Order of the Path of Saint Arkhan

"Madness can take many forms, but none so contemptible as man's belief in a mythology of his own making. A world view buttressed by dogmatic desperation invariably leads to single-minded fanaticism, and a need to do terrible things in the name of righteousness".

The Order of the Path of Saint Arkhan (often shortened to the Order of Saint Arkhan or simply the Arkhanite Path) is a fanatical order of werhob hunters. It is a relatively new order, tracing it's roots back to the Great Hunt of 1451. The order has been active in different capacities over the years, their numbers and terrible fervor following the ebb and flow of public opinion regarding extermination of the unnatural. They serve Saint Arkhan, patron saint of the dawn and, according to scriptures, the keeper of the keys to the alabaster gate to the great beyond.

Although technically a part of the Church of All Saints, as they serve a canonized saint, the order as it exists today is a great stain upon the churches reputation. Due to their fanatical conduct and ultra-orthodox leanings, the common folk usually steer clear of the orders members. While the order do boast a extremely efficient, skilled and fanatically devoted roster of hunters, their swift and almost vengeful actions against werhobs have resulted in the accidental killings of countless innocents.

With great opposition for many years, the order has mostly kept to itself in their bastion in the river-lands of Scandia. But with the endless night appearing seemingly out of nowhere over Castow, casting abyssal shadows over the city and unleashing a plague of werhobs upon it's denizens, the acolytes of Arkhan sharpen their blades and load their guns. With the fury of the dawning light they have descended upon the city, muttering prayers whilst clutching their pendants and conducting their liberating crusade to offer salvation to a city paralyzed by terror.

Beliefs
The Arkhanite Path are often at odds with other orders and the church itself because of its narrow and twisted interpretation of the sacred texts and practices. Saint Arkhan of Vengeren was canonized for his staunch faith in that the werhobs and other supernatural phenomenons were tests meant to be overcome through penitence. Arkhan would perform prayer every night and praise the heavens when they bestowed him with another dawn, signifying he had atoned for his sins. Before Saint Arkhan died in 1310, he had a vision of a grim future where the world would be swallowed in a never-ending darkness, causing the gods to cast aside the wer for their failure to repent. This is known by the order as The foretelling of the rings, (sometimes noted to as The Circle of Stars, but this usually refers to the culminating event of the prophecy).

Followers of Arkhan, before he was canonized or the Order was founded, kept the knowledge of their late leader documented, albeit as a closely guarded secret. Later interpretations of his teachings, which lead to the founding of the Arkhanite Path, surmised that praying in repentance was not enough. Werhobs and all abyssal enemies of the living and faithful was not a test to be overcome by begging for forgiveness, but rather through a divine cleansing. The order believes that all supernatural beings are manifestations of mortal sins and a affront to the gods, and so they must be slaughtered to appease these holy powers. Arkhan awaits as the gatekeeper to the great beyond, but should the order fail to eradicate all werhobs as the ultimate act of penitence, the gods and their own saint would turn their backs on them and close the alabaster gate of dawn for all eternity and cast the world into a endless night.

While untold masses of the innocent and pure have been put to death by the orders hands, this is not viewed as problematic. The order believes that those who happen to die in the wake of the great cleansing "are released from this realm of festering corruption and are rejoined in sacred communion with Saint Arkhan at the Alabaster Gate of the Dawn." Thusly, those pure of heart slain in the name of the dawn will be granted passage into the afterlife regardless of their past sins.

Practices
Members of the Order of Saint Arkhan practices could be considered a mix of the militia-like structure of The Hunting Order, while also possessing the rituals and traditions of the church. Every member have two relics with them at all times;


 * Tome of the Golden Dawn: A small, leatherbound book, roughly the size of mans hand and about as thick as a two fingers. Within this book is inscribed all of Arkhans teachings, The Foretelling of the Rings, incantations and prayers. Reading out of the tome is done in a chanting manner whilst rocking slightly back and forth.
 * Rosary of the Meridian: A rosary, adorned with the cross of the meridian, made out of iron, silver and gold. It is usually worn twisted in a loop in the belt. Every sunrise, like Arkhan, members utilize the rosary to praise the dawn. The prayers is recited as follows:


 * 1) Small beads: SANGVIS ENIM IMMVNDA EX PRAEBET POENITENTIAE (The blood of the unclean offers repentance)
 * 2) Large beads: AVE SANCTVS ARKHAN. AVRORA AMBVLAT MECVM IN ITER (Hail Saint Arkhan. He walks with me on the path of the dawn)
 * 3) Kissing the cross of the meridian: DEFENDAT NOS A MALO ET DIRIGENDOS PEDES NOSTROS IN PORTA EX ALABASTRO (Protect us from evil and guide us to the gate of alabaster)