The Xaverion Order

Senate, Court, and Knighthood of the Islands

The Order’s purpose was simple and ambitious: to prevent the islands from tearing each other apart again. Its laws are meant to apply across all member islands, its courts to uphold justice without favour, and its knights to protect citizens regardless of race or faith. In practice, like any great institution, the Xaverion Order lives somewhere between its ideals and its compromises.

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Origins and Purpose

The War of the Islands left the archipelago exhausted. Human, elven, halfling, dwarf and others had shed blood over territory, trade routes, and old grudges, while Naquart struggled under the growing threat of the undead.

The peace treaty that ended the war did more than halt the fighting:

• It bound the islands together under a common name and shared laws.

• It created the Xaverion Order to enforce those laws and mediate disputes.

• It tied the New Faiths formally into island politics, granting them representation in the Senate.

Since then, the Order has stood as the central civil authority of the islands—sometimes a shield, sometimes a blunt instrument, always present.

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Structure of the Xaverion Order

The Xaverion Senate

The Xaverion Senate is the law-making body of the islands. Senators write, debate, and pass laws which, in principle, apply to all member islands.

Every ten years, a special committee reviews the number of seats in the Senate. Seat allocation depends on:

• Population of an island

• Access to or control of key resources

• Political and economic influence

Several seats are also reserved to represent the Church of the New Faiths. When the number of seats changes, the Senate negotiates who must step down and which islands or factions may present candidates for any newly created seats. If an island gains a seat, it may nominate several candidates; the Senate then votes on who will actually take that chair.

Unpopular laws often bring unrest—protests, occasional riots, and sometimes targeted violence against the senators who proposed them. To counter this, Senators are guarded by the 1st Knights, an elite cadre within the Xaverion Knighthood charged specifically with protecting the Senate.

Civil Hierarchy

Beneath the Senate, day-to-day governance follows a simple chain:

• Each town has a mayor – elected by the people or appointed by the local noble.

• Each region or larger territory has a governor.

• Each island has a primary leader (noble, council, or other structure), and that leader typically holds—or controls—at least one Senate seat.

Races without formal nobility rely more heavily on elected leadership, but all are expected to interface with the Order through this hierarchy.

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Xaveri – Heart of the Order

While every major island has its own guard towers, courts, and local councils, the true heart of the Xaverion Order lies on the island of Xaveri.

Xaveri is home to:

• The Great Hall of the Senate, where island laws are debated and passed.

• The Supreme Court of Xaverion, highest judicial authority in the islands.

• The Grand Training Grounds of the Xaverion Knights, the largest and oldest knightly academy in the realm.

The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Xaverion sits in Xaveri’s capital, in a tiered marble hall overlooking the harbour. This court:

• Hears appeals from lower Xaverion Courts across the islands.

• Arbitrates disputes between islands, noble houses, and powerful orders.

• Oversees cases that involve multiple jurisdictions, accusations of high treason, or direct threats to the stability of the Xaverion Islands as a whole.

Only the Supreme Court can confirm sentences such as permanent banishment from all Xaverion territory, the dissolution of an order, or the stripping of noble titles granted under Xaverion law. Its judges are chosen from among the most experienced magistrates in the islands and are appointed by the Senate for long terms, on the understanding that they answer to law and treaty first, and politics second.

The Grand Training Grounds

Just outside Xaveri’s capital lies the original and largest training facility of the Xaverion Knights. Often simply called the Grounds or the First Hall, it serves as:

• The main basic training academy for new recruits from all over the islands.

• The officer school, where promising knights are drilled in command, tactics, and law.

• A centre for advanced specialisations – investigators, scouts, medics, and candidates for the 1st Knights all pass through Xaveri at some point in their careers.

Many smaller islands maintain their own training yards, but it is considered a mark of honour to have “trained on Xaveri”. Knights from the Grand Training Grounds are often chosen for prestigious postings: guarding senators, serving in mixed-race peacekeeping units, or leading detachments posted to troubled regions such as Naquart or the siren-threatened coasts.

