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Poor Brothers
"By Burden, We Serve."
The Poor Brothers of the Sword and Anvil (or simply the Poor Brothers) are an extirpated chapter of the Templar Order once based in south-central Eretejva.
Established by Grandmaster Emel Roslann of Alliria, the purpose of the Poor Brothers was to allow Templars judged to be in offense of the Templar Order an avenue for penance outside the more extreme options of banishment from the Order entirely or outright execution. For much of its nearly 180 years of activity, it served this purpose admirably, bringing the Order to Eretejva in numbers not previously considered possible. Spurred by factors both internal and external, however, the Poor Brothers as a chapter were eventually poisoned and overcome by an institutional rot.
With successive waves of the condemned dithering first to Templars of little skill or acumen, then to criminals outright, combined with generations of leadership initially admirable but overwhelmed, then ultimately poor, the chapter dwindled from a hardened military force to little more than a prison in practice. While valorous and hardened Templars still remained, by Ivram Cylirn's time as Grandmaster - the final of the chapter's lifespan - the population of the chapterhouse had dwindled, with less than half being combat capable. Of those combat capable, many were former convicts-made-Templars by mantle and violence alone.
In the end, a combination of internal revolt and external retribution ended the Poor Brothers. The Brothers Hospitalier of the Silver Shield, in combination with a contingent of Dunholm survivors and Faarin men-at-arms, ultimately put the torch to the chapter.
Established by Grandmaster Emel Roslann of Alliria, the purpose of the Poor Brothers was to allow Templars judged to be in offense of the Templar Order an avenue for penance outside the more extreme options of banishment from the Order entirely or outright execution. For much of its nearly 180 years of activity, it served this purpose admirably, bringing the Order to Eretejva in numbers not previously considered possible. Spurred by factors both internal and external, however, the Poor Brothers as a chapter were eventually poisoned and overcome by an institutional rot.
With successive waves of the condemned dithering first to Templars of little skill or acumen, then to criminals outright, combined with generations of leadership initially admirable but overwhelmed, then ultimately poor, the chapter dwindled from a hardened military force to little more than a prison in practice. While valorous and hardened Templars still remained, by Ivram Cylirn's time as Grandmaster - the final of the chapter's lifespan - the population of the chapterhouse had dwindled, with less than half being combat capable. Of those combat capable, many were former convicts-made-Templars by mantle and violence alone.
In the end, a combination of internal revolt and external retribution ended the Poor Brothers. The Brothers Hospitalier of the Silver Shield, in combination with a contingent of Dunholm survivors and Faarin men-at-arms, ultimately put the torch to the chapter.
History
Originally established by Emel Roslann, an Allirian Templar of noble lineage, the Poor Brothers chapter was intended to serve primarily as a means to provide Templars which had committed offenses against the Order an avenue for repentance beyond exile or execution. In Roslann's view - to the exclusion of crimes such as treachery or sabotage - most Templars adjudicated guilty by their chapters were fundamentally redeemable; he himself, once guilty of insubordination in his youth, faced years of toil and hardship before eventually regaining his mantle. By experience, Roslann believed that toil and hardship toward a common set of goals, and under the burden of a common service, could correct what others had deemed little else than a lost cause.
Under this philosophy of burden as service, Roslann ultimately chose the citadel of Farhold Bastion as the base of operations for his nascent chapter. Located in Eretejva, Farhold was chosen for three primary reasons. Its geographic isolation ensured condemned Templars were far removed from their original chapters, distancing both the source of their aggrievement and, ostensibly, establishing new foundations in a new locale. Secondly, the climate itself - the tundra and fierce fold of Eretejva - would serve as both a ward against desertion and whetstone for the skills and readiness of the penitents. Lastly, for generations, Eretejva had served as a stumbling block in the Templar Order's larger plans, with scant few Templars ever present on the subcontinent and with no single chapterhouse calling the frosty climes home.
