The Order of St Peter

[FORƎST 1312]

The Apostolic Order of Saint Peter the Sword of the Morning

 

“I kneel to no man.”

-The words of Lucien, High Pontiff, upon the Kaedreni court’s tribute to the newly proclaimed King in the West, dated 1413.

 

The First Crusade began in the year of our lord, 1416, commissioned by High Pontiff Lucien I. The intent of the First Crusade was to secure the relics of one ‘John de Burcard’, an ancient messiah who had perished on a mission to convert the orcish savages to the faith of the one God. He had been martyred while there, and the High Pontiff had declared the land on which he walked sanctified. This crusade was chiefed by the newly-created holy Order known as the Order of Saint Amyas, led by their Grand Master, Guy de Varodyr, a sellsword part of a distant cadet branch of the noble line of Varodyr, who travelled to the orcish lands accompanied by Goddard of Salvus.

 

During the First Crusade, the knights of Saint Amyas enjoyed a relatively short lived success, fending off multiple Orcish raids and skirmishes with an arsenal of tactical genius, brilliant fort design and the will to serve the Creator to any lengths from its members. While taking residence in the sanctified ground that was considered the Holy Land, they built the stronghold of Fort Antrim, acclaimed as uncapturable. After two years occupying the Holy Land, Grand Master Guy created the title of the Prince of Junavos, the stronghold’s attendant lands becoming the independent crusader principality of Junavos. Eventually the knights were recalled to the Empire by Lucien I and were forced to relinquish their nascent crusader state, ending the holy war for good.

 

Though the First Crusade was largely unsuccessful, it planted the roots of Lucienism, a system of belief that is largely condemned by the current Patriarch of  House Ashford, who considers it ancestor worship. The Order of St Peter takes its name after a particularly glorious moment in human history, when Ser Peter Chivay, ‘the Sword of the Morning’ put the pagans of Malinor to the blade and torch.

 

 

“O most Holy Emperor, you have called upon this humble servant of yours for his counsel, and he shall give it to you. For far too long have we remained idle in the face of the elven menace. We have done nothing except be moderate with them, destroying them on the field and making peace with them after two or three battles. I am not a military strategist, but even I may tell you that this is naught but folly - we must teach Malinor a lesson once and for all. They provoke us, harrying our borders and raiding our villages - do you forget that I have been to Malinor and seen their way of life, how they pray for their dark gods to strike us down? Your Imperial Majesty, if you will not subjugate Malinor, then I swear by God’s blood that Kaedrin and Savoy will. And when the bones of a hundred thousand elves crunch beneath our sabatons, you will sit upon your throne in Abresi in envy, for we will have conquered for ourselves a place in the sun, whereas you will have existed in naught but your father’s shadow.”

-The words of Hadrien de Sarkozy, Count of Norfolk, at the court of Abresi, upon being called to give Emperor Horen V his counsel on the tribulations of Malinor, dated 1414.

 

 

Shortly after the settlement of the Blackwald swamp, they Savoyards were besieged upon all sides by both natural and supernatural means. This lead the Savoyards, a people who were always of a flamenist persuasion, to be even more militaristic, this of course would bleed into their cult of God. Due to the low canonist presence in the Blackwald, the feudal overtook the clerical society, often having lay preachers in the employ of local lords. Eventually lay preaching decreased and the number of clergy in Blackwald increased, yet the duke’s influence was felt even more so. The duke would often appoint senior clergy members and had an almost Pontifical amount of influence in the church, this amount of control also shed into the choosing of the Patriarch, a self granted title of the Bishop of Savoy. These factors lead to the revival of a religious fervor not witnessed since the Schismatic Campaigns of  the Order of St. Amyas in the 1490s.

 

A depiction of a battlefield left behind after the Duke’s war

 

Tenants and Beliefs of the Order

 

Flamenism

The Orderman will take up arms with the priests, who shave their head and face and wield blunt weapons to bring God’s justice to the world. For the only way to achieve the kingdom of God is by the sword, by exorcising the world with steel and flame akin to Exalted Owyn.

 

Saintly Intercession

The Orderman will keep a saint’s icon or statue at their home altar. Whether of the Saint Thomas, Saint Peter, Saint Lucien or Saint Amyas. The Orderman will venerate the saints so that the saints will beseech God to aid their venerator.

 

The Sacraments

The Orderman will uphold the sacrament of baptism, emulating the actions of Tesion and Horen in the grotto of gamesh.

 

The Orderman will uphold the sacrament of ordination, when a man is ordained to the cloth living his life in service to God.

 

The Orderman will uphold the sacrament perfection, where one, be it man or woman, fully dedicates his life to God, becoming truly good and being in a state of perfect communion with God in the eyes of the Owynists.

