Pilgrimage Security

We’re preparing for the next edition of Small Bites:  Following the Path of Saint Khasmir Chouwaska aka All About Pilgrimages & Cartography.  Or Maybe it’s called Pilgrims to the Queen of the Gods.  We’re still deciding and wouldn’t mind some feedback.  Yeah, these titles are always a mouthful!  Anyway, we’re trying to figure out how security works for private businesses running pilgrimage services.

These pilgrimages are traveling on frequently used roads through civilized regions.  To imply that there are bandits all over the place would be to assume that the local lords are weak and do not employ ample guards, sheriffs, or deputies.  This is not the way that we see this region.

So what level of security is there?  Well, first off, the pilgrims rarely bring their own guards along.  Typically, they don’t because it is too crowded in the carriages to bring a couple of guys in armor.  But clearly it is also expensive.

Along the route of the Path of St. Khasmir, there are several religious orders.  The two most important are the Riders of the Long Trail and Guardians of the Sacred Flame.  The Riders are an order dedicated to the gods Ixaricks (god of travelers) and Manoto (god of war).  Typical followers of the Long Trail religion are those who make their livings being away from home for long periods of time, especially those who work the caravans or even soldiers.  The Riders are a religious order that spends all of its time on the roads, working to keep them safe from bandits and other threats.

The Riders of the Long Trail are a “beggar order”, meaning that they don’t charge for services, but instead ask for alms.  They are typically supported by the local lords, the local religions, any pilgrimage service providers, and by the pilgrims themselves.  If a Rider were to come upon a pilgrimage, he would approach and ask them for alms.  While those unfamiliar with pilgrimages may not recognize the order, their guides would strongly encourage the pilgrims to make some manner of donation to the Rider as he is seen as keeping them all safe.

The Riders typically patrol in pairs, but if their priory is poor (and the one along this pilgrimage is) they will travel singly.  Each of the Riders is a skilled, but not exceptional soldier.  As the name implies, they are all horsemen.  They will be trained in both missile weapons and in melee weapons, but there isn’t a true “standard” which they follow.  Many of the Riders were soldiers or police before joining the order.

The Guardians of the Sacred Flame on the other hand are far more formal and far better funded.  They are based in Parnania and their chief duty is to protect the eternal flames kept in the cathedrals of Laenta’s Lady of the Hearth religion.  The “Hearthers” as they are called are a different religion of Laenta, extremely popular in the more rural Velesan regions.

The Hearthers have their own pilgrimages, but since they are a smaller religion, they have not been built up in the same fashion that the Lady of the Wise Mother pilgrimages have.  Still, Heathers will come to the city to light their lamps or other devices from one of the eternal flames and then carry that flame home to keep for their families.  As such, the Guardians will often take some time away from the city and travel the countryside, shepherding pilgrims and keeping the roads safe.

The Guardians are holy warriors (aka paladins) with exceptional training and typically exceptional gear.  Their religion is large (still nowhere near what Lady of the Wise Mother is) and can afford to outfit and maintain a private security force.  Despite being of a rival religion, Guardians (and Riders too) will protect anyone traveling the roads in an appropriate fashion.  By this, they will not help slavers who get attacked, but would immediately come to the defense of anyone clearly belonging to any of the Dinsthain religions - which is pretty much everyone in this area.

Between these two holy orders and the local lords simply trying to maintain the peace, pilgrims should be safe traveling through the Central Plains, especially within the borders of the city-state of Parnania.