Though believed to originally date to the Age of Expansion, Farhold was renovated and made serviceable within three years of Roslann and his contingent's arrival. Even so, the chapterhouse would never truly be an independent settlement despite its isolation. While hunting and foraging, as well as a few warm-weather cellars, provided sustenance, the village of Hvallund - nearly two days ride from the bastion - would forever serve as a logistical node both for supplies and new recruits to the Poor Brothers.
In the years under Roslann's stewardship as Grandmaster, Farhold Bastion and the Poor Brothers saw a considerable swelling of ranks. The initial penitents supplied to the Poor Brothers were of the exact make that Grandmaster Roslann desired: rambunctious and rebellious souls, but ultimately individuals who could have such energy redirected to positive ends. It was also during this time period that the initial structure of the Poor Brothers was established, and with it, the initial traditions that would guide the chapter for generations to come. Before Roslann's death due to old age, the Poor Brothers had become a formidable, if small, Templar chapter focusing chiefly on the targeting of users of fell arcana and beasts corrupted or born of the same
Under this philosophy of burden as service, Roslann ultimately chose the citadel of Farhold Bastion as the base of operations for his nascent chapter. Located in Eretejva, Farhold was chosen for three primary reasons. Its geographic isolation ensured condemned Templars were far removed from their original chapters, distancing both the source of their aggrievement and, ostensibly, establishing new foundations in a new locale. Secondly, the climate itself - the tundra and fierce fold of Eretejva - would serve as both a ward against desertion and whetstone for the skills and readiness of the penitents. Lastly, for generations, Eretejva had served as a stumbling block in the Templar Order's larger plans, with scant few Templars ever present on the subcontinent and with no single chapterhouse calling the frosty climes home.
Though believed to originally date to the Age of Expansion, Farhold was renovated and made serviceable within three years of Roslann and his contingent's arrival. Even so, the chapterhouse would never truly be an independent settlement despite its isolation. While hunting and foraging, as well as a few warm-weather cellars, provided sustenance, the village of Hvallund - nearly two days ride from the bastion - would forever serve as a logistical node both for supplies and new recruits to the Poor Brothers.
In the years under Roslann's stewardship as Grandmaster, Farhold Bastion and the Poor Brothers saw a considerable swelling of ranks. The initial penitents supplied to the Poor Brothers were of the exact make that Grandmaster Roslann desired: rambunctious and rebellious souls, but ultimately individuals who could have such energy redirected to positive ends. It was also during this time period that the initial structure of the Poor Brothers was established, and with it, the initial traditions that would guide the chapter for generations to come. Before Roslann's death due to old age, the Poor Brothers had become a formidable, if small, Templar chapter focusing chiefly on the targeting of users of fell arcana and beasts corrupted or born of the same
The Gaun Reforms
Under Grandmaster Josua Gaun, over sixty years after Emel Roslann's death, the chapter saw a significant period of reform brought about by its growth. Chapters abroad began using Farhold as a first-line punishment for even minor offenses, swelling its ranks considerably. This saw the establishment of the Three Cohorts and the office of the Marshal of the Poor Brothers as a posting distinct from that of the Grandmaster. Where once Roslann viewed the Poor Brothers as a third answer between banishment or death, it had begun to shift instead to an institutional dumping ground for soldiers and support personnel the larger Order abroad chose better to subject to punitive transportation.
While not its peak in pure manpower, Gaun oversaw the Poor Brothers at a time when it maintained its largest force of soldiers and skillful combatants. Over eighty percent of Farhold's inhabitants were combat-capable under Gaun's leadership, with even simple stewards being capable of acting as men-at-arms with little in the way of logistical support or extreme readiness. The Three Cohorts system ultimately allowed for divisions of effectiveness between hardened veterans, support, and troops-in-training, ensuring a constant supply of Templars to combat the ills of the tundra.
