Boria is a great and impenetrable land, full of ponds, quakes and other places shrouded in fog, which, according to legends, are under the care of the goddess Morgue, the Fairy Morgana or, as some call her, the Lady of the Beginning. Most of the areas of Boria are flooded spaces that are difficult to cross, between which there are trails and routes, considered to be the best guarded in the world. In the surrounding villages, the locals speak a semi-mysterious language that has a different dialect in each region, but it all serves one purpose.
Many of the wetlands have been drained, others have been deliberately turned into huge, impassable ponds. Their names are related to the regions that take their names from them – Amalien, Bremme and Troyes, and they are all connected by a network of clever roads. In each of them, in the very centre, there are huge fortifications and strongholds. Three lands, three Great Commanderies, three Great Orders and only one goal – to defeat the enemy, regardless of his strength and numbers.
However, between Amalien, Bremme and Troyes are territories belonging to the present king, whose power and strength is growing every day, and who wants to destroy the power of the Orders at all costs in order to strengthen his own. Thanks to conspiracies, bribes and selling out to the forces of darkness, it destroys from the inside what the Orders have been building for centuries.
Today, Boria is shaken by internal wars, and no one knows which side to take. If the Orders destroy the false king, Boria will be one of the greatest forces against the coming Evil. But if they fall, dark portals will open right in the middle of the Human lands.
Orders of Boria
Order of the Knights of the Temple
Some of the most dedicated to fighting the forces of Evil, they are famous for their perfect organisation, discipline and stubbornness. They engage in combat without hesitation, even against an enemy many times stronger than they are, whom they can defeat thanks to the experience gained on the battlefields of the world.
They fanatically believe in their Secret Goddess and in the rightness of the orders of the Master of the Order, announcing numerous crusades against the forces of Sheol-morg, during which the Order’s name and glory continue to increase. Their cathedral bastions are scattered all over the world, serving the Order for a second, more hidden and mysterious mission, associated with the search for ancient parchments, which, scholars say, can make the Order invincible, but can also contribute to its destruction.
In Troyes’ native country, the Order of the Knights of the Temple takes care of many abbeys, monasteries guilds, other monasteries which, if necessary, serve to recruit neophytes, as a refuge for pilgrims and other purposes. Regardless of their combat experience, however, each Templar becomes almost impossible to kill warrior when he defends the Order’s great banner, known as the Bausent. Its mere presence is terrifying in the hearts of enemies, and the place where the banner is found is impregnable. During the day, the confusion of battle fills their hearts, and in the evening many of them study old manuscripts by candlelight for clues to find the parchments, while others devote themselves to prayer. Clad in black and white habits with a red cross and heavy armour, wielding swords in their hands, they constantly lead the great crusade that can lead them to holiness or to ruin…
Order of the Black Cross
In the area of Bremme, this Order has countless fortresses surrounded by gigantic walls, from which the guards constantly watch for intruders. All the trees around them were cut down, so the shapes of the building are clearly visible from a distance and are not a pleasant sight. Black, massive fortresses arouse the greatest fear among local residents who tell many strange stories about what is happening behind the walls. Accusations have been made more than once in terms of the Order of the Black Cross for fraternising with suspicious organisations and forces. The most courageous accused them of commissioning murders, treason, and meddling in strange and inappropriate coalitions.
Many monks are brothers who practice magic openly and, in moments of the battle, demonstrate knowledge of many realms of magic, even old and forgotten ones that can still be found in the Order’s libraries. The Order was also criticised for abusing the interest in the spells of the dark domains, but knights in black habits countered the accusations by saying that in order to destroy evil, you must know it. Although they have less military strength than the two other major orders, they compensate for it with tactical cunning and the lack of resources available. In recent times, they have mobilised remarkably and are expanding their fortifications, arousing curiosity and fear of the people, because no one is given the opportunity to know the purpose of these actions.
Order of the Concilium / Blood Dragon
Initially, this Order was to serve not only prayer and struggle, but also helping all those who suffered battle wounds, which is why they were called the Order of the Concilium. Their mission was to set up hospital bastions that proved effective both in combat and in brief moments of peace. With time, however, the Order, as a result of pilgrimages and crusades to distant lands, came into possession of strange artifacts, which, as it turned out, had an unnatural impact on the creatures around them. The Knights of the Concilium, thanks to the knowledge accumulated through centuries of studying artifacts, have acquired the ability to influence the mind and body, making them supernaturally efficient. Not all are able to undergo “transformation”. The process requires very specific predispositions, but those who do so become immediately part of the elite lodge of brother knights, tasked with fighting demons, beasts and forces that no ordinary man can face.
The bastions of the Order of Amalien are white soaring structures with red tiles that symbolise their eternal mission to which they devote their lives. Red habits and massive armour have become the reason why they are nicknamed Blood Dragons today. The great abbot of Clavien himself interceded for the adoption of this name as the official one, therefore this Order is the only one with two names.
The Order of the Concilium is slightly smaller than the Order of the Temple Knights, but the supernatural strength of their elite brethren makes up for this disadvantage. Both orders have similar goals, which is why they have often fought the enemy side by side, but today many secret enemies want to conflict them and they succeed more and more often.