Larani: Order of the Lady of Paladins by Joe Adams and Brent Bailey is a role playing game supplement published by Columbia Games Inc. for use with Hârn and HârnMaster.
The supplement is available as a 12-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $9.99 but was purchased at a reduced price thanks to a special discount.
The opening paragraph explains the hallmarks of the order, what it does and where it maintains manors. The sidebar has the coat of arms and details on it, and that it is sponsored by the Order of the Spear of Shattered Sorrow.
History starts with the arrival of Laranian missionaries on Melderyn Isle, their name change to the Order of the Spear of Shattered Sorrow, the founding of Lady of Paladins and their actions, including growth in Melderyn, Kaldor and Chybisa. Sidebars cover the Order’s charter, the Order of the Spear of Shattered Sorrow, the Salt War and the Treasure War.
Current Situation looks at the current position of the Order in those three countries and what it does. Sidebars cover three important NPCs.
Joining the Order looks at the knights and common soldiers with the sidebar having the ranks and insignia, unit strengths and the HârnMaster skills of knights and common soldiers.
Chapterhouses explains that there are three types of chapter. Shield chapters guard important members of the Laranian church and some temples. Sword chapters guard frontiers and trade routes, as well as caravans and pilgrims. Manor chapters raise food and produce for the other chapters. A sidebar lists the chapters, their type and locations.
Life in the Order explains that this is a military and religious brotherhood. It covers the organisation and daily routine. The sidebar looks at uniform, badges, retirement and discipline.
Customs and Holy Days covers the most important of these. A sidebar looks at relics.
Quests and Pilgrimages looks at how some members of the order seek relics, trophies and glory, or venerate symbols of the church or seek to reclaim lost places or the holy spear, Protector. The sidebar looks at how some skills are not used to their best potential in chapterhouses and see members wandering instead.
Notable Personalities has some details on several NPCs.
Larani: Order of the Lady of Paladins in Review
The PDF lacks bookmarks and is long enough with enough different sections that these would have been useful. Navigation could be better. The text follows either a two column or single column with sidebar format and appeared to be free of errors. There are a variety of colour and black and white illustrations. Presentation is good.
This Order is a fairly influential one in Hârn but it’s one where the current grandmaster, who has become fanatical, has involved it in a crusade against the Solora for mostly personal reasons. This means that there are potential fractures in the order. The supplement provides a decent overview of the order, and the only HârnMaster references are in the skills, making it easily used with other systems. It’s too heavily tied to Hârn itself to easily use it in other settings, though, and like many Hârn supplements is rather expensive at full price. Larani: Order of the Lady of Paladins provides some decent background on an important organisation and it can be found by clicking here.
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