(special thanks to Lord Greyholt and his humble Scribe)

Welcome to the keep of the Knightly Order made by those Knights who can not suffer the obsecne actions of the Grail Pilgrims going around and digging up the body of the Grail knights.  

It is an order of knights and scholars dedicated to the protection of dead Grail Knights (may their bones rest forever at peace) and the dignified disposition of their earthly remains.

The Order dedicated to either stamping out these scruffian 'Battle Pilgrims' or training and compeling them to comport themselves in a manner worthy of those knights they claim to revere. To that end the Order's Knights make it their habit to confiscate (and bury) all actual remains these unworthies might posess and to provide them with dignified and tasteful cenotaphs to carry with them in lieu of the abominable constructs they might make if left to their own devices.

The Order has as first purpose to avoid the Lord of Bretonnia in encouraging the actions of those fouls. Then the Order suggests a variety of alternate Grail Reliquae to use instead of  the eretic one avaible now.

Tertius the Scribe:

"One purpose of this order clearly needs to be to invent alternative background and explanation for battle pilgrims.

Lord Greyholt's army will use the simplest possible explanation. Which is that his initial reaction to the appearance in Bretonnia of these 'Grail Pilgrims' was an infuriated:

"THEY DO WHAT!?!?!!

And, then he proceeded to get louder and angrier from there. He calmed down eventually (the next day) and issued certain standing orders.

1. Grail Pilgrims will be apprehended upon entering his domains.

2. They will be taken to the presence of a living Grail Knight.

3. They will be admonished as to the errors of their ways, they will receive instruction regarding how they must atone for their sins and misdeeds, they will receive assistance in doing so.

3a. The Grail Knight will observe this process and say things like, "So let it be." as often as required to ensure their cooperation.

4. Those that accept will have their clothes removed and burