The Paladin Order: The Shields of Isalia
Faith, Duty, Justice. (Mercy?)
The Paladin Order, known as 'The Shields of Isalia' or more simply as 'The Order' to most, believe in a divine duty to protect the Eden-Core and the innocent colonists. The Order sees the Eden-Core as a sacred piece of the Creator, a holy artifact in which to enact the Creator’s divine judgment. To do this, the Order recruits freelance pilots inducted as Initiates and taught the ways of the Order and its purpose, taking a vow of service in the name of the Creator. Once deemed worthy, these pilots are given full access to The Order's technology and resources to go forth and enact the divine will of the Creator. Those pilots who prove to be exceptionally devout in their service to the Creator and show superior skill in combat are recruited for candidacy into the ranks of the Holy-Paladins, an elite order of pilots. Those selected are tried and tested, enduring trials of both spirit and body. For those who are proven worthy, the esteemed title of Holy-Paladin is bestowed, however blind adherence to the doctrines alone is not enough to attain the sacred title. It seems that The Order observes its initiates closely, applying a secret set of even stricter standards for ascension to Holy-Paladin status. Holy-Paladins gain the Order's full support, including a retinue of combat support personnel, mechs, and additional combat protocol firmware for the Paladin: Warlord Class Mech. While free to come and go as they please, pilots must uphold the Order's values and their vow to the Creator above all else.
As viewed by other factions:
The Syndicate sees the Order as problematic for two main reasons. The first is they are competing for control of a limited annual yield of Ignition Cores. The second is that The Order is the only organization to rival the Syndicate in political influence over the surrounding populace as well as military might. This has led to a shadow war, as neither The Order nor the Syndicate is willing to engage in open conflict with the other. However, the disputes between the two have begun to increase, and open war may soon be on the horizon.
The Valkyr recognizes that the Order strives to mostly uphold the balance of Isalia, thus leaving the Order to operate within set parameters. Generally, remaining unconcerned with the Order and their operations. Only when the Order creates an imbalance or disturbance to the Eden-Core does the Valkyr see a need to take military action. Such action, however, is always swift and severe to convey that the Valkyr will not tolerate any harm to the Eden-Core.
The Insurgency share the Order’s beliefs of the Eden-Core's sanctity and its relation to the Creator. Yet, appear to hold a deep-rooted contempt for the Order’s tolerance of the Valkyr Synths. Further, they see The Order as too lenient in their diplomatic approach to The Syndicate, who have clearly overextended their reach on the limited yield of Ignition Cores, yet The Order has not mobilized their full might in response.
Writing credits: William Neill, Terrance Mobley. 2021
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