Left to right: Eyron, Edric, Esmond, Steele, Evan, Leon

Noble Order

The Paladins are a band of soldiers that fight for the god Nikina, protecting the common people against creatures of The Enemy. The order was started in 2238BD by Radian and his nephew, Erinduo. The true idea of a Paladin is a noble, strong, courageous and wise warrior, who was highly skilled with a particular weapon, was trained to ride a horse from a young age, and had an upbringing that encouraged strong spirituality and faith. They used to wear white, gold, and red, but have lately clad themselves in cloaks and rough armour to blend into crowds easier.

History

Of course, there were only two Paladins in the beginning, but at some points, there was about a dozen Paladins. All together, there have been around 150 Paladins in history -- mortal and divine. Firstly, there was just the Grand Master and the Master. However, with just Radian and Erinduo, nobody wanted to join this force. Radian was seen commonly as a bookworm and Erinduo had an overwhelming presence. When Renin joined, he was granted the Paladin rank of Master. Because of this, strong mortals joined the upcoming order. It was an honour for any eager fighter to meet Renin and be a member of this new holy order.

The order rose steadily over the next few hundred years, and those who joined the Paladins lived longer when they would have. This is both an effect of spending time with divine-blooded people and a subtle gift from those same people. However, a select few mortal warriors stood out above the rest, such as the valiant Johah and the strong Abdiel. The order was growing stronger and larger until a certain event...

In what is now the year 0, one known as Murluron attacked and destroyed many of the temples and their surrounding land. This event was called The Darkness. In an epic battle, the Paladins stood against Murluron and his henchmen. Murluron killed both Renin and Ernamin (though Ernamin had never joined the Paladins) in this battle, and it seemed that the colossal figure was unstoppable. The battle raged on and hope dimmed until -- after a year of fighting -- Ilertav himself descended and sealed Murluron. The Paladins had lost Renin and Johah in that battle, as well as many other average Paladins, and they were beginning to feel the shock from the deadly blow.

Battle at Etalz

All of this changed when Erinduo had a son in the year 80AL. Erinduo's son -- Gideon -- showed great promise even as a youth, and it was foretold by Radian that Gideon would soon be greater than any of them could imagine. People joined again and the order rose almost to its former glory, until, in the year 249AL, Tokjalyo took himself and his Templars to the Paladin temple of Etalz and attacked them by surprise. This was called Battle at Etalz. Tokjalyo killed Erinduo in a fierce battle but the others finally managed to drive the Paladins away. It was in this same year that the city of Lyte became democratic, because Renin's line of leaders had been lost.

The Paladins no longer grew nor shrank. They remained at an average and steady level for quite a while. When someone called Daedalus sailed in from the East and claimed rightful leadership over Lyte and practically all of Central, things changed again. Lyte enforced a new order called The Guards and people instead chose to join this new movement. The Paladins were subtly forced deeper into seclusion as everything The Guards did showed them up -- make them look weaker. It was around this point that Gideon left and joined The Guards, too.

The Purging

Many years later, in 1171AL, a year after Gideon was killed in battle, The Guards made a shocking move and attacked the Paladins. Because both orders protected people from The Enemy, it is not known why Daedalus made such a rash command, but it was followed anyway. A large band of soldiers marched on Etalz again, and a battle broke out. Somehow, Daedalus was slain, but both Dandre Talos -- Daedalus's son -- and Captain Murdock drove the Paladins into their temple again and The Guards returned home with their heads held high, though only the Paladin Zuphlas was killed. The Paladins managed to discretely pick up a few new members, but at this time their numbers were below a dozen, and the Paladins have not come out of hiding since. This battle was called The Purging.

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The following is an account on the greatest and most recent members of the Paladins – alive or dead.

Radian 2238BD

See White Dragon. Born in 2892BD
The only one to ever hold the rank of Holy Master Paladin, Radian was always a man of books and ideas. He was Renin’s younger son but was not a great fighter like his brother. He is the one who approaches great warriors and presents them with an offer to become a Paladin and fight for a greater good. He is generally a subtle man, but when given the opportunity to speak his mind or give a lecture, he talks days and nights away. Nobody has ever seen him fight, though it is rumoured to be skilled in martial arts. Radian also has the ability to transform into a dragon with white scales, much like Pandora can transform into the black dragon, but nobody has ever witnessed Radian doing so. He used to say that it simply hasn't been necessary to do so, but since he vanished from the public scene, people have begun to think differently.

Erinduo 2238BD

The first Master Paladin was a great fighter before he became a member of the order. Erinduo was the type of person to be on a horse in a field, exploring, training, spending time with himself, yet he never turned down a reason to celebrate. Erinduo married a woman called Aniyah but it was some time before they had a child. When Renin was slain by Murluron in the year 0 and Erinduo took the human title of Lord and kept his Paladin title of Master. He was killed by Tokjalyo when the strongest Templars invaded their headquarters at Etalz.

Renin 1972BD

Also see Renin
Though Renin was the first human, he did not join the Paladins immediately, as Radian took his time in allowing his father a place among them. Renin joined in the year 1972BD, and this move stemmed the birth of Templars some years later. Though Renin was the oldest of the three and he was the embodiment of all that being a Paladin stands for, he was only granted the tertiary rank of Master, representative of his rule over humans thus far.

