Vodalere, a cleric of St. Cuthbert turned monk, was walking down a
dusty road one day. Earlier in the day, he had come across a peasant
family wearing naught but rags, and had exchanged his monk's outfit
for a set of their rags, to give them a decent set of clothes.
Vodalere continued on his merry way, until the late afternoon.
Covered in road dust, he came to a bridge. He had barely crossed half
the bridge when the local Knight-Baron (an old rank between Knight and
Baron-General) and his retinue begin crossing the far side. The
Knight-Baron made his way up the bridge, only stopping moments before
running down the peasant in his path.
"Out of my way, you wretch!"
"Bah. You lordly types can wait
your turn, I say"
The Knight-Baron drew his sword, only pausing when he realized the
detrimental results of cutting down an unarmed peasant. Vodalere chose
his moment well. "It's me ye want to be berating, is it? You're high
and mighty up there on that horse, with yer fancy sword and your shiny
armor. Come down here and fight me like a man, and if you trounce me,
I'll be stepping aside."
The Knight-Baron could not let that challenge stand. He dismounted,
doffed his gear, and approached the peasant fists raised.
The fight that followed was not well documented. What is known is that
Vodalere reached his monastery a day ahead of schedule, riding a fine
white horse. And the Knight-Baron and his hunting party of four arrived
home a tad late, footsore and well bruised (Their horses found their way
home later).
The monks of the Vodalaran abbey enjoy this story, and have occasionally
attempted to duplicate it (never with quite the same effect, leading
many to believe it has grown in the telling). In the Eastern March, the
Vodalarans tend to serve as combat couriers, excelling in personal
defense and long distance travelling. A new cross-training program has
seen the transfer of several Vodalarian initiates to the Southern and
Eastern Marches, where they can learn new styles to bring back to the
Western March.
The abbot (Vidicon) of the Vodaleran abbey is an 8th level monk, and his
armsmaster, Sigur, is a 4th fighter/5th monk. There are about 80
initiates of the order, although only about 30 reside at the abbey full
time. The abbey also houses a small chapel to St. Cuthbert, the patron
deity of the order, headed by a 3rd level cleric of the Sisters of Succor. There are usually
between 5 and 15 apprentices to the order.