Order of The Iron Stake
Formed within the last ten years by the more extreme elements of older vampire and undead hunting groups, The Order of The Iron Stake (sometimes called Stake Knights or Nail Knights) is an organisation dedicated to the eradication of the undead and other foul elements that might stalk the night. Despite their relatively niche areas of interest and recent formation they have managed to garner considerable attention in eastern Siacros in no small part due to the returning power of Old Scarlet.
History
It is not uncommon to find those who hunt the undead, something practised well by the followers of Pharasma and a great many other religions besides. It can be said that these myriad groups enjoyed a great deal of success as well, so much so that the formation of the original Scarlet Kingdom was inevitable, even if the nation itself remained largely dismissive of all the conspiring circumstances of its birth. It only made sense that, with their prey so obviously displayed and collected in one place, their destination would be the frigid sub-continent.
This is where their success ends though, for while many in number they were small and disparate, unprepared for the organised power of the then powerful Scarlet Kingdom. Those that survived inevitably found their way back to The Holy See of Sarent, just across the sea, lamenting their failure but seeking a greater answer to the problem of that foul place. With so many veteran survivors collecting in one place it was only a matter of time before something clicked and the first iteration of their order was formed.
At first the order wished to honour Pharasma, combining both their religious fervour against the undead with the questionable view that such creatures, devoid of feeling in many respects, felt no pain and thus could not truly feel the weight of their sinful natures. While the order enjoyed some success, the fall of Scarlet and their dedication to one god in particular dampened their fervent flame. The organisation essentially collapsed, leaving only a handful of founders and loyal inquisitors to curse their former comrades for their abandonment without ever having gotten started.
Those left underwent a transformation of sorts under the guidance of the charismatic and driven Sabine Nabras, shedding their adherence to Pharasma and dedicating themselves instead to their craft. While not terribly popular, the collapse of The Scarlet Kingdom and their smaller but more specialised teams were able to conduct a number of successful purges on the lesser vampire courts on the frigid sub-continent. These experiences and successes had them hone their craft, leading to their unique ‘Stake and Hammer’ style of fighting and the nicknames 'Stake Knights' or 'Nail Knights' for their rank and file.
The return to form of Old Scarlet in the last twelve years was nothing short of a godsend for the Inquisition, even if they hardly saw it as such. Taking advantage of fear in Sarent and further afield garnered them a great many new recruits, frustrated with the lack of action against the obviously foul and evil nation across the sea. When contrasted against the usually reckless actions of adventurers, cleansing evil despite politics, it's easy to see why with the relative inaction where Scarlet is concerned.
As time goes on The Order goes from strength to strength politically. With the ever-decreasing presence of heaven's own army they have been able to entice yet more recruits to their ranks, positioning themselves as a major military power against Old Scarlet and in defence of Sarent in general.
This has worked equal wonders for their political sway also, putting the Kingdom in an awkward position in which it barely holds its own. This alone bodes well for the Nailknights, but international ambitions grip them also. With the recent catastrophe at The Battle of Broken Shield and the rising anti-vampire sentiment, Order operatives have unofficially been dispatched to stoke the fires even further while more open efforts have been to establish a foothold in the Setlaar state. Whether this is simply a political move or a method of generating more recruits is unknown, but even limited success in the far greater scale that is the Setlaar spells massive gains for the faction.
On a far lesser scale, some preliminary agents have been dispatched to Aetveris with the goal of simply going about their business and purging evil on a more traditional level. The shared hatred of undead allows for some common ground, though Aetveran officialls are keenly aware of the frankly barbaric methods.
With now a sizeable army and a clear foe, the inquisition is poised to deliver a bloody and painful reckoning to the monsters that dwell in the shadows, all the while pressuring Sarent into action with the growing political power.
Beliefs
While not bound to the worship of any god they were founded as such and bear the hallmarks of a well organised cult with their own near-religious beliefs centering around the violent and painful destruction of the undead. This hatred manifests in extreme fervour that is encouraged and celebrated within the organisation.
Pain
The Order’s obsession with pain is rooted more clearly in the extremist Pharasman concept of suffering as the necessary opposite to joy and comfort and differs greatly from the Kuthonian ideal. To The Order pain is a weapon, but also a necessary part of life that brings sharp focus to the brighter experiences. To that end those that cannot feel pain or suffering are innately immoral, in need of purging to rid the world of their impurity. This belief is directed at the undead, though it certainly colours a negative perception of all other beings that shirk this aspect of mortality.
