Inquisition/Grey Knights

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The contents of this page are not readily available to everyone, either because it is sensitive or because it is rare or otherwise little known knowledge. It is here for the purpose of archiving or making it more accessible to a certain audience, and this should be kept in mind while reading the contents of this page and all it's subpages.
In short, the contents of this page are to be considered OOC knowledge, except for characters who are members of The Inquisition and ones that are members of The Templar Order of the Grey Knight rank.

Grey Knights

"Our colour is grey, for it stands right between the light and darkness - and so do we."


The Inquisition has two primary objectives - purge daimons from this world and purge their heresy. Daimon Hunters, are a faction within the Inquisition created specifically to deal with the former objective. They work closely with the Grey Knights of the Templar Order to prepare and eventually fight daimon threat. Where the Grey Knight is a sword and shield against the Netherworld, the Daimon Hunter is the hand that wields it and the mind that guides it.

Remembrances

Roleplay from Maura Arnickles Renodin
Daimon Hunters:

Half-naked, blood-soaked woman entered the Offices of the Inquisition. Inquisitorial guardsmen hastily stopped her near the entrance and were about to toss her out when one of the higher officials recognized the woman.

"By Obeah's grace! Tis Inquisitor Maura Arnickles Renodin! Unhand her you fools. At once!" - the man said. He rushed to the woman and covered her with a cloak saying - "I will get a cart for you m'Lady and have you ferried to the Port of Four Cities, at once. I will send forth a messanger, so that when you arrive bath, meal and a healer await you, at once. Or you could enjoy amenities here, I am certain Lord Adolphus won't mind."

Maura just steadied man's eager hands and said that she has more pressing needs, she requested that fifteen very best men in the Inquisitorial Guard be fetched here for her. "At once, yes, at once m'Lady" - with blatant eagerness the man began tending to Inquisitor's wishes. Not an hour later she caught sight of the men she requested forming a single line before her - and marvelous sight it was - over a dozen shapes of huge, terror-inducing steel-clad beasts. Their full plate suits of armour were covered with long black tabards of the Inquisition. She'd been informed that all of them were from noble families, sworn to Obeah and the Inquisition they gave up on their convenient lives and trained for years to be worthy of serving the Veiled Goddess.

"Take it off" - Maura said pointing to the black tabbards worn-over their armours. The men complied and the implacable greyness of their steel overwhelmed the room. When asked about the unusual hint the captain of the men just said - "They have a special armourer - the Inquisition - one special armourer just for this. They say he used to be a scholar for the Heralds. Noone knows what he does but the steel is different."

Maura stood before them, there was no need for shushing the men, when they noticed she's about to speak the hall became so quiet one could almost hear the crescendo of heartbeats.

"You are not Inquisitorial Guardsmen now. You will not hunt down heretics now. You will not shackle apostates now. You will not burn defilers." - a half-restrained murmur of shock slithered across the hall as the Inquisitor said these words.

"You are mankind Guardsmen now. You will hunt down daimons. You will shackle the agents of the Netherworld. You will burn otherworldly threat!" - Maura looked around and pleased with their reaction she continued - "Beasts that plague these lands are among the least dangerous foes you will face. Imagine seas of undead so vast that you would have to ride entire day just to get to their rearguard. Imagine beasts that fly over your walls and toss bolts of pure force from outside the range of your finest archers. You will not survive. You gave your life with your oath and to your oath I shall hold you. You will perish either at the hands of those horrific beasts... or mine. One way or another I will see each and every one of you die." - she looked again and satisfied still she added - "Fear not, you will be trained and educated to fight those creatures, so that you don't die all too soon."

"You will be known as the Grey Knights now" - She knocked on the armour of the closest knight - "Your colour is grey, for it stands right between the light and darkness - and so do we."
Maura Arnickles Renodin


Roleplay from Vahanian Blint
Grey Knights:

The last bit of light had begun to sink down and fade from the world, as Vahanian made his way through his campsite, a slain stag across his shoulders. He passed by one of his messengers and instructed him. "Summon Marshal Maura, she and I have an unfinished conversation."

