Grailguard History

Important Events

The Legend of Crosse (15 BTF): Eschewing his previous identity and past, Soren Crosse purges the region of evil with feats of heroism and swordplay. Alongside him are his disciples: the Five of Swords. 

The Five of Swords (35 BTF): After Soren’s death against the Nethalgan Hivequeen, the Five of Swords found the Grailguard Wardens and cement his legacy. From their own disciples, the five Grailic Orders are formed to defend humanity and preserve knowledge. The fortress of Grailhome is built to protect their families, train new recruits, and protect the lores they have retrieved.

The Tower and the Shield (43 BTF): After a decade of fighting, the Grailguard find themselves with little in the way of reinforcements and recruits. The adherents of the Tower fight with the adherents of the Shield regarding their true role in the region and whether they should recruit from the area. After an almost civil war, the Shield prevails but this leaves scars between the two philosophies. 

The Hounds of Hell (56 BTF): The Hellhound Motorgangs swoop in to raid settlements and the Grailguard answer. While the Grailguard can best them in battle, the swift vehicles of the Hellhounds make it impossible to defend against them.

Steel against the Swarm (67 BTF): As if in vengeance for their fallen Hivequeen, the Hivelings mount a massive invasion of Grailguard territory. This war rages for years until the Wardens mount an invasion of their own, crossing the Mississippi Swell and putting the Hivemounds to the sword - the Hivelings are far from eradicated but they are driven west.

The Doom behind the Dustriders (84 BTF): The Astral Tome warns the other Orders of an encroaching threat. The Dustrider Militia arrives to warn the Grailguard of the Harbingers. The next few years are spent preparing their defenses, evacuating personnel, and attempting to gain allies from the other settlements in the Midwest and Mid-Atla. 

The Siege of Grailhome (88 BTF): It is not one Harbinger that attacks the Grailguard but four of these entities. After dozens of brutal battles, the Harbinger Host lays siege to Grailhome. Not long afterward, the fortress’ defenses are unraveled and it is sacked. The region is corrupted with Eldritch energies and turned into a Shroudland. To add insult to this, an extradimensional entity called “the Hagathai” strikes at the Order of the Astral Tome, severely damaging their main library.

The War over Embers (90 BTF): The desperate battles of the Grailguard and Dustriders have given the Free Tribes time and impetus not only to unite but also to join forces with the Illustrados and the Templars. Many Grailguard settlements flee before the Harbinger encroachment. The war stretches across the western portion of Mid-Atla, even reaching the shore at some points. The Harbingers are defeated at the Battle of the Broken Bell in the Libertina ruins. 

The Armistice and the Current Era (99 BTF): The Grailguard joins the Free Tribes to keep watch for any other Harbingers. Their attempts at recovery and reconstruction are assisted by new recruits and help from the other factions. Much of their land is reclaimed except for Grailhome. On the other hand, scores of Grailguard leave the Orders and become “Errant” -- they believe that the leadership has failed them and they wish to help the land in their own way. 

Important Persons and Groups

Cartel: aka the Kindly Cartel who comport themselves like businessfolk and corporations of old, but act more like criminals when it suits them. These are part of the Free Tribes. 

Chalicine Circle: The advisory and secondary management body of the Grailguard. They are rostered by the leaders of the Grailic Orders but follow the direction of the Grailseeker General. The Chalicine Circle also chooses the new General when the old one dies or retires. 

Dustrider Militia: A massive group of refugees fleeing the Harbingers’ wrath and their ruined settlements to the southwest. They would have met their end at the Mississippi Swell that cuts the continent in half if they hadn’t encountered the massive Dragonspan bridge built by the Grailguard. 

Five of Swords: The five Disciples of Soren Crosse: Fiora the Teacher, Cid the Sky Sword, Sashi the Painter, Balag Saint-Slayer, and MacBane the Boar

Grailgard Wardens: Soldiers, scholars, and smiths dedicated to protecting humanity and its knowledges. Styling themselves as the honorbound warriors of the ancient eras, they battle monstrosity and raider without doubt or fear. 

Grailic Orders: The Grailguard are divided into five different Orders. Each Order has its own specialty but works with the others. The five Grailic Orders are: the Ardent Forge, the Astral Tome, the Iron Dragon, the Shielding Palm, and the Silver Tower. 

Hellhound Motorgangs: A northern neighbor of the Grailguard that revels in raucous battle and bloodshed. They used to raid the territories around them for supplies or demand tribute from settlements. 

Hivelings/Hivequeen: Monstrous insects the size of humans (or bigger). Some of them are powerful psychics. They nest in towering mounds and raid their environment (and human settlements) for food and building materials. It is rumored that they seek out human brains to expand their psychic power. 

Soren Crosse: A legendary swordsman who was skilled in almost everything, but especially battle. The myths of the Grailguard claimed that he wielded five sorcerous blades and he felled many a horror with the help of his disciples. To become his true self and gain his true strength, he cast aside his previous origins -- he is known to have once been Sarah Crosse, but little else of his origins and technique are known. 

The Free Tribes: A group of communities and tribes based in and around the Mid-Atlantic (aka Mid-Atla) area, but also within the New England, Tidewater, and Midwest regions.

The Harbingers/Harbinger Hosts: Four sorcerous entities of incredible power and the monstrous armies that followed them. They came from the west and savaged their way to Mid-Atla until they were stopped by the combined efforts of the Free Tribes, the Illustrados, and the Temple. 

The Illustrados Union: An Caribbean-based Archfaction known for their technological wonders, their mercantile bent, and their naval prowess

The Temple of the Shattered Mother (aka Templars): An northern Archfaction based on their faith to the God-Empress and dedicated to the destruction of wickedness and eldritch evil.

The Vundarkin Packhunters: The Vundarkin Packhunters are simple and small bands of associated families that wander the wilderness. Many choose a spiritual “Whisper” to follow as a guide.