"'Don't you know that to be covetous of honor and covetous of money is said to be and is a reproach?'
'I do,' he said. 'Well, then,' said I, 'that is why the good are not willing to rule either for the sake of
money or of honor.'"
— Plato's Republic, Book I
'I do,' he said. 'Well, then,' said I, 'that is why the good are not willing to rule either for the sake of
money or of honor.'"
— Plato's Republic, Book I
WHEN the souls of men were being harvested in the killing fields, and their souls purchased for a pence on the pound by the unscrupulous collectors of flesh and sinew, there were the cries of the damned that rose up unto the heavens. The old gods and the new alike were accosted by the wailing travails of those caught in the darkness of warfare by the evil machinations of malicious actors on the world stage. Their cries grew louder, more boldly going forth as their number were reduced systematically by the chaos of the chariots, the perils of the pikes and the stiffness of the swords. There was a litany calling for something to be done, something to answer to that could be deployed in the killing fields, allowing for a reckoning against the forces of evil. The voices cried out for saviors, for the merciful angels of our better nature to come and dispatch the forces of injustice and tyranny. Indeed, there would be a reckoning to be had on the fields of death, when the consciences of good men became awash in the unbearable pain of the sin of silence.
FOUR corners of the world were scoured for men that could dispense justice to the ne’er-do-wells, who could be counted on for the security of the sensitive and the precious alike. What was created was an amalgamation of the greatest virtues of men: courage, honor, integrity, vigilance. They were the ones who watched, the ones who coveted nothing but appreciated everything. They were the better angels of our nature, watching over the weak and the maligned with justice aforethought, pledging to save those who could not save themselves. They operated from the shadows, purging the ranks of the malevolent with extreme prejudice, opening new fronts in the war against persecution. Their handiwork would be retold the world over in the mead halls and salons of the civilized world, the tales of chivalry and nobility resonating throughout the oceans and the lands. They were the best of us, the greatest who would take on any challenge and rent it from head to foot. They were the fearless legion, the great and mighty force.
THEY were knights gallant, paladins of supreme skill and sacrosanct virtues. Their skill in battle was unmatched by any soldier of fortune in living memory. Their deeds are consecrated in blood and sinew of those deemed worthy of acceptance into the ranks of the Great Order. They stood in their time as giants among men on the battlefields of the world, of sacred cause and purpose, blessed by the gods to stand in defiance of mortal threat or foil. Theres is the stuff of legends, but there is no mythos borne of fiction in this Order. No, only the honorable tales of valor and glory that define the men that stood for the Rose and took the vows. When the pages of history are complete, and the annals of time have run their due course, the tales of majestic men riding to honor will be sung from the rafters of the great halls of heaven; songs singing of a time when the vanguard of the righteous were men amongst men, letting out the aggression and strength of their arms against the wicked of the world. It was an Order of warriors. It was an Order of saints.
FOUR corners of the world were scoured for men that could dispense justice to the ne’er-do-wells, who could be counted on for the security of the sensitive and the precious alike. What was created was an amalgamation of the greatest virtues of men: courage, honor, integrity, vigilance. They were the ones who watched, the ones who coveted nothing but appreciated everything. They were the better angels of our nature, watching over the weak and the maligned with justice aforethought, pledging to save those who could not save themselves. They operated from the shadows, purging the ranks of the malevolent with extreme prejudice, opening new fronts in the war against persecution. Their handiwork would be retold the world over in the mead halls and salons of the civilized world, the tales of chivalry and nobility resonating throughout the oceans and the lands. They were the best of us, the greatest who would take on any challenge and rent it from head to foot. They were the fearless legion, the great and mighty force.
