crusader Chapter
AffiliationThe Church Militant; Divided between The Order of Light & The Imperial Rite
HeadquartersThe Iron Tower, Temple District, Ptolus
Supreme CommanderKnight-Commander Darien Tallhart (Old Blood); Dame Seneschal Shannon (New Dawn)
Holy SymbolA radiant golden sunburst rising behind a vertical silver broadsword
Primary PerilThe Internal Schism (Ideological fracturing between Western Imperial Warmongers and Eastern Defenders of the Radiance)

⚔️ Overview: The Contested Sword of the Faith

The Order of the Dawn is the premier, most visible, and militarily formidable holy knightly order stationed within Ptolus. Quartered within the brooding basalt fortress of The Iron Tower in the heart of the Temple District, the Dawn knights are celebrated across the city as the glittering, plate-armored champions of justice who patrol the upper walls, lead strike forces into the monster-haunted Necropolis, and stand as the living bulwark against the darkness rising from the subterranean undercity.

However, behind their polished gold-trimmed shields and fluttering heraldic sunburst banners, the Order of the Dawn is a house violently divided against itself.

Historically founded as the grand militant arm of the Western Empire’s Church in Caer Itom, the Order underwent a catastrophic identity crisis following the fall of the capital in 702 IA. Today, the Order is fractured into two distinct ideological camps living under the same vaulted roof:

                          ┌───────────────────────────────────────┐
                          │         The Order of the Dawn         │
                          │       (Headquarters: Iron Tower)      │
                          └───────────────────┬───────────────────┘
                                              │
              ┌───────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────┐
              ▼                                                               ▼
┌───────────────────────────────┐                               ┌───────────────────────────────┐
│ The Western Loyalists         │                               │ The Knights of the Radiance   │
│ ("The Old Blood")             │                               │ ("The New Dawn")              │
├───────────────────────────────┤                               ├───────────────────────────────┤
│ • Fealty: Holy Emperor        │                               │ • Fealty: Prince Kirian       │
│   [[Rehobath Ylestos]]        │                               │   & The City of [[Ptolus]]    │
│ • Dogma: [[Imperial Rite]]    │                               │ • Dogma: [[Order of Light]]   │
│ • Deities: [[Iomedae]] as     │                               │ • Deities: [[Sarenrae]]       │
│   First Sword of [[Aroden]]   │                               │   & [[Iomedae]] (Living Gods) │
│ • Mission: Secure Banewarren  │                               │ • Mission: Shield Ptolus from │
│   relics; march west to win   │                               │   undead, chaos, and foreign  │
│   the [[Three-way Civil War]] │                               │   imperial conscription       │
└───────────────────────────────┘                               └───────────────────────────────┘

🏛️ The Two Factions of the Iron Tower

1. The Old Blood (Western Imperial Loyalists)

  • The Cadre: Composed of battle-scarred paladins, high officers, and noble scions who fled Caer Itom alongside Holy Emperor Rehobath Ylestos.
  • The Ideology: Devout adherents of the Imperial Rite. They do not view Iomedae in isolation, but strictly as the First Sword of Aroden. To them, the survival of human civilization is inextricably bound to the restoration of the Lion-Guarded Throne.
  • The Mission: Commanded by the stern, uncompromising Knight-Commander Darien Tallhart, the Old Blood views Ptolus merely as a frontier staging garrison. They actively assist Grand Inquisitor Frederick Vane in hunting down ancient Azlanti superweapons in the Banewarrens, preparing for the day Rehobath sounds the holy crusade to march west.

2. The New Dawn (Knights of the Radiance)

  • The Cadre: Composed of locally born Ptolus knights, seasoned delvers who took holy vows, and young crusaders who have served under Prince Kirian Ylestos since before the imperial civil war began.
  • The Ideology: Sworn champions of the global Order of Light. Their devotion belongs to living gods: the mercy, healing, and holy fire of Sarenrae and the compassionate justice of Iomedae. They reject the Western Empire’s authoritarian human supremacy.
  • The Mission: Guided by Dame Seneschal Shannon, the New Dawn believes their sacred duty begins and ends with the protection of Ptolus’s mortal citizens. They refuse to spill blood in foreign imperial civil wars and look upon the snooping inquisitors of the Imperial Rite with deep disgust, warning that tampering with the Banewarrens will release doom upon the city.

⚔️ Pathfinder 2e Remaster Mechanics

Knights of the Order of the Dawn are formidable champions trained in heavy armor mastery and radiant divine strikes:

KNIGHT OF THE DAWN (CRUSADER)                                       CREATURE 6
UNCOMMON | MEDIUM | HUMANOID | HOLY
Perception +14
Languages Common, Celestial, Imperial High Prustan
Skills Athletics +15, Religion +14, Diplomacy +12, Warfare Lore +13
Str +4, Dex +1, Con +3, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha +3
Items +1 Resilient Full Plate, +1 Striking Sun-Broadsword, Steel Shield (Hardness 7)

AC 25 (27 with shield raised); Fort +15, Ref +11, Will +14
HP 95
Retributive Strike (Reaction) Trigger: An enemy within 15 feet damages an ally; Effect: The Knight strikes the triggering enemy, and the ally gains resistance 8 against all damage from the triggering strike.

Speed 20 feet
Melee [one-action] Sun-Broadsword +17 (magical, versatile P, holy), Damage 2d8+6 slashing plus 1d6 spirit
Divine Prepared Spells (DC 22, attack +14)
  2nd—Cleanse Affliction, Holy Light (x2)
  1st—Sure Strike, Sanctuary, Heal
Radiant Flare [two-actions] (divine, light) Frequency: Once per day; Effect: The Knight raises their blade. A burst of blinding solar daylight erupts in a 20-foot emanation. Undead and fiends in the area take 4d6 vitality damage (DC 22 basic Fortitude save) and are Dazzled for 1 minute on a failure (Blinded for 1 round on a critical failure).

🧭 Campaign Significance & Tensions

  • The Banewarren Rifts: Inside the barracks of The Iron Tower, rumors of the breached Banewarrens have driven the two factions close to open blows. When Knight-Commander Tallhart orders squads to escort Inquisitor Frederick Vane into the undercity, New Dawn knights often leak patrol routes to the Knights of the Golden Cross or Castle Shard to prevent disaster.
  • The Adventurers’ Stance: Because the adventurers hold the Chaos Spirit Key and operate under the patronage of Lord Zavere, Old Blood inquisitors treat them as dangerous rogue heretics, while New Dawn paladins may offer them emergency medical aid, sanctuary, and discreet warnings.

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