The Heldannic Order - Vaults of Pandius

THE SECRET SOCIETIES
“Rule them. Squeeze them. Pry the roots
of all evils from their twisted, gnarled
hands. It is for Vanya's greatest glory.”
- Siegfried Meinhard
The Players’ Handbook presented several
social organizations and groups with
public identities. There are also
organizations that are not so well known
to the public, but which characters can
discover as they progress.
The one unify theme to nearly all of these
secret groups is the use of architectural
design, riddles, and puzzles to
communicate.
Anvil of Blood
The Anvil of Blood is a secret sect of
Knights and priests from the Hammer
that guard the Star of Vanya at the Holy
Citadel of Vanya’s Rest. At any given
time, twelve members guard the artifact
in its underground lair, each person on an
unsynchronized schedule.
Secrecy is of utmost importance.
Revelation of one’s membership in the
Anvil of Blood or information about the
Star carries a death sentence. Even
warbird captains and helmsmen know
only a little about the Star’s powers, and
none know of its precise location. The
Star is kept in a secure facility below the
Citadel that is accessible only through an
intricate mechanical apparatus tucked
away in an antechamber.
After passing through the special
antechamber, members don red-enameled
armor, face-concealing helms, and
crimson tabards during their activities.
Their identities are unknown to the
others, save the leading Cabal.
Because of their continuous exposure to
the Star, members of the Anvil are
extremely Lawful (Neutral) and pawns of
the Star at a global scale. Outside of the
Anvil, many are known as Champions of
Vanya.
The Anvil chooses its candidates and
communicates to them through cryptic
messages for designated prayer locations.
To be candidate eligible, a character must
have been awarded the Cord and
previously served six months as a guard
to Vanya’s Rest.
The Fist of Hattias
The Fist of Hattias is an outgrowth of
the old Storm Soldier movement within
the Heldannic Order. It is an outlawed
group that includes only the most hateful
and brutal Hattians in the Order, but it
has a strong impact that belies its size.
To preserve a Hattian identity for the
Order, members seek to drive away
undesirable recruits. They would prefer
to have no brotherhood, no Order, and no
Laws, rather than share what they see as
exclusive privileges with conquered
underlings. They see the old tales of the
early Hattian knights storming the
Heldann Freehold and ruling as they
pleased, as the true glorious destiny of
the Hattians.
Many of the chaplains in the Hammer
turn a blind eye to this sect, unwittingly
allowing Thanatic corruption to proceed.
The Fist has penetrated the Company of
the Orb, but it has no representation
within the Anvil of Blood, and its
members seem remarkably impervious to
the Star’s influences.
The Fist has an on-going, back-alley
war with the Free Builders, and its
members also plot to eliminate the Grand
Master and the Primate of the Heart. Its
leader is Sigmund Stahlfaust, a senior
priest in the Hammer.
The Free Builders
The Free Builders are an illegal sect
originally formed within the Heldannic
Order as a means of self-defense by the
many indentured sergeants, priests, and
knights who had been victimized.
Despite the loyalty of the Free Builders
to Vanya and the Order, they are treated
as the Heldanner equivalent to the Fist of
Hattias and outlawed.
The group has extensive links with the
natives of Heldann and southern
Norwold, but they are seen as turncoats
by those Partisans and Rangers loyal to
old Haldis family. Some disenchanted
members of the Order are using the Free
Builders’ connections to leak potentially
damaging information to various
rebellious factions. Free Builders can be
found in the Company of the Orb, and
sympathetic Hattians have infiltrated the
Fist to aid in that conflict.
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The Priory of Vanya
The Priory of Vanya is a special prelate
to the Grand Master of the Heldannic
Order. Other members of the Synod of
Freiburg are unaware of the Priory’s
existence.
Its members are charged with
preserving various secrets that could
prove destructive to the Order should
they become publicly known. Suggested
secrets include:
* The historical Vanya was Kerendan.
* Vanya’s first followers were Alphatians
(homeworlders).
* Vanya played a role in the ancient
history of the Antalians.
* Vanya had offspring that still survive in
Davania.
* The body at Vanya’s Rest is a fake.
Feel free to embellish or otherwise
modify this list. Note also, that what the
Priory holds to be a secret truth need not
be factually accurate for your campaign.
The Priory chooses its own members,
usually from the fatally inquisitive who
stumble on to the guarded secrets. Those
who do not join are hunted down.
The Company of the Orb
As mentioned in the Players’
Handbook, the Company of the Orb is a
fellowship for those who have served
aboard a warbird that has crossed the
Skyshield. The true purpose of the group
is to gather, organize, study, develop, and
protect all knowledge about outer space.
The Company administers a well-hidden
library and a workshop available to the
Witnesses. Witnesses are also required to
give a complete account of what they
found and observed while in space.
Although membership is not an
obligation, warbird commanders sent into
space are chosen from Fellows of the Orb
or Witnesses.
Activities related to outer space, the
library and the workshop are officially
known only to the Witnesses and the
three Primates. The Company has full
jurisdiction to immediately pursue and
eliminate thieves and those who learn too
much. It commands at least one warbird
and an experienced crew, and has
authority to commandeer others.