It is with this in mind, and the adaptation of vampire hunting techniques, that they developed the ‘Stake and Hammer’ signature style of combat, imbuing themselves and their equipment with divine energies to deliver pain to those unaccustomed to its sting.
They do not engage in ritual torture of their own members or those not considered the enemy, believing in delivering pain to the impure rather than revelling in suffering. More extreme and zealous members do, however, exalt in what pain comes their way, believing it makes victory and their duty all the more satisfying when carried out.
Purity
The concept of purity is an interesting one where The Inquisition is concerned, derived first and foremost by an ability to feel and a sense of genuine mortal struggle. It is for this reason that pain features so heavily within their doctrine. It would not be accurate to say that this is why they loathe the undead, for it is more the case that their loathing for the undead formed this conception of purity and now leaks into other aspects of their beliefs.
Of the many things that violate this principal of purity, a prevalent one in newer doctrine is that of physical augmentation and prosthetics. These are so shunned for their unnatural nature and how they theoretically deny the user natural sensation, pain particularly. Most other 'sins' against purity relate to matters often beyond the sinner's control, such as not needed to sleep or eat, or not aging and being immortal. How this plays into their perception of those 'Sparked' or 'Exceptional' is unknown at this time.
Intolerance
Something of a hallmark where fanatics are concerned, The Order no exception. Where the undead are concerned, there can be no tolerance or forgiveness under any circumstance. The common practice for a defeated foe is to stake them and make a public example of what corruption earns you in the end.
This attitude extends further to those that do tolerate the undead, though for political reasons they do not always have the ability to act on their zealous impulses. All the same it is not uncommon to hear tales of what befalls average human villagers that dwell within Greater Morley when The Order conduct one of their purges. Even within Sarent there are displays made of supposed ‘Scarlet agents’ that have been caught and given a brutal, prolonged execution.
Presence and Holdings
The Order of The Iron Stake has managed to acquire holdings in a few different places across Chronus, though they are centrally based within The Holy See of Sarent.
The Holy See of Sarent
Founded in Sarent and based there still, The Order enjoy great popularity in the land of Sarenrae's chosen. This is particularly true on the eastern coast and within the port city of Ember where they have their bastion and base of operations. Here they have all but supplanted the traditional Sarenite clergy, their own faithful dominating the city council and armoured nailknights patrolling the streets in place of a town guard. The same can be said of Cinder, another town in the eastern region of Sarent, and Scoria further towards the north. In these places it is not uncommon for prolonged, public executions to be held, making a grand show of the suffering due to the corrupt, garnering a disturbingly rapturous audience of faithful each time. Beyond their walls, grizzly displays are often found at the roadside, less grandiose executions carried out by patrolling Nailknights. Whether living still in agony or blissfully expired, these serve as a distinct warning as to The Order's control.
In the more central and western parts of Sarent their presence is distinctly less common, though most towns and cities will still have at least one minor enclave of their cult. Their members there are far less vocal and violent, unable to get away with their gruesome displays of violent punishment. Theirs is more a diplomatic role, aimed at turning people to their cause through preaching and campaigning.
Setlaar States
With the recent turmoil in the wake of The Battle of Broken Shield, The Order has opted to deploy some of their number overseas to take advantage of the turmoil, directly opposing 'The Fanguard'. Initially their efforts had been violent, taking the opportunity where law fails to execute them and demonstrate action over words in their solidarity with the Setlaari people. This is not to say they have no words, for they spoke a great deal on the danger of these growing vampire enclaves and espouse the threat to society they are. Their sensationalising and dramatization of the problem persists even now, with most of their more active agents withdrawn in favour of political agitators and more reserved personnel capable of setting down longer lasting and more persistent roots within the Setlaari infrastructure. It is rumoured that these ambitions also extend to establishing more corporate interests, though this has yet to be substantiated.
The Nation of Aetveris
The Nailknight cult has had an eye on Aetveris for a while, namely on account of a shared hatred of the undead and as a result of Mishael's earlier visit to the nation some years ago. Currently activity there is exceedingly light, a few agents at most acting as travelling knights to smite evil and preach their doctrine. An official visit is certainly on the cards, supposedly with a mind to secure approval for the cult and aid against Scarlet, but nothing has yet transpired.
