Branches of the Order of the Griffon

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The Order of the Griffon, introduced in Gaz1: The Grand Duchy of Karameikos, is an order of knights who have sworn to support the Church of Karameikos. The church of Karameikos, unlike the Church of Halav, is definitely of Thyatian, not Traladaran, origin, and so many of the knights of the Griffon are of Thyatian heritage. Even those members who are not Thyatian are at least comfortable working alongside Thyatians. That is not to say the Order of the Griffon or the Church of Karameikos are loyal to the Empire of Thyatis and its government, only that they recognise where they come from. 

The Order of the Griffon consists primarily of human fighters and clerics, both male and female. Other races and classes are rare, though the Order does allow associate members who can be of any class or race. Clerics, of course, belong to the Church of Karameikos and are often in positions of authority. It is possible for clerics of other faiths to be associates, though they would need good reasons for doing so, and the knights would want a reason to let them. Although officially there are no numbers for membership of the Order of the Griffon I would suggest 350 knights and 200 other personnel including associate members and loyal servants. 

The Church of Karameikos has parishes and bishoprics across the nation, centred in the major towns where Duke Stefan Karameikos’ influence is strongest. As such the knights are also based in these towns, supporting and protecting the church and occasionally going on missions that the church requires.  Also worth noting is that the Church of Karameikos does not revere saints and ascended immortals the same way the Church of Traladara or Cult of Halav does. The Church of Traladara focuses on the legendary figures King Halav, Queen Petra and Zirchev while the Church of Karameikos, while it does have some saints, is focused on the philosophy and principles of the Lawful alignment. Saints in the Church of Karameikos are nice to have and recognised but incidental. As one cleric put it “We traditionally put principles before personalities”. 

The major branches of the Order of the Griffon include:

Specularum

The headquarters of the Order of the Griffon is not actually inside Specularum but 3 miles outside the walls to the west, in a small castle officially called Arragescu Keep (named after the impoverished noble family who sold it to the Order) but unofficially known as the Griffon’s Roost. The keep has been renovated and expanded with a new outer curtain wall and buildings in the new courtyard, including stables, smithy, carpenter and leather worker. There is usually some traffic between Arragescu and Specularum, communications with the Patriarch of the Church of Karameikos being the main reason. There are generally 80 knights and 80 other folks in the keep at any one time. 

NPCs include:

• Lord Oliver Jowett (human male, 12th level cleric, lawful) Patriach of Specularum, Master of the Order of the Griffon. See p49 of Gaz1 for details. Although he is included here, he is a regular visitor, not a resident. He spends most of his time in Specularum itself. 
• Lady Mehesda Trandescu (human female, 10th level fighter, lawful), commander of Arragescu Keep. She is not of noble birth but rose up through the ranks, and she gets annoyed with anyone who has a problem with that (usually Thyatian nobles). She oversees recruitment and training, and also dealing with problems in the Specularum area. 
• Sir Barrastor Strongsword (human male, 8th level fighter, Neutral), is Lady Mehesda's lieutenant and generally takes responsibility for operations and patrols, fending off pirates and the occasional marauding monster. 
• Chaplain Aldara (human female, 7th level cleric, lawful), is the most senior resident chaplain at Arragescu Keep and she has a team of priests and acolytes working under her. 

Kelvin

With the ruler of Kelvin, Baron Desmond Kelvin II, being a senior commander in the Order of the Griffon, as well as the bishop of the town, Kelvin is the second most important base for the Order. Unlike Specularum, the Knights of the Griffon are based in the heart of the town, in Castle Kelvin itself. 50 knights and 25 associates are based here, alongside feudal troops. Kelvin is an important town for recruitment as well. As knights often walk the streets of Kelvin they are seen by the public including impressionable youngsters. Although not required to give recruitment speeches, the knights are reminded that they should make a good impression on the public in Kelvin, or at least not bring the Order into disrepute.   

NPCs include: 

• Baron Desmond Kelvin II, (human male, 10th level cleric, lawful), ruler of the town of Kelvin. See p56 of Gaz1 for details
• Lady Celestine Switfsure (human female, 10th level fighter, lawful), is in charge of military operations and planning. Like the baron, she is both part of the Order of the Griffon and part of Kelvin's feudal command. She is quite ambitious and strident in her plans, and the Baron and other senior members sometimes have to reign her in a bit and scale down her planned offensives. She has a special hatred of orcs, and will go out of her way to kill them and drive them away from Kelvin. 
• Curate Darranius (human male, 6th level cleric, lawful), is in charge of the contingent of combat clerics and oversees matters of healing, discipline and morale. 

Threshold

This town, as the name suggests, is at the forefront of the push between civilization and wilderness. The Church of Karameikos has established a small temple here and a number of parishioners. The Knights of the Griffon have not acquired their own stronghold here so instead they are allowed to share the barracks with the feudal troops. There are 30 knights, 10 associated members and 14 non-combat personnel. As well as protecting the clerics of the church they sometimes assist the local soldiers in dealing with monstrous threats to the town and its citizens. 

NPCs include:m

• Aleena Halaran, (human female, 12th level cleric, lawful) based in Threshold. See p57 of Gaz1 for details. Although not officially the commander for the Order in Threshold, Aleena has become the default leader. 

Penhaligon

My ideas about the town of Penhaligon are described here. The chapel of the Church of Karameikos has been established here for over 70 years and there has been a steady presence of 15 knights and 10 other members since then. Both the church and the Order of the Griffon see Penhaligon as playing a similar role as Threshold, a bastion of law and civilization, fending off the encroaching wilderness and forces of Chaos. However, the current ruler of Penhaligon,  Lady Arteris Penhaligon, seems to favour the newer Order of the Green Claw. 

NPCs of the Order include:

• Sir Torgan the Stoic (human male, 7th level fighter, Lawful) is the commander of the contingent in Penhaligon. He understands that the Order of the Griffon should not clash with the Order of the Green Claw but cooperate, or at least not interfere with each other. On top of that he also talks to the captain of the feudal forces of Penhaligon to see where the Knights of the Griffon are best deployed. 
• Bishop Orthellia (human female, 8th level cleric, lawful) is Sir Torgan's deputy and also the most senior cleric of the church of Karameikos in Penhaligon. She can be uptight and fussy, and doesn't like things getting out of control. She also doesn't like the Order of the Green Claw - she considers them a rag-tag bunch of adventurers looking for fame and glory rather than following orders and serving the church and state. 

Luln

Luln, described here, only has a small chapel of the Church of Karameikos - the church of Traladara is much more popular among the population. As such the Order only has a token presence here - a squad of 5 knights. This is not enough for significant operations, or even to defend the town from an attacking force. The knights here are really to act as bodyguards for the 6 clerics of the Church of Karameikos, who are outnumbered by the Church of Traladara.