By Kernschatten
"...Those that contemplate the Solemn Pine are cold, distant men whose only involvement with the greater world seems to be at the points of their swords..." Albrecht Siegfried, from The Secular Orders
Brief History
The founding of the Order of the Solemn Pine has its roots in the Juncherr Rebellion of 2238. In the course of suppressing the upstart lordlings of the south, many of whom were descendants of displaced Sollanders, the Freiherren of Wissenland enlisted the aid of the Knightly Order of the Thorn. The Grand Master of the order, Werner von Kessler, was himself a noble of long lineage and gleefully led his knights against the Juncherren. Reports of wanton slaughter and destruction abounded during the course of the conflict, with atrocities attributed to both sides. The most notorious of these incidents occurred when von Kessler (afflicted with woefully poor eyesight) led his Knights in a charge against a body of troops moving northward on the road to Nuln. Hundreds were dead before von Kessler realized that he had mistakenly identified a large group of unarmed pilgrims and refugees as an enemy column. Sobbing in anguish, von Kessler threw down his sword and galloped away, leaving his Knights to deal with the aftermath.
Under the leadership of Captain Klaus Brummen, the Knights of the Thorn tended to the wounded as best they could and then withdrew from the conflict. Stunned by the event and the withdrawal of the Order of the Thorn, both sides declared a truce and settled down to negotiate. Meanwhile, Brummen had disbanded the Order and announced his intent to track down the wayward Grand Master and seek atonement for the massacre that was committed. The majority of the Knights pledged their swords to Brummen and under a plain white banner they rode out in search of von Kessler. For three years they tracked their quarry across the breadth of the Old World. During this period they are reported to have lent their swords in support of numerous causes, more than one timely charge having saved the lives of innocents from dire enemies, both human and otherwise. (Note: These reports are most likely the source of the legends of the Order of the Poor Brothers in Atonement, sent by Sigmar under a dirty white banner to defend the faithful in their time of greatest need.)
They finally found von Kessler at the crest of Mount Dren kneeling before an enormous tree. He was dirty, emaciated and frozen solid. Of the two hundred Knights that had set out with Brummen, less than thirty remained. They elected unanimously to stay under Brummen’s guidance and he quickly set them on a course of action. A great stone cairn was erected over von Kessler whom they left kneeling in place with his remaining gear. The only item that Brummen claimed was von Kessler’s journal. As the men labored to build the cairn, he sequestered himself with the journal.
Von Kessler’s writings had a profound impact upon Brummen. He had always found the Grand Master to be rather shallow and coarse, but the journal revealed a much more sensitive individual with a keen mind and an understanding of the shame that he had brought upon himself and his Order. He had spent several months atop Mount Dren, contemplating the strange pine. How could a tree grow so high above the treeline, unbent by the unceasing winds? (Note: It is really a cedar and not a true pine. The cedar is not native to the lands of the Empire. Considering von Kessler’s poor eyesight, we can forgive him the mistake.) The Grand Master concluded that the giant pine was divine inspiration. Brummen could only agree.
Organization and Structure
The basic tenets of the Order of the Solemn Pine are humility and virtue. Neither quality is inherent in mankind and must be earned. The Order is open to Knights that have shamed themselves and seek redemption. The nature of the shame itself is not important and a rapist is admitted just as readily as a simple coward. The Order holds itself separate from all political and religious considerations and will accept Knights from any land. Wealth is disdained as it is not indicative of a man’s character.
The Penitents: Knights who enter the order are stripped of knighthood, sworn to a vow of silence, and set upon the path to humility. Manual labor is the primary focus. The Penitents toil in support of the Order, supplying most of its needs. The hope is that a Penitent will learn valuable lessons such as actions versus consequences, function versus appearance, and working with others towards a common good. The amount of time that an individual spends among the Penitents is not fixed, but rather relies upon evaluation of the Penitent’s progress. In extreme crises, the Penitents are armed and equipped and sent out as foot troops in support of the Order.
The Petitioners: Those members of the order that are promoted out of the ranks of the Penitents become Petitioners and are set upon the path of virtue. The Petitioners toil in the support of others. Organized as regiments of mounted cavalry, the Petitioners undertake tasks such as patrolling roads and hunting bandits. Those that perform satisfactorily are given permission to petition for the right to leave the Order. Most do not.
The Petitioner Knights: The Inner Circle. Granted the right to speak, they teach the Penitents and lead the Petitioners. The Petitioner Captain and the Petitioner Marshall are selected from amongst themselves.
The Petitioner Captain: The First Knight of the Inner Circle. Responsible for routine dealings with the rest of the world.
The Petitioner Marshall: The Grand Marshall of the Order
The Order of the Solemn Pine in Game Terms
Penitents = Swordsmen
Petitioners = Knights
Modeling the Knights of the Solemn Pine
The original inspiration for the Order of the Solemn Pine came from a bunch of mismatched cavalry: a Venator, a Winged Lancer, a Bret Knight, etc. Ranked up they actually looked pretty good. The background material arose as a way of justifying the unit.
Any unit of Heavy Cavalry will work for representing the Petitioners, although a mixed unit works best. The basic colors are tan, brown, and dark armor. They are not shining paragons of Knighthood, the darker the better. They should have simple and unadorned equipment. The banner is a simple pine tree in dark green upon a tan field.
Any unit of foot troops with Hand Weapon and Shield will work to represent the Penitents. Older miniatures from Citadel’s Fighters range work very nicely as do some of the DoW and Mordheim miniatures. Once again the key is simple and unadorned equipment.