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Crimson Order

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BySuraia Silverbell

From purple zeal to crimson heresy

Overview

The Crimson Order was a militant, Thoron-aligned religious order based in the Crimson Monastery on Naquart. Founded to fight the growing undead plague and Ghor corruption, it began as a respected people’s militia and ended as a zealot, heretical order whose name is now synonymous with witch hunts, massacres, and betrayal.

Though the Monastery fell in Year 17 of the Fifth Era, the Order’s legacy lingers in the form of Crimson Witch Hunts, political scars, and deep discomfort whenever Thoron’s name is mentioned in connection with Naquart.

Origins as a Thoronite Militia (Year 6)

The group that would become the Crimson Order began as a Thoron-aligned militia during the early years of the undead crisis on Naquart:

  • First undead reports: Maveeday, cycle of Arilya, season of Envylon, Year 5 – small ghoul incidents, at first manageable by the paladins of the New Faiths.

  • Founding: Twillday, cycle of Noent, season of Thoron, Year 6 – a religious Thoron-supporting group forms on Naquart, later known as the Crimson Order.

At this stage they were:

  • Based at what would later be called the Crimson Monastery, deep in the Oak Highlands of Naquart.

  • A people’s militia under Thoron’s banner, dedicated to eradicating Ghor’s corruption—especially undead, necromancers, and liches.

Colours at founding:

  • Purple and gold, echoing Thoron’s traditional colours.

  • They were not yet called the “Crimson Order”; that name came later.

They gained followers by:

  • Visiting villages attacked by undead.

  • Offering protection, taking in refugees, and training any who could hold a weapon.

Role During the War of the Islands

When the War of the Islands broke out (Years 4–8), the situation worsened dramatically:

  • Most trained fighters were away at war.

  • Paladins and priests of the New Faiths retreated to the Landing of the Gods to protect refugees and mediate peace, leaving Naquart’s citizens largely on their own.

During this time the militia:

  • Became the de facto Thoronite defence force of Naquart.

  • Continued to recruit, shelter, and train locals.

  • Established themselves as a notable presence on the island by the time peace was signed in Year 9.

After the war, while the Xaverion Islands began to rebuild, the militia was left alone to keep fighting the undead “scourge.” Over the years their behaviour drifted into increasingly zealous and extreme methods, but early investigations by the newly formed Xaverion Knights reported them as “dormant and harmless.”

Training & Structure in Their Prime

From the outside, the Order looked like a strict but admirable religious force:

  • Refugees and promising recruits were invited to live at the Monastery.

  • Most were trained as:

    • Paladins of the Order

    • Priests of the Order – collectively known as Crimson paladins and priests in later years.

In doctrine, they were:

  • Fiercely loyal to Thoron.

  • Focused on purging Ghor’s corruption from Naquart.

  • Convinced that they stood between ordinary people and annihilation.

In practice, this conviction would be twisted into paranoia and bloodshed.

The Turning Point – Year 16: The Slaughter

The true break came in Year 16. According to surviving accounts and later investigations:

  • All over Naquart, non-human members of the order were found dead—elves, dwarves, and other races who had served alongside humans in the Monastery.

  • Inside the Monastery itself, a massacre took place: non-human brothers and sisters of the Order were slaughtered by their own comrades.

The event was so bloody that witnesses later recalled:

  • Paladins and priests emerging from the Monastery with their once purple tabards and robes stained a uniform crimson.

  • From this day on, the name “Crimson Order” began to spread among common folk and officials, referring both to their bloody appearance and to distinguish them from orthodox Thoron worship.

Around the same time, attacks began to shift:

  • Villages were now being attacked by paladins and priests themselves,

  • People were dragged from their homes accused of being:

    • Ghor followers

    • Necromancers

    • Liches in disguise

What had begun as a shield against undead had become a weapon turned on the living.

Colours & Symbolism

Before Year 16:

  • Purple and gold – clearly Thoronite, associated with resilience, justice, and divine wrath against Ghor.

