The Official Roll of the Praiseworthy Peerages of the Church of Westrun and All Erenth

Paladins in Erenth serve the Church and are bound to a specific Prefect when they are first knighted. But after demonstrating faithful service, they may also be invited to join a Peerage, and having been released by their Prefect to do so, must swear a new oath to that brotherhood.

Once that oath is sworn, the Paladin's loyalty is to his Peerage. This loyalty will transcend his previous commitments to Church and crown, house and spouse. The only things he holds above that loyalty is his personal commitment to piety and the precepts of Law and Goodness.

After joining a peerage, in addition to the regular tithe that the Paladin pays the Church, he also tithes to his order.

Under Canon Law, there are never more than 12 paladin members of any of these mysterious orders and each of them may have a cleric chaplain pledged to it, as well. When you consider that each paladin usually has a squire or page, who is also sworn to that organization, this fixes their maximum number at 25 members.

• Peers of Brede,
  commonly called The Judges Guild
  
• Order of Penitent Knights of Poverty,
  commonly called The Oxmen
  
• Noble and Seeking Peers of Randolus,
  commonly called The Seekers
  
• Order of Watchmen and Guards Upon the Marches,
  commonly called The Guardians
  
• Holy Order of the Sword and Rose,
  commonly called The Ruskin
  
• Order of the Dawn,
  commonly called The Greenmen
  
• Pious and Impoverished Sons of Charity,
  commonly called The Protectors
  
• Sworn Brothers of the Canon,
  commonly called The Brown Brothers
  
• Avenging Knights of the Inscribed Hearts,
  commonly called The Red Avengers
• Holy Order of the White Dove,
  not yet known commonly by another name.

Pious and Impoverished Sons of Charity

The chapel of this peerage is in Watersedge of Talir.

The Pious and Impoverished Sons of Charity exist to build orphanages in Talir, to serve the orphans of Balduren and the rest of the Eight Kingdoms.

To fulfill their primary mission, the Protectors, will often do battle with evil and take the accumulated treasure of such beings to fund their programs. There is a large gulf between this method and simple thievery. One, the Protectors make no secret of their intent nor methods. They neither skulk by night nor use subterfuge, but engage evil where they find it -- openly and proudly. Two, the Protectors cite what they call the ancient Law of Spoils, to take what belongs to the victors in the absent of any competent authority. Applying the Law of Spoils can be difficult at times, but Protectors take great pains to do so properly, for their Paladinhood rests upon it, properly done.

The Protectors believe that the best outcome for any orphan is to become a Paladin, barring that, a Cleric or Consecrated Woman. Failing that, they will settle for an educated and God-fearing, productive member of society. To promote the first end, each of the individual Sons will have at least one page and one squire, and often have many more.

The symbol of the Peerage is a set of gilded scales with a loaf of bread outweighing a stack of coins.