KNIGHTS OF GOLARION
Crusader Army
Leader: Knight-General Halaina Lymikin
Headquarters: Flagship Sword of Valor
The Knights of Golarion are a military organization withstrong ties to the Pact Worlds, the church of Iomedae, andthe children of the missing planet of Golarion. Though worshipof Iomedae is not a requirement for membership, and somemembers even worship different gods, all Knights take sacredvows to uphold the Code of the Inheritor, a 10-part oath requiringcourage, fair treatment of prisoners, honor, and temperance inaction. They are also instructed to regularly study The Acts ofIomedae, the goddess’s holy text.
The Knights of Golarion are dedicated to promoting justiceand righteousness in all forms, spreading their goddess-grantedunderstanding of morality throughout the Pact Worlds, frontiersettlements, and lawless territories. To many, this makes theKnights classic heroes, laying down their lives to protect theinnocent—whether it be from rampaging monsters or thepredations of criminals and tyrants—and embodying the idealsof military camaraderie and death before dishonor. Yet unlikethe Stewards, the Knights feel no need to honor local lawsthey consider unjust—theirs is the law of Heaven, and mortalstructures that violate it deserve to be broken. They deeply valuelaw and order, but they have no tolerance for those who twist itto persecute others or truck with inherently evil creatures likedevils or the undead. The resulting friction means that whilethe Knights have been repeatedly instrumental in defending thePact Worlds, the Stewards do their best to point them towardapolitical struggles like Corpse Fleet attacks, demonic incursions,or problems on worlds outside the system, andthe Knights of Golarion use their fleet of powerfulAvenger-class cathedralships as bases of operationrather than residing on any particular Pact World.
The Knights of Golarion work closely with thechurch of Iomedae, yet unlike AbadarCorp, they’recareful to maintain a distinction between their orderand the church itself. In this way, the Knights remainfree to deal with developing threats quickly and inwhatever manner they see fit, without draggingthe church hierarchy into every decision. Whilebound by honor to protect all innocents, theKnights see their goddess as the patron ofall the refugee races of Golarion, especiallyhumanity. Financial support for thegroup comes from tithes by colonies,companies, and other organizationsthe Knights have defended in thepast, but these are truly gifts, notfees for service—the Knights ofGolarion are nobody’s security contractor.
The Knights of Golarion mix military structure and rankswith older ideas of knights-errant and feudal lords. Rank-and-file soldiers operate under the command of officer-knights, yetknight-lieutenants and higher ranks are sometimes assignedto “errant duty,” in which Knights are trusted to seek outinjustice and deal with it, calling upon whatever allies they canindependently gather to their banner.