Following Gaun's death, the Poor Brothers simultaneously saw continued growth but also the nascent pangs of rot which would begin to poison the chapter. While Templar chapterhouses abroad initially saw Farhold Bastion as a punitive posting, authorities close to the Order saw opportunity. A generation hence Gaun, it was under Grandmaster Garz Kerre that the first "prison barges" arrived. Authorities from across Epressa and Liadain were repeatedly informed by the Order of the "dire need for reinforcements" in Eretejva; others were told merely that the Poor Brothers would "handle" their captives, prisoners, and undesirables. Kerre faced a crisis in the form of such a suddenly exploded population ostensibly beneath his guardianship.
While not its peak in pure manpower, Gaun oversaw the Poor Brothers at a time when it maintained its largest force of soldiers and skillful combatants. Over eighty percent of Farhold's inhabitants were combat-capable under Gaun's leadership, with even simple stewards being capable of acting as men-at-arms with little in the way of logistical support or extreme readiness. The Three Cohorts system ultimately allowed for divisions of effectiveness between hardened veterans, support, and troops-in-training, ensuring a constant supply of Templars to combat the ills of the tundra.
Following Gaun's death, the Poor Brothers simultaneously saw continued growth but also the nascent pangs of rot which would begin to poison the chapter. While Templar chapterhouses abroad initially saw Farhold Bastion as a punitive posting, authorities close to the Order saw opportunity. A generation hence Gaun, it was under Grandmaster Garz Kerre that the first "prison barges" arrived. Authorities from across Epressa and Liadain were repeatedly informed by the Order of the "dire need for reinforcements" in Eretejva; others were told merely that the Poor Brothers would "handle" their captives, prisoners, and undesirables. Kerre faced a crisis in the form of such a suddenly exploded population ostensibly beneath his guardianship.
Degeneration of the Chapter
Most of the so-called prison barges were not combat capable; most, in fact, were not Templars at all. They were thieves, deserters, bandits, and all manners of cut-throats shipped northward from every village, settlement, and prison that could afford to transport them. While Templars were still transported to Farhold, for a time, it was only the dregs of society - actual or perceived - that were sent northward. Initially, Kerre and the Poor Brothers debated what to do with such a large population; more than once the idea of simply sinking them to the waves was approached. Ultimately, however, they were taken-in, and the citadel of Farhold Bastion became as much a fortress as a prison.
Under Kerre, and for generations to come, the Poor Brothers became as much a Templar chapter as wardens to an unruly population of rogues in practice. Kerre's own reforms saw a shifting of the Three Cohorts, with the First and Second becoming responsible for their own training, and the Third transitioning to a purely penal detachment bereft of Templar stock entirely. What prisoners could be made of use eventually were chartered as Templars proper, while those who were simply too unruly, too violent, or too deviant were often either left to the tundra or executed outright. The lowest catacombs and vaults of Farhold, once home to its stores, became cell blocks and oubliettes.
At its height, Kerre oversaw the swelling of the Poor Brothers' ranks to nearly seven-hundred fifty souls, with a third being little more than wards of the chapter: too infirm, incapable, or belligerent to even fill-out the support ranks of the chapter's stewards.
Under Kerre, and for generations to come, the Poor Brothers became as much a Templar chapter as wardens to an unruly population of rogues in practice. Kerre's own reforms saw a shifting of the Three Cohorts, with the First and Second becoming responsible for their own training, and the Third transitioning to a purely penal detachment bereft of Templar stock entirely. What prisoners could be made of use eventually were chartered as Templars proper, while those who were simply too unruly, too violent, or too deviant were often either left to the tundra or executed outright. The lowest catacombs and vaults of Farhold, once home to its stores, became cell blocks and oubliettes.
At its height, Kerre oversaw the swelling of the Poor Brothers' ranks to nearly seven-hundred fifty souls, with a third being little more than wards of the chapter: too infirm, incapable, or belligerent to even fill-out the support ranks of the chapter's stewards.