THEY were knights gallant, paladins of supreme skill and sacrosanct virtues. Their skill in battle was unmatched by any soldier of fortune in living memory. Their deeds are consecrated in blood and sinew of those deemed worthy of acceptance into the ranks of the Great Order. They stood in their time as giants among men on the battlefields of the world, of sacred cause and purpose, blessed by the gods to stand in defiance of mortal threat or foil. Theres is the stuff of legends, but there is no mythos borne of fiction in this Order. No, only the honorable tales of valor and glory that define the men that stood for the Rose and took the vows. When the pages of history are complete, and the annals of time have run their due course, the tales of majestic men riding to honor will be sung from the rafters of the great halls of heaven; songs singing of a time when the vanguard of the righteous were men amongst men, letting out the aggression and strength of their arms against the wicked of the world. It was an Order of warriors. It was an Order of saints.
It is the Order of the Crimson Rose.
WELCOME to the official online portal of the Order of the Crimson Rose, an ancient chivalric order and private military contractor based out of Marquesan in Esvanovia, with satellite offices in Amador and Seclya in Gholgoth. The Order is a premier military contractor handling both missions of paramilitary and private security natures. We specialize in handling the business of our clientele with discretion and professionalism and bring centuries of honor and tradition to the table. No mission is impossible with the Order at the helm; we bring a unique set of skills to bear on the problems of our patrons, be it on a local, national or regional level. With our heritage at heart and our code of honor and virtue the operational creed of our Order, you can rest assured that your security needs will be met with the Order of the Crimson Rose. Please use this online portal to review our Order and our regulations for servicing, or contact us at our customer service line, CustomerSupport@ocr.com for assistance. We thank you for your valued patronage!
THE Order of the Crimson Rose is a paramilitary organization and private military contractor accepting requests for service from most known regions. Supplied exclusively by the military armaments supplier Royal Marquesan Exports and staffed by veteran military personnel from across Amador, Marquesan and Seclya, the Order of the Crimson Rose is a long-standing pillar of the security apparatuses of nations in Esvanovia and Gholgoth. The Order is bonded by each of the three main nations’ central governments and licensed to practice in most known locales around the world. The Order handles its own logistics and transportation, freeing the client(s) from any liability. Our mission is your complete satisfaction with our performance and our professionalism, two things that we at the Order pride ourselves on accomplishing.
AS previously stated, the Order of the Crimson Rose is well-accomplished in the handling of both personal security missions as well as paramilitary operations on a local, national or regional level. We maintain and train thousands of operators from around the world to enter into the ranks of the old chivalric Order. Our clients expect the best equipment and trained personnel in the world to handle their security needs, and we deliver as promised on a reputation of professional courtesy and service while on deployment. Foreigners seeking to join with the company of operators hired by the Order of the Crimson Rose may do so through the application process listed out below. It is expected that all patrons, whether seeking to join the Order of the Crimson Rose or to inquire about retaining our services should first read the regulations.
AS previously stated, the Order of the Crimson Rose is well-accomplished in the handling of both personal security missions as well as paramilitary operations on a local, national or regional level. We maintain and train thousands of operators from around the world to enter into the ranks of the old chivalric Order. Our clients expect the best equipment and trained personnel in the world to handle their security needs, and we deliver as promised on a reputation of professional courtesy and service while on deployment. Foreigners seeking to join with the company of operators hired by the Order of the Crimson Rose may do so through the application process listed out below. It is expected that all patrons, whether seeking to join the Order of the Crimson Rose or to inquire about retaining our services should first read the regulations.
THIS section of our online portal outlines the regulations and rules of service for both inquiries regarding the retention of our services or for those who seek to join the ranks of the Order of the Crimson Rose. These regulations and rules are considered binding, and any party contracted to or with the Order of the Crimson Rose are expected to abide by them while joining or while retaining our services. The Order of the Crimson Rose is not an organization that will abide by those who break our regulations or those who flaunt our rules. On the contrary, our services require strict observance to the regulations listed henceforth, and any subversion of the regulations during the contracted service of the Order of the Crimson Rose will result in the immediate termination of any and all agreements and forfeiture of payments collected hitherto by the Order. For further clarification on the regulations and rules, you may lodge a formal inquiry below or contact our customer service team, CustomerSupport@ocr.rme.marq.mil for more information on our official policies.
- [IC] Recruits to the Order of the Crimson Rose must meet the minimum fitness requirements and possess at least twelve (12) months of prior military service with good conduct. Applicants will be subjected to a pyschological evaluation test. A bachelor's degree is required.
- [IC] For the purposes of this organization and its charter, private security missions are henceforth defined as any scenario where the security of a person or persons is required by the Order of the Crimson Rose over a contracted amount of time to be served.
- [IC] For the purposes of this organization and its charter, paramilitary missions are henceforth defined as any scenario where the Order of the Crimson Rose will be expected to complete military objectives both in times of peace and in times of war.
- [IC / OOC] The Order of the Crimson Rose cannot unequivocally guarantee material results in a war setting; rather, the Order of the Crimson Rose agrees to participate in paramilitary or security operations with professionalism and virtue as guiding principles.
- [IC / OOC] Lethal force is authorized for usage by all Order contractors in the event of an imminent threat. It is not required for our contractors to wait until fired upon in order to return fire, rather the Order takes an offensive posture against threatening actions.
- [IC / OOC] The Order will null the contract if personnel are required to perform any task in violation of their conscience; all orders given must be lawful and cannot subject the personnel or civilians in the objective area to chemical or biological weapons, or to any inhumane treatment; however, contractors will defend their lives and property from any threat.
- [IC / OOC] Quarter must be extended to anyone on the battlefield who asks for it; surrenders and yields must be accepted; noncombatants are never to be engaged, and contractors will not be expected to kill without discretion.
- [IC / OOC] Patrons retaining the services of the Order of the Crimson Rose are liable for any wanton acts of aggression against personnel of the Order by personnel allied to the contractee. Such conduct will result in the immediate termination of your contract and forfeiture of payments made hitherto.
- [IC / OOC] The Order of the Crimson Rose will not help guard, transport, or in any likewise manner participate in the trade of sentient beings as slave labor. Any such request for participation in the slave trade will be automatically rejected on sight.
- [OOC} Participation in a roleplay event or thread is dependent on the time availability of the organizers of the Order of the Crimson Rose, and should not be automatically expected upon the retention of the Order's services for the purposes of roleplaying.
- [OOC] To initiate dialogue with the Order of the Crimson Rose about contracting for paramilitary or security services, please submit an IC missive on official letterhead from your nation of origin (if applicable). Posts without a letterhead attached will be frowned upon.
- [OOC] Roleplay participation is dependent on the conduct of the writer(s) involved, and may not violate the terms of conduct at NationStates. Any blatant godmodding, number-spamming or other frowned upon tactics will not be tolerated.
THE Order of the Crimson Rose goes back centuries, to the early medieval period in Marquesan’s history, drawing on its chivalric nature to induce warriors of merit to participate in the Order and establish its reputation as a professional military contractor and servicer. As such, it is organized by a unique rank system emblematic of its history as a chivalric order and its medieval origins. All recruits to the Order begin their service as a Pledge, with those advancing in stature promoted to the rank of Page. From there, the Sergeants of the Order of the Crimson Rose maintain order and discipline for the Knights and Paladins that serve above them, exercising command operations in the field according to their orders. The Master/Mistress-at-Arms serves as the highest enlisted rank; foreign recruits will top out here at this level.
WITH the introduction of foreign-born recruits into the Order of the Crimson Rose, a distinction was to be made between those native Marquesienne recruits and those from other lands – a distinction that would soon be extended in courtesy to the elves of Amador and Seclya. Only a soldier of those three nations would be permitted to enter into the officer corps of the Order, so named according to chivalric tradition. The base of the officer corps is the Lord or Lady of the Thorn, whose responsibilities intertwine with that of the Knights, Paladins and Master or Mistress-at-Arms. Next above them are the Lords and Ladies of the Rose, who exercise command authority on the field and typically issues the orders. Masters and Mistresses are the upper echelon of the Order, and at its zenith is the rank of Grand Master of Mistress.
