Tol Rauko

Tol Rauko is another one of the most powerful organizations in all of Gaia. It is a military order of Templars that dedicates itself to finding and preserving any non-human cultures or supernatural entities that exist in the world. Their goal is to ensure that these cultures and beings do not disappear forever and to prevent humans from having access to knowledge that can turn out to be dangerous. Its members are exceptional fighters with great knowledge of archeology and the occult; they are prepared for any type of difficulty. Their symbol is a garnet cross that ends in a point.

The history of Tol Rauko is very complex. The first Emperor was terribly aware that man should not completely forget its origins, nor did it seem just to blame the supernatural beings for what had happened. Nonetheless, the hate that existed against them was too palpable, and the possibility always remained that if someone were able to gain sufficient mystical power new conflicts would break out and thousands of people would once again suffer its consequences. The atrocities that the Emperor's own Inquisition was causing with their old allies caused him to react, and he created an Order with his agents of greatest confidence. He gave them total authority to act in matters that deal with the supernatural. At the head of the organization he placed his first Marshall, Adam Grant, who did a superb job of converting the Order into a power only comparable to the Lords of War.

Over the years, Tol Rauko has been accumulating more and more power, disassociating itself completely from any political ties save that of the figure of the Emperor. Currently it is under the orders of Marshall Malakias Grant, who has sworn fidelity to the Empress, but who also maintains a close relation with the Azur Alliance and many of the independent Principalities. In reality, his objective is to remain loyal to Abel, but foreseeing that troubled times are ahead, Malakias does not want to implicate himself openly in a political war.

The whole world knows Tol Rauko, but few have a clear idea of what they dedicate themselves to exactly. Given that in today's day and age practically no one believes in the unexplainable, most folks consider this Order to be a group of privileged people who live off the favor that the Emperor conceded to them in ancient times. Nonetheless, people are aware of their power and fear them.

The Templars travel all over the world in search of relics and supernatural entities. When they find some ruins, they explore them by making detailed maps of what is inside, and they gather all the dangerous artifacts that they find. After that, they seal the ruins off with their mark and then hide them. Sometimes, if the place is especially dangerous, they simply close it completely and leave a garrison in the area to guard it. Gaia is completely plagued by citadels and temples sealed off by Tol Rauko, although its members are perfectly aware that the world is very big and that they are still missing many more that are to be found.

When they locate a supernatural being, the Templars of Tol Rauko act in a totally different way from Inquisitors. Their mission is to capture it alive and transport it to their central fortress. If it is necessary, they will cause them any damage needed, although they never kill a supernatural creature unless innocent lives are obviously in danger. On occasion, they will even let some people die before they finish off the last of a species. They have no jurisdiction over human warlocks, although they do have authority over the things that these spellcasters may possess.

Militarily, Tol Rauko has an army comparable to one of the Lords of War. Their power can destabilize any Principality or even overthrow it. They have several thousand soldiers at their command, distributed all over the world, and almost five hundred Templars. The Order's similar mission causes it to face off openly with the Inquisition, who has become their main competitors over the span of the years. The only reason that there has not been an open war started between both organizations is their mutual loyalty toward the figure of the Emperor. In their beginnings, the Templars and Inquisitors were part of several clashes that always ended in bloodshed. To avoid the death of his agents, the Emperor imposed a decree which stated that those who arrived to a place first had the prerogative for the investigation; the others would have to concede and leave. Nonetheless in some cases there have still been armed conflicts that have broken out between the Templars and the Inquisitors, both arguing that they had arrived first. They are also opposed to the Black Sun, which they have only recently in the last decades obtained proof of their existence.

ORGANIZATION
Tol Rauko is governed by a completely military hierarchy system. In charge of the Order is the Marshall Malakias Grant, who has at his disposal three Grand Field Commanders that are in charge of executing different tasks. Each one is in charge of an entire section of the Order.

Basically, there are two different categories in the Order - the soldiers and the Templars. The Templars are the true agents of Tol Rauko who seek to fulfill the assignments of the organization. They always wear the same brown uniforms and crimson armor, complete or just some pieces, depending on the circumstances. Each Templar of Tol Rauko has his own armor, forged exclusively for him by master blacksmiths at the moment that they are given their title. All of these suits are different, but they always have a similar form so that their origin is known. If a Templar dies, he is buried with all of his equipment, except if it is his express desire that his descendant inherits his weapon (though never his armor). If they lose it and their children are part of the Order, it is entrusted to them the mission of recovering them whatever the cost.

The organization has had a family like nature since its inception. All of the original members belonged to the noble families that the first Emperor chose to form part of the Order. Since then, the majority of their descendants have continued with the task of their ancestors. Nonetheless, Tol Rauko is open to new blood, men and women alike, as long as the applicants prove their ability. If they are accepted, they are given a noble title and the Order takes on the responsibility of their families and descendants for the rest of their lives.

A Templar of Tol Rauko is a true demon in a fight. They are trained in all kinds of combat styles and are prepared to face threats of a supernatural character. In some ways, they are the counterpart of the Inquisitors. A few have developed supernatural abilities so as to better complete their mission, and they are provided with supernatural equipment to support their elevated skills. Also, they have a great knowledge of the occult and ancient civilizations. Almost all of the members of the Order feel a true dedication for what they do. They have an adventurous spirit and they are passionate about facing the unknown.

The soldiers, on the other hand, are simply a symbolic force whose function is to intimidate anyone who tries to get in the way of the Templars, and to help them on their simple missions - like guardian a restricted area. Originally the Order was only made up of Templars, but its third Marshall, Samuel Grant, decided that they needed a greater number of men to properly execute their job. Therefore, he raised his own army in each territory, independent of the Empire, the Principalities, or the Church.

THE FORTRESS OF TOL RAUKO
In the center on the Interior Sea stands the castle of Tol Rauko, ancient bastion of Rah. This fortress is the heart of the Order, where the Templars have compiled ancient information and everything else that they have found in these last seven centuries. Their interior subterranean chambers are immense warehouses filled with shelves loaded with boxes that contain thousands of mystic artifacts and relics of all kinds. Its libraries are crammed with prohibited texts and a few magic tomes that have been rescued from the Inquisition.

The greatest secret kept by Tol Rauko, however, is located in the so-called Noah's Arc. All of the supernatural beings that they have captured over the course of time can be found in the Arc, prisoners of an imaginary paradise that they have created for them. Even so, the most dangerous entities are found in the containment chambers that Rah had developed for his experiments, submerged in an eternal ecstasy that keeps them between life and death.

There is probably no place in the world as safe as this island. Protected by the best Templars and the highest levels of supernatural security systems. This inaccessible fortress is unassailable even by the most powerful creatures.

THE SEALED RUINS
The ruins sealed by Tol Rauko normally do not have an entrance in plain sight, as they either tore it down or hid it somehow, in cases where this is not possible, the Templars seal it with black steel chains in which their engraved symbol can be found (the Rune of Shorauktol). Therefore, whoever decides to enter, knows without a doubt that they are intruding on an area protected by the Order. Every now and then a regiment of soldiers checks to make sure that these are still in places. If not, they alert their superiors.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">Sometimes ruins contain remnants that cannot be transported by any means, due to their size or instability. If these seem dangerous, Tol Rauko builds a citadel nearby to keep it under watch at all times. These city fortresses, of which they already have more than twenty spread out all over Gaia, are bases of operations from which they organize their missions.