Johah 779BD

It is a known fact that any average mortal that spends their lives with deities, either as a friend, a partner, or other, gains an extended life. This is true for the mortals who became Paladins. Johah was the first example of this. A great warrior at a young age, Radian came to Johah with his offer in the year 779BD and the young man did not even hesitate in accepting. He lived for almost 800 years until he fell at the hands of the Black Whale.

Abdiel 492BD

Many Paladins clad themselves in light to moderate armour, yet Abdiel, along with perhaps Edric, is the exception to this unanimous rule. Abdiel was a heavy warrior who had great skill with a whole manner of blunt and sharp weapons, and showed no mercy on those whom he believed meant him or his fellow Paladins any harm. He was not one for jokes, or games, or manipulation, or wasting time. His strong mind was always focussed on moving forward and becoming stronger, as well as strengthening those around him. He died in 513AL, as his life had been extended for too long.

Gideon 80AL

Also see Gideon
This great warrior became a Paladin by right when he was born in 80AL, as Gideon was Erinduo’s son and was hence automatically offered a place. All was well until Tokjalyo himself took his Templars to Etalz and attacked the Paladins for reasons lost. It was said that, though the Paladins fought valiantly, Tokjalyo killed Erinduo, and Gideon was unable to protect his father, and had to watch him fall. It was about 340 years later that Lyte became a monarchic city when someone called Daedalus had taken over and enforced the order of The Guards. Gideon left the Paladins, as he had always been a troubled man who would do things due to profound reasons nobody understood. A thousand years later, General Daedalus had a son – Dandre - and Gideon quickly came to despise the spoilt youth. Still, he remained a member of The Guards for some years after. In the year 1170AL, Gideon left with his fellow troops to hold The Enemy back at the bridge to Tasif. He never returned from the battle and was announced to have fallen in combat.

Zuphlas 533AL

Not many warriors could combine the arts of swordsmanship and magic-wielding successfully, yet Zuphlas was a great exception. Upon his joining, back in 533AL, he refused to hold any rank that would put him above the average Paladin. Though he had the potential to lead and had strength that may have rivalled Gideon, he remained as a humble and meager follower of his superiors. He remained a Paladin for a very long time, until, in 1171AL, he was slain by General Daedalus Talos during The Purging. Many say it was because he was simply too old and his mortal body was stretched too far, as is often the case.

Edric 868AL

Undoubtedly one of the most confident, yet haughty Paladins, Edric was a wise warrior who left the order and came back many years later. He joined way back in 868AL, and was granted extended life, but he left soon after the other Paladins were not meeting his high expectations. Many lifetimes later, in the year 1176AL, he rejoined, and of course Radian welcomed him back with a smile. Unfortunately, though he contributed largely to the order with his heavy fighting style, he was eaten by a black dragon at Jaron's Manor in 1180AL.

Steele 1168AL

When Steele took Esmond’s baby in when nobody else would, Radian found him, saw all of the good deeds he had done, and offered him a place in the year 1168AL. Steele had always been a man of strength, both in body and in heart. He is known for his unfaltering kindness people both below and above him, and hates only the extremely rude and inconsiderate. When Esmond joined, Steele gained the title of Master, and became a very valuable Paladin. He was trained by Radian himself, as there were very few of them at the time he joined.

Esmond 1170AL

The only reason Esmond was offered a place among Paladins was because his baby, whom he had abandoned, caught Radian’s attention, and the baby’s guardian told Radian about Esmond. Because there were so few Paladins at the time, Esmond was given the title of Master because of his raging temper and suppressed anger, which easily overpowered Steele, the previous Master. Esmond became Master in the year 1170AL. It is not known where Esmond learnt to fight.

Evan 1170AL

This boy was living with Steele and Radian from birth until he was about five years old. At this age, Radian saw potential in Evan and thus wanted to know who the father was. This is how both Esmond and Evan became Paladins, and they both joined on the same day in the year 1170AL. Four years after, the Templars found where the Paladins were hiding and attacked them, though somewhat unsuccessfully. He was trained to wield a sword with a feathered hilt as though it weighed nothing.

Leon 1171AL

When Radian saw Leon’s skill with a bow in the year 1171AL, prior to The Purging, he could not walk away. Leon was offered a place and he accepted. The day before this event his sister was killed in an accident, and his mother died when he was born. Because he was so unprepared for The Guards when they attacked in the same year, he was beaten in battle by the superior warriors, yet held on to his life. After this, he became Evan’s guardian as Steele became busier. He protected Evan when the Templars attacked in 1174AL.

Eyron 1174AL

This shady young man was, in fact, once a Templar. As the Paladins recruit mortals, so to do the Templars. They found him when he was a boy with a vicious tongue and equally vicious skills with swords. He was taught to be as they were, and soon became quite an instrument of death. When he was 23, in the year 1174AL, he joined his fellow Templars when they attacked the Paladins. No sooner had he begun to fight them when he realised that the Paladins were quite like him except they were taking a different approach. He was persuaded to join the Paladins in an encounter with Steele and has been with them since.