Mordecai

The elite of Connlaoth's troops, the Mordecai operate independently of any duchy, taking orders only from the Grand Duke. They are the force that polices the nobles and aggressively hunts down any magic-users in the nation. In order to become a Mordecai, one must possess the special ability to negate magic.

This ability (known as Mordecaism) is a psychic one that creates a field around the Mordecai that magic can not be used in, and the Mordecai naturally produces this field, having no means of turning it on or off. While the range of this field varies from Mordecai to Mordecai and there is a lot of variety among them, a range of half a mile is easily the average. Mordecai are often organized into squadrons based on their range, as some missions require longer or shorter ranges than others.

Mordecai will have no other magical or psionic abilities; it is a power that occurs alone. The Mordecai ability does not work on inanimate objects. Enchanted objects are unaffected, and while magic cannot be cast inside the range, magic cast outside it is not dispelled upon entry. Similarly, who it works on depends on the source of their magic. Creatures whose ability is racial and/or intrinsic to their very nature and existence are unaffected. However, creatures whose abilities are not simply a part of their very nature are affected. (Side note: it is, essentially, up to the individual player to decide if their character is affected.)

Because of the rarity of the ability, gender is not an issue. Men and woman alike are able to become Mordecai and move through the ranks, though female Mordecai are often regarded less as women and more as "one of the guys."

The Mordecai are well known for their heavy, expensive armor and the pure white tabards they wear over them, with their symbol of a silver lily embroidered across the chests. All Mordecai are trained to use guns as well as melee weapons, most commonly swords or spears.

Their main purpose is to eradicate magic in all its forms. They move through Connlaoth in small groups, hunting down magic-users (or those suspected of using magic). Some are killed on the spot in a public execution; others are questioned or brought back to the Mordecai headquarters (called the Citadel) in Reajh. How harsh the questioning is or how paranoid they are about magic-use varies from Mordecai to Mordecai. Some will be more forgiving, others will not. It is a frightening thing to be questioned by the Mordecai, because many will not risk a suspected magic-user being allowed to run free and cause harm.

Unknown to all but the Grand Duke and the highest ranking Mordecai, the Mordecai perform experiments on many of the captured magic-users, trying to understand how they work. They are currently trying to find ways to drive magic from the human without killing them. So far they have been very unsuccessful. Saving people from magic is their highest priority and very few Mordecai take pleasure in the pain they inflict on their subjects. The hope is that the harm they do now will be able to save mages later on.

The Mordecai are a very religious organization, using the example of Ansgar, the first Mordecai, to lead them in their fight against magic. They are not taught to hate mages, in fact, most mages are viewed with pity: helpless pawns that have been tainted by an evil force. However because they are fighting against people who can create fire with a snap of their fingers or cause the flesh to melt from their bones with a word, they can not afford to be gentle. Their harsh treatment of magic users is not done out of cruelty or hatred, but survival.

Adharaism

Adharaism is a rare sub-ability of Mordecaism that occurs only in women. Like Mordecaism, it is an involuntary psychic ability, but unlike Mordecaism, Adharaism creates an anti-magic, anti-psionic field around the Adhara (or person with the ability). While the range is far smaller with a circumference of ten to twenty feet, it is also far more powerful.

This field negates any and all magical and psionic abilities. Magic cast from outside the field is canceled out upon touching it, and enchanted objects cease to work. In other words, an enchanted, flaming sword just becomes a sword. All creatures with magic or psionics are affected, but creatures that need magic to survive will not die; they may feel ill at worst, but they simply won't be able to use their magic.

The affects only last within the Adhara's sphere of influence. Once an enchanted object is removed from that sphere, it will work again.

Knights of the White Lily

The first Adhara was a fourteen-year-old virgin of the same name, the privileged daughter of a duke. Legend has it that a great beast attacked her duchy and, in a noble sacrifice, Adhara donned her father's armor, took up her father's sword, and went out alone against this beast. For three days and three nights they fought, and while her life was lost in the battle, she was able to slay this creature and save her duchy. She has since been exalted into sainthood.

She lives on not only as a saint, but even has an order within the Mordecai dedicated to her memory, the Knights of the White Lily. These are Mordecai with the rare ability of Adharaism, and as such, it is an order made up of only women.

These Knights are considered to be holy embodiments of purity and chastity, and they even believe that one must retain their virginity in order to keep their ability strong. While it's true that many of these Knights do take pains to live up to this, the reality is that they are just as human as anyone else. Many have affairs with the other women of their order and claim it "doesn't count", because they didn't have sex with a man and thus retained their virginal status.

Like other Mordecai, they are very privileged and some do take advantage of their exalted status.