And so it was that our blessed founders came to ride the fields of
Yrth as the twelve apostles walked the Holy Land, and many were those that
were converted by their efforts.
The Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem was first established
on Yrth in the year 1187. It is told that Grand Master Roger des Moulins
and eleven Knights of the Order, their comrades slain by the Saracens at
the Fountain of Cresson, were miraculously spared the same fate when the
Banestorm manifested itself as a huge whirlwind. The tornado swept the Knights
into the sky, and after a short period deposited them safely upon Yrth.
Des Moulins interpreted this event as divine aid. Later, having discovered
that they were no longer in familiar territory, the Grand Master declared
that God had chosen their number for a Crusade in a new land.
On the site of their arrival in Yrth, the twelve Knights founded New Jerusalem
-- ironically nowhere near the New River Jordan, but instead on the banks
of the River Conn, in western Megalos. "Recruiting" labor from
nearby human villages, des Moulins directed the construction of a new Hospital.
During the next few centuries, the Hospitallers made common cause with the
armies of Megalos, fighting to spread the hegemony of Christianity over
Yrth. They were rewarded for their efforts with grants of land and titles
from the Emperor. Hospitaller priories were thus established throughout
Christendom, and the Order acquired many novices from among the ranks of
the nobility's younger sons. Yet the Hospitallers always maintained their
independence of the crown, answering only to their own Grand Master and
the occasional Conclave of Archbishops.
Today, the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem is governed from
the Hospital at New Jerusalem, by the Grand Master of the Order (Social
Status 5). The holdings of the Order are divided into regional Priories,
each overseen by a Prior (Status 4). Reporting to the Priors are Bailiffs
(Status 3), each of whom is responsible for a single bailey of the Order.
Equal in status to the Bailiffs are the Commanders -- Knights commanding
a contingent of the Order's men-at-arms. The Commanders report to the regional
Prior. Common Knights of the Order (Status 2) are subject to the commands
of all of the above, but are usually assigned to a specific abbey or Commandery.
Novices (Status 1) -- young noblemen training for knighthood within the
Order -- serve as squires to Knights. The Order also maintains a force of
lay soldiers (Status 1 or 0), as well as an assortment of servants and laborers
(Status 0 to -4).
"Firstly, I ordain that all the brethren of Yrth, engaging in the
service of the poor, the defence of the Catholic Faith, and the war against
the Demons . . ."
The declared goal of the Hospitallers, believing themselves appointed
to this task by God, is the domination of Yrth by Christianity. Though they
do actually operate a hospital in New Jerusalem, their primary function
is military.
The Order participated enthusiastically in Megalos' wars against the Muslim
nations of the south, and played an important role in the conquest of Al-Kard
centuries ago. The Hospitallers also joined in the campaign against the
dwarves of Thulin's Folk four hundred years ago, and were furious when the
Megalan nobility allowed petty power squabbles to deter them from the holy
mission. Many of the Knights are calling for a Crusade into the Blackwoods,
believing the black magic of the Dark Elves to be responsible for the region's
growth, but the current Grand Master, Sir Gilford Perrennius the Durable,
remains unconvinced.
The Hospitallers are conservative and intolerant in their theology. Although
they are compelled by Church policy to accept goblins, reptile men, orcs
and kobolds as capable of redemption, members of these races are not accepted
into the Order. Dwarves and elves, because they keep apart from humanity
and retain their own religious beliefs, are considered the spawn of Satan
and deadly enemies. Of course, all Hospitallers bear animosity toward their
traditional adversaries, the Muslims.
". . . shall promise four things to God, and with His aid, keep
them. These things are purity of spirit, which means abstaining from the
use of magic; purity of body, which means abstaining from the pleasures
of the flesh; obedience, which means whatever thing is commanded them by
their masters; and to live without property of their own."
