The Order of the Amethyst Rose

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History of the Order

This order of knights and clerics was founded in Thyatis City in 630AC after a series of crimes and scandals involving chaotic cultists rocked Thyatian society, including incidents of demons being summoned. The Order of the Amethyst Rose was established to protect the Empire of Thyatis from the forces of Chaos, especially Chaos Cultists and demons. The order started out small and with good intentions. There were notable successes including the apprehension of an Imperial advisor in a shrine of Chaos in Hattias as well as the destruction of a nest of doppelgangers that had taken over an inn. The knights and clerics had purple vestments, surcoats and shields with a white flower symbol. 

In the early days of the order there were some remarkable heroes including Saint Julus Vespasius, a heroic cleric who tracked down and destroyed a vampire and its undead minions almost single handedly, and Lord Appodocius, the knight who wielded the great sword Havoc-bane. At other times the order would work with more secular authorities such as town watch and law courts to bring the followers of chaos to justice. Good and decent people liked and respected the order while Thyatian authorities viewed them as a useful ally against subversive cults. 

As the Order's fame grew and the forces of Chaos had to be countered in various towns and cities across the Thyatian Empire, the order established Chapter Houses in cities, small estates and large town houses where the knights could gather, find hospitality and plan their efforts against Chaos. To facilitate running the order, merchants and accountants were brought in. There were some wealthy patrons as well as a few bequests from nobles and merchants who had found their heirs had turned to chaos (or were just not deserving of their inheritance). 

By 900AC the Order of the Amethyst Rose had become rich and powerful and no longer the idealistic, zealous hunters of evil-doers it once was. The order's influence was strong and woe betide anyone who was criticised by or even worse investigated by the Order. But its focus had turned to managing its money, its estates and its political influence. The order had become increasingly self-serving. And it was starting to make enemies in Thyatis, few of whom had any allegience to the dark forces of Chaos. People became cynical and untrusting of what they saw as a holy facade covering a corporate and materialistic operation. The Order also made several blunders, arresting a Duke on suspicion of Chaos Worship only for it to be shown in court that the Duke had been set up by his envious brother. A so-called witch that one fanatical cleric of the order denounced was seized by a mob and hung from a tree, only for it to be revealed that she was just an ordinary magic-user. The Order expelled that cleric and tried to distance itself from the incident but the damage was done. And there were rumours among merchants that the order was using its position and reputation to gain better deals in the marketplaces. Although the Emperor and his household were never directly threatened by the order, the Imperial Court could see the wealth and power of the order increasing. 

The Fall

In 955AC there was an influx of recruits into the Order. A few of these were fighters hoping to become squires then knights. Others were clerical acolytes. One particular trio were scribes and clerks. They had some minor clerical abilities but were put to work in the order's treasury. And thus three Chaos Cultists infiltrated the Order. Exactly why they did this is still debated but there are several theories that are not mutually exclusive. Firstly the Order of the Amethyst Rose was still a threat to the cults of Chaos in Thyatis and neutralising it would have made Chaos worship somewhat safer. Secondly embezzelment is a very profitable crime if you can get away with it. Thirdly they may have been assisted and perhaps encouraged by other parties. They also managed to recruit some disillusioned and bitter members of the order, usually among the lay staff but at least two knights joined in this treachery as well. Resentment against the order was bolstered by bribes from embezzeled funds. The moles also upset those the order dealt with, sending out inappropriate demands for payment (both in tone and in accounting inaccuracy) and sending letters from the order to various Thyatian nobles  and merchants demanding favours and concessions. The Grand Master of the Order had no idea this was going on and if his lieutenants knew, they did not inform him. 

In 958 AC the Order of the Amethyst Rose came crashing down. Clerical divination by independant priests was not very thorough but the question "Are there chaos cultists in the Order of the Amethyst Rose?" was replied with a Yes. This was damning evidence for most folks including the Imperial court. The theory that the Order was like both fireman and arsonist, setting up Chaos cults and then publicly uncovering them and gaining wealth and glory as rewards circulated around Thyatis. 

At the time there were about 50 knights, 20 clerics and over 120 lay members of the order at the Amethyst Citadel, the headquarters in Thyatis. The Thyatian authorities and army first tried to enter the Amethyst Citadel armed but peacefully but the Order refused. The army then assaulted the Amethyst Citadel, with fatalities on both sides. The Grand Master and surviving members of his council were arrested on charges of worship of Chaos, as well as most of those captured alive in Thyatis. Many who resisted arrest were killed  by the army. The real chaos cultists had set up several shrines of Chaos within the Order headquarters, then fled the Citadel and then tipped off the authorities about the shrines, thus providing yet more evidence that the members of the order simply could not explain. 

