The Crimson Crusade

To say that the Crimson Crusade had an origin, would suggest an intent to establish something - instead the Crimson Crusade came into being as a consequence. The stories of such vary with the telling, passed down as oral tradition, each with an emphasis and flair that befits the teller. That there are written records taken from journals, letters, and historical recordings contemporaneous to the founding, and even before then that lay out the truth, does nothing to diminish the repetition of the tales and stories.

As far as history is concerned, the Crimson Crusade was established at some point before the Summer of 2876 - the records assembled suggest that the name was in use even then, if not in any widespread or formal sense - and was certainly applied to the group in the aftermath of the attack by the Karr on the Coalition Games of the same year, dramatically so as the namesake of the movement had perished in the fighting.

In the years after the passing of Bertrand Croulus, the Crusade, as it was called informally, was much as it had been - a movement of individuals touching the lives of other individuals. The bold actions of those who had answered the call of battle aside, the Crusade had not set out to make a name for itself, much less to seek to have expectations set upon it, but the Crusade's first formal leader, , would not slink from the call of duty, even as she resisted every call to settle into or fold into High Reaches with a vehement, fiery temper at odds with her otherwise calm demeanor, which some attribute to a desire to remain independent and loyal to Bertrand's vision.

Yet time is a powerful force, and the circumstances around the dissolution of the Knights of the Shield would see the Crusade find an influx of capable warriors, and a need to step up and do more still.

The Crimson Crusade is comprised, generally, of individuals who share a like-vision of lands that can be traversed and lived in, in peace and prosperity, who carry a will and the strength to help make it so. The origins of the group are from a time when Eramere was yet more wild and dangerous, and humanity had not spread out as widely, in the years after the Blackspear War.

Though the old Crusade was little more than skilled blades mentoring young blades who had the will but not the means, it has grown more formal - though it eschews the rankings and trappings of knighthood. Typically, a senior member will lead those who are willing to follow, and standing is determined by esteem - a place is earned by popular acclaim. Within such, more junior members, those who have yet to establish their own reputations, or who choose to defer to another operate as subordinates.

The lion's share of the Crusade operates as an established force in Willow's Hollow, and all members are expected to make an appearance and take a turn at duty at some point, to do their part - but some members who aspire to more, or who have the strength, the ability, or the need to answer a calling of a specific mission further from home are free to travel as adventurers and seek out their reason to act.

Members of the Crusade are expected to comport themselves honorably - rank and standing are tied directly to both ability and reputation both, and the Crusade is quick to encourage the best out of their members - and to remove or sanction those who fail to live up to, or actively betray the values of the Crusade.

Members are generally expected to be forthright, bold, honorable and brave, to uphold the name and reputation of the Crusade, and to put themselves at risk in all ways, before allowing another to suffer in their place. While there is room for interpretation in these cases, the tales of the heroes and the battles of the Crusade are such that many, within and without of it have a fair expectation as to what makes someone worthy of the crimson.