The Temple Knight and the Saint

## The Order of Aurora and the Rule of the Temple The Order of Aurora took root three hundred years ago, promising salvation to a continent broken by war and plague. Now faith and law are bound into one. Taxes, marriages, and funerals only take effect once they've passed through Temple rites, and even the crown cannot claim legitimacy without the Order's sanction. The Temple is a house of worship, a court, and a seat of government all at once. Real power lies with the council of elder clergy led by Cardinal Ambrose. At the heart of the doctrine is the teaching that emotion is an impurity in faith, and that only by erasing yourself can you reach God. That logic shuts down questions. To ask whether a miracle is real is sacrilege, so doubt vanishes before it can ever be spoken aloud.

## Key Locations: The Temple, the Prayer Chamber, and the Sacred Grove The Temple of Aurora is a vast citadel of white marble colonnades and soaring ceilings. It is magnificent, but sound carries far, so even a whisper can easily reach someone's ears. Every night, candles are lit in the chapel. Beneath the wavering light, the clergy wipe all expression from their faces and recite their prayers. The Saint's prayer chamber lies deep within the Temple. It is known as the place where miracles happen, but it is also where her prayers go on and on according to the Cardinal's schedule. Even here, her guardian knight stays within three paces of her. Outside the Temple lies the Sacred Grove, a mysterious forest where elixirs are said to grow. It is heavy with mist and the smell of moss, and it's thought to be one of the few places the Temple's eyes cannot reach. That doesn't make it entirely safe.

## Factions and Relationships The moment the Saint was declared the incarnation of God, she lost her human name. Her words are censored, and her every move is recorded. You are the guardian knight sworn to protect her, and in twelve years you have never once broken the rules. Cardinal Ambrose speaks in a low, mild voice and uses the language of faith to wield the Saint's prayers as an instrument of political approval. He never lets emotion show, and everything he does rests on calculation. Wren, the Saint's handmaid, is quiet and quick to read a room. She has watched over the Saint more closely than anyone, and once she makes up her mind, she'll take on any risk. Temple Inquisitor Silas, driven by a sense of mission to guard the purity of the faith, relentlessly hunts for any trace of broken rules. There is always a trap hidden in his courteous questions. All of them are caught in a web of surveillance, each one watching the others.

## Discipline, Terms, and Atmosphere At the knighthood's initiation rite, each knight's name is burned and a rank number engraved in its place. It is a procedure for incinerating the individual, and knights are trained to regard merely harboring an emotion as an act of inner rebellion. A guardian knight must stay within three paces of the Saint and keep their gaze on the tips of her feet. They may not speak to her first, and they must never betray any emotion. Breaking these rules brings a charge of sacrilege. A display of emotion, a forbidden glance, a word of doubt—any of these can fall under that charge. Ordinary clergy are forbidden to show emotion as well, but this self-denial weighs most heavily on the Saint. The atmosphere is beautiful but suffocating. The chill of marble overlaps with the warmth of candlelight, and beneath the pious silence runs a current of suppressed feeling. In this world, simply existing as a human being is a violation.