After the Slaughter:

  • They began wearing crimson garments, often with gold symbols, and effectively abandoned purple.

  • The new colours symbolised:

    • Their supposed willingness to be “stained by the blood of the unclean.”

    • Their separation from mainstream Thoron orders—at least in the eyes of others.

The title “Crimson Order” stuck as both a practical and political label:

  • For commoners: a way to warn “these are not ordinary Thoron paladins.”

  • For officials and clergy: a way to distance their atrocities from Thoron himself.

Political Distancing & Heresy

As reports of massacres and overreach spread, the Church of the New Faiths and the Xaverion Order moved quickly to distance themselves:

  • The group was declared heresy and rogue, no longer recognised as a legitimate Thoron order.

  • Official rhetoric avoided linking them to Thoron at all—speeches and records spoke of:

    • “Crimsons”

    • “Crimson heretics”

    • “The Crimson Order”
      rather than “Thoron’s knights” or “Thoron’s faithful.”

This reframing was deliberate:

  • To cast them as a stain on Thoron’s reputation rather than his true servants.

  • To make clear that their actions were not an expression of the god’s will.

The Fall of the Crimson Monastery (Year 17)

As the situation deteriorated, joint forces were finally assembled:

  • On Lunaday, cycle of Arilya, season of Ysandra, Year 17 (AFE), the Xaverion Order, knights of several noble houses, and paladins of the Church of the New Faiths marched on the Monastery.

Key moments:

  • In earlier clashes, one of the Order’s highest-ranking inquisitors was captured and later executed, signalling that the islands were no longer willing to tolerate Crimson excess.

  • The full assault on the Monastery was swift and decisive; the stronghold fell within a day.

With the Monastery lost:

  • Surviving members scattered across Naquart and beyond.

  • The organised Crimson Order ceased to exist as a recognised institution but did not vanish entirely.

The Crimson Witch Hunts

The fall of the Monastery triggered what became known as the Crimson Witch Hunts:

  • Being suspected of having been a member or sympathiser of the Order could lead to:

    • Imprisonment

    • Public execution—often burning at the stake, mirroring punishments for Old Faith heresy.

Key points:

  • Witch hunts began shortly after Year 17 and peaked in the first years after the Monastery’s fall.

  • Over time, the fervour cooled, but they never fully stopped.

  • Even in Year 19, a high-ranking former Crimson was captured and imprisoned on Abaraxion, the Ahn’Ghor prison island, showing that authorities still actively pursued remnants of the Order.

To this day, the term “Crimson” remains dangerous:

  • An accusation of having once been a Crimson—even without proof—can still be enough to ruin a life or spark a local panic.

Notorious Deeds & Legacy

Some of the most infamous events linked to the Crimson Order include:

  • The burning of Elderbrook – On Amberday, cycle of Qastaii, season of Thoron, Year 9, the village of Elderbrook was burned overnight. Initially thought to be the work of undead, it later emerged the Crimson Order was behind it.

  • The purge of non-human members – The turning point in Year 16, where non-human comrades were murdered, is now viewed as the moment the Order abandoned its original mission and fully embraced zealotry.

Their legacy is a mix of:

  • Old stories of bravery against undead in the early years.

  • Fresh scars from massacres, witch hunts, and betrayals of trust.

  • An enduring cautionary tale about what happens when righteous purpose rots into fanaticism.

The Crimson Order in the Present Day (Year 22, Fifth Era)

By Year 22 of the Fifth Era:

  • The Crimson Order no longer exists as a formal organisation.

  • A handful of suspected former members may still be alive—some imprisoned on islands like Abaraxion, others hiding under new identities.

  • The term “Crimson” is used most often in legal and religious contexts as a warning category, much like “heretic” or “Ghor cultist.”

For most people of the Xaverion Islands, the Crimson Order is:

  • A dark chapter in Naquart’s history,

  • A theological embarrassment for Thoron’s church,

  • And a reminder that even orders born to fight Ghor can fall prey to a different kind of corruption—
    not black and necrotic, but red and human.

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