Collapse and Cleansing
Through both the aging of the Templar Order itself and the increasingly self-isolating position of the Poor Brothers, the years following Kerre's demise saw the chapter decline precipitously. By the time of Grandmaster Ivram Cylirn's ascension, the Poor Brothers had become a shadow of themselves. In the immediately preceding years, the chapter had increasingly looked to the nearby settlement of Hvallund, and even as distant as the frontiers of the Kingdom of Nordengaard, to replenish its ranks. While penitents - both Templar and purely criminal - still arrived, the amounts had dwindled considerably. In the year Cylirn ascended to his post, only a single barge arrived, carrying ten convicts and two condemned Templars.Under both Cylirn and his immediate predecessors, the Three Cohort system had decayed in practice to a mere two cohorts, with the second largely comprised of convicts turned men-at-arms or Templars - both chapter-made and from abroad - of a particular violence or irregularity in doctrine. The position of Marshal had not been filled for over two generations. What few chapters that still maintained relations with the Poor Brothers, perhaps in a twist of historical irony, continued to use Farhold for its intended purpose: a punishment excepting exile or execution. This lead to what few Templars were still transported being of a stock prone to over-exuberance or outright brutality in their duties.
Grandmaster Cylirn saw the inevitable collapse of the Poor Brothers in two distinct, but related, events: the Treason of the Second Cohort and, ultimately, the Cleansing of Farhold Bastion. The former was an internal revolt that occurred following the return of the Second Cohort from the settlement of Dunholm and, seemingly under the influence of aberrant command or outright butchery, saw the massacring of over half of the three-hundred strong Poor Brothers. During this tumult, Grandmaster Cylirn was himself killed, having been defenestrated from his quarters in the upper lofts in Farhold.
Following word of the events at Dunholm - itself having been put to the sword by the Second Cohort shortly before their return to Farhold - reaching the Nordengaard settlement of Faarin and the ears of several Templars present on a diplomatic mission from the Brothers Hospitalier of the Silver Shield, a contingent was roused. Led by Templar Captain Raive Erlovan, it set upon Farhold bastion nearly three-hundred strong - mostly comprised of Dunholm survivors and Nordengaard men-at-arms - and, after a protracted conflict that saw the assaulting force work room-to-room amid the bloodshed, saw the former chapterhouse of the Poor Brothers put to the torch.
With Farhold left in ruins, the analysis of the cause of the Poor Brothers' collapse largely fell to the Brothers Hospitalier - an investigation headed by Captain Erlovan and Hospitalier Grandmaster Ysmand Karreg. Determined to be an internal revolt spurred by "consorting with fell-arcana," Captain Erlovan placed blame for the events squarely on the head of Môdhryd Dhûn'Khurgha, Captain of the Second Cohort. Erlovan cited the unnecessary butchery of the residents of Dunholm by Dhûn'Khurgha's men and an attempt to obfuscate the facts of the event from Grandmaster Cylirn and First Captain Arnjyr Gryndal, who also served as de facto Marshal, as the instigation for the revolt. Even so, the Poor Brothers themselves were further cited as having been radicalized in their sentiments, and were blamed for their unwillingness to rein-in the more belligerent figures of their chapter.
Ultimately, the Poor Brothers of the Sword and Anvil were extirpated under warrant by Grandmaster Ysmand Karreg of the Brothers Hospitalier. Their mantle was desecrated and their name stricken from the network of chapterhouses of the Templar Order.
Organization
As established by Grandmaster Emel Roslann, the Poor Brothers were initially separated broadly into two contingents: the Arm Militant and the Arm Custodial, comprising Knights Templar and Stewards Templar respectively. While these fundamental divisions remained, they expanded and contracted over the years through successive reforms. At the head of these two arms was the Grandmaster, ostensibly the ultimate font of authority for the chapter. Each arm, further, had its own hierarchy, specialized roles, and divisions of labor as necessitated by their distinct purposes and purviews.
The Grandmaster of the Poor Brothers was the leader and master of the whole of the chapter. He was charged with the ongoing readiness, training, and morale of the Arm Militant, as well as oversight of the Arm Custodial. The Grandmaster was chosen by an election held among the Arms Militant and Custodial, though by tradition was always filled by a Steward Templar. Under reforms instituted by Grandmaster Josua Gaun, the Grandmaster was afforded an aid known as the Chamberlain of the Bastion; the Chamberlain acted as the viceroy of the Grandmaster, as well as holding responsibilities focused on the maintenance and defensiveness of Farhold Bastion itself.