The messenger sped off to find the Marshal and deliver the Grand Templar's message. Meanwhile, Vahanian made his way into a tent right next to his personal quarters. He laid his fresh kill across a table and donned a leather apron and a butchers belt. He rolled up his sleeves and began working a blade into the carcass of the stag. He guided his blade across the bowel of the animal and carefully removed the organs, depositing them into a large wooden bowl. After all the organs had been removed, Vahanian stepped outside of the tent, blood dripping from his hands and arms, he took a deep breath, wiped his hands on a cloth and waited for a servant to bring him a kettle of tea. He needed a break from the smell of the carcass.

He sipped his tea, as he stared up at the stars, his mind wandering to a life long past.
Vahanian Blint


Roleplay from Maura Arnickles Renodin
Grey Knights:

Maura took just one of the Grey Knights to accompany her. It was not like she needed protection walking the couple of hundred yards to Grand Templar's camp. The messenger lead the two, fearfully looking back at the steel-clad giant walking next to marshal. Maura followed his gaze amused, but could not feel surprise at the reaction. She never met a woman taller than herself, except for dame Antonia, and barely ever had she saw a man taller than herself, and still when she looked up to the Grey Knight beside her she saw a shape a whole foot taller. Granted - a lot of that was due to military boots, helmet and overgrown shoulderguards of 'pneumatic' build. Those last ones looked scary but frankly impractical, though armoursmith promised with a knife on his throat that they actually provided some arcane benefit in battle due to tiny rods of flexible metal inside the hollow interior.

When they reached their destination she saw Grand Templar sitting in front of his tent, sipping tea. The old man looked entirely harmless, benign even. But she knew well enough that this particular book should definitely not be judged by it's cover. She recalled how Lord Vahanian obliterated Goriad in a duel, and he was possibly the finest warrior in the realm. At any given moment this friendly tea-sipping grandpa could transform into a storm of death-dealing violence. In that part him and her were quite alike.

"Grand Templar" - she said in greeting and inclined her head in a soldierly nod, then looked at his hands grimed with blood - "I see you were hunting, recent kill?"
Maura Arnickles Renodin


Roleplay from Vahanian Blint
Grey Knights:

Vahanian stirred from his thoughts at the sound of the marshal's voice. He smiled politely at her and stood, bowing his head slightly. "My lady, indeed, fresh this evening, I was just in the middle of butchering it when I felt like having a cup of tea. Shall we?" He indicated inside the tent and let Maura follow him in. Behind his façade of a polite docile old man, his mind was turning, the ideas swirling, and the plots thickening. He intentionally invited Maura into the tent where his kill lay partially butchered, the stench of death growing by the moment. He wanted to see how she reacted - not at the site of blood or death, but simply in a situation that most nobles would describe as 'Uncomfortable'. It was a cheap ploy, and one that he was relatively sure Maura would ignore, but it never hurt to try..

As he began to expertly work the blades into the carcass once more his eyes barely left his work, and he said "So, Marshal, what would you like to know?"
Vahanian Blint


Roleplay from Maura Arnickles Renodin
Grey Knights:

The Inquisitor followed Grand Templar into the tent and as soon as the flap opened she smelled the sweet scent of a carcass. Most would recoil or at least wince, but she just gulped down some of the spit that quickly filled her mouth. Being brought up on the desert she often fed on half-raw meat, dessicated in extreme temperatures. Adult minds crave the sustenance of their childhood and so the scent of carrion served to bolster Maura's appetite.

Marshal sat on the stool several feet behind Vahanian's back, but seeing as her host started to work on his game she immediately stood up and approached him as he enquired:

"So, Marshal, what would you like to know?"

