I'm running a one-shot game of Paladin on Saturday and I could use a bit of an idea ping-pong on the creative process for the setting and Paladin order, especially on the order laws. In order to describe what I have got so far, I will try and follow the structure of the game book. The PCs are part of the Sons of Mary, a resistant militant Order.

The game is set in a future/alternate/darker France. Inspirations for this would be the neo-cromwellians of Luther Arkwright and the fascist state of V for Vendetta, but in order to have a more familiar back history, I decided upon France. There is very little high-tech in this setting, apart from the Filament Rapiers mentioned below.

I'm looking for any kind of feedback, help on the laws, etc.


Backdrop

Holy France, as it is now called, is a gnostic "christian" Theocracy that has seceded from Rome. It is ruled with an iron fist by Theocrat Petrus IV, whose professed mission is to shape Holy France into a mirror of the Kingdom of Heavens. The Theocrat calls this religion Francism, although the populace doesn’t use the term much. Furthermore, in order to further dissociate Francism and Papism, the use of the word “christian” has been superceded by the preferred alternate “christic”.

Virtues promoted by the Theocracy are piety, obedience, hard work, and moral rectitude. In fact, Holy France's motto is "Moralité, travail et dévotion" (Morality, work and devotion). Sadly, in the eyes of Theocrat Petrus, not everyone follows this motto to the letter and troubled men and women need to be taken care of.

The government’s propaganda focuses on compassionate denunciation, the idea that men and women who don’t live by these virtues are stray sheep that need to be enlightened to the laws of god and that denouncing them to the Police is the christic thing to do. Officially, there are no executions, and criminals in deed or thought are instead ushered to Houses of Reflection where, the populace believes, they are gently shown the errors of their ways and brought back into the fold.

There are worse criminals, called indifferently Enemies of the State or Enemies of God, roughly categorised as so:


• Infidels: Infidels include any person following a religion other than state approved Francism. There are mostly three sub-categories of Infidels, namely Mahometans (also derogatorily called Moors (moricauds), Juves and Pagans (a encompassing denomination which includes any form of religion or cult other than the aforementioned)
• Renegades: Renegades are those who question the Dogma of Francism. These include Heretics, who are still believers but bastardise or alter the Dogma and Apostates, a large category that includes all forms of doubt: agnosticism, atheism, etc.
• Papists: Papists are a particularly dangerous brand of enemies of the state: not only do they follow an alternate religion, but they work for enemy states subservient to the Vatican to topple Holy France and reinstate papist Catholicism.


Besides the usual police and military organisation necessary to enforce such a brutal state, the Theocracy relies on a “special force” called the Order of St George (for they smite the dragon of curruption that would engulf the Holy France.) It is commonly believed that the members of the order can perform miracles. Friars of the Order supersede any authority in the Land but their own and that of the Theocrat. They are feared by the populace.


Organization, Faith and Charter

The Children of Mary are an offshoot of the Order of St George, those who have realised that the Theocracy has become a force for Evil and have decided to fight against it. As such, they are perceived as traitors and renegades, hunted down and burned at the stake when caught. The Children of Mary believe that the Theocrat’s version of Francism has perverted the Messiah’s message of tolerance and compassion. They are both a political force, opposing the Theocracy from inside and organising the resistance, and a compassionate order, helping the poor and those in need of physical or spiritual support. They are not allied or controlled by Papists though, and although they may be allies of circumstance, they do not believe that reverting to Papism is a much better alternative than current Francism.

The Children of Mary believe that Light Animus is the flow of the benevolence of the messiah’s mother Mary. Dark Animus is a perversion of that benevolence flamed by anger, hatred, exclusion, etc.

The Children of Mary are organised in cells of brothers and sisters coordinated by a Pastor whose name they do not usually know. They have secret codes and meeting places. They mostly act alone or with other cell members and only rarely do their Pastors give them missions. A meeting with a Pastor is usually the sign of an important event, mission or blow against the Children of Mary.


Code

Minor Laws
Tolerance and compassion must motivate your every action.
You will not tolerate another’s suffering if you can alleviate it.
You will not put your own safety before that of others

Major Laws
You will not deliberately cause suffering.
?

Unbreakable Law
Never strike in anger or with hatred in your heart


Arms

The Children of Mary have taken with them their weapons when they fled the Order of St George. The weapon is a filament rapier, an ornate sword handle that extends a thin laser blade upon command. Filament Rapiers are 2 dice weapons. The colour of the blade can be chosen by each bearer, but Children of Mary tend to favour white or at least bright, hopeful hues.


Powers

The Children of Mary have the ability to replicate miracles performed by Christ and the Saints. This gives them a wide array of powers, but very few of them blatant.

I've altered the code as follows :

Minor Laws
You will not tolerate another’s suffering
You will not put your own safety before that of others
Never shed blood on Holy Ground

Major Laws
You will not deliberately cause suffering.
Never strike in anger or with hatred in your heart

Unbreakable Law
You shall not kill another willingly