Malin Dirigeant

Although L'Order is not a particular spiritual organisation, a small reliquery is held in the main barracks which contains the battle standard of Malin Dirigeant (known more commonly as Malin, pronounced Mal-aan). Malin was the leader of a small Lyonessean community some four hundred years or so ago. In those times the countryside was plagued by roving bands of outlaws and orc raiding parties which frequently swept down from their mountain strongholds. Each township was walled and relatively safe, but this meant that no crops or livestock could be raised anywhere out of sight of the town itself and the communities struggled to survive.

Malin travelled the length and breadth of the region, talking to other leaders and persuading them to pledge troops to an army which would protect the land and allow the townships to grow and prosper. Many stories are told of the various arguments and tricks Malin employed to achieve their help - in one famous incident a village elder complained that all the men of the village were needed to farm their land. Malin agreed that this was a problem and asked that on the morrow he could recruit anyone who could not produce a hoe or farm implement of some kind. The elder agreed and spent the night ensuring that every man had such a device. In the morning Malin simply pointed to the women who had gathered alongside their men and announced that he would take them since they had nothing to show. After some hasty re-negotiating the elder conceeded that with the womens' help the crops could still be gathered by perhaps half of the village's men and so Malin could take his recruits. It is also noted that almost half of the women joined him anyway!

Over a ten year period the Army of Malin Dirigeant swept through Northern Lyonesse to make the land safe for it's people. Once the bandit lords and orc chieftains were vanquished many of Malin's generals urged him to take it south and claim the throne of Lyonesse. Such was the popularity of his campaign he was already known as 'The People's King' and the then-King of Lyonesse was supposed to have pleaded with his Estragalean cousin for troops with which to see off this threat.

But Malin was content with what he had achieved and had no desire for the throne. In a great speech to his assembled army he spoke of the need for national unity and support for the rightful rulers of the country. His forces were largely disbanded, leaving a core of five regiments which were stationed throughout Northern Lyonesse to prevent any return to anarchy. These regiments were know as L'Order du Nord, L'Order du L'Ouest, L'Order du Sud, L'Order Du L'Est and L'Order Centrale As the years went by these changed and gradually became simply another part of the Lyonessian armies, but L'Order Nouveau was founded in the spirit of these original regiments and with an ambition to maintain the vision of Malin Dirigeant - a safe and secure homeland for all citizens of Lyonesse.