Order of the Raven

Motto: From Shadows Comes The Light

The Order of the Raven is the largest knightly order within the Algostam, comprised mostly of paladins, fighters, and rangers (although some other classes are attracted to it as well -- particularly rogues.) The Order of the Raven is different from almost all other knightly orders in that its membership is kept secret, and the Order maintains no public guildhouses. Indeed, officially, the Order does not even exist. Yet the Order of the Raven remains one of the world's foremost champions for good, ferreting out evildoers across the land and bringing them to justice. In many respects, the Order of the Raven is viewed by the common people as a myth, but one that most are quite willing to believe in: regardless of one's station or situation, the Order of the Raven may arrive to aid them when the situation is at its darkest. Knights of the Raven fight not for glory or reward, but merely for the knowledge that they fight for what is right and just.

Most members of the Order of the Raven worship Ansom, the Sky Father; Ansom's church was the original sponsor of the Order. Some Knights of the Raven worship other gods, however, or simply the Light or the Steel.

History
Long ago, the church of Ansom the Sky-Father sponsored a knightly order called the Order of the Eagle. The Knights of the Eagle were great and powerful defenders of righteousness throughout the Algostam, and were well-loved by the populace. They built grand temples to Ansom, The Light, and the Steel, and their names were known across the land.

When the half-elf sorceress Malrian Ikess came to power within the Algostam and seduced the human kingdoms to make war upon the elves of Unuviel Belore, the Order of the Eagle found itself caught in a deadly trap. On the one hand, they were pledged to defend their kingdoms and uphold the laws of the land; on the other, they had always considered the elves friends and allies. Many knights spoke out against Ikess's plots, but the Order's leadership urged them to follow Ikess's commands. Eventually, this led to a great schism within the Order: some of the knights broke apart and stood with the elves against the human armies. Many believe that humanity realized the folly of its attack on their elvish allies when they saw Knights of the Eagle spilling the blood of their brothers and sisters, leading to humanity's switching sides to oppose Malrian Ikess -- too late to stop her true plan, as it turns out.

In the aftermath of the battle, the High Templar, Cartil Oathsedge, came weeping to his surviving knights, both those who stood with the elves and those who blindly followed the Black Goddess. He revealed that Malrian Ikess had personally tempted him, even courted him as a lover, in order to influence the actions of the Order, and that her agents had spread throughout the Knights to further corrupt them. Full of remorse for his actions, Cartil declared that there was no way to maintain such a visible organization without attracting spies and infiltrators. The High Templar dissolved the Order of the Eagle, and before any could stop him, he fell on his own sword.

The remaining knights took their former leader's words to heart. They would not give up their righteous cause, but they would not allow their own notoriety to lead them into evil. They would instead move quietly through the world, seeking evil and destroying it, never allowing themselves to be found and targeted again. On that night, the Order of the Eagle's days ended, and in its place rose the Order of the Raven.

Regions
Knights of the Raven are found all over the lands of Unuviel. They are rumored to have a safehouse in every city (and most medium and large towns) in the region. Their headquarters, obviously, are kept secret, though many believe they maintain two autonomous command centers: one in Misra Algostam, and one somewhere in The Burrowlands.