Original art by Mike Franchino This is my attempt at making my own knightly order in the grim and infernally besieged world of Trench Crusade. None of this is official, and derives inspiration from multiple real world sources, such as the region of Aquitaine, where it is based, the Society of Jesus, and Basque culture, and of course, the shortly lived real military order it's based on.
Based in the region of Aquitaine, the Knights of the Faithful Peace were founded by the Archbishop of Aurbac as a peacekeeping order, a rare utilization of such warrior knights even relatively early in the Great War, born from the need for the growing alarm and discontent as the growing influence of both the Armies of Hell and the wars of Triclavianism turn the Faithful against each other, allowing for the greater threat of Evil to extend its talons accordingly. The Order of Faith and Peace, as it was then, thus found itself surrounded by both the people they were supposed to protect, while trying to keep attentive to the encroachment of their real enemies, while also wrestling with the very real danger to their souls as a result of their Oath of Penance, requiring them to fight to the death or be denied salvation. The result was an organization stretched to its limit, as it struggled to maintain both cohesion and remain true to its mission, members going to fight in shifts in times of war, and inducting the aid of many willing to aid them in maintaining peace.
To that end, the Faithful Peace opened its doors to membership of women, following the example of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who Took the Cross, meaning they had chosen to follow the esteemed Queen's example to join the Crusade, leading one of the earliest orders to have a large percentage of women join their ranks. It also allowed, quietly, for willing alliances with the sorginak, practitioners of the old ways who on the surface venerated Mother Mary, but in truth were the last priests and priestesses of Amari Urraca, the pre christian mountain goddess. Derived from a need to both keep the peace and their own frustration with the violent dogmatism that kept Christendom at war with itself, the Knights became quietly known as the gentilak, so named after a long gone race of giants.
Jeanne d'arc, first horseman of the apocalypse by AnatoFinnstark
So when the Black Grail struck Europe, the Order prioritized the containment rather than whole sale purging, leaving them in an ideal position to aid the Living Saint J'eanne D'arc in pushing the Grail of invaders to the sea. To their regret, they were among those who advocated allowing the barest scraps of the Black Grail to escape, prioritizing the lives of survivors over destruction of the enemy.
When the antipapacy of Avignon revealed itself, they were among the first to try to unseat the foul crown of the Beezlebub's influence in Europa, but try as they might, no attempt at purging the foul capital has ever approached success. With deliberate focus, the Order fell back to their old method of containment to deny the Black Grail further footholds, but discovered the enemy had changed tactics, utilizing the abominations of the Black Grail Missionaries to convert people through the battle of their soul rather than purely rely on infection and disease. Their salvation came in the teaching of he who would become St. Ignatius of Loyola, then a well spoken priest with a military background, instigating a counter reformation to the insidious efforts of Beezlebub's, who reformed the order's methodology to being both able to counter the enemy's propaganda with both action and spoken word, and the ability and willingness to send their knights anywhere where people needed them. Thus, they curtail enemy influence throughout Gascony however they can, while joining other forces throughout the entire theater of the war, from Eire to the Levant. The Faithful Peace's most important means of countering enemy influence and encouraging their allies is within their name, a promise and a hope that one day the war will end, and a Faithful Peace will take its place. To that end, they have found both allies and enemies in unexpected places, their willingness to act on behalf of that future quick to state their character when all else fails. As 1914 passes by and all sides of the war prepare for the next great stage of conflict, the Order strides to remain a stubborn voice against both darkness within and without, reminding their fellows what they ideally are fighting for.