The Devil's Deuce (The Barrier War) (81 page)

…the Barrier War
concludes in Book 3 – “Satan’s Gambit”.

The
Prismatic Order

I.
 
A Brief History

II.
 
Training

III.
 
The Seven Virtues

IV.
 
Daily Life

I.
   
A
Brief History

The Prismatic Order of Paladins was founded in 743 AL,
approximately 100 years before the Age of Merging began. Since the Epiphany (0
AL), men of all races eagerly sought to learn from the immortal angels, and the
first teachings of the seven virtues began not long after the angels’ arrival.
Those teachings quickly coalesced into a religion that spread throughout Lokka
like a wildfire, burning away heretical pantheons and religious naturalism with
equal fervor. The formal structure of the Prismatic Order would not take shape
for another seven centuries, but the groundwork was laid from the moment the
first angel set foot on Lokka.

The presence of angels during the Age of Lords is documented
fact, but less well-known is that demons walked the world as well. They went to
great pains to keep their presence hidden from their immortal enemies, but some
demonic cults sprang into existence devoted to the worship of the unholy. The
largest of these cults was the
Myein
, a secret
society that grew in power primarily in the lands west of modern-day Nocka. By
the time the immortal angels became aware of the font of demonic influence,
they were too powerful to be put down as lesser cults had been for centuries.

The Seraph Uriel is recorded as the first angel to suggest
militarizing the mortal religion as a way of combatting the threat of the
Myein
, and the first paladin was anointed with his cloak by
none other than Mikal, one of the most powerful angels in Heaven.
[31]
The Prismatic Order began in a city
nestled in the valleys of the southern
Delnar
Mountains, but the city was destroyed during the Merging War and the exact
location has been lost from mortal ken.

The
Myein
were eradicated during a
war that spanned nearly five years, and the last traces of the secret cult were
wiped out in 752 AL. By that time, the presence of demons in Lokka was a
well-known fact, and the fledgling paladin order devoted itself to hunting and
destroying the infernal presence.

In the year 6 AM, the advent of the Devil’s Horns brought
Hell to Lokka in the very truest sense of the term. The dwarven city of Nocka
was overrun almost immediately as demons swarmed through the newly formed
Merging. Until that time, no one had been able to trace where the demons were
entering Lokka, and for years, the exact source was still unknown. The
Prismatic Order had swelled in size, but they were a paltry force compared to
the demons who ravaged unchecked across the lands.

Many historical records indicate the immortal angels, who
had removed themselves from Lokka following the fall of the
Myein
,
returned to combat their immortal foes and fought side-by-side with the
paladins. Even with their help, it was years before the demonic hordes could be
turned back and their destruction held at bay. Religious scholars discovered a
way to limit the spread of the Merging, and with the help of the angels, they
began forcing the demons back to their own plane of existence.

The full force of demonic might was finally broken in 15 AM,
and the infernal immortals retreated to Hell to replenish their numbers for
another assault. Over the next year, the demons sent forays across the Merging
to attack the construction of the Barrier, but the Prismatic Order stood vigil
over the massive wall, which was erected under the careful hands of the world’s
foremost dwarven craftsmen.
[32]
It was during this time the paladins took up residence in Nocka and established
their primary chapterhouse in the city (following the destruction of their
original locale, as mentioned above).

The Barrier was completed in 16 AM, and in a ceremony
devoted to the fallen warriors who gave their lives protecting the world, seven
monuments were uncovered, one in each of the seven courtyards of the Barrier.
The Stones were hewn from
angelstone
, a substance
brought from the immortal plane of Heaven, and colored to match the seven
Facets of the Prismatic Order. Those Stones serve as a constant reminder of the
ultimate sacrifice given by the paladins to ensure the survival of the mortal
races.

II.
   
Training

There is no
strict
age limit
[33]
or experience requisite to enter paladin
training, for men may be called from all stages and lots of life to follow the
will of God, nor is there a standard length of time over which a man becomes a
paladin. Training sessions often bleed together, and those unsuccessful in one
session often find themselves flowed into the next.

Paladin training focuses heavily on combat, owing to the
universal role of all paladins in hunting down and destroying demons found in
the mortal world. Unarmed combat and survival skills are standard fare,
allowing paladins to survive under disparate adverse circumstances. The
training that sets them apart from a nation’s military, however, are the
courses they receive instructing them in the application and internalization of
the six primary virtues. Practical and theoretical instruction go hand-in-hand
with swordsmanship and devotional prayer.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of paladin training, however,
is their use of dakkans. The powerful creatures are shape-shifters, ranging
from horse-sized, wingless “runners” to dragon-like titans that rule the skies
in the wild. Dakkans are also capable of assuming a third shape, mimicking any
creature of the animal kingdom. (For more information, see “Care and Handling
of Dakkans” – while published in 203AM, it is still the definitive text on
working with the majestic beasts.) Use of dakkans as mounts dates back from
before the Merging War, when early paladins looked to the skies and sought to
emulate the flight of the immortal angels. Breeders maintain
weyrs
of dakkans from which the paladins can select an
appropriate mount; most are chosen in their youth, but a dakkan will frequently
outlast two or even three paladins in its lifetime.

The additional perils of winged combat (namely, falling)
gave rise to the blessings imbued into every paladin’s cloak that allow them to
control their descent at will. A paladin can slow his descent almost to that of
a feather drifting on the wind, or resume a natural speed with a mere thought.
The blessings bestowed upon the cloaks used during the training process are temporary
and must be renewed annually, but those upon a true paladin’s cloak remain so
long as the paladin lives and stays true to the Prismatic Order.

