The Order of Zwi

The Order of Zwi is Skylessia's premier religious faction. It encompasses the entire continent, with at least small followings in every country. Half of the Marcelli Empire belong to this group, as do a large portion of Araducians.

Their overall goal is to defend the general populace and freedoms of the people from the oppression of the demonic horde that threatens to eradicate all life on Skylessia; to purge the continent of evils and injustices, both caused by demons and otherwise. If you're traveling in or around The Deadzone, the only humans you're likely to find will be members of The Order of Zwi.

History
In the aftermath of the last Alacian Civil War, Duke Maximillion Zwingley of Fidona and his supporters separated from the west half of the country to form the East Alacian Republic. Duke Zwingley was charged with overseeing all military actions withing the EAR, resulting in his direct training of their soldiers. This resulted in him passing on the secrets of the Juggernaut to every man and woman enlisted.

When the demons first laid assault to Alacia, it was Maximillion Zwingley and his loyal soldiers that rallied the nation and pushed the demons back. This force absorbed the brunt and absolute worst of the demonic attack, containing it to mainly within the EAR. The fighting was intense and thousands upon thousands of loyal, dedicated men and women were slain in the process. A force of fifty thousand was reduced to a mere three hundred. Eventually, his Juggernauts, now calling themselves Zwingley's Zealots in honor of their fallen leader, were backed by the ferocious tribes of Arad'uun. United under the banner of the Nineveh and the Zwingley family line, the massive force of humanity termed themselves the Order of Zwi. Though they fought a noble battle, in the end the realms of the EAR were lost. As this was the starting point of the demon invasion, it was also the place they were to be contained to, largely in part to the Order.

After the Demon War, the Order traveled much of the western and southern world, spreading the message of Zwingley and seeking to help fight off the demons. Though Valhassa rejected their presence and sent them away, much of the remaining world accepted them and lent what aid they could. Eventually, the Order became a global power, independent of any national control and free to pursue their code of righteousness. For years, that is exactly what they did, traveling the continent creating aid stations for those afflicted by the demonic horde, rebuilding towns and cities, and hunting demons as well as providing sanctuary from all types of injustices, not just limited to demonic influences.

When the Juggernauts began growing old (and after disputes amongst each other that led to uneccesary bloodshed and much property damage), it was agreed upon that there would only ever be one true Juggernaut to lead them into battle once they had all passed on. This process of passing on the title and power would be recorded in the Book of Zwi, and be viewed only by the eyes of a Juggernaut and his successor.

Recently, however, as of thirty years ago, the Order was split into two factions. A faction of the Order of Zwi felt that the destruction of all things demonic outweighed the needs of their fellow man. Political disputes about leadership were at the core of this conflict. The Order cut all ties with them. The current Juggernaut, Ziorand Zwingley, denied this splinter group the Order's greatest tool in the battles against the demons: the revered Book of Zwi. This caused them to branch off from The Order of Zwi, to form the Order of the Cross. They also lost the sacred tome Creiddylayd in this split.

Today, The Order of Zwi continues to fight for justice, the betterment of their fellow man, and the eradication of demonic prescence throughout Skylessia and the surrounding realms. They are much beloved by the majority of the population of Skylessia. They have castles, bases, and entire towns under their control throughout the world. The majority of their forces and the largest portion of their power is divided between the three borders of The Deadzone. The former seat of their power is the Holy City Percivalia, near the Nagarath/Deadzone border, named for the youngest child of Maximillion, whom led the Zealots to their victory in their darkest hour. Their current capitol is the fortress city of Tima Rald, in eastern Araducia.

Power Hierarchy
The Juggernaut: As leader of The Order of Zwi, the Juggernaut forsees all actions they undertake. A Juggernaut is wise beyond his years, just in his judgements, kind and gentle to his allies, and merciful toward his adversaries. When judging demons and their ilk, he takes a strict no tolerence policy and exorcises his full power in their destruction. On top of appointing the twelve Zealots, the Juggernaut also names his successor at a time when he feels close to death. At this time, he must travel deep into the heart of demon controlled territory alone, on a suicide mission to end whatever evils he can. Quite possibly the most powerful human on the continent, the process of become a Juggernaut alters the body to provide them with the strength of a hundred men, and causes them to grow to a maximum of nine feet in height.

The Zealots: The twelve, senior knights whom have shown considerable prowess with leadership, wisdom, blade, and light. They are the most elite of the Knights of Zwi, and serve as advisors to the Juggernaut. A Juggernaut is only chosen from a member of the Zealots. Zealots themselves are elected to the council. In the event that there are not 12 Zealots, the remaining members and the Juggernaut nominate and then vote on who shall next rise to their ranks. Each Zealot oversees a portion of the operations of the order, either military or humanitarian, and pass their knowledge on to the Juggernaut.

The Knights of Zwi: The Knights of Zwi are the military portion of The Order. They consist of men and women from all walks of life, and are ranked according to their command positions.

-A General will normally oversee the proper functions of a castle or base and all the military within.

-Under him will be several Colonels whom lead battalions. A battalion consists of several companies (no more than seven).

-Each company is led by a Captain. A company consists of four platoons.

-Each platoon is led by a lieutenant. A platoon is made up of two to four squadrons.

-Each squadron consists of between four and sixteen Knights, and is led by a Commander.

The Knights handle the dirty work. They battle demons, bandits, and even governments if they are deemed unjust by both the local populace and the Zealots.

The Church of Zwi and Zwiism
The Church of Zwi accepts all willing to help, be they man, woman, or otherwise. They spread the word of Zwi, which promotes hard work, honesty, faithfulness, courage, and friendship above all else. The Order believes that every life is sacred and that everyone should lend what they can to helping each other.

-Bishops of Zwi, whom oversee where aid is needed, manage their forces and assets, and send them where they are needed. This is in addition to the duties they share with the Priests.

-The Priests of Zwi spread the word of Zwi to all who will listen. In addition to that, they also work to cure the sick and wounded, and provide aid to those who need it. This includes but is not limited to rebuilding communities, providing shelter, and supplying fresh food and clean water.

Zwiism encompasses the entire continent of Skylessia. In Marcellus and Araducia, many towns and cities have a house of worship. Members attend meetings on the Day of Sacrifice, donating a small portion of funds to the Order. A registry of the followers is also accounted for, allowing the Order to keep a record of their current members. Zwiists worship from the comfort of their own homes when a house of worship is unavailable, mostly in countries where Zwiism is not prominent.

Policies and Global Relations
The Order of Zwi has bases and castles in every country on the mainland, as well as in Azgarth. They are also in the process of building a community on The New Continent. Because The Order of Zwi is the largest non-nation specific organization on the continent, and have a loving relationship with everyone except the Bandit Queens, they have to treat most issues with much care. Certain rules must be followed by all members of The Order while out and about:

- If there is a person in trouble, unless you are already undertaking a task to help someone else, it is your obligation to make their problems, your problems. - Should one encounter a practitioner of dark magic, or domesticated demons, they are to be treated with great caution. You are under no circumstances to attempt to bring these foolish persons to justice unless they have committed a crime against the good people of Skylessia. They should be inspected and, if deemed dangerous to the safety of the Skylessian populace, exterminated immediately. It is encouraged to treat them with the same respect as anyone else. - Anima magic users are to be treated under less severe restrictions. Should they prove to be a threat to general safety, they are to be detained and held at a trial in their home country to determine their fate. - Should a member of the Order of the Cross be encountered, they are to be treated with caution and respect. They were former brothers in arms, but have simply chosen to walk a different path. - Anyone else who unjustly threatens the life of a member of the Order of Zwi is to be dealt the "eye for an eye" judgment: do unto them as they have done unto you.

Membership Requirements
A member of the Order of Zwi can be pretty much anyone. The only folks who are barred from entry are those who fight with anima magic, or dark magic. The historical significance behind this is that anima magic was the reason the continent was ravaged around 10 B.D., which released The Thing. Dark magic is the primary weapon of demons and their ilk, and again is taboo. Everyone else is fair game. It should be noted that any class can take up any profession, so a staff user could be a Captain and a heavily armored axefighter could be a Bishop.

Before a member joins the Order of Zwi, they must first spend a period of time as a squire, learning the basics of combat in their chosen field under a higher ranked member. Only a Knight who has achieved the rank of Captain or higher may train squires. Bishops and Priests take on similar pupils, known as acolytes.

Dress Code
Everyone in the Order of Zwi, while free to wear whatever they like on off duty, must adhere to strict dress codes while on duty. Being "On Duty" encompasses any task undertaken for the Order with the exception of espionage. Dress code is pretty simple: you wear standard garments of your class. However, the light and heavy armor users wear ivory with gold trim and a purple cape. Everyone else wears ivory, gold, and purple combat robes (with cape if you like). Each cape also has a hood.

Current Members
The Juggernaut: Ziorand Zwingley (Level 20/20/1), age 73. "A Juggernaut is never young". After the first generation of Juggernauts finally passed on, and only one was deemed worthy of the title, it became apparent that they would never be spring chickens. Ziorand himself is the first Zwingley to lead The Order (discounting the early days of his predecessor Maximillion). He ascended to power at the age of 41, a relatively young age, and two years later had to deal with the splinter of the Cross. Ziorand, wise beyond his years, was able to lessen their loses to almost nil. Since then, he has been able to maintain the Order's relations across the continent. While he understands that the discovery of the new continent is important, he adheres to the old ways, hoping to do his ancestor proud, by focusing all efforts on aiding the people first, and eradicating the demons later.

The Zealots: *12, currently Pending*

Knights: Colonel Axebeard - Gammas Nineveh : A mighty warrior with connections to blacksheep David Zwingley. Wears a throwing axe on the end of his beard. (Level 20/10 General) [http://forums.feplanet.net/index.php?showtopic=46805 Squire Reginald Banks (Level 1 Knight played by Spammalanche)] Bishops:

Priests: