Order of the Sealed Temple:
Everybody in the Hundred Kingdom knows of the Order of the Sealed Temple. Their numbers, reach and influence are vast. They are by far the most popular Order, their tremendous wealth and political power making them a favorite for many prospective candidates. The ulterior motive of many of these applicants is of little concern to the Order for unlike the more simple structures of their brethren, the Order of the Sealed Temple recognizes multiple branches and ranks within these branches. The deepest metaphysical secrets of the Order itself are reserved only for the Sworn Brothers of both the Militant and Mendicant branches of their order, while all others are considered Lay Brothers.
This pragmatic approach has allowed the Order of the Sealed Temple to expand its operations (some would say infiltrate) into the mechanisms of the Imperial Throne, the Deist Creed and the Nobility. The largesse and support that the Order lavishes on both the Deist Church and the Imperial remnants can be traced back to the earliest beginnings of both of these institutions, where the Order’s role is not merely that of a close ally, but rather their earliest sponsors. This has allowed the Order incredible access and influence over these two powerful institutions. To this day it is more common for a Deist parish pastor to also be a Brother Mendicant of the Order than not. Countless graduates of the Collegia who work for the Imperial Bureaucracy have had their studies sponsored by the grants and largesse of the Order, and many are invited to become lay brothers as well.
Their influence is not limited to these august bodies either. Since Imperial times, 9 of the 12 Counts Palatine have been members of the Order of the Sealed Temple. Aside from the Emperor, these are the only individuals allowed to knight somebody.
While the greater houses of the Hundred Kingdoms are confident in their ability to secure accolades from the remaining Counts Palatine, all of whom are members of these venerable families, their weaker cadet branches and smaller houses can not always secure the political alliances and means to secure their needs. The Orders have for centuries remained impartial (or at least very discreet) guardians of the traditions of knighthood, allowing all who pass the tests to be knighted.
This has allowed them to subtly influence the core chivalric ideas of the age, exerting a soft pressure that has yielded fruit time and time again. Even to this day, it is common for the Order to sponsor the younger members of destitute houses or even skilled commoners through their knightly training, providing them with the training, arms, armor and horses needed to ascend to the rank of knight.
It is only with the Theist Church that the Order has made no inroads in the last four hundred years. In fact the animosity between these two great powers has cost the Order valuable allies throughout the centuries yet despite the steep cost of this confrontation neither side is willing to yield.
Wealth and Influence:
It is easy to see at a glance that most of the political influence of the Order is based on its incredible wealth, but few understand its real form or origin. The most commonly believed story regarding the origin of this vast wealth relates to the dark years after the Fall, as humanity made its exodus from the East past the Claustrine Mountains guarded by the Last Legion.
The story goes that countless individuals fled the fall, carrying what they could of their wealth with them as they slowly travelled east, guided by visions from Cleon and Ninuah, the last uncorrupted divinities in the pantheon of the Old Dominion. Pursued by horrors, even the greediest noble or merchant relinquished his wealth and goods upon witnessing the daunting heights of the Claustrine mountains, knowing that this ascent would be impossible with any excess weight or baggage. Thus, at the foothill of the Claustrine Mountains, a vast pile of wealth, saved and scrounged from the dying Dominion grew as weary pilgrims divested themselves of everything but food, warm clothing and tools needed for survival. After the Last Legion won their final victory over the hordes of the UnGod, this vast wealth was used to build the Sealed Temple and fund the efforts of the Order. Clever investment and donations by joining nobility have only added to the wealth of the order since then, allowing them to continue with their charitable works and grants since.
The truth is at once both simpler and significantly more complex. The main source of the Order’s wealth is the plundered wealth of the Old Dominion, but the wealth that was gathered and abandoned by the refugees would have in no way been enough to sustain their massive economic spend. What very, very few are aware of is that the Order retains a de facto trade monopoly with the W’adrhun tribes of the wasteland by nature of their geographic position. The tribes routinely scavenge and plunder ruins of the Old Dominion to the east and exchange the useless soft metals of gold and silver for useful items such as tools, quality iron and woven textiles at eye watering prices. The Ukunfazane is aware of the imbalance of these exchanges, but remains satisfied to keep the inflow of new concepts, tools and ideas into her burgeoning society to a trickle she can manage, and lets the Orders get away with their rapacious pricing. For now.
To further reinforce this monopoly, the Order of the Sealed Temple has managed to secure an Imperial Charter with regards to exploration of the wastelands and the old lands of the Dominion. They are the only legal source of writs of exploration, exorbitantly expensive passes through the claustrine gates to explore the East, as well as the only legal traders of items and relics of the Old Dominion. Their position securely athwart the Claustrine mountains has placed them smack in the middle of all the trade and rush to explore and exploit the ruins of the Old Dominion, becoming the prime employer and outfitter of ‘adventuring’ groups throughout the Hundred Kingdoms. This has allowed them to significantly supplement the information they receive from their eastern patrols, while securing their wealth and ensuring they have first claim on any dangerous relics discovered in those deadly lands.
Mission:
This last factor is critically important for the Order of the Sealed Temple as it pertains directly to their self appointed mission: Protecting Mankind from the tyranny of gods. Deep within the Sealed Temple they so assiduously protect lies the bound Will of the UnGod, along with the incarnated essence of the Last Legion’s patron, Kleon. When Leander struck his fateful blow, betraying his own god, but ensuring the defeat of Hazlia, he was briefly united with the divine essence of these two divinities and achieved an understanding on the relationship between belief, divinity and the Primordial forces of the universe that none outside the greatest minds of the City States Scholae possessed. Aware of how close humanity came to extinction from the actions of a single mad divinity, he tasked those Legionnaires still loyal to him to ensure that no other such god might arise from the shared belief of mankind. This is why the Order is so opposed to the Theist Church, who they fear might invoke a new divinity, or even worse be empowering the old one.
Their darkest secret is that this is why they promote the Deist Creed, that does not believe in an external god but in the ascension of mankind along certain paradigms: the Ruler, the Maker, the Child, the Seer, the explorer, the Beast, the Magus, the Hero, the Lover, the Fool, the Soldier and the Mother. They do this because their vast information networks can quickly ascertain the Ascension of a new paragon, allowing them to keep a close eye on them. Few of these individuals amount to significant dangers, possessing only enough conviction to walk but a few steps down the long road of divinity. These are allowed to operate freely, their exemplary lives inspiring and improving the lives of those around them to the betterment of mankind before passing away in due course.
But every few generations a particularly strong willed character will unwittingly embark on the path of Ascension, threatening all of mankind. It is then that the Order ensures their cooperation… or elimination. A great many secrets lie hidden beneath the Temple… some much darker than others.