The Hospitallers take vows of chastity, poverty, obedience and abstinence
from magical practice, and follow a strict, monastic regimen. Hospitallers
are allowed no personal possessions. Even a Knight's arms, armor, and mount
are owned by the Order, and revert to it upon his death. Only a Knight's
habit -- bearing the Order's white cross on a field of black -- truly belongs
to him, and serves as his burial gown.
A Knight of the Order rises at the hour of Lauds, just before dawn, and
retires just after sundown. His morning -- until the hour of None, in the
early afternoon -- is devoted to prayer, meditation, and the study of the
scripture. His afternoon is filled with labor and practice at arms. All
of the military brethren, up to the rank of Commander, are required to attend
drill at least three times per week. Training includes wrestling, jousting
and riding, weapons practice, marksmanship with the crossbow, group tactics,
and calisthenics. Further religious exercises are performed afterwards,
before the Knight retires in the early evening. The only relief from this
arduous routine comes when the Knights are on campaign -- which helps explain
why most Hospitallers are eager to march on the slightest pretext.
As part of his vows "to administer to our lords the sick," every
Knight of St. John swears to serve in the hospital at New Jerusalem to the
best of his ability. Some Knights -- particularly those qualified as physicians
-- spend years at the Hospital; others only serve broth for a single afternoon
during their entire careers. But all must be prepared to wash the feet of
lepers in the service of God.
While the Order does not claim that magic is inherently evil, its use is
forbidden to the Hospitallers. The reason for this prohibition is twofold.
First, the Order of the Hospital of St. John is an ascetic one. The Rule
of the Order permits no luxuries, that the brethren might remain humble,
and more closely follow the examples of Jesus and the blessed Roger des
Moulins and his companions. The use of magic among the brethren would make
the enforcement of the Rule more difficult. More important, however, is
the view that the study of Magic opens one to the temptations of evil; thus,
the use of magic is not for mortal man. The Hospitallers view mages as fools
dabbling in something better left to God alone.
The harsh discipline of the Order is maintained by a system of even harsher
punishments. The breaking of vows or failure to obey an order is punishable
by enforced fasting, solitary confinement, flogging or expulsion from the
Order and imprisonment. To prevent false accusations arising from personal
enmity, and brother failing to prove his accusation of another suffers the
same punishment the accused would have suffered. Cases are heard by the
immediate supervisor of the brothers in question -- usually a Bailiff or
Commander -- with the opportunity of appeal to an assembly of six brethren
chosen by the superior. The Hospitallers recognize no civil authority whatsoever
concerning the discipline of one of their own, and will ride to the aid
of any Knight under the threat of civil justice.
To become a Novice in the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, one must be sound
of body and willing to take the quadruple vow of the order. Training for
ordination as a Knight of St. John includes both martial and theological
instruction. A Novice PC may be quite advanced in his studies without having
received the sacrement of Knighthood. Novices are addressed by their Christian
name, or as "Novice."
Advantages Patron: The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem 20 points (Very powerful, appears on a 9 or less) Reputation: Dour Fighter and Enemy of the Infidel 4 points (+1 reaction from Christians, -1 from all others; recognized by his habit -- effectively all the time) Social Status 1: Novice of the Order of St. John 5 points Disadvantages Vow: Chastity -5 points Vow: Poverty -10 points Vow: No Conscious Use of Magic -1 point Duty to the Order -10 points (effectively the Vow of Obedience; Demanded on 10 or less)
Advantages Reputation: as for Novice +3 points (increase to +2 from Christians, -2 from others) Social Status 2: Knight of the Order of St. John +5 points Clerical Investment: Priest and Knight of the Order 5 points (+1 reaction among Christians, increasing reaction bonus to +3) Skills Riding (DX+1) 4 points Broadsword (DX+2) 8 points Shield (DX) 1 point Catholic Theology (IQ+1) 6 points Latin (IQ) 2 points Leadership (IQ) 2 points Tactics (IQ-1) 2 points