Order of Valyr¶
"They build systems that ensure we suffer quietly and destroy one another so that they don't have to." — Daennelgin, of the Valyr (S341)
The Order of Valyr, usually just the Valyr, is the military order that holds the line against the Demonlands in the Fourth Age. Its towns, villages and castles lie just south of the demon country, "filled with humans and some other races (elves and dwarves mostly)", and its purpose is "to keep Demons in the Demonlands. The rifts can't be closed, but the demons are contained here by the Order" (S335, S338). It fights with wards, alchemy, demon-forged steel and patient intelligence work as much as with soldiers, and its leadership is quietly steered by the White Fire.
Purpose and methods¶
The Valyr do not expect to win. They contain. Their wards line "a critical supply route" through the old dwarven roads, sensing crystals warn of demons slipping past, and containment squads are sent to "contain (kill) the demons or determine if the route is under threat/compromised" (S329, S341). Beyond the front they play the demonlords against one another. The Wardens feed selected demons true and false information "via burnable intermediaries", such as a spellbound Penitent who carries messages, "specifically to help split the Vulgurak Faction"; a civil war in Vulgurak's domain is "the best option for the Valyr", and anything that would strengthen Vulgurak they oppose (S339, S341). Their spy network reaches into the demon courts through enchantments "very cleverly disguised" on demon hosts (S329).
The order has also imprisoned demons and plans to turn them on their own kind. Captured orders show a dozen of Vulgurak's demons held and "controlled", including a greater demon, prepared for a direct assault on Grozzurash's eastern town, the Vile Pit, and a pre-emptive strike on the Temple of Ghormatha planned from the Dark Falls Outpost (S339).
The rank and file believe a crusade is coming. "There are rumors among the Order that one of the Demonlords has become too powerful and the other Demonlords are no longer properly keeping him in check", and they fear the Demonlands "uniting under a single authority"; "it is only a matter of time before a Crusade is organized to remove the danger posed by this Demonlord" (S335, S338). In truth the demonlords Almerdia and Daennelgin have fooled the Valyr into believing that Vulgurak is too powerful (S329).
Countermeasures¶
Common knowledge among Valyr soldiers and their hired hands (S335, S338):
| Countermeasure | What it does |
|---|---|
| White Fire Wards | Repel demons from an area. "Some secret formula held by the white fire", said to last "even hundreds of years"; scattered across the lands of Valyr and concentrated around towns and villages. |
| Demonsbane incense | "The white smoke turns bright red in the presence of a demon and burns and causes them pain." Valyr clerics smoke town gates, armouries, barracks and roads; a demon that passed recently leaves a red trail in the smoke. |
| Demonsbane weapons | Metal forged with demonsbane does extra harm to demons. "Most Valyr weaponry is forged by the dwarves of Duer'Dorren which know the secret of this forging." |
| Demonsbane draught | Prepared by Valyr alchemists to protect the drinker from possession and corruption, and "forced down the throat of possessed people to aid in exorcisms". |
| Essence wards | Valyr wards that guard sealed sites such as the ruin over Drazannak; some that still look active "are actually an illusion" (S340, S341). |
Every Valyr also bears "a magical tattoo/glyph that indicates their Rank and provides a form+soul bonding such that their souls cannot be trapped after their body has decayed", which "limits their use in demonic Mortiqueries" (S329). A demon host's memories of Valyr soldiers are therefore worth little, and Daennelgin's covenant with Kosh'tuul forbids him "to occupy humanoid forms with a Valyr tattoo" (S339).
