Lions

Albion is a land both united and divided. Divided, for it is a land made of up Ten Realms, each with their own customs, outlooks, even cultures; United, for despite these differences, each of the Ten Realms are sworn to serve a single High Monarch, and to act in concert when the need arises.

Be they from windswept Bernicia or marshy Anglia, hilly Sussex or coastal Essex, sprawling Deira or compact Norholt, superstitious Cornwall or progressive Oxford, rustic Elmet or civilised Wessex, the people of Albion share a great many things, and argue about even more. Like any large family, the Ten Realms can be fractious, even combative with one another, but make the mistake of threatening One, and you will find yourself facing the united might of Ten.

Chivalry, Duty, Truth, Law and Honour are central to the way of life in Albion; striving to do what is right, not what is easy. A phrase often heard in Albion is "The ends do not justify the means."

The Law is an important Structure in Albion Society, it protects the weak and keeps Albion on the Path of Righteousness.

Albion works via a feudal system of governance and its people respect work within the accompanying social structure, rewarding those who work hard.

Chivalry is something all Lions should aspire to, though it is the noble class who should hold themselves and others of their station to such a code. Many will have their own codes and oaths but within the code of Chivalry all should find common ground.

The Lions are the royal warhost of Albion, fabled land of chivalry and valour. Righteousness, honour, law – these are the watchwords of this unyielding band of heroes as they strive to keep the light burning bright in the darkness of a chaotic world.

The High Monarch Albion, wielder of Excalibur and Chosen of the Gods of Law, leads the Lions Warhost.

The people of the Warhost hail from all of the Ten Realms of Albion and from every walk of life and Social Class. Though the knights are arguably the most famous, they are certainly not the only arrow in Albion’s quiver. The Lions honour scribes, law keepers, scouts, priests, mages and Peasants too, bound by oaths and as true to noble purpose as any sworn blade.

Religion:

The Gods of Law are a pantheon of deities revered across Albion. Their teachings and guidance form the central beliefs of the way of life in Albion. They encourage personal development and improvement, favouring those who devote their lives to a good cause, helping others and working for a better and more just society.

To the people of Albion, the Gods are distant entities who do not walk the earth or directly interact with mortals. Instead they act to influence and inspire people to achieve greatness through their own acts. For most people the Gods serve as an epitome to which to aspire, the pinnacle of what one could hope to achieve through service, kindly acts or personal toil. The Gods recognize that everyone is unique and flawed and many will fail to help themselves and others. Even the smallest achievement may bring great rewards if it is undertaken with the right intentions. Trying and failing is better in their eyes than not having tried in the first instant.

Across the land of Albion the 7 Gods of Law are worshipped and seen in many different ways. There are numerous theological viewpoints over the nature of the Gods and their plans for the people of Albion. Some may identify with specific aspects of a God, interpreting their teachings in ways that may seem odd to others. It must be remembered however, that the Gods of Law and the principles for which they stand form the core of Albion society

Inspiration points for the Lions:

The Lions faction at Curious Pastimes is set in the fantasy realm of Albion and uses motifs, themes and ideas from the Athurian legends as its setting. However, the tales of Camelot are reflective of the time period in which they were written and as such fundamentally feature implicit sexism and other biases which we have not transferred over into the roleplaying game. Our Albion is an inclusive society in which biases or hatred against race, sex, sexual orientation or gender reassignment do not feature.

One way that Albion is deliberately similar to mediaeval Britain is that it is a feudal society with clear hierarchies of Nobles, Middling classes and Peasantry. This is in part for flavour but importantly to add roleplay hooks and allow each archetype to access different areas of the game. This ties into the concept of noblesse oblige which means “privilege entails responsibility” - A player may choose to portray a character of any of these three social classes, regardless of traditional Arthurian stricture on role.