The stench was nigh unbearable as Disciple Anya Preswyck inspected the man's wounds. A shepherd had been attacked in the hills close to Southhold. The wound had festered within days and his friends had carted him all the way to Greystone. 'A wolf did this you say?' she asked one of those who had carried him into the Hospital earlier. 'Aye ma'am, it must've been. What else could it be?'.

She didn't answer, instead quickly muttering an incantation under her breath she got a familiar yet uncomfortable feeling in the back of her neck confirming what she already knew. The wound was not a normal wound, but one caused by necromantic magic. 'Fetch Healer Delrynd, please' she asked of a nearby attendant. 'Quickly!', she shouted after the attendant who started jogging as quickly as his halfling legs would bear him.

Two hours later, as the shepherd lay dying in a bed, two heavily armored knights gallop north, navy banners streaming from their spears. They will not return until their quarry is dead.

The Pilgrim Knights

Deities	Freya, Heimdall
Strength	~700 armed, ~2000 non-combatants
Major locations	Temple Haven, Greystone
Leader	High Templar George Grenwen
Sigil	Pointed amber cross over amber gems in the shape of a necklace on a navy field

Spear Ranks

• Initiate
• Squire
• Protector
• Captain
• Templar
• Templar-Marshal

Charitor Ranks

• Initiate
• Attendant
• Missionary
• Disciple
• Healer
• Archhealer

Blackcloak Ranks

• Initiate
• Researcher
• Scholar
• Specialist
• Adjunct
• Grand Adjunct

Champions of Freya, the goddess of fertility, tasked with the protection of the innocent and defenseless populace. Dressed in their recognizable navy cloaks these fierce warrior-priests are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Preferring to fight on horse-back, their cavalry companies are some of the most expensive mercenaries across the realms. They value their honor supremely, and have never defaulted on a contract.

The money they make from mercenary work goes to serve the people at large. They run hospitals where anyone can come and be cured or at least treated free of charge. Many holy sites across the realm have a small detachment of knights who keep the surrounding area free from dangers. Where the knights are, bandits are not.

In times of peace, when major contracts are scarce, the Knights take smaller monster-hunting contracts. They do not always ask for money, and could instead perform a task in return for intelligence, or the establishment of a safehouse for their intelligence gathering operations. The Knights have vast sums of money in their vaults, and act as a sort of banking system across the Estian Sea and beyond, as their word is trusted implicitly.

Their headquarters are located in Temple Haven, on the island of Salmy. The Grand Refuge is a massive castle where the leader of the Pilgrim Knights, High Templar George Grenwen, commands from. He is always seeking to bolster the ranks with capable soldiers in the service of Freya.

History

The Knights emerged from a small force of paladins dedicated to a temple of Freya on the mainland, around 700 years ago. Some of their founders include Arwyn Elsiter (some of her descendants still serve the Knights today) and Halvdan the Bold. They protected pilgrims who wanted to travel to the shrine, and eventually grew large enough to be noticed, both by the people of the land and their goddess. Taking on mercenary contracts in addition to their duties to their temple, the early Knights earned enough gold to build new temples and recruit more people to their cause.

Branches

Apart from a small leadership, all members belong to one of three branches of the order. The Knights are a diverse organization that employs people of many various professions and vocations.

Spears

The armed wing, comprising some 500 mounted knights across the Estian Islands. With superb martial prowess, they are feared mercenaries, although very few can afford them. When not bound by contract, they roam the lands acting as a neutral police force and destroying evil creatures wherever they are found. They are commanded by Templar-Marshal Joanna Blacknaur, a fierce dwarf from the hills of Cottenhorn. Their most elite units are the Amber Riders, the feared heavy Paladin shock cavalry, and the Lightning Hammer, a small force of spell-swords mounted on griffons. Both units train in the Grand Refuge in Temple Haven. The spears also operate units of rangers that patrol the sacred pilgrimage paths and keep them clear of dangers for those who wish to undertake the journey. When the Pilgrim Knights deploy an army, these rangers serve as forward scouts.

Suggested classes: Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Barbarian

Blackcloaks

The covert wing of the Pilgrims, their numbers are unknown. What is known is that few secrets are safe from these intelligence gatherers. They employ and maintain a wide-reaching network of couriers and safe-houses across the realm. They are led by the cunning Grand Adjunct Tialvar nan Salmie (high elf wizard). The hunt for the Brisingamen is their primary mission, although clues are few and far between.

The Blackcloaks are the most adept at the arcane arts of the branches. They retain enchanters and artificers to keep the order well stocked with magical equipment and other arcane services.

Suggested classes: Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard, Warlock, Artificer

Charitors

The most visible and numerous wing. The Charitors run temples, hospitals, alms houses and orphanages all over the realm. No one is turned away at a Charitor establishment. Simple services are free, but more difficult magical healing might not be. The Charitors always needs more hands for mundane tasks, but they value those who wield healing magic highest. Charitors serving in the hospitals dress in white robes and blue habits.

The Charitors primarily train clerics of the Life domain and monks following the way of Mercy, but several other specialties are welcomed. The Grand Refuge also trains Corpsmen, combat medics that go with Spears in the field.

Suggested classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk

Major Temples

Some temples are built on the holy sites where the pilgrims that first gave the order its name visited, others are in cities and towns. Some are hidden, for initiated members only.

The Grand Refuge

The largest Pilgrim facility, this multi-tiered temple-fortress is the center of Temple Haven on the island of Salmy. Headquarters of the order and seat of High Templar George Grenwen, a middle-aged man. New recruits train in the courtyards and the tower libraries hold the vast intelligence and research gathered by the Blackcloaks. Ceremonies to Freya are held regularly by Archhealer Tessa Turentar (LG Divine Soul Sorceress), a kalashtar priestess of Freya whose red hair makes her look like an avatar of the goddess herself.

Greystone Hospital

Situated in Newside, the second largest Pilgrim outpost on Estia. The highest ranking member is Healer Simeon Delrynd who oversees a small army of charitors in their work. While it is primarily a hospital, it also houses a company of Spears commanded by Templar Marfas Dunling (LN Human).

Aphenor Temple

The temple in Aphenor is part embassy to the Estian Council, part garrison and part hospital. The charitors also operate an orphanage in the city.

Dawnguard Keep

A small outpost with a lighthouse at the eastern edge of Salmy, overlooking the horizon. Also houses a small chapel where sun-greeting rituals are performed.

Hunt for the Brisingamen

The legendary necklace of Freya, the Brisingamen, has been lost for ages. Rumors of it have always been around, but none have born fruit so far. The library in the Grand Refuge hosts the biggest trove of research on the subject, but access is only for high ranking members of the Pilgrim's covert branch, the Blackcloaks.