The living saint's entourage

Long gone are the days when Lords and Ladies of Radiance roamed alone in the fiefdoms of witches, gathering followers to fight against their rule. Gone, too, are the dark ages when they had to lead huge armies of believers into battle, guiding and instructing them personally.

Nowadays, it is all the concerns of the Church, and the living saints travel with motley cohorts assembled by each of them in their own way. But though the entourage of Lords and Ladies differ, there are professions among their followers without which it would be unusual, to say the least, to set out on the road. So who are they, the faithful companions of the saints of the Radiance?

The Knights of the Blessed Banners are loyal servants of the Church of Radiance, chosen warriors from the fortresses-monasteries, equally skilled in the battle against evil and in the service of the Church's cause. They are the hands of the Ladies and Lords, reliable helpers to whom the most important matters may be entrusted. In solemn ceremonies, it is them who carry the blessed and consecrated banners bearing the symbols of the Church.

Chroniclers follow the chosen saints, compiling their hagiographies and keeping a record of their deeds. This is said to be an honourable office, but evil tongues say that the labours of the chroniclers are most often of interest to the higher hierarchs of the Church, believing them to be an important kind of account of the labours of the Ladies and Lords outside the care of the Mother Church

Shrine bearers - connoisseurs of relics, vested in heavy robes, whose duties include taking care of the equipment of the Ladies and Lords, preserving the Radiance, and collecting ingredients for making elixirs of communion, which protect the flesh from the burning touch of holiness. Their works are kept in secret, and to others, they act as apothecaries, alchemists or physiologists, in which they are quite adept.

The Firebringers or Torch-bearers are apprentices and squires of the Blessed Banner Knights, armed with torch lances. Their official duties include lighting the way for holy processions during the night, but they are often messengers, troopers, scouts and decent fighters with anything that fears fire. They are usually the best acolytes of the fortress-monasteries, selected by the knights of the Blessed Banner or by the saints themselves.

Novitiates are young men and women who have dedicated themselves to the church and wish to repeat the pilgrimage to the North in order to become a Lord or Lady of Radiance. It is believed that in the company of living saints, they can gain an example to follow, cultivate sufficient fortitude and faith to make their pilgrimage a success, and perhaps also gain some practical advice. Nevertheless, the novitiate is not obliged to make the pilgrimage and many of them end up abandoning the idea, finding another place within the ranks of the Radiance ministers.

In addition to those mentioned above, there may be many other people as companions or travelling companions of the Ladies and Lords, often not even directly connected with the Church, but who are favoured by the saint or who simply follow in their footsteps.