Ranks¶
The rank structure is given whole in the campaign notes (S329). Each field rank is paired with an Oathbound squire, apprentice or acolyte; "promotion to this rank can only occur when an Aspirant is ready to become an Oathbound".
| Tier | Ranks |
|---|---|
| Initiates and junior ranks | Penitent, the Damned: violent criminals exiled to Valyr, marked and "used in suicidal ops or as 'fodder'", who may win redemption by surviving. Penitent, the Indentured: minor criminals who labour off their debt; any further crime makes them Damned. Aspirant: in training, serving as messengers, scouts and guards inside Valyr. Oathbound: sworn and assigned to a mentor, as Oath-Apprentice (to an Arcanist), Oath-Squire (to a Knight) or Oath-Acolyte (to a Sanctified). |
| Core field ranks | Knight (warrior or paladin), Arcanist (wizard) and Sanctified (cleric), each with a Slayer grade above it: Knight-Slayer, Arcanist-Slayer, Sanctified-Slayer. |
| Command ranks | Vanguard, a squad leader drawn from any of the three; Marshal, a company commander "usually over 8-15 squads (80-180 soldiers)". |
| Special jurisdictions | Inquisitor, who "investigates artifacts, cult activity, corruption" and does "the 'dirty work' of cleaning up after failures", rising to High and Grand Inquisitor. Warden, who "oversees prisons, wards, seals and research", rising to High and Grand Warden; at least one Warden company serves with every forward battalion "to maintain safe FOBs and handle demonic prisoners". |
| Strategic ranks | Grand Marshal, a battalion commander over four to eight companies (300 to 1,000 soldiers); Justicar, a general; High-Justicar, a lead general. The High-Justicars "effectively rule Valyr". |
A containment squad is ten strong: a Vanguard, a Knight-Slayer, a Knight, an Arcanist and a Sanctified, each with an Oathbound, and Inquisitor and Warden companies replace the Vanguard with an Inquisitor or Warden (S329, S341).
The Triarchy¶
High-Justicars rotate into the Triarchy "by election from all the Justicars", for two-year terms. "The three triarchs vote on critical matters, and perform executive functions" (S329):
- The Hammer: direct military action.
- The Brand: law, punishment, justification and protection.
- The Veil: intelligence, containment, oversight. Xaltherion holds the Veil as Triarch and High Justicar.
Lothos the Archwizard advises the Triarchy, "but also manipulates the elections. He ensures that 2 White Fire members sit on the council at any given time" (S329).
The White Fire within the Order¶
The White Fire "operates as an intelligence cult within the Valyr military structure and more broadly across Terrun" (S329). Its Embers and Cinders, Brands, Torches and Lanterns are drawn from Valyr ranks up to Justicar and High Justicar, and in Valyr "there are 3 Flames with overlapping organizations. That way, if one becomes corrupted, the others can reliably detect." To ordinary soldiers it is simply "a highly organized, well-funded demon hunting organization" that works directly with the order: "most of the leadership of the Order are White Fire members" (S335, S338). A soldier might hope to become "an auxiliary with the White Fire" by impressing one of its wizards, as Orrhen hoped of Algonn (S338). The society's own structure is described on its page.
Notable Valyr¶
- Nurizak, a Valyr dwarven engineer, built the demonic machines Urzaennel, Daennelgin, Drazannak and Vorlannem in a secret laboratory in an abandoned dwarven garrison on the roads; Daennelgin rebelled and killed him (S339, S341). His partner Sareth Kain was a Warden-Marshal and wizard whose death let the garrison's door-seal and wards starve (S329).
- Justicar Revsillian ordered three battle companies and an inquisitor company from the Dark Falls Outpost to secure a reported forge site, with "all information recovered to pass directly back to Revsillian, marked confidential and high priority" (S339).
- Vanguard Urrhad's containment squad, with Knight-Slayer Nuricia and Arcanist Alex, swept the abandoned garrison and left its living "essence containment matrix" for the Inquisitors: "Don't touch ANYTHING. That's an order" (S341).
In Play¶
The Valyr are the enemy, and sometimes the hidden patron, of the demon player characters of the Demonlands Mini Campaign. A Warden's message carried by a spellbound Penitent is the order's way of opening "non-hostile contact" (S339).
Gap
The sources do not name the Valyr homeland's towns or castles, give its size or founding, or say how the order relates to any crown. The Triarchs of the Hammer and the Brand are unnamed.