The Knights Templar of the Poor Brothers comprised the Arm Militant of Farhold Bastion. The Knights Templar consisted of knights, men-at-arms, and soldiering roles that served to enact the mission of the Poor Brothers in accordance with the codes of the Templar Order at-large. Contrary to what the name suggests, the Knights Templar included persons who served roles as rangers, scouts, and huntsmen, not simply heavy infantry or mounted cavalry - the latter largely too burdensome for the geography of Eretejva as a whole.
At their height, the Arm Militant was divided into three distinct detachments, known as the "Three Cohorts"; each cohort had an assigned captain, nominally positioned by order of seniority in the chapter. The head of the Arm Militant was the Marshal Militant, but in the latter generations of the chapter said position was left vacant with duties ostensibly divided among the First and Second Captains. As a chapter, the Knights Templar specialized primarily in the pursuit and destruction of witches, sorcerers, hags, and other users of magick, as well as the slaying of beasts born-of or corrupted-by fell-arcana.
The Stewards Templar of the Poor Brothers comprised the Arm Custodial of Farhold Bastion. They Stewards Templar consisted of scholars, craftsmen, apothecaries, alchemists, artisans, and other logistical and support roles necessary to maintain the functioning and good health of the chapter, as well as to assist in the constant necessary maintenance of Farhold Bastion itself. As the chapter aged and was forced to take-up the role of prison wardens more overtly, the Stewards Templar began to include unique roles akin to prison guards, interrogators, and even torturers.
The Arm Custodial was the largest of the two arms of the Poor Brothers. Its population swelled considerably over the years of the chapter's life, and by the time of its extirpation was primarily home to an aging contingent of largely infirm scholars, a small group of craftsmen, and barely-literate scribes. The head of the Arm Custodial was the High Steward, a role traditionally held by the eldest scholar of the chapter.
While the Poor Brothers was always intended to include condemned Templars, as the chapter aged and Farhold transitioned into as much as prison as a chapterhouse, there were various reforms enacted to account for this swelling population. Euphemistically, stewards occasionally recorded this collection of both prisoners and convicted men-at-arms as the "Arm Incarcerated"; this title, however, never saw formal use institutionally. In practice, prisoners were either judged as capable or incapable - be that due to severe infirmity or due to the nature of their crimes - and were integrated into the Arm Militant or Arm Custodial as chartered Templars.
Though Farhold did house prisoners, periods of confinement were usually brief - typically just over a year at the peak of the chapterhouse's population; prisoners were either determined to be capable of service, or if they were ruled incapable or truly unwilling, put to work in deliberately expendable positions, starved, or outright executed.
The Grandmaster of the Poor Brothers was the leader and master of the whole of the chapter. He was charged with the ongoing readiness, training, and morale of the Arm Militant, as well as oversight of the Arm Custodial. The Grandmaster was chosen by an election held among the Arms Militant and Custodial, though by tradition was always filled by a Steward Templar. Under reforms instituted by Grandmaster Josua Gaun, the Grandmaster was afforded an aid known as the Chamberlain of the Bastion; the Chamberlain acted as the viceroy of the Grandmaster, as well as holding responsibilities focused on the maintenance and defensiveness of Farhold Bastion itself.
The Knights Templar of the Poor Brothers comprised the Arm Militant of Farhold Bastion. The Knights Templar consisted of knights, men-at-arms, and soldiering roles that served to enact the mission of the Poor Brothers in accordance with the codes of the Templar Order at-large. Contrary to what the name suggests, the Knights Templar included persons who served roles as rangers, scouts, and huntsmen, not simply heavy infantry or mounted cavalry - the latter largely too burdensome for the geography of Eretejva as a whole.
At their height, the Arm Militant was divided into three distinct detachments, known as the "Three Cohorts"; each cohort had an assigned captain, nominally positioned by order of seniority in the chapter. The head of the Arm Militant was the Marshal Militant, but in the latter generations of the chapter said position was left vacant with duties ostensibly divided among the First and Second Captains. As a chapter, the Knights Templar specialized primarily in the pursuit and destruction of witches, sorcerers, hags, and other users of magick, as well as the slaying of beasts born-of or corrupted-by fell-arcana.
The Stewards Templar of the Poor Brothers comprised the Arm Custodial of Farhold Bastion. They Stewards Templar consisted of scholars, craftsmen, apothecaries, alchemists, artisans, and other logistical and support roles necessary to maintain the functioning and good health of the chapter, as well as to assist in the constant necessary maintenance of Farhold Bastion itself. As the chapter aged and was forced to take-up the role of prison wardens more overtly, the Stewards Templar began to include unique roles akin to prison guards, interrogators, and even torturers.
The Arm Custodial was the largest of the two arms of the Poor Brothers. Its population swelled considerably over the years of the chapter's life, and by the time of its extirpation was primarily home to an aging contingent of largely infirm scholars, a small group of craftsmen, and barely-literate scribes. The head of the Arm Custodial was the High Steward, a role traditionally held by the eldest scholar of the chapter.
While the Poor Brothers was always intended to include condemned Templars, as the chapter aged and Farhold transitioned into as much as prison as a chapterhouse, there were various reforms enacted to account for this swelling population. Euphemistically, stewards occasionally recorded this collection of both prisoners and convicted men-at-arms as the "Arm Incarcerated"; this title, however, never saw formal use institutionally. In practice, prisoners were either judged as capable or incapable - be that due to severe infirmity or due to the nature of their crimes - and were integrated into the Arm Militant or Arm Custodial as chartered Templars.
Though Farhold did house prisoners, periods of confinement were usually brief - typically just over a year at the peak of the chapterhouse's population; prisoners were either determined to be capable of service, or if they were ruled incapable or truly unwilling, put to work in deliberately expendable positions, starved, or outright executed.
Former Members
- Grandmaster Emel Roslann †[1]
- Grandmaster Josua Gaun †
- Grandmaster Garz Kerre †
- Grandmaster Ivram Cylirn †
- First Captain Arnjyr Gryndal †
- Second Captain Môdhryd Dhûn'Khurgha
- ...
Farhold Bastion
Already an ancient edifice by the time of the Poor Brothers, Farhold Bastion's exact provenance is unknown. Archaeological study and research performed under the watch of Grandmaster Emel Roslann was able to confirm, in the least, that the oldest portions of the citadel date to the Age of Expansion, though the original architects and builders are unknown. Stewards of the chapterhouse in years since speculated that it may be one of the many castles and fortresses erected under the vast purview of the legendary King Grichen; yet, others of the same order point that it has never been certainly established that Grichen's crusade spread as far as Eretejva.What is known is that Roslann found Farhold Bastion an ideal choice to establish his new chapter of the Templar Order. The structure, while partially ruined, was more intact - and, importantly, far more capable of providing shelter - than many other alternatives he was presented. Situated in the Krossav Valley, Farhold sits atop a large hillock and rock outcropping into which its lowest vaults were built; at just over two days' ride to the Skarjolt Fjord, while isolated, it still retained enough proximity to a coast - and its lifeline, the village of Hvallund - to be provided support from abroad. More importantly, its elevated position in an otherwise flat valley meant the citadel was in an easily-defensible position with clear lines-of-sight to approaches from both the north and the south.
The structure itself is remarkably compact and dense in its labyrinthine architecture. Large slabs of stone make its visible foundations, climbing to smaller forms of cut masonry at its parapets. The central structure itself is cruciform, with towers merging perpendicular to a larger, core facade. Beyond this central keep, however, the castle overall decays into more asymmetric turrets and jutting battlements. The curtain wall that circles its foundations, and a small bailey, is staggered into several distinct sections - indicative of prior siege and subsequent reconstruction. It is unknown whether Farhold ever guarded a settlement, or whether it was built solely as a guard post along a long-lost road bifurcating the Krossav Valley.