 

The Orderman will uphold the sacrament of marriage, a state which has been ordained holy since the times of Horen, an unbreakable bond between a man and a woman.

 

Salvation

The Orderman will show patience with his canonist brethren, who would preach that non-humans may ascend into the seven skies, which is plainly heretical.

 

Obedience

The Orderman will relay his commands when given orders by those above him, and follow his instructions with devoted loyalty. For he need only look to the man to his left or right to hear the word of God.

 

A young Andrew Vydra meets with the great Savoyard host to wage holy war upon Aesterwald

 

The Rank and File of the Order

 

All members of the Order are beholden to Senior Command and are expected to obey their authority in all matters or face the consequences. Members of Senior Command lead the Order in battle and in times of peace. In order to advance to officer, a perspective Errant must go on a Pilgrimage and return with a physical token of his newfound wisdom.

 

Imperial knights are recognized by the order, and will have their rank affirmed accordingly. Any knighted man in the Footman Corps will be hereinafter known as a ‘Knight-Brother’. Knights residing in any of the higher corps will simply have the title prefixed before rank. For example, a Brother-Captain would become Knight-Captain, a Brother-Lieutenant to Knight-Lieutenant and so forth.

 

As an Orderman, you are expected to familiarize yourself with your rank’s authorities and duties, and you must remember that overstepping your authority may result in disciplinary action. The rank-specific authority and duties are as follows:

 

The Footman Corps

 

Proselyte

The Proselyte has no authority in the military. The recruit must know his place at all times, and should remember that only efficiency, devotion, and effectiveness will allow him to progress. The recruit may not command other recruits. The recruit is expected to be baptised before joining. If he is not, the Order will arrange for his baptism.

 

Battle-Brother

The Battle-Brother does not have the authority to command Proselytes below him. The Battle-Brothers may participate in scouting parties outside of the local area, so long as the mission is approved by a member of the command corps.

 

Sword-Brother

The Swordbrethren are are the elite of the Enlisted, and can command any lower ranked Enlisted freely. The Primus may take command of a larger patrol, and conduct missions such as scouting, reconnaissance, and mounted patrols of the region they are stationed in.

 

Brother-Errant

The Errant is a stern and charismatic disciplinary that is well-versed in the principles of warfare and combat, often spending time with newly-enlisted soldiers to educate them. They also are expected to organize and establish drills and exercises.

 

The Officer Corps

 

Brother-Sergeant

The Sergeant is a member of Middle Command, and therefore can command all ranks below him. The Sergeant is required to lead patrols of the local area, ensure all outposts of the Order are manned when possible, and report to their respective Officer regularly to keep proper awareness of the Enlisted. The Ensign is expected to carry out his orders to the letter, and ensure subordination within the ranks by showing an aptitude for leadership.

 

Brother-Captain

Captains are steely men who have spent much of their lives in single service to the cause of the church with great and incomparable vigor. Born leaders and veterans of conflicts both internal and external, they are chosen from soldiers demonstrating great courage and aptitude as Errant, thereafter serving as staunch examples of the ideal soldier.  From this collection of puissant and capable commanders, the Grandmaster’s Lieutenants are chosen.

 

The Command Corps

 

Brother-Lieutenant

The Grandmaster’s lieutenants are handpicked by the Grandmaster to act as commanders. Skilled commanders and shrewd tacticians with a familiarity for combat and a warrior’s inborn skill, they are entrusted with power over specific vestiges of the Order at the Grandmaster’s discretion and work in tandem with him in counsel on matters of the banner force.

 

August-Grandmaster

The only man who may lay claim to this rather grandiose title must first make himself responsible for bringing the Kingdom of God down to the Blackwald. Besides acting as the highest ranking commander of the Order of St. Peter, he also wields an unruly amount of power over owenite faithfuls.

 

Lucien I declares the first Crusade in Junavos

 

Litanies and the Order

 

Each Orderman, upon his ascension from proselyte adopts a blessed litany. It must never leave his mind, and he must consult with his chosen litany at every possible decision, in order to better embody the tenets of his faith.

 

Instead of wasting their breath on wordless battle cries, the Order announces its presence on the field through the recitement of scripture.

 

For example...

 

Siege Commander: “A fortress is built with blood and toil.”

Soldiers, in unison: “Only by blood and toil may it be taken!”

 

The chanting of this phrase would signal to the rest of the battlefield the intent to siege. Below are listed a few of the Order’s more commonly recited litanies.

 

The Litany of Intercession

Crush your foes, holy Owyn,

As you did when you lead your people

And smote them from skull to greaves!

Take pity upon me, wretched and lost as I am

And rescue your faithful servant.

 

The Litany of the Zealous Convert

To the darkness I bring fire.

To the ignorant I bring faith.

Those who welcome these gifts may live,

but I will visit naught but death and eternal damnation on those who refuse them.

 

The Litany of Narrow Judgment

We go where we wilt.

We slay who we wilt.

Let God judge the righteousness of our deeds.

 

---

 

Those Faithful who would volunteer to induct themselves into the Order of St. Peter must seek out Jon of the Blackwald, (crazyguy1916) who can been found at his stronghold in Aldersport to swear the Oaths.

 

---

 

His Holiness ADRIAN I, High Pontiff of the Church of the Canon, Metropolitan of the Crownlands, Archbishop of Philippus, Enochas, Visigia and Erochland, Prince-Bishop of St. Thomas, Johannesburg, Esheveurd, and Luciensport, Prince-Abbot of Laureh’lin, and Hariam, High Exarch of the Canon Rite, Successor of the High Priesthood of the Church, Supreme Pontiff of the Church of True Faith, Keeper of the Canon, High Servant to the Exalted's Testaments, Humble Servant of the Faithful and Vicar of God

 

Ad Mortem | Haria Delenda Est,

His Grace Jon de Savoie, Commandant of the Papal Guard

 

 

 

A copy of the Sixth Golden Bull is pinned below

 

[Vamoose 265]

*An old veteran donning the tabard of the White Stripes finds himself before Jon Renault, he'd exchange the following oath."

 

What is your life?
My honour is my life.
What is your fate?
My duty is my fate.
What is your fear?
My fear is to fail.
What is your reward?
My salvation is my reward.
What is your craft?
My craft is death.
What is your pledge?
My pledge is eternal service

 

And so his loyalty is delivered.

[Harri 4813]

Ser Roland makes sure to mention that his life long loyalty still stands, swapping his old tabard for a new one.

[SodaiKamikaze 651]

"What is it to be a Space Marine?
-It is to be death!
What is it to be death?
-It is to be the destroyer, the end of all things.
What is it to end life?
-It is an honour, to be the executioners of the Emperor.
Why do we fight?
-To protect the Imperium and deliver mankind from the evil of the xenos, the mutant and the heretic!
What is the xenos?
-A blight to be purged!
What is the mutant?
-A cancer to be excised!
What is the heretic?
-A shame to be expunged!
What is the bolter, the flamer, the missile?
-The incarnation of destruction, by which we bring about the death of the Emperor's foes!
What is the armour, the helm and the shield?
-The embodiment of our faith, our determination given form.
Who is the primarch?
-Our father, our guide, our king!
Who is the Chapter Master?
-The primarch's regent, to whom we swore oaths, the voice of the Emperor in the mortal world.
What are our oaths?
-The steel that binds our lives to the Emperor.
What did we swear?
-Our lives are as nought in the vision of the Emperor, save that by them we shall destroy all foes.
What is the fate of all foes?
-To perish in the fire of battle and be cleansed from the galaxy.
Who will prevail against the darkness?
-The Ultramarines!
Who are the swords of the Emperor?
-The Ultramarines!
Who are the sons of Magragge?
-The Ultramarines!
For the Emperor and the primarch! Death! Bring death to our foes!
-The Macragge Catechism of Hate"

Says Robrecht " Umbridge " Crast

[Guest]

*A veteran soldier sporting the white stripes uniform would find himself infront of Jon Renault, kneeling infront of him before allowing a longsword to slide out of his gilded scabbard, propelling it upside down so he can proceed with sticking the tip into the ground whilst holding the hilt. This blade glowing with runes as the moon and stars coat the night sky, he releases a crackled cough from his throat before delivering Jon Renault a oath*

"What is your life?
My honour is my life.
What is your fate?
My duty is my fate.
What is your fear?
My fear is to fail.
What is your reward?
My salvation is my reward.
What is your craft?
My craft is death.
What is your pledge?
My pledge is eternal service!" 

*And with that he grins under his helm as a single tear streams down his face under the helm as well*

[ItzYoBoiEd 148]

While vile mutants still draw breath, there can be no peace. While obscene heretics' hearts still beat, there can be no respite. While faithless traitors still live, there can be no forgiveness.

[KaiserJacobII 1048]

William pledges I do not fear death, i serve oren. I am the bring of glory and death, i am a solider of oren! I will die for oren!

 

[Destroyer_Bravo 1052]

A short letter is sent to Jon Renault:

 

"I'm a bit busy with my business, but I reaffirm oaths through letter form. In-person is possible at a later date, but cannot promise anything soon."

[SpiltMemes 367]

Niall, the long-time convert and fighter for GOD and employ of the Savoyard finds himself before the the Duke of Savoy, Jon Renaults. Pledging loud and proud, with full heart.