To outsiders, Xaveri is a crowded, self-important island of bureaucrats and soldiers. To the people of the Xaverion Islands, it is the place where laws are written, justice is spoken, and the next generation of knights is forged.

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The Xaverion Court

The Xaverion Court is where justice is formally spoken. Anyone accused of a crime has the right to a trial, led by a judge appointed by the Senate. Many judges specialize: trade disputes, magical crimes, Ghor-related cases, heresy, etc.

For every trial, three roles are assigned:

• A Judge – presides over the trial, interprets the law, delivers verdict and sentence.

• A Defender – argues for the accused.

• An Accuser – argues that the accused is guilty and presents the case against them.

Depending on rank, wealth, and circumstance, an accused person might:

• Be assigned a defender and accuser by the Court.

• Choose their own defender.

• In rare and politically sensitive cases, request a specific judge or accuser.

Evidence can include testimony, documents, physical proof, and—unlike many other cultures—magic. Rituals, illusions, or magical reconstructions may be used, which is why each case has at least one magical expert attached, to verify that no one tampers with the evidence or the court itself.

The Judge ultimately decides both guilt and punishment (or compensation), though in complex cases they may consult other judges or prior rulings.

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The Xaverion Knighthood

The Xaverion Knighthood is the law enforcement arm of the Order. Knights:

• Protect citizens of the Xaverion Islands.

• Enforce Senate law.

• Respond to threats ranging from petty theft to undead incursions or siren attacks.

There are outposts on all major islands, and at least one in most medium- and large-sized towns. These often serve as:

• Guard towers for rapid response

• Local prisons for short-term holding

• Offices for Xaverion Court officials assigned to the region

Recruitment and Training

Anyone can enlist, but training is demanding. Recruits are drilled in:

• Melee combat (sword and shield, dual wielding, two-handed blades, or spear)

• Ranged combat with bows

• Basic law and procedure

• Field discipline and teamwork

Only the best are assigned to front-line combat units; others may be guided into:

• Scouts – reconnaissance, tracking, early warning

• Medics – combat healing and stabilisation

• Investigators – specialists in solving crimes and tracking criminals

A typical crime-fighting unit consists of:

• One investigator

• One scout

• Possibly a medic

• Several knights as muscle and support

In peaceful regions, these units are the Order’s main visible face. In areas facing war, undead, or siren attacks, heavier combat forces are deployed instead.

Hidden Units

Less well known—but very real—are the covert units:

• Knights specially trained to go undercover,

• Operatives sent deep into hostile territory for reconnaissance, sabotage, or rescue,

• Teams skilled in infiltration and quietly removing threats before open conflict erupts.

Because Xaverion Knights are popularly seen as honourable, straightforward warriors, many find it hard to imagine such stealth-based work. The Order is in no hurry to correct that misconception.

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The 1st Knights

The 1st Knights are an elite branch within the Knighthood, originally formed to protect the newly created Senate during unstable post-war years. They:

• Guard Senate sessions and official processions.

• Escort high-risk senators and judges.

• Intervene if protests or riots threaten to spill into outright political violence.

To common citizens, their presence signals that important decisions—or controversial ones—are being made.

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Relations with Other Powers

Church of the New Faiths

The Order and the Church of the New Faiths are tightly intertwined:

• The Church holds Senate seats, giving it direct influence over law.

• Knights frequently cooperate with Paladins and priests, especially against undead, corruption, and heresy.

• The joint assault on the Crimson Monastery in Year 17—Xaverion Order, Church, and allied nobles—remains one of the most famous examples of this alliance.

Ahn’Ghor

The Ghor-hunter order Ahn’Ghor maintains outposts across the islands and often coordinates with local Xaverion guard towers.

When rumours of corruption, undead, or Ghor-spawned monsters arise, it is common for knights to:

• Alert Ahn’Ghor,

• Support their operations,

• Or at least stay out of their way while they “clean up.”