There is but one road into and out from Farhold, and a solitary gatehouse and portcullis serves as its sole defense. This road juts serpentine from the valley floor along the sharp embankments of the rocky hillock upon which the citadel sits. In the time of the Poor Brothers, the portcullis that separated Farhold from the outside world held two massive oaken doors - inner and outer - sandwiching a gargantuan iron gate. Both were subsequently destroyed in the Cleansing.
When the Poor Brothers took control of Farhold Bastion, Grandmaster Roslann made many renovations - both out of necessity and styles. While the bailey was never large, it was made a compact and useful training and parade ground for the chapter. Lower quarters near the foundation and situated in the curtain wall were converted into hound kennels and stables. The central keep was greatly modified, at least internally, to better suit the chapter's goals: barracks, a library, several officers' quarters, and even a schoolroom were renovated from stock chambers. In subsequent years, and succeeding Grandmasters, further renovations were made by both necessity and eccentricity.
Lower Vaults and Catacombs
While castles and keeps often hold vaults and storerooms beneath their keystones, even family crypts and places for servant burials, what Roslann and the earliest Poor Brothers did not expect was the degree to which Farhold Bastion's roots dug into the earth.Beneath the rock of the hillock foundation, Farhold extends deeper into ever-more claustrophobic tunnels, vaults, and catacombs. These catacombs, by records of the stewards, housed upward of a thousand remains believed to date from long before the chapter ever claimed them for their own use. At their center sits a vaulted ossuary directly beneath the central keep of the structure, itself home to the remains of over one-hundred distinct persons. Perplexingly, these burials lack simple identifiers: no signet rings, no remains of vestments carrying a sigil or crest, not even grave markers with names or dates. While paupers' graves and potter's fields are known to be bereft of names for the indigent, such burials beneath Farhold were, by benefit of their place of burial, attested to most certainly be neither. In subsequent years, and throughout the lifespan of the chapter, the Poor Brothers would consistently use such catacombs for their own purposes, including the internment of the Templar dead.
Aside the catacombs, vaults and stores abound. Most were empty when discovered, but the Poor Brothers put each to good use during their tenure with the edifice. Vaults held provisions, arms, cellars for wine and ale, even warm-weather nooks heated by steam to provide adequate warmth for growing meager stocks of hearty vegetables. As the chapter aged and incarceration became of greater importance, a large segment of the foundation vaults were converted into small cells, others into deep oubliettes - both for new prisoners and as punishment for errant Templars outright.
The exact breadth and depth of the tunnels below Farhold were never satisfactorily documented by the Poor Brothers. A number of explorations were conducted by Brothers Hospitalier following the Cleansing of Farhold Bastion, discovering several secondary wings of the lower vaults of little note. The inheritors of the torched ruin, however, did discover a solitary tunnel leading out from a nearly-collapsed catacomb; this tunnel shortly devolved into a damp and claustrophobic natural cavern leading out from the keep, ultimately terminating at the surface in a small cave overlooking a shallow stream at the edge of Krossav Valley. It is believed that several Poor Brothers were able to escape Farhold during the Cleansing utilizing said passage.
Lore
"I can take y', iffn y' want; thou' don't know why y'd wanna see 'er. That place - Fa'hold - ain't seen keepers in ov'r a decade, not since them knightly types 'illed off them othe' knightly types. Don't much kno' why they did, thou'…
Oh, i'n't ain't t' far. Couple o' days out— out nor'east, really. It ain't a hard ride, but 'nain't an easy one, neither. You're pre'y good 'til you get t' this side of t' mountains, then y' side-t'-side for a night, then side-t'-side 'gain the next day. Ol' wagon trail. Herdin' trail. Goat trail, y'see. We use t' go up that way 'bout once a year; usually th' knightly types came down, y' see, but if we just had stores 'n' goods to sell, sometimes we'd make th' trek out thataway.
