| Aldresian Ideas | |
|---|---|
| 传统 | |
| +5% Discipline +50% Hostile Core-Creation on us | |
| 野心 | |
| -10% Fire Damage Recieved | |
| 理念 | |
| Knights Sworn to the Empire | |
| +0.5 Yearly Devotion +1 Yearly Legitimacy +0.3 Republican Tradition | |
| Imperial Mediators | |
| +1 Diplomats | |
| Arcane Knights | |
| +10% Shock Damage | |
| The Aldresian Crusade | |
| +1 Yearly Prestige | |
| The Anbenncost Accords | |
| +10% National Tax Modifier | |
| Institution of Martial Magecraft | |
| +15% Manpower Recovery Speed +1 Yearly Army Tradition | |
| Bastion of the Order | |
| +25% Fort Defence | |
The Order of Aldresia (Elven: Orda Aldresia) is a knightly order of arcane knights dedicated to the defeat of evil and to the service as the Emperor of Anbennar's personal bodyguard. They gain their namesake from Aldresia, the heroine who saved Cannor in the eponymous Aldresian Crusade against the undead. The order is most famous for their arcane knights, who wield magic using their swords as a spellcasting focus using the art of Diranbe.
The Orda Aldresia forms the second magical body within the Empire of Anbennar alongside the Magisterium, which they have a deep rivalry with.
History[]
Aldresian Crusade and Founding[]
Bodyguards of the Emperor[]
Greentide Schism[]
When the Greentide struck in 1424 the order was embroiled in the Lilac Wars, serving officially in the defense of the Emperor despite the holder of the Dove Throne changing frequently. Due to the order's original goals to defend Cannor from evil, many in the order saw the Greentide as a calling to their old ideals, petitioning the leadership of the order to abstain from the war and send their forces to Escann to help defend against the Greentide. However the order, like their rivals in the Magisterium, forbade any intervention in the Greentide, and focused their efforts on fighting in the Lilac Wars.
In response to this, many in the order disobeyed their superiors and left anyways forming adventuring bands such as the Sword Covenant. This schism nearly broke the order, with the majority of its younger members leaving the Orda Aldresia for Escann.
Despite this many returned after the Greentide, and just like their Magisterium rivals, the next generation of the Orda Aldresia were inundated with idealistic zeal gained from Corin and her efforts. This was much more apparent in the order than their magister equivalents, with many in the order becoming devout adherents of the Corinite faith that rose later.
Corinite Knights and Loss of Duties[]
Alongside Istralore, the Orda Aldresia were the bulwarks of the Corinite faith within the core lands of the Empire of Anbennar. By the time of religious conflict in Cannor the order was often in conflict with many of its neighbouring lords, especially those in Esmaria to the west, who still held favour to the goddess Esmaryal who was mother to Corin's rival Adean.
This brought the order's role as imperial bodyguards into question, as the Emperor of Anbennar at the time still held firm with the canon of the Regent Court. During this time their loyalty was tested both within and without. Some believed that regardless of religion that they were to serve the emperor, whilst others believed Corin's calling to be a higher purpose. It was during this time that they were officially stripped of any martial duties to the emperor.
By the end of the Corinite Wars the order's role was partly restored and they became bodyguards in ceremony only. The order went into general decline during this time, losing all their holdings except for their fortress of Arca Aldresia.
Defenders of the Ravelian Church[]
By the rise of the Ravelian Church in the 18th century the Orda Aldresia was a dwindling order that had long abandoned its original purpose to defend against evil and the undead as their founder Aldresia did. By this time their role as bodyguards of the Emperor of Anbennar had waned and only a token force stayed in the Dove Palace in a largely ceremonial role.
During this time the early Ravelian Church, in their bid to gain legitimacy and followers, quickly began to declare many gods of the Regent Court as saints within their religion, but in this they also declared many non-deities as saints, and first among them as Aldresia. This renewed the fervour within the order, and the order itself declared a new purpose: as the martial arm of the Ravelian Church, and renamed itself as the Order of St. Aldresia.
This drew the ire of many, including the Emperor, but this declaration revived the dwindling order and many joined their ranks, with many seeing them as the Corinite Crusaders come again.