Beyond the capital the Order fared little better, with chapter houses and other estates seized, and known members arrested. There were skirmishes between Thyatian authorities and the knights of the Order, such as a dozen soldiers and three knights dying in Port Lucinius when the Chapter House was stormed. Some nobles and court officials were not so hasty in their judgement and a number of members were released after being stripped of their titles and fined heavily (for the crime of being part of a banned organisation). Those who had friends outside the order willing to vouch for them were dealt with more leniently and some independent clerics realised the charges were unreasonable when multiple castings of Detect Chaos on arrested members gave no clear results. Nonetheless, the order as an organisation was finished and its members under a cloud of suspicion if not outright disgrace. 

What is left now?

The surviving members went their different ways. About one in five completely lost their faith in the philosophy of Law and became renegades, mercenaries or bandits, angry, bitter and cynical. A few even went so far as to swing completely the other way and become followers of Chaos. The Bloodied Rose was a notorious mercenary company of former knights of the Amethyst Rose, known for its amoral and uncaring attitudes that wandered the north of Thyatis (Rebius, Kantrium and the Imperial Territories) for several decades after the destruction of the original order. They had the fighting skills they had learned in the order, but none of the morality or honour. 

Some simply changed jobs entirely, becoming carpenters, merchants, inn-keepers and the like, giving themselves new lives completely separate from their lives in the order. Most people encountering them would have no idea that they were disgraced fugitives from a outlawed organisation. 

Some gave up on the order but not on the principle of Law and what the order had originally stood for. In the year after the disolution of the order, various churches of Law around the Known World and Isle of Dawn had influxes of recruits from Thyatis. The Church of Law in Specularum was bolstered by ten clerics and twice as many fighters offering to be temple guards. Fifteen Thyatian knights joined the Order of the Griffon in Specularum. Another three clerics turned up looking for shelter and jobs at the Reclusium of Serenity. Having heard of the fate of the Order of the Amethyst Rose, these churches were often quite thorough in their vetting - they had no wish to accept chaos cultists that had infiltrated one organisation into their own. A few knights of the order became questing adventurers, not attached to any church, order or liege-lord but doing on their own what they believed was necessary to fight Chaos. 

The Order of the Shattered Rose is the unofficial successor to the original order. Founded in 988AC, it has tried to learn the lessons of the past, and focuses on both combatting Chaos (both cultists and monsters) and also internal security and discipline. The Order of the Shattered Rose can seem a little paranoid about who it trusts and who it lets join but given what happened to its predecessor, this is understandable. The Order of the Shattered Rose has its headquarters in Kerandas City. But it has no chapter houses and does not seek property or wealth - it has rules about discarding or donating away things that are not strictly necessary for combatting Chaos. It donates excess money to the Thyatian Church of Law.  The Thyatian authorities are aware of the Order of the Shattered Rose and tolerate it but view it with some suspicion - it was set up by former members of the Order of the Amethyst Rose. But some other Thyatians, especially those with doubts and reservations about the accusations leveled against the original order, think this new order could be a force for good.They remember that the Amethyst Rose had fought the good fight against the evil forces of Chaos, and Thyatis needs people willing to do that duty today. 

The property and estates of the Order of the Amethyst Rose were kept by whoever seized them during the order's downfall - the Imperial government got the Amethyst Citadel and other places around Thyatis City. Other nobles and civic authorities took estates and chapter houses further afield. The Order of the Shattered Rose has made no attempt to reclaim any of these, for to do so would officially link them to the disgraced old order, as well as raising the temptation of acquring properties for the sake of money and vanity. A clean, fresh start means a completely new home, and just one modest home, for the Shattered Rose. 

The fate of the wealth accumulated by the Amethyst Rose is a mystery. It did not stay in one big lump sum. Chaos cultists within the Order immediately before the downfall managed to steal quite a lot, financing the running and operations of chaos cults across the Known World. The imperial and noble forces that stormed the Amethyst Citadel and chapter houses seized whatever they could in the name of fines and reparations. But other deposits, especially those outside Thyatis City, are completely unaccounted for. Were they stolen by other parties? Are they still held in steel vaults deep beneath chapter houses? 

At least some merchants have suggested that a sizeable amount was invested in mercantile ventures - they say some former members, both knights and lay members, set themselves up as merchant traders using money from the order - the order in its latter days certainly gave them the connections, experience and skills to do this. Thus it is believed that some of the wealth-generating operations of the order are still going, despite the end of the militant side of the order. Although some of these merchants are entirely self-serving, keeping the profits for themselves, some others remember what they once stood for and channel some of the profits to good causes, such as churches of Law, noble orders of knights and charities. When the Order of the Shattered Rose acquired its headquarters in Kerandas, it was able to pay for the manor house thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous patron. The donation came in a chest that contained thousands of gold coins and a large amethyst geode that some say looked like a flower. 

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