The completion of a paladin’s training is dependent on two
factors – the judgment of his instructors and the readiness of his own soul.
When the training master deems his wards are ready to take their place among
the holy warriors, a paladin will place a blessed cloak upon each trainee’s
shoulders. The blessings of the cloak react to the true reflection of the man
and will immediately change color to denote the Facet most indicative of his
soul. Those whose souls are not ready for the burden and privilege of being a
paladin do not experience any such change, and they are given the option of
continuing their training until such time as the change occurs or they opt to
remove themselves from the Prismatic Order entirely.

III.
   
The
Seven Virtues

The virtues of the Prismatic Order have their roots in the
early religious teachings following the Epiphany. The virtues were imparted to
ancient man by the immortal angels, and while modern religion has moved away
from their strict adherence, the belief structure of the non-militant orders is
still spiritually grounded in the virtues. The sole exception to this loosening
of standards is the Prismatic Order itself, which still demands fidelity to the
virtues at all times.

In general, the virtues are considered a narrow path between
opposing extremes of sin and vice and consist of the proper measure of their defining
trait. Religious scholars consider it all but impossible to understand them
independent of one another, as they reinforce each other and are inextricably
bound together in their existence, and to think of a virtue solely as the
balance between just two extremes is a gross over-simplification. It is
generally accepted wisdom that the only way to truly understand a virtue is to
practice it.

When a trainee dons a blessed cloak, it changes color to
signify the Facet most strongly “reflected” in his soul.
[34]

Courage (Red)
– Courage is the proper balance between
fear and brazenness. It is not the absence of fear, for no such state ever
truly exists. Fear is to be acknowledged and used, for in hiding or denying its
presence, a man allows the fear to rule him as surely as if terror stayed his
hand. Courage requires knowledge of the dangers being faced, although leaping
into the unknown may be considered courageous in some circumstances. The
virtues are often difficult to live by, and it takes courage to adhere to them
in adverse times.

Knowledge (Orange)
– Knowledge is not simply the
accumulation of data through study, but rather a balanced combination of
intelligence, wisdom, and experience. Knowledge can be gained by direct
experience or careful application of intellect, but neither should be accepted
as truth without verification and study. Knowledge for its own sake – without
purpose or application – is generally not considered sinful, but accumulating
and using it for the purpose of gaining power over others is considered just as
vile as willful ignorance and wasting information. Knowledge underlies the
other primary virtues, for without knowledge there can be no intent, and
therefore no moral or virtuous value.

Temperance (Yellow)
– Temperance is both a virtue and
the means by which all virtues are followed. It can most easily be defined as
proper self-restraint. Being angry is no more a sin than being happy, but being
angry to the proper degree, for the proper reasons, and directing that anger to
the proper source is a difficult skill to master. Giving in to one’s passions
is just as harmful as quashing and rejecting one’s own feelings.

Love (Green)
– Love is considered the most complex
virtue by many scholars, largely because the word has taken on so many
meanings, each with its own vice-filled opposite. Hatred, disregard,
self-centeredness, self-loathing, idolatry – all are vices resulting from the
misapplication of the virtue. Love is proper consideration for one’s self as
well as others, two separate continuums existing in cooperative competition. It
is possible to love one’s self too much or too little, just as it is possible
to love one’s fellow men too much or too little. Placing another’s needs above
your own to your own detriment is just as potentially harmful as ignoring the
needs of those around you in lieu of your own gratification. Love is the source
of the miracle of healing, which is a gift from God. Paladins manifest this
virtue through healing prayers and can reverse or repair many forms of physical
damage, although death, disease, and dismemberment are beyond any hands but
God’s own. It is through love the other virtues find their place in the world,
for it guides one’s path of spiritual development as well as informing how a
man of virtue interacts with those around him.

Justice (Blue)
– Justice is often confused with
“fairness” by laymen – the primary difference being that justice concerns
matters in which the individual(s) had a choice, while fairness does not.
Indeed the virtue of justice is the means of achieving fairness. Justice is
unique among the primary virtues in that one does not have too much or too
little of it, rather the virtue is an act of balancing competing
external
forces, and tilting in favor of one over another creates the collective vice
known as
injustice
. The vices most frequently cursed in the absence of
justice are vengeance and lawlessness, but the subtler vices of expedience,
pity, and even positive discrimination can just as easily taint one’s soul with
injustice. The virtue also has an internal component, balancing the often
competing impulses stemming from the other five primary virtues. Justice is the
means by which a paladin might attain the White Facet of beauty.

Piety (Violet)
– Often confused with “faith,” piety
is proper devotion to God. A man on the pious path should beware the zealot and
the apostate with equal fervor and deny credence to the words of the fanatic as
well as the atheist. God calls each man and woman to an appropriate level of
service, taking one to evangelize His words while leaving another untouched,
and each is following the will of the divine. Coexistent with this idea is that
a pious man should show proper devotion to those around him as well. Ignoring a
friend in need is as vicious a deed as ignoring the call of God, as is devotion
solely to the bonds of family and amity to the exclusion of some other
responsibility. In a life of competing duties, a pious man must seek the proper
path as he is called by God and man, finding the proper balance within himself.
Piety often works in tandem with justice in seeking to balance the virtues and
leads to faith in their strength and teachings.