Order of the Golden Lion

The Order of the Golden Lion was a paladin order dedicated to Torm the True. They were devoted to serving other faiths, destroying enemies of their own faith, and repairing the Weave of magic.

History
The order was established shortly after Torm's rebirth at the end of the Time of Troubles in the Year of Shadows, 1358 DR. They were to be holy warriors of the faith, and in particular undertake the Penance of Duty. This had been set by Torm to repay the persecution of other religions by his temple in Tantras during this time and in the years preceding, to atone for their failure to guard against strife, and to relieve the destruction wrought to magic.

Leadership
By 1369 DR, the Order of the Golden Lion was led by Sir Dylan Lionshand, who was still in the position in 1374 DR.

Members
The Golden Lions numbered several hundred members around 1374 DR. The Order enjoyed a notable diversity in its membership, but they wholly united in their devotion and purpose.

Activities
Members of the Order, known as Golden Lions, were required to carry out activities that helped fulfill the three parts of the Penance of Duty.

The Debt of Persecution involved aiding other goodly faiths. Most members of the Order guarded the temples of many peaceful or goodly deities that would otherwise be unprotected, and even helped reconstruct them. Some went on quests to retrieve the relics of these faiths.

The Debt of Dereliction involved expending every resource possible to eliminate cults of Bane, Cyric, and Iyachtu Xvim, as well as of the Zhentarim. Golden Lions would fight to destroy strongholds of Banite or Cyricist faiths.

The Debt of Destruction involved locating and reporting areas of dead magic and wild magic, and repairing the Weave in these places.

Typically, once a month, a Golden Lion was required to carry out a quest or spend a day serving a good temple of another faith. They were to obey the orders of the other temple as if they came from a Tormtar temple, provided they did not conflict with their ideology or were obviously lethal. The other faiths did not, as a rule, ask for anything a Golden Lion would find objectionable, that went against the Penance of Duty, or that they didn't expect of their champions.

Knights of the Order could not progress or advance without working toward fulfilling the Penance of Duty in some way. Any paladin of the order who failed to attempt to follow the Penance of Duty both in its letter and in its spirit risked losing their divine blessings. They could only atone for this by completing a difficult quest in line with the Penance of Duty.

Classes
The order was made up of crusaders and paladins, who were the "Swords of Torm" in the church of Torm's hierarchy. Paladins were permitted to train and advance freely in one other area.

Abilities
To do their Penance of Duty, Golden Lion paladins could cultivate unique powers.

First, a Golden Lion paladin could the spell detect magic, rather than detect evil, in order to identify areas of dead or wild magic.

Being enemies of strife, Golden Lions who smited members of the churches of Bane and Cyric or of the Zhentarim, or their minions, would strike with unerring eyes and a weapon powered by good, overcoming evil resistance. This was at the cost of a paladin's power to turn away undead.

Uniquely, a Golden Lion paladin could restore the Weave in a dead or wild magic area. They could only do this once or few times a day, however, while already in an area of functioning magic, and it only repair a patch 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide. The effort was slow but reliable, and the dedicated Golden Lions gradually repaired large areas of magic. In exchange, a paladin could not remove disease.

Possessions
Golden Lions wore a full suit of armor, highly polished to a bright golden gleam and with an ornate helm. They wore this in battle, service, and ceremony. By this, they were easily recognized. Maintaining their armor and helm to this high standard was a requirement of membership.

The god Torm occasionally rewarded devoted members with the spell great shout, which they knew as lion's roar.

Notable Members

 * Sir Gwydion the Quick, the Champion Reborn, who escorted Rinda the Scribe, bearer of the Cyrinishad, fulfilling the Debt of Persecution.