WITH the introduction of foreign-born recruits into the Order of the Crimson Rose, a distinction was to be made between those native Marquesienne recruits and those from other lands – a distinction that would soon be extended in courtesy to the elves of Amador and Seclya. Only a soldier of those three nations would be permitted to enter into the officer corps of the Order, so named according to chivalric tradition. The base of the officer corps is the Lord or Lady of the Thorn, whose responsibilities intertwine with that of the Knights, Paladins and Master or Mistress-at-Arms. Next above them are the Lords and Ladies of the Rose, who exercise command authority on the field and typically issues the orders. Masters and Mistresses are the upper echelon of the Order, and at its zenith is the rank of Grand Master of Mistress.
WITH the understanding of our rank order now presented, the Order of the Crimson Rose will present information regarding the structure of our organization for the perusal of potential clients and customers. The Order maintains a strict thread between the medieval period in which the Order was formed and the present day, making use of old terminology replete with modern technology to form the core structure of the Order. This information is a matter of public record – certain sensitive details are considered classified and not available for the consumption of the general public – and can be obtained through submitting a formal inquiry below, or by sending a telegram to CustomerSupport@ocr.rme.marq.mil for more information. This information is subject to the regulations and rules listed hitherto and may not be reproduced or retransmitted without the expressed written consent of the Order of the Crimson Rose. As with any military order or private military contractor, this information is subject to change at any time according to OCR policies.
IN the early days of the Marquesan League, when the modern world was but a distant thought, there existed great warriors who protected the Marquesiennes and their property. These knights gallant were among the most honored soldiers in the League, and their reputations would proceed them wheresoever they went. One such warrior was Alain of Lévis, a man of great courage and conviction who would form his own personal company of knights to protect the people of the League and beyond. Such was his prestige that, once he became the elected High King of Marquesan, he kept in touch with his former protégés from the military, making them part of his shadow privy council. Alain would rule successfully for nine years, nine tumultuous years that saw the threats to the League creep about like a serpent, searching out whom it could strike. There was no doubt who their target was, for they had made two previous attempts on the High King’s life prior to capturing him whilst out riding his famed thoroughbred in the middle of the month of October 1326.
THE forces of the warlord Réjean de Tinian brought the captive High King to Tinian Castle, where he was subjected to cruelties and inhumane tortures more grievous than had ever befallen a subject in the Marquesan League. The shadow council of Alain gathered unto themselves in his estate, purposing in their hearts to bring the High King back or die trying. They amassed a company of warriors that brought down brick and mortar and bodies of the enemy alike, tearing through the walls of the castle with a ferocity that knew no equal. After weeks of torment however, the High King had tragically succumbed to his captivity, refusing in the end to divulge state secrets. Every last member of Réjean’s army was put to the sword and burned, their ashes scattered in salted fields, leaving Tinian Castle a ruin that remains unoccupied to this day. Mournfully, the confidants of the High King carried him on his shield upriver for five days and nights, finally entombing their dead King at a mausoleum covered in roses at Lake Taga. There the High King could find peace in the next life.
THE forces of the warlord Réjean de Tinian brought the captive High King to Tinian Castle, where he was subjected to cruelties and inhumane tortures more grievous than had ever befallen a subject in the Marquesan League. The shadow council of Alain gathered unto themselves in his estate, purposing in their hearts to bring the High King back or die trying. They amassed a company of warriors that brought down brick and mortar and bodies of the enemy alike, tearing through the walls of the castle with a ferocity that knew no equal. After weeks of torment however, the High King had tragically succumbed to his captivity, refusing in the end to divulge state secrets. Every last member of Réjean’s army was put to the sword and burned, their ashes scattered in salted fields, leaving Tinian Castle a ruin that remains unoccupied to this day. Mournfully, the confidants of the High King carried him on his shield upriver for five days and nights, finally entombing their dead King at a mausoleum covered in roses at Lake Taga. There the High King could find peace in the next life.
"I was carried from the boat in Umatac,
On their shoulders they carried me to Hatina
And rowed five days to lay me down,
Here at Lake Taga, where the red-crowned cranes call mournfully.
