Bailiff Nicolaus

Holy Order of Our Lady of Mount Avalon's Knights Hospitaliers is more commonly known as Order of Saint Valerian, derived from its half-legendary founder, allegedly a retired soldier and later martyr of the Second Paneuropean Revolution Valerian McRoughlin. The Order's exact beginnings are lost to the annals of time, but it's widely believed that Valerian, if he indeed did exist, founded an armed militia in the last years of XXIst century to protect a local church from being demolished by a greedy factory owner. It is not clear how the dispute went, but the fact that said church is still standing speaks much of Valerian's fortitude. In the following years, the militia took place of defunct police and judiciary of a county, then expanded its influence to most European nations. By the time of first space colonies, the Order already had its small space ports in Knox, Ireland and Akita, Japan. The Order in XXVth century boasts more than three hundred thousans of brothers sworn to serve until death. They operate independently of state armies, protecting colonies from pirates and mafias as well as from larger predators, as well as running schools and charities, though lately they can be frequently seen aiding forces opposing the Eternal Revolution. While their independence means that chain of command can easily turn into a chainmail, no wise commander refuses to include them in their force.