"That is a broad question, Grand Templar." - she said, now standing next to him, as she pulled a knife out of her greave as unalarmingly as one could possibly manage and started to make small cuts around the animal's neck - "I would like to know what do you think of my new venture, I would like to know if the Templar Order would help with it and most importantly I would like to know if you would share your deep knowledge of our ultimate enemy. Your experience with fighting daimon kind is nigh unparalleled in our realm. I seek to learn, so that I can be ready when the daimons come again."

Only upon finishing her answer did she noticed Grand Templar's attention. She was about to take the skin off the head of the stag but instead she quickly let go of her knife. What on earth have I done?! - she scolded herself in her mind. She acted instinctively - whenever she saw someone gutting a big animal she would go on and start flaying that animal, so that work is done quicker and so that meat of the head is not wasted. Apparently never in the past three and a half year of her noble life has she saw anyone gut a carcass. She would slap her forehead if she had just a little bit less self-restraint. He must think I acted like a commoner - she thought, wondering if the whole situation was such by design. Thinking of a way to save face she struggled to say something appropriate:

"Venison makes for a very good brawn" - she muttered clumsily, not very satisfied with the attempt.
Maura Arnickles Renodin


Roleplay from Vahanian Blint
Grey Knights:

Vahanian smiled as Maura stumbled through an attempt to pseudo apologies for taking on the butchery of his kill. He paid it no mind, he wasn't attached to the pelt, and she'd done nothing to spoil the meat. He wiped his hands on a rag and offered a fresh one to her as well.

He beckoned her to follow him into his tent, and dispatched a servant to bring wine, ale, water, tea bread and cheese. Maura's guard stayed outside the tent as the two nobles sat down in relatively comfortable field chairs, opposite one another. The servant returned and allowed Maura to chose the beverage of her choice while pouring a steaming cup of tea for Vahanian. He fought back the urge to pour a goblet of the deep Vatrona red wine that sat on the table. He could smell its aroma and it was almost as intoxicating as the wine itself.

He pushed the thought from his mind, and instead pulled out his pipe and lit it. Puffing on the sweet smoke of the wailing wood tobacco he so loved. He leaned his head back and exhaled his lung-full of smoke. "Marshal... where to begin.. If I am being candid, I know very little of your venture with the Templar Order, but I would certainly love to know more. I would love to hear an assessment from you of the differences between the Templars and the Inquisition, having been a member of both you are in a unique position to comment on both. As for the daimons.. That is a long and dark history that haunts me to this day. I have seen and fought far more of them then I ever care to remember."

Vahanian sipped at his tea, his deep hazel eyes staring across the table at Maura, who sat there, impassive, a strong silent sentinel. In this moment, he was utterly convinced of 2 things. First that he had made the right choice in his selection of Marshal, and secondly, she was one of the most dangerous people in the realm. Both pieces of information he tucked away in his mind to mull over later.

He continued talking after a brief pause and said "If I have learned anything from fighting daimon kind, its that they, like people, have habits and can be predictable. They usually always start by trying to divide the realms. They find a weak minded, or weak morale realm and obliterate any opposition, They then use that realm to stage the rest of their warfare. Expect no quarter to be given and none must be shown. That is imperative. They prefer slaughter to capture, but in the event of capture, they relish slow and anguishing torture. They seek out, and hunt down what a person loves the most, and either corrupt it or destroy it. I have rather intimate experience with such tactics..."

Vahanian's eyes glazed over briefly and filled with unimaginable pain and sorrow. He quickly banished the thoughts and emotions from his brain and continued his speech.

"Daimons love to target and destroy any semblance of hope. They will fight tooth and claw till the last beast and have no problem defiling holy or sacred things. I have learned to always 'Plan for the worst case scenario, and expect that it will be even worse than that'. Daimon's are hard to kill, and even harder to vanquish. Color, creed, beliefs, all go out the window when Daimon's attack, They care not who they slaughter, and we should care not who we stand next to against their onslaught."

He paused once more and sipped his tea before saying "Above all else, never doubt yourself. Doubt kills."
Vahanian Blint


Roleplay from Maura Arnickles Renodin
Grey Knights:

As soon as the servant brought the beverages in Maura got overwhelmed by the heavy scent of red wine. She clenched her teeth and shook her head slightly in order to clear it before she requested a cup of water. Soon the smoke from Vahanian's pipe pushed the smell of alcohol aside, she welcomed it - billowy grey puffs of salvation slowly enchanted the air with mild opacity.

Maura made a mental note to further explain the quest she sees for both of the orders and continued to listen to the tale of Grand Templar's experiences with daimon kind.

"... They seek out, and hunt down what a person loves the most, and either corrupt it or destroy it. I have rather intimate experience with such tactics..."


He said, with a brief flicker of what might've been despair, cloaked in hardiness. Merely a spark behind a stained glass, one that disappeared as soon as it appeared and would go unnoticed by anyone less attentive.

She continued to listen to the tale and when Grand Templar said - "Above all else, never doubt yourself. Doubt kills." - she inclined her head with brief sigh.

"Doubt... was an enemy of mine for the longest time. I would like to think I defeated it already. Forgive me, Grand Templar, but..." - she chose her words with utmost care - "... what you tell me is that daimons are powerful and evil."

Maura gulped the remaining water in her cup and leaned forward, lowering her voice a bit - "The Goriad's Fol... I mean the Grand Herald's campaign was not the greatest success but I personally achieved all I sought to achieve on that excursion. I've made contact with friends, allies and... I learned. It was not easy, for most people treat knowledge as their personal treasure, but I still learned. In fact I learned almost all there is to learn. But I am yet to talk this matter in person with someone who fought them in person. I need someone like that to teach me the specifics..." - she leaned back again, satisfaction almost seeping through to her voice - "... I need someone like that to help me train."

Marshal weighed Vahanian's reaction and decided to explain - "M'Lord, the venture I spoke of would be a joint effort of both Orders. As you know Inquisition is an institution unparalleled in seeking out and applying truth and knowledge. I would work together with a couple more select Inquisitors to that end. But there is one more thing that I need..." - Maura whistled and heavy clang of steel announced the new guest inside the tent - before them now stood a steel-clad beast - "... the truth we obtain will be a weapon. And every weapon needs someone to wield it. That's where I see the role of Templar Order. Templars seek to protect life and what is greater threat to life than the Netherworld? Templars are not allowed to die, for it would be a dereliction of duty. Allow me to select a couple of Templars for that task, I even have some candidates in mind already. All I would need is your permission and a specific title to distinguish them easily from the lot. These ones..." - Maura leisurely pointed to the huge warrior - "I call them Grey Knights. They're all nobleborn, sworn to that very cause."

Marshal waved the knight away and as he left the tent she concluded - "Forgive the show but I... I needed to explain the purpose of my questioning. Regardless of your decisions, I will still want to learn of daimons. Of their strengths, and more importantly - of their weaknesses."
Maura Arnickles Renodin


Lexicon

Report from The General
On the cunning of Daimon kind and Tactics against them:

Oh frankly I have seen Akkan in person. I would recommend you never trust any Daimon you see and launch thousands of arrows in its chest before allowing it to gain a single shred of strength. As if you neglect doing that out of curiosity it ends up in the death of tens of thousands peasants in defence of a city bombarded by demonic firebombs.

...

The most successful tactic against daimons I have used is charging with as many people as possible straight into the daimons ranks, regardless if you have possession of walls or not, the only exception being if you have range 5 special forces, which can stay on top of walls. If you encounter daimonic animals not accompanied by daimons themselves then you can just slaughter them like you would do with cavalry, which is to allow them to throw themselves on fortifications.

The execution of daimons is best done on the battlefield and prevent them from gaining any magic scrolls, since they thrive off that magical energy and is known to cause resurrections of them.
The General


Report from The Royal
On the Agyrian slaying of Daimon Overlords

... those rumours are indeed true. The parboiled heads of two Daemon Lords are available for inspection in Fronepu, both slain by Agyrian hands. It would have been three had not a Thalmarkin delivered the coup de grace to the third Daemon Lord after he was downed with a shaft from a bow.