Relations
The Order has a somewhat complicated relationship with nations (especially Sarent) and other groups, largely as a result of their intolerance. With that said pragmatism does still hold sway over the leadership, forcing them to conduct amicably where otherwise their zeal might get the better of them.
Old Scarlet
The sworn enemy, neatly packaged and presented in one place. Old Scarlet represents everything The Order hates and despises and is practically the reason for their formation. There is no room for mercy, no diplomacy to be had. Scarlet will fall, or they will.
This attitude extends, sadly, to the living populations there, even those regular humanoids. Explained to be either too corrupt for having dwelt there too long or complicit by their presence, they too are expected to suffer alongside their supposed ‘masters’.
The Holy See of Sarent
The relationship with Sarent’s official government and clergy is a tense one with both sides holding their ground to avoid what could well be an outright conflict. The Order is greatly displeased by Sarent’s unwillingness to commit to a war with Scarlet and their doctrine's clash fiercely on the matter of tolerance. Sarent dislikes the pressure being put on them, the unrest stirred up by their warmongering passions and the way in which the cult has practically wrested control of an entire region from them.
Unfortunately for Sarent it is rather too late to do anything about The Order which is acknowledged and partially funded through an old defence initiative. This, the rise of Old Scarlet and a questionably competent military force of their own combine with the grip the cult has on a large swathe of the populace to make expelling the zealots a dangerously risky proposition.
Sparkholders
It is difficult to say quite how they feel about Sparked. On the one hand, a pure and righteous Sparkholder may well be a blessing but the vast majority tend to be quite the opposite. Suffice to say they’ve worked with them on occasion, though they like to avoid it where possible.
Setlaar States
From their doctrine and practices the Setlaar are an inherently immoral nation, though their wealth of resources, both human and otherwise, are alluring enough to halt any open critique. Instead The Order have opted to deploy agents and set down roots, agitating politically and pushing for policy change while alluding to conspiracy theories about vampiric and undead influence in The Ministry.
Other Nations
Those nations besides Scarlet and Sarent are practically off of their radar entirely. No one nation stands out as being particularly corrupt (with the exception of The Tidal Empire) and so they seem content to ignore them for now. Small changes in their scripture and doctrine may well alter this however.
Equipment
While the typical vampire hunter relies on light defences and speed to avoid attacks, The Order takes a different approach that supports their greater numbers and the general, lower skill level of their rank and file.
Armour
Taking inspiration from paladins more than hunters, the bulk of The Order’s forces make use of heavy armour, consecrated against their foes. Ordinarily this would be prohibitively expensive, but advances in production and manufacturing have made it far easier to outfit entire armies in what is effectively a full set of plate armour. This armour is then further enhanced by subtle tweaks and the addition of light, internal servomotors to ease movement and enhance the strength of the wearer.
Some veteran members do still harken back to the group's hunter origins though, especially those founding members, far more in line with what you might expect of a nimble vampire hunter.
Weapons
A warhammer and as many metal stakes as one can carry (usually between ten and fifteen), the signature weaponry of The Order. Blunt weapons are very effective against a wide variety of undead, and their iron stakes have obvious efficacy against vampiric foes. The ‘Stake and Hammer’ style tends to work very well against the living as well, painful and debilitating as it is.
The stakes themselves ironically tend to be made of either steel or silver rather than iron, though some higher ranking members make use of mithril for its increased durability and silver-like properties. All of them are consecrated as well, one of the more ritualistic practices of The Order, much like their warhammers.
As with their armour, technology also comes into play here through the use of pneumatic pressure build and release mechanisms built into their warhammers. The obvious benefit is a far greater and more powerful impact on a blow that releases the built pressure, though naturally this also gives them more driving power when hammering in one of their stakes.
Enhancements
While physical augmentation itself is frowned upon and arcane powers are mistrusted, alchemical enhancement seems to have escaped stigma. While not often talked about, it is an open secret that the organisation makes heavy use of enhancing narcotics and alchemical formulae to bridge the gap between mortal and monster.
While this on its own isn’t reprehensible, at least some of the various concoctions are rumoured to be addictive and highly so, creating a dependence that entraps those otherwise less invested, ensuring loyalty while the doctrine sinks in. This only enhances The Order’s cultish behaviour and operation and has no doubt contributed greatly to their growth through retained membership.