For centuries the Order of the Allshard has waged their Crusade against the Hex at the fringes of human civilisation. Only in recent years has the Order’s technology and influence grown to the point that they can now look to root out the Hex’s malign influence in Great Powers of the Dystopian Age.

When creating the background to a game, we get snapshots of a culture as required through the miniatures and rules. The Dystopian Age is a more complex proposition in this regard as it requires a narrative to act as the setting for multiple games. Let’s look at the Order of the Allshard as one such narrative link. A primary faction for Wild West Exodus the secretive nature of the Order (as they are more commonly known) means that their presence beyond the Badlands of the Union is rare to say the least. More on that a little later though!

In Wild West Exodus, we have established a range of miniatures to support those parts of the Order that might be encountered on the Frontier. The Order are seen to be stepping up their offensive against those who would stand in the way of their sacred Crusade. Part of the difficulty that the Order have faced is that agents of the Hex can be found throughout the social and military structures of the Union and have been able to travel the country with impunity. Now those same self-serving agents of chaos find themselves hunted by an implacable and resolute force. Recruiting predominantly from the indigenous tribes, the Spica Iapetus are the ultimate trackers and hunters of the tainted. Iron resolve matched with the weapons and wargear entrusted to them by the Allshard, Sicran Dylan Callus leads his hunters to use every tool at their disposal.

In addition to hunting those touched by the Hex, the Iapetus are entrusted with the handling and training of the various animals that aid them in their Crusade. The Dhyre Lurchers and Helio Raptors are two such species, specially bred and conditioned over the centuries to be able to track and attack those marked by the taint of the Hex.

Though their true mission is obfuscated beneath layers of doctrine and parables, the Order has remained a fringe religion in the wider world. Only in the Ottoman Sultanate have the Order found a strong foothold outside of their Bastion in North America. This was made possible in 1867 when the Order, monitoring Greek separatists with links to the Hex, witnessed an attack by the separatists on the city of Edirne. While conducting observations, Sircan Callus was in a position to save the life of an imperilled young man. In this apparently selfless act, Callus won the gratitude of the young man’s father, a senior member of the Sublime Porte of the Sultanate. Soon after this Callus was summoned to Istanbul to meet with the Sultan himself, and it is thanks to Callus’ persuasive words and sharp wit that the Order now enjoys an unprecedented level of access and open influence in the Sultanate.

The Order of the Allshard are one of the recognised religions in the Sultanate and have influenced both within the Sublime Porte and in the Sultan’s court itself. The Sultan enjoys the protection of a pair of Cor Caroli as ever vigilant bodyguard and an entire regiment of fearless Spica Janissaries who are trained to fight and die for the Sultanate. The Order’s growing influence is resisted most strongly by Grand Vizier Pasha who has continued to frustrate some of the Order’s more dramatic reform proposals. He blocked their latest request for parity in the religious councils of the Sultanate, and frustrated the Order’s carefully orchestrated plans to place faithful observers within the halls of each of the Emirs and Satraps who govern the outer provinces of the Ottoman domain.

While the Order have access to their own unique and advanced technology, they lack the resources of even a small nation and cannot field substantial armies or fleets of their own. They are growing in influence and confidence in this area however and already their Retaj class Portalships along with the patrolling Cor Carolus destroyers are proving to be a boon to Sultanate naval operations. Though the Order usually only deploy a handful of these vessels to any given campaign, it cannot be long before their influence in the Sultanate provides the necessary shipyards and workers to rectify this.

The Order are but a small element of the Sultanate faction (virtually a niche within a niche!), but their very existence in Dystopian Wars helps draw the narrative threads of the Dystopian Age together into a rich tapestry. Expect to see a smattering of Order units supplementing the Sultanate’s varied forces in Lost World Exodus as well as Armoured Clash in the years to come.

Stuart