You, my brothers shall live for ever as many days as roses lay,
Here at the shores of Lake Taga, where I lay down my sword.”
On their shoulders they carried me to Hatina
And rowed five days to lay me down,
Here at Lake Taga, where the red-crowned cranes call mournfully.
You, my brothers shall live for ever as many days as roses lay,
Here at the shores of Lake Taga, where I lay down my sword.”
”J'ai été transporté depuis le bateau à Umatac,
Sur leurs épaules ils m'ont porté à Hatina
Et j'ai ramé cinq jours pour me coucher,
Ici, au lac Taga, où les grues à couronne rouge crient tristement.
Vous, mes frères, vivrez éternellement autant de jours que les roses pondront,
Ici, sur les rives du lac Taga, où je dépose mon épée.”
Sur leurs épaules ils m'ont porté à Hatina
Et j'ai ramé cinq jours pour me coucher,
Ici, au lac Taga, où les grues à couronne rouge crient tristement.
Vous, mes frères, vivrez éternellement autant de jours que les roses pondront,
Ici, sur les rives du lac Taga, où je dépose mon épée.”
THE mausoleum and crypt remains perpetually guarded by Alfar elves and Marquesiennes belonging to the Order that was consecrated in the memorial of Alain de Lévis in 1326 by the shores of Lake Taga. This new chivalric order, the Order of the Crimson Rose, would take its name from the House signet of High King Alain, becoming the new symbol of this order of warriors who would take up sword and shield at the clarion call of action. They would establish patronages throughout Marquesan, with Amadorian and Seclyai involvement growing as the three nations became more closely aligned. Universities were established by the Order, raising young men and women into the chivalric Order of the Crimson Rose, while the Order itself began receiving the children of unwedded mothers looking to save their children.
THEIRS is a story is one of courage, honor, and valor on the field of battle, and in the halls of those who called upon the Order for support. From the Ocean Throne in Esvanovia to the Glymerhall and the Agis Reyqen in Gholgoth, the deeds of the Order of the Crimson Rose have been many and widespread, bringing fame and fortune to the contractors who have graced the organization over the years. The Order came to prominence once again in April 2003, when five Knights of the Order of the Crimson Rose stood their ground against five hundred Hakulic soldiers during the Battle of Esteargen during the War of the Leaves in Seclya. The legend of the Forlorn Stand at Esteargen once again propelled the Order to fame and glory the world over, reminding the evil-doers of the world that a force existed that could not be toppled.
THEIRS is a story is one of courage, honor, and valor on the field of battle, and in the halls of those who called upon the Order for support. From the Ocean Throne in Esvanovia to the Glymerhall and the Agis Reyqen in Gholgoth, the deeds of the Order of the Crimson Rose have been many and widespread, bringing fame and fortune to the contractors who have graced the organization over the years. The Order came to prominence once again in April 2003, when five Knights of the Order of the Crimson Rose stood their ground against five hundred Hakulic soldiers during the Battle of Esteargen during the War of the Leaves in Seclya. The legend of the Forlorn Stand at Esteargen once again propelled the Order to fame and glory the world over, reminding the evil-doers of the world that a force existed that could not be toppled.
IN order to receive the services of the Order of the Crimson Rose, an applicant party or nation must submit the below enclosed application, at which point a representative of the Order of the Crimson Rose will contact you to gain more information and quote you a price. In order to be accepted into the Order of the Crimson Rose as a new contractor, an applicant must pass a rigorous health and wellness check as performed by a medical team from the Order. All applicants must have prior military service of at least twelve (12) months in good standing with their military branch of service, and must pass a psychological evaluation before being committed to the Order. Once accepted, a person will be notified by an official missive of the Order for the world to see and hear. All applications, regardless of their intention, must be accompanied by a personal acknowledgement that the rules and regulations for the Order were read and agreed to by the applicant party. No exceptions shall be made for this policy! Pleae allow at leasat 12 to 24 hours for a response.