Haunt'd? Oh, I don't kno' nothing 'bout that. Just old, I 'ken. People make-up stories, y'know? I know once they burnt out tha' place, they made 'em more stories, thou'. Had m' a cousin - de'd 'bout five years now, y'see, plague - that heard from one of 'em Nord'gaards 'bout how they was bunch o' screamin', hollerin' that night. Didn't see n'r hear it m'self, thou'. Y'might ask at the docks; those fellas always saw them poor'uns more than I eve' did. I just drove th' wagon, yea'?"
Oh, i'n't ain't t' far. Couple o' days out— out nor'east, really. It ain't a hard ride, but 'nain't an easy one, neither. You're pre'y good 'til you get t' this side of t' mountains, then y' side-t'-side for a night, then side-t'-side 'gain the next day. Ol' wagon trail. Herdin' trail. Goat trail, y'see. We use t' go up that way 'bout once a year; usually th' knightly types came down, y' see, but if we just had stores 'n' goods to sell, sometimes we'd make th' trek out thataway.
Haunt'd? Oh, I don't kno' nothing 'bout that. Just old, I 'ken. People make-up stories, y'know? I know once they burnt out tha' place, they made 'em more stories, thou'. Had m' a cousin - de'd 'bout five years now, y'see, plague - that heard from one of 'em Nord'gaards 'bout how they was bunch o' screamin', hollerin' that night. Didn't see n'r hear it m'self, thou'. Y'might ask at the docks; those fellas always saw them poor'uns more than I eve' did. I just drove th' wagon, yea'?"
Testimony of Gundlun Old-Tongue,
Knacker of Hvallund
Knacker of Hvallund
"We could see th' smoke from here. I 'member that much, even tho' I wasn't but a kid at the time. M' pa? He helped bring in the barges when they came in, yea'? The ones that brought them cut-throats an' other sorts. Mean lot, that. Pa said the sold'ers down in that valley weren't much nicer neithe'.
I saw 'em once. Some of 'em, anyway. They wore black'n'white on their armor. Well, some of 'em had armor, bits of it, anyway. Only saw one of 'em that really had the full lot, I 'spect. Big fella. Real big. I think 'e was in command, least from th' way he talked. An' since 'e was the only one on a horse. The rest were walkin'. They had t' borrow a pony from a fella in town to pull the wagon back their way. Don't think 'e ever got it back, tho'.
But yeah, we could see th' smoke. Few days later, some fellas came down that road and took to a boat. Wasn't m' Pa's tho'; was somebody else. They weren't wearin' armor, tho', so dunno if that was more of them soldiers 'r not. ...Come t' think of it, few days later, few more fellas came down, an' they were in armor. Lots of it. Lot more than I eve' saw folks from that way wearin'. They asked all sorts o' questions. 'Specially of m' Pa and anyone else that use t' take in the boats."
I saw 'em once. Some of 'em, anyway. They wore black'n'white on their armor. Well, some of 'em had armor, bits of it, anyway. Only saw one of 'em that really had the full lot, I 'spect. Big fella. Real big. I think 'e was in command, least from th' way he talked. An' since 'e was the only one on a horse. The rest were walkin'. They had t' borrow a pony from a fella in town to pull the wagon back their way. Don't think 'e ever got it back, tho'.
But yeah, we could see th' smoke. Few days later, some fellas came down that road and took to a boat. Wasn't m' Pa's tho'; was somebody else. They weren't wearin' armor, tho', so dunno if that was more of them soldiers 'r not. ...Come t' think of it, few days later, few more fellas came down, an' they were in armor. Lots of it. Lot more than I eve' saw folks from that way wearin'. They asked all sorts o' questions. 'Specially of m' Pa and anyone else that use t' take in the boats."
Testimony of Jurng Mojarson,
Dockworker of Hvallund
Dockworker of Hvallund
References
- ^Symbol "†" indicates a deceased individual.