Tayne is the paladin knight of Law and Goodness, devoted to defending the weak and destroying all forms of evil wherever it is found. Tayne is the son of Ankaris and Motara, but shares little commonalities with his parents. He cannot understand their views and beliefs, nor even bring himself to associate with them. Tayne is a close ally to Throntis, and is on good terms with his brother Arcannis.

Tayne is worshiped by a great number of noble warriors, and many knighthoods have pledged themselves to his service. Of all the deities, only Throntis has a stronger following among Knighthoods, a fact that occasionally causes rivalry between members of the two faiths.

Tayne always appears as a great warrior, clad in silver plate armor, wielding his platinum sword and bearing his golden shield emblazoned with red roses. His holy symbol embodies his three tenets, for which he is known as the Three-Faced. The platinum sword symbolizes his role as the Destroyer of Evil; the golden shield, his role as the Defender of the Weak; the rose, his role as the Ensurer of Safety. Common titles for Tayne are the Three-Faced, the Defender, Rose-Bearer, and Protective Father.

Tayne's clergy are warrior priests. Their simple and straightforward doctrine is to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Priests of Tayne conduct themselves with the highest degrees of honor and integrity. They must always exhibit confidence in themselves, and stand ready to reassure and defend their flock in the face of danger.

Tayne's temples are large, fortified stone constructs. They are well advertised, with knights and clergy standing ready to speak to any that approach the temple doors. In small settlements and untamed regions, Tayne's temples are often the first fortifications to be built.


Modifications for the Fishside Campaign:

For thousands of years, the Churches of Tayne and Throntis were preeminent, as described above. But nothing lasts forever. Many generations ago, the Church of Tayne collapsed and faded into obscurity. The followers of Tayne were scattered, and in the aftermath were absorbed by other churches, most notably the Church of Throntis, and to a lesser extent, the Church of Arcannis.

The reasons for the Church of Tayne's collapse have been mostly lost to history. The Church of Throntis blames the fall on a legendary paladin named Lucius, an ancient hero who was favored by Tayne. The Throntians enjoy telling a cautionary tale about how Lucius was a knight of epic power, who became blinded by his ambition and pride, and ultimately turned to evil and betrayed both his church and his god.

The gods themselves know that there is some truth behind this legend. In those ancient times before the fall, the Church of Tayne was well organized, powerful, and militant, much like the Church of Throntis remains today. There was in fact a great paladin of Tayne named Lucius. He was proud and ambitious, but not quite as proud and ambitious as his brethren in the Church. His ability was so great that he might have eventually ascended to godhood himself, had he truly desired to do so. But Lucius contented himself with earthly deeds, like protecting the weak and tending to the sick. Lucius never turned to evil, as the Throntians claim. Rather, he was laid low by the love in his heart.

Lucius fell in love with a beautiful woman named Judith, who was secretly a high priestess of Alchenda, the evil goddess of stealth. Alchenda conspired to destroy the church of Tayne, and directed Judith to bring down Lucius, Tayne's favorite son. Judith plotted and schemed over the course of many years. At her moment of truth, as Lucius lay crippled before her and she revealed her betrayal to him, Judith made a shocking discovery. She looked into Lucius' sad, lonely eyes, and was puzzled to see forgiveness there. As she continued to look into his eyes, she felt love stir within her heart for the very first time. She found that she could not bring herself to finish him. She left him there, physically ruined, but alive. And she fled into the night.

The gods know that Lucius survived. He abandoned the church of Tayne, even as the rest of Alchenda's plots hatched and the church disintegrated. It is said that he spent the rest of his days pursuing Judith, convinced that his one true love could be redeemed.

Since the fall, some of the other gods have watched the interactions between Tayne and Alchenda and wondered at the significance of the relationship between Lucius and Judith. Was the star-crossed romance between the mortals a reflection of a secret relationship between Tayne and Alchenda themselves? Were Lucius and Judith avatars of the two gods made flesh? Or, most disturbingly of all, did the improbable love affair between two mere mortals somehow spark an identical affair between the two gods? Only Tayne and Alchenda know for sure, and they share this secret with no one.

Much like the body of Lucius, the Church of Tayne was ruined, but not entirely destroyed. Most adherents abandoned the worship of Tayne and converted their allegiances to Throntis or to Arcannis. Isolated pockets of true Tayne worshipers still exist today, but the Church itself has no significant logistical structure. There are no large congregations dedicated to Tayne, and the clergy consists of only a handful of clerics. These clerics focus on cultivating small, strong flocks of people dedicated to doing good deeds. They would rather have a small flock with a strong foundation, instead of a large flock whose faith might not be up to the test.

New clerics are usually recruited and trained on an individual basis. They are often selected at a very young age. It is a point of pride for Tayne's priests to recruit those that might otherwise end up living lives of evil. After several years of grooming, recruits are commonly sent to foster at military academies operated by the Church of Throntis, or less frequently, the Church of Arcannis. Because of this practice of fostering, the Throntians consider the Church of Tayne to be merely an order within the Church of Throntis (and a marginal order at that), rather than an independent church. The Taynians do little to dispell this belief. They are a pragmatic sort, and have to admit that under the circumstances, this is a pretty fair assessment.

The Throntians exemplify classical ideas of knights in shining armor. They focus on loyalty, discipline, and combat prowess. Their concept of doing good is sometimes limited to slaying evil monsters. While they go out into the wilderness to perform quests, they are civilized city dwellers who are active in the politics of the Malabolian Empire. Prince Grohl himself is considered to be a Throntian. Theirs is the religion of the establishment, and they can be intolerant of those that disagree with their ideas of justice.