The Claret Orders is an underground organization originating from Wildemount. They consist of practitioners of hemocraft magic, such as blood hunters and blood clerics, whose primary mission is to protect those who cannot protect themselves from fiends, undead, and other shadowed monsters.
History[]
During the Marrow War, the high cleric of the Julous Dominion secretly made a pact with a devil of the Nine Hells to gain the power to repel the Dwendalian Empire. However, the bargain came at the cost of the Marrow Valley becoming overrun with devils and undead.[3]
Fan art of Trence Orman contacting the Raven Queen, by Tifany Gonzalez.[art 2]
Seeking to protect his people, a priest named Trence Orman prayed to The Raven Queen for help, who granted him the secrets of hemocraft magic. Using this power, Trence and his followers formed the Claret Orders and banished the devils and undead from the realm. Unfortunately, with the Marrow Valley now clear, the Dwendalian Empire was then able to advance and conquer the Julous Dominion.[3]
The newly instated Dwendalian lords blamed the Claret Orders for inviting the fiends into the Marrow Valley. Once they were no longer welcome, the Orders went into hiding, though they never stopped protecting the lands from monstrous threats from the shadows.[3] Lucien, a former member, referred to the Orders as a "disparate collective".[4] The Marrow Valley still remains as a significant place for the order, and somewhere there are the Oltu Ruins, where some of the members train.[5]
The Claret Orders have since spread beyond Western Wynandir, some taking up residence in the land of Tal'Dorei, across the Lucidian Ocean.[2]
Orders[]
Each of the orders correspond to one of the blood hunter subclasses.
- Order of the Ghostslayer: The oldest of the orders. Members of this order seek to study the moment of death, and use their abilities to destroy the undead.[6]
- Order of the Mutant: Members of this order study alchemy and concoct mutagenic elixirs to enhance their bodies for combat.[6]
- Order of the Profane Soul: Members of this order forge pacts with otherworldly beings to gain additional magical abilities, similar to those of warlocks.[6]
- Order of the Lycan: Members of this order are afflicted with lycanthropy or are ready to join and accept the curse. They undergo a ritual known as the Taming in order to learn to control it, restrain its spread through blood unless they wish to, and combine it with their abilities of hemocraft.[6]
Notable members[]
Fan art of Claret Director Jette Brashan, by Alex Payne.[art 3]
- Claret Director Ged Narrel: He's considered a sage in his order, and the author of at least one essay and one book.[7][8]
- Claret Director Emeritus Teresa Dulamar: Teresa is a cleric of the Raven Queen and was the head of the Orders in Tal'Dorei until 826 PD; she operated out of Kymal.[2][9]
- Hunter Jorick LaMensh: Jorick is a member of the Order of the Profane Soul and was Teresa's executive officer[2] until her retirement, when he became her bodyguard.[9]
- Claret Director Alasterre de Vitrevos: Director of the Order in Tal'Dorei as of 836 PD, the successor of Teresa. Also a cleric of the Raven Queen.[9]
- Claret Director Jette Brashan: Jette is a male half-orc priest of the Raven Queen located in Wildemount, committed to wiping out fiends on the Material Plane.[10]
- Elias de Corvo: Elias is one of the most famous blood hunters in the Claret Orders and operates in Wildemount.[10]
- Karem Ferentus: Karem is a blood hunter of the Order of the Ghostslayer and a teacher for many of the young members of the Claret Orders in the Oltu Ruins.[11]
- Sarenne de Chastain: Sarenne is a fierce member of the Order of the Lycan known for her strict attitude and vigilance within the order.[12]
- Lilyana Cayd: Lilyana is a female half-elf and werewolf in Wildemount and an efficient blood hunter.[10]
- Uther: He was a member in Wildemount, but at some point "left a wound on his past", doing enough damage to his home that he had to leave. He now has embraced his nature as a wereboar among the Gorgynei, a group of lycanthropes in the Gloomed Jungles who have tamed their abilities.[13]
- Gurge Kisgregg: He was a member until he was cursed with lycanthropy.[14] He left for Marquet circa 833 PD[15] and worked with the Gorgynei.[16]
- Lucien and the Tombtakers: They were part of the Orders but split off to pursue a different path.[17]
Trivia[]
- In the Oltu Ruins of Wildemount, part of the routine of the members of the order is to go to the Sanguine Chapel for daily recitations, sharing black bread softened in bone broth under a suspended glass chalice. Said chalice contains a mixture of the blood of those who had passed the Hunter's Bane.[18]
References[]
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, pp. 54–The Claret Orders were formed during the Marrow War, which was declared in 544 PD.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 33.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 54.
- ↑ See "Ice and Fire" (2x121) at 0:41:48.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 32.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 See the
Blood Hunter on D&D Beyond class description.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 118.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 215.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 53.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 55.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 26.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 32.
- ↑ See "Compulsions" (3x40) at 3:02:57.
- ↑ See "Chasing Nightmares" (3x11) at 2:37:30.
- ↑ See "Chasing Nightmares" (3x11) at 2:31:08. Gurge states it's been about a decade.
- ↑ See "Chasing Nightmares" (3x11) at 2:38:08.
- ↑ See "Fleeting Memories" (2x14) at 0:21:32.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, Chapter 5, pp. 26-27.
Art:
- ↑ Official art of the symbol of the Claret Orders, by Conceptopolis from Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 52. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Fan art of Trence Orman contacting the Raven Queen, by Tifany Gonzalez (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Claret Director Jette Brashan, by Alex Payne (source). Used with permission.