Story by Thriff

About this image

Thanks to Thriff for this background story :)
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A well-written leaflet

“The condition upon which the Maker hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.” - Andraste, Charta of the Order of Eternal Vigilance.

The members of the Order of Eternal Vigilance are warriors, rogues or mages whose aim is to preserve liberty. We have been present in Kirkwall since the slave revolt in Andraste's time till Knight-Commander Meredith named a Viscount under her own control.

To preserve liberty means to help all fugitives, refugees and asylum seekers and to find places for them in which they can live and work. Liberty means equality of all races and creeds, including even nowadays the Qunari who live in the compound and were a few years ago shipwrecked near Kirkwall.

The Eternal Vigilance Order relentlessly combats the Tevinter slavers who conduct raids to capture elfs, mages and children throughout Thedas. The accomplishment of this duty makes us invaluable to peace-loving citizens.

The Chantry and the templars under Knight-Commander Meredith have become increasingly hostile in the past years, alleging illegal protection of mages and suspicious opinions commensurate with heresy. Those tensions have historical origins in the stand taken by the Order of Eternal Vigilance against numerous Exalted Marches: when the Dales were destroyed, during the age of Glory and when the human populations subscribing to the Qun were eradicated in Antiva and Rivain, during the age of Storm.

The Charta of the Order of Eternal Vigilance goes back to the period after the First Blight, when Andraste and Maferath led the Alemanni tribes across the Waking Sea to attack the Tevinter Imperium. Andraste is therein described as a very powerful mage healer, not as a religious prophet. The Charta recognizes the mages' authority to be free and to govern. Any religion or creed is held as being due respect, with no right to anyone to intervene in matters of personal beliefs. All races are held to be equal, men, elfs, dwarves.

The population of the Free Marches, and specifically the inhabitants of Kirkwall, Stakhaven et Cumberland, accords us a great reverence. We are linked to the birth of Kirkwall as a free city, nine hundred years ago; after the slave revolt, the three magisters and their legions sent to reconquer Kirkwall were crushed by our Order. During the first eight years of the Fourth Blight, when all Grey Wardens were called to the Anderfelds to restore a desperate situation, we protected the Free Marches. Until the creation of the City Guards, we acted in that role in Kirkwall.

“Liberty is not a thing for the great masses. It is the exclusive possession of a small and disreputable minority, like knowledge, courage and honor. It takes a special sort of man to understand and enjoy liberty ­ and he is usually an outlaw.” - Shartan, Charta of the Order of Eternal Vigilance.