Order of the Aster

The Order of the Aster, also known as the Knights of the Aster or the Soldiers of Light, was a militant order that served Lathander the Morninglord in the 14th century DR. They took particular interest in thwarting the clergies of several malevolent deities such as Bane, Shar and Talos.

Membership
The order was loosely organized and comprised crusaders, fighters, and paladins dedicated to Lathander. The paladins often trained in other discipline and served as divine champions, disciples, hierophants, and even counted some members among Purple Dragon knights of Cormyr.

While all members of the order were devotees of Lathander with a comprehensive understanding of the church's teachings, some members had achieved the rank of Sunmaster within the divine hierarchy.

While members were not required to pay a fee upon entrance into the order, they did make a solemn vow to a standing Morninglord. The order's barracks were located one block from the main cathedral in Waterdeep and held 80 templars. The organization had a monthly due of 50 gp to be paid once per month.

Dogma
The paladins of the Aster were often more conservative and by-the-book than clerics of Lathander.

Activities
Members usually defended Lathanderite shrines and temples commanded large military forces levied by the church of Lathander when required. Individual shrines and temples of Lathander typically did not maintain significant defensive forces of their own, owing to the cost, so they instead usually retained the Order's services to guard their holy sites, in appropriate numbers.

When not thus engaged, the holy warriors of the order wandered the realms promoting the faith of Lathander and doing good deeds in his name. Many spent their time defending individual Lathanderite temples or served within the City Guard of Waterdeep.

Relations
Lathander's paladins stood as some of the most beloved heroes of the Realms, and the Order of the Aster was no exception.

History
In the, knights of the order fought off the dracolich Umbralax when it arrived in Faerûn from the Plane of Shadow along with the ruined village of Hespheira. Their victory at the Battle of Hespheira was aided in great part by their possession of the rod of Lathander, but came at the loss of nearly half their members.

Notable Members

 * High Dawnknight Tlinthar Regheriad, commander of the order stationed at the Spires of the Morning.
 * Dawnknight Alaura Cartier, commander of the Spires.
 * Dawnknight Haurier Brightshadow, commander of the Spires.
 * Caelar Argent, founder and leader of the Shining Crusade.
 * Jandar Ilbaereth, the moon elf arcane devotee of Lathander in Waterdeep.
 * Corinna Lathankin, vampire-hunter and mystic theurge of Lathander.
 * Donnor Kerth, a knight of Lathander that hailed from the southern nation of Tethyr.

Appearances

 * Novels
 * Finder's Bane &bull; Tymora's Luck &bull; Farthest Reach
 * Video games
 * Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear