Order of the Chalice

Held to the highest standards of law, good, and nobility, the knights of this order are everything one might associate with the word “paladin” – paragons of virtue, pure of heart, perfect in valor, cultured and refined, pious and devoted…

Members of the Order of the Chalice devote themselves entirely to the organization's primary mission: the complete eradication of demons. They seek out and destroy demons wherever they exist, including well-planned surgical strikes against targets within the Abyss itself. These stalwart knights have battled demonkind in every place and every situation, and many have sacrificed their lives to the cause.

The Order of the Chalice considers its hard-won victories to be the necessary precursors to its inevitable triumph. The leaders of the order have researched the Abyss in considerable detail. They believe that if the demon princes are removed from the Abyssal power structure, the remaining demons will fall to infighting. Those groups that do not simply eradicate one another in the struggle for supremacy will splinter, and the resulting subgroups will be much easier for members of the order to confront and vanquish. Thus, the order has targeted the most powerful demons for early extinction.

The Order was founded by nine paladins that had independently encountered evil on their travels. This evil, usually demons, was disguising itself as humanoids to influence the leaders of nations, marching their kind into civilized regions simply to slaughter inocents, and controlling other powerful evil forces.

The Order is a fraternal organization dedicated to the destruction of demons. The name is derived from their most sacred holy item – an ornate silver cup reputed to have caught the blood of a solar while it fought a demon prince. It’s goals are to repel demonic invasions from various locations in the world of man, uncover demonic plots that would cause kingdoms and nations to fall under the control of dark overlords, and mount successful expeditions into the Abyss to destroy demons where they live.

A would-be knight usually must prepare from their youth for this high calling. They are apprenticed to a proven knight and serve their master without question for at least five years. At that time, they are evaluated by nine senior knights, largely based on testimony given by the squire’s knightly master. If the evaluation is favorable, the squire is elevated to the status of quester.

The quester’s task is to meet the requirements to become a full knight within the ranks. Intelligence, honor, loyalty to their god, strength and the ability to efficiently wield a weapon, own their own full plate armor, and most important of all, the would-be knight must defeat a demon, either by destroying it or driving it back to the Abyss.

Once all these qualifications are met, the quester returns to the council and presents evidence of these accomplishments. If the council approves admission into the order, the quester spends a night in prayer and fasting (a vigil), then takes the solemn vows of the order at daybreak, becoming a knight in full standing.

(see sections on Code of Conduct and Knightly Vigils)

Members often find it necessary to conceal their identities, especially when infiltrating evil locations. Approximately 8% of its members are lost each year to retirement and death in the line of duty.

The Organization:

There are 7, 380 members when all positions are filled.

9 masters of the Chalice. They are responsible for defending the chalice itself. The chalice is moved around among them according to a little known schedule. Permanent magical portals are within each keep so the chalice can be relocated should its current home fall to demonic forces. The identities of the masters are known only to the marshalls. Often, those living in the keeps of the master are even unaware of the role of the Master.

9 Chalice Marshalls report to each master.

9 Chalice Commanders report to each Marshall.

9 Chalice Sergeants report to each Commander.

Knights.

Questers.

Squires. About half of the actual membership.

*Information from:

 D&D: The Order of the Chalice Expansion; a web enhancement for the Complete Warrior.  2003.

D& D: Defenders of the Faith; A guidebook to Clerics and Paladins / Redman and Wyatt. Wizards of the Coast, 2001.