Officially, the two organisations are independent. Unofficially, they rely heavily on one another in Ghor-touched matters.

Seafarers Accords

After the rise of the Sirens and the destruction of Serinhal in Year 14, the Seafarers Accords hardened into a true navy. Xaverion investigators and the Wanderers League uncovered evidence that Serinhal’s fall was deliberate, not a natural disaster, prompting this transformation.

The Knighthood now works closely with the Seafarers:

• Providing investigators and legal authority at harbours,

• Coordinating defence of coastal cities,

• Handling trials for pirates, cultists, and captured siren-worshippers.

IGA

The Information Gathering Association (IGA) is often mistaken for a branch of the Xaverion Order—but it is formally separate.

• Many assume IGA operatives answer to the Senate or Knighthood. They do not.

• The Order frequently uses IGA intelligence but does not control its methods.

• Some knights privately view the IGA as “necessary troublemakers”; some senators call them a menace with good timing.

Despite tensions, there is a practical symbiosis: the Order provides public law and punishment, the IGA quietly ensures certain things never become public at all.

Dawnstrider Order and Others

Other organisations, such as the Dawnstrider Order, sometimes work alongside Xaverion Knights on specific operations—particularly those involving slavery, narcotics, or organised crime. But their methods and loyalties do not always align with official law.

The Order has learned, awkwardly, that turning a blind eye can sometimes keep the peace better than a public clash between powerful factions.

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Recent History and Scandals

The Crimson Order and Witch Hunts

The war-born Crimson Order on Naquart began as defenders against the undead but slid into zealotry.

Key events:

• Elderbrook burned overnight (Year 9), initially blamed on an undead attack. Only later did investigations reveal Crimson involvement.

• By Year 16, non-human members of the Crimson Order were turning up dead, and Crimson forces were attacking villages under accusations of heresy and Ghor-worship.

• A counterattack by Xaverion Knights captured a High Inquisitor, who was later executed.

• In Year 17, the Xaverion Order, noble house knights, and New Faith Paladins stormed the Crimson Monastery and crushed the Order.

The aftermath birthed the Crimson Witch Hunts: anyone suspected of Crimson ties could be arrested, tried, or simply burned. Though the hunts have cooled, they still flare up—another stain on the Order’s claim to perfect justice.

Siren Attacks and the Cost of Defence

The Order’s investigators played a central role in uncovering the truth behind Serinhal’s fall and the siren threat, but the cost of defending the coasts remains high.

The attack on Enville in Year 20, where Jonathan Galahan of House Galahan died defending the city, is still fresh in public memory.

For many citizens, these events prove that:

• The Order does stand between them and the worst horrors of Ghor’s world…

• But it cannot protect everyone, and those in power are not always the ones who pay the price.

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Joining the Xaverion Order

While the Senate is largely the domain of nobles, influential clergy, and wealthy citizens, the other arms of the Order are more open:

• Knighthood: Anyone may enlist, provided they can pass the physical and mental demands of training.

• Court: Legal scholars, mages, and even retired knights may become defenders, accusers, or court mages. Judges, however, are appointed by the Senate.

For many ambitious islanders, service in the Order is both a calling and a career ladder. For idealists, it is a way to try to make the islands better. For cynics, it is a way to gain power in a world that never quite lives up to its own laws.

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Reputation in the Present Day (Year 22)

To the common people of the Xaverion Islands, the Order is:

• The guard tower at the edge of town,

• The courthouse where you plead your case,

• The senate hall whose distant decisions shape taxes, trade, and justice.

Opinions vary:

• Some see the Order as a bulwark against chaos—undead, sirens, cults, and petty tyrants.

• Others see it as a slow, political machine, more concerned with nobles and priests than with hamlets like Threea or villages like Elderbrook.

Among scholars and storytellers, the Xaverion Order is a symbol of the Fifth Era:

Flawed, contested, yet still holding—
The law that keeps the islands from falling back into war.

Whether it will continue to hold as new threats rise from sea and shadow remains one of the central questions of our age.