What I will say is that Ar Agyr is a small realm with a big, beating heart of molten fury. Since the slaying of the Daemon Lords and the end of the 6th Invasion we've earned glory in the Far West supporting our Northern Alliance brethren against Angmar, and in the Wildlands of the South aiding the Vales against the earlier stages of this phantom invasion. Outnumbered though we may be by the revenants flooding our lands, it'll be a very cold day in hell that we yield to such pressures.
The Royal


Report from The Priestess
On overwhelming power of Daimon warriors

I will teach you what I know.

It has been some time since I have led men in combat though.

One of the more powerful soldier groups we fought against in the last invasion was the range 5, spearthrowing, flying cavalry that could kill defending archers from outside their range, or charge over the walls to kill defending infantry. Assuming the infantry even tried to hold the walls at all. It was very common for infantry to leave the walls and charge across the open field in an attempt to attack the Daimon archers. Which generally resulted in massacre by arrows, followed by rending by claws if any infantry survived that long.
The Priestess


Report from The Priestess
On the daimonic devices, weaknesses and mortality of Overlords

Monsters and undead do indeed fight as shock troops for the Daimons in most cases.

Daimon Overlords are some of the hardest individuals to kill in this world. I'm not sure I've ever seen a duel work against them. They are rarely killed in battle. Sometimes they are resurrected immediately though, so death does not always mean as much to them as to us. They are generally vulnerable to any magic scroll, much as we are, though there are rumors that heavy magic use empowers them.
The Priestess


Report from The Royal
On advantages of Agyrian blood in Daimon warfare

Inquisitor,

I know of no particular secret to slaying daimons unless it be Agyrian blood, Agyrian steel and Agyrian discipline. If you wish to confer with the nobility of Ar Agyr to learn more of these traits you're welcome to visit us in Fronepu and ask whatever questions you wish. Do let me know in advance though as we spend a lot of our time in the field and there may be another location which would suit your purposes better.
The Royal


Report from The Priestess
On daimon magic and portal stones

Portal stones can be used against the Daimons. It is in fact where they are best used and most powerful. They can be used to disrupt the Daimons' control of magic and eradicate them from this world entirely. How effective they are depends on the faith and the intention of those involved in laying the stones and those working with them. The better and more complete the intent, the better the result may be.

It is best to have scrolls of daimon banishment in reserve. Have your adventurers seek them out, put books together into scrolls, and have them ready for use when the time comes. Do the same for scrolls of undead banishing. Keep them in reserve for when they are needed.

Monster banishing books are another matter. They cannot be put together into scroll form and used later. They take effect immediately upon placing together and place the adventurer into a fugue state of mind where they slaughter the monsters with not later recollection of how they did it.
The Priestess


Roleplay from The Inquisitor
On portal magic and Daimon worship
The Inquisitor


Report from The Duke
On closing portals and the Dark One I wish I could answer that more specifically but it simply takes...well, everything you can dish out. Slaying them isn't the problem, it's making sure they stay dead. Taking out their portals seems to cure that. For that you need portal stones though and an adventurer with some a lot of bravery or stupidity. All we can do now is plan for their return. The Dark One sleeps but he will awaken again and even in his sleep he manipulates the forces of the blight. If one could slay the Dark One... well that would change the world as we know it.
The Duke


Report from The Scion
On self-sacrifice and mounted warriors

I have never fought the daimons personally- simply heard of their stories- I was a mere babe when nobles sacrificed themselves at the temples of light to ward of the coming of the blight and the daemonic invaders. I have however, seen one conserved corpse that was kept for further study at the [REDACTED].

From the stories I have heard, they have a great prowess in the subjugation of man... However mounted warriors are most wont to defeat them. Have we heard rumors of another daemonic invasion? I stand ready to lead my soldiers against them.
The Scion