"What is your life?"
"My honor is my life."
"What is your fate?"
"My duty is my fate."
"What is your fear?"
"My fear is to fail."
"What is your reward?"
"My salvation is my reward."

"What is your craft?"
"My craft is death."
"What is your pledge?"
"My pledge is eternal service!"

 

[Tirenas 677]

His Eminence Sigismund of Couentre offers his praise for the organization.

"After years of war and destruction, of abomination and blasphemy, none can argue against the creation of such a group. These righteous and most wholesome believers have taken up the sword to preserve the Faith from its enemies."

[Cocktail6 19]

"What is it to be a Space Marine?
-It is to be death!
What is it to be death?
-It is to be the destroyer, the end of all things.
What is it to end life?
-It is an honour, to be the executioners of the Emperor.
Why do we fight?
-To protect the Imperium and deliver mankind from the evil of the xenos, the mutant and the heretic!
What is the xenos?
-A blight to be purged!
What is the mutant?
-A cancer to be excised!
What is the heretic?
-A shame to be expunged!
What is the bolter, the flamer, the missile?
-The incarnation of destruction, by which we bring about the death of the Emperor's foes!
What is the armour, the helm and the shield?
-The embodiment of our faith, our determination given form.
Who is the primarch?
-Our father, our guide, our king!
Who is the Chapter Master?
-The primarch's regent, to whom we swore oaths, the voice of the Emperor in the mortal world.
What are our oaths?
-The steel that binds our lives to the Emperor.
What did we swear?
-Our lives are as nought in the vision of the Emperor, save that by them we shall destroy all foes.
What is the fate of all foes?
-To perish in the fire of battle and be cleansed from the galaxy.
Who will prevail against the darkness?
-The Ultramarines!
Who are the swords of the Emperor?
-The Ultramarines!
Who are the sons of Magragge?
-The Ultramarines!
For the Emperor and the primarch! Death! Bring death to our foes!
-The Macragge Catechism of Hate"

[mitch dharma 438]

A solemn baseborn youth of Savoyard origin took his place before his liege lord, Jon Renault, in the throne room at Aldersport. Illuminated only by the incandescent flicker of firelight did he lower himself to kneel, reciting the sacred oath with unbridled zeal and conviction so absolute that the authenticity of his words could never be subject to aspersion by any good God-fearing man.

 

"What is it to be a space marine?"

"It is to be death!"

"What is it to be death?"

"It is to be the destroyer, the end of all things."

"What is it to end life?"

"It is an honor, to be the executioners of the Emperor."

"Why do we fight?"

"To protect the Imperium and deliver making from the evil of the xenon, the mutant and the heretic!"

"What is the xenon?"

"A blight to be purged!"

"What is the mutant?"

"A cancer to be excised!"

"What is the heretic?"

"A shame to be expunged!"

"What is the bolster, the flamer, the missile?"

"The incarnation of destruction, by which we bring about the death of the Emperor's foes!"

"What is the armor, the helm and the shield?"

"The embodiment of our faith, our determination given form."

"Who is the primarch?"

"Our father, our guide, our king!"

"Who is the Chapter Master?"

"The primarch's regent, to whom we swore oaths, the voice of the Emperor in the mortal world."

"What are our oaths?"

"The steel that binds our lives to the Emperor."

"What did we swear?"

"Our lives are as naught in the vision of the Emperor, save that by them we shall destroy all foes."

"What is the fate of all foes?"

"To perish in the fire of battle and be cleansed from the galaxy."

"Who will prevail against the darkness?"

"The Ultramarines!"

"Who are the swords of the Emperor?"

"The Ultramarines!"

"Who are the ons of Magraggc?"

"The Ultramarines!"

"For the Emperor and the primarch! Death! Bring hate to our foes!"

[Servant of St. Owyn 384]

Willhelm Kneels before Lord Jon Renault reciting the words

What is your life?
My honour is my life.
What is your fate?
My duty is my fate.
What is your fear?
My fear is to fail.
What is your Reward.
My Salvation is my reward.
What is your craft?
My craft is death
What is your pledge?
My pledge is eternal service.

And so his loyalty is delivered. 

[Banard 116]

A convinient savoyard takes a convinient pledge.

 

"What is your life?
My honour is my life.
What is your fate?
My duty is my fate.
What is your fear?
My fear is to fail.
What is your reward?
My salvation is my reward.
What is your craft?
My craft is death.
What is your pledge?
My pledge is eternal service"

[dandan1350 479]

A good ole' Savoyard takes a knee.

 

By thy colour will he know thee,

By thy banners will he fear thee,

By thy standard will he dread thee,

Cry Marine, and let slip the weapons of war.