The Knights of Falcon's Point

"For the Peoples of Celestin!"

The Knights of Falcon's Point is a militant order of paladins, rangers, and other good-aligned individuals, founded for the express purpose of battling the forces of evil, as well as assuring the safety of the peoples of the Free Lands. Based in the organization's namesake city the Knights, in general, are viewed as heroes by the common folk, and are well-respected wherever their missions might take them (except in realms ruled over by evil, of course).

The Knights nominally keep an eye out for possible threats to the people under their charge from necromancers, power-mad tyrants, and other similar villains. When such a threat is found the order often sponsors pre-emptive strikes, sometimes by members and at other times by chartered adventuring companies, to deal with it before it gets out of hand.

The organization counts several notables as former members, as well as formal or so-called 'part-time' members. Renowned heroes Malthus Tannhauser and Arthus Malthusson were once part of the Knights, and personalities such as the scale knight Rosamia Gainsborough still have ties to the order, often cooperating with then in missions and other related activities.

 

Knights of Falcon's Point (Major Government): AL Lawful Good; 40,000 gp resource limit; Membership 250; Integrated (human 93, halfling 50, elf 45, dwarf 25, gnome 18, half-elf 13, half-orc 6); Salary 10 gp per month (no cost to join).

Authority Figures: Aster Sagewright the Infallible, female human Fighter 6/Paladin 10, Favored in Guild feat.

Important Characters: Rask the Remorseful, male half-orc Cleric 10; Irmvaulle Arathor, male elf Ranger 7/Holy Liberator 7; Flonkin Turin, female gnome Rogue 8 (spymaster); Oswald Grimjaws, male dwarf Expert 6 (master smith); Tarquin, male human Diviner 7; Alynnia Verinnus, female half-elf Bard 3; Watch Captain Merrick Svenson, male Fighter 2 (city militia representative); Vespin Roddygreen, male halfling Fighter 2; Ovelia Merlunia, female elf Aristocrat 2; Calthyn Merlunia, female half-elf Aristocrat 1; Gwynd, male human Druid 12.

Associated Classes: Paladin, Cleric, Ranger, Rogue, Expert, Wizard

Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (Local), Sense Motive.

Requirements: You must spend at least 20 hours a week on duty.

Favored in Guild Fringe Benefits: Due to your constant interaction with people, you gain a +2 competence bonus to Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks.

 

Organization Size and Resources:

The Knights of Falcon's Point has members scattered through the many cities and towns across the continent. The largest concentration of members in any place at any given point in time are the 250-odd people headquartered at Falcon's Point itself, qualifying it as a major organization.

The Knights have typical resources for its size and location, and has strong ties to the other goodly organizations of the continent. The organization has a 40,000 gp limit to spend on purchases and endeavors.

 

Organization Alignment and Leadership:

While the organization accepts any individual willing to lend their aid to the struggle against Evil, regardless of their stand on the law and chaos axis, the Knights tend to align most of their missions in accordance to the letter of the law. Thus, despite their otherwise open recruitment policies, the organization's overall alignment is Lawful Good.

The Knights follow a modified military structure, with field members answering to a High Council (elected by the ranks), who in turn answer to Charter Commander Aster Sagewright. While Aster tries as much as possible to have a hands-off approach to leadership, delegating much of the decision-making to the elected council, any matter that concerns the Knights as a whole must be deliberated with her, and only then will her final decision be taken as law.

 

Organization Membership and Demographics:

The Knight's open membership policies (in regards to good alignments anyway) make it a more integrated organization than the community it exists in. About 37% of membership is human, with 20% halfling, 18% elf, 10% dwarf, 7% gnome, 5% half-elf, and 3% half-orc. This integrated membership is common in cities and towns where the Knights have a presence, though at much smaller numbers. As with racial demographics, the class makeup of the Knights is integrated, with members coming from many walks of life.

Paladins make up the biggest part of the membership of the Knights, making up 37% of the organization. As previously noted, Aster Sagewright (female human Fighter 6/Paladin 10), who sees the nickname foisted on her with more than a little irony, is the current leader of the organzation. The Knights also have two 8th-level paladins, four 4th-level paladins, eight 2nd-level paladins, and about 78 1st-level paladins.

Twenty percent of the Knights of Falcon's Point consists of clerics, who often take care of the more charitable aspects of the organization, at the same time providing divine support to their more martially-inclined brethren in times of conflict. Chief of these is the half-orc named Rask the Remorseful (male half-orc Cleric 10), a repentant priest trying to make up for the atrocities he had commited when he was still part of a marauding orc warband. Along with him are two 5th-level clerics, four 2nd-level clerics, and forty-three 1st-level clerics of various religious denominations.

Rangers comprise eighteen percent of the Knights, and are led by outspoken and surprisingly hot-blooded Irmvaulle Arathor (male high elf Ranger 7/Holy Liberator 7), a forester renowned for his feats of daring during the March of the Dead, and who also happens to be the chosen representative of the Elven Council of Elders to the organization. Under his command are two 7th-level rangers, four 3rd-level rangers, and thirty-eight 1st-level rangers.

The Knights number a few rogues (10%) among their membership. Called the Scouts, under the expert leadership of the wily Flonkin Turin (female gnome Rogue 8), they undertake information-gathering and infiltration missions for the organization, when subtlety and discretion would accomplish a task better than outward displays of force.

Of course, not all members of the Knights are directly concerned with combat. Seven percent are experts, whose tasks deal mainly with the support, logistics, supplying, and maintenance of the organization's staff and equipment. Most senior among these is Oswald Grimjaws (male dwarf Expert 6), the Knights' head smith and engineer, whose expertise in crafting and repairing weapons and armor is much appreciated by everyone. Three 3rd-level Experts, and fifteen 1st-level Experts round off the rest of the support staff.

Wizards make up a small, but well-respected, minority amongst the Knights. The most senior member among them is Tarquin (male human Diviner 7), an apprentice of Lothiel the Archmagus, whose talent in divination magics borders on the prodigious. Under his watchful eye, two 3rd-level wizards, and ten 1st-level wizards work to provide the Knights with magical assitance, whether by spell or by the items they help craft.

The Knights have a few other members that perform other miscellaenous duties. Alynnia Verrinus (female half-elf Bard 3) serves as the unofficial lore keeper of the Knights, whom she sees as a great source of inspirations for her songs and stories. Watch Captain Merrick Svenson (male human Fighter 2) is the liason and coordinator between the Knights and the Falcon's Point city militia, while Vespin Roddygreen (male halfling Fighter 2) is the halfling community's representative to the organization. Ovelia Merlunia (female elf Aristocrat 2) and her daughter Calthyn Merlunia (female half-elf Aristocrat 1) act as the Knights' contact within the city's elite and political circles.

The final member of the Knights, Gwynd (male human Druid 12), serves as the voice of the druidic order called the Sheltered Conclave. He sees to it that the Knights zeal in pursuing Evil doesn't harm the remaining ancient woodlands, of which a precious few are left in the aftermath of the March of the Dead.

 

Joining the Knights of Falcon's Point:

Those who wish to join the Knights must demonstrate their sincerity in combatting the depradations of evil, whether by confronting it first-hand, or by helping those who are often affected by it. Applicants are first screened by several intensive examinations and mental probes to assure their Goodness, before given a short quest to perform (usually in line with a current mission of the order). Those who manage to complete their tasks are welcomed into the fold, after taking a solemn oath to fight evil wherever it takes hold, to protect those who need to be protected, and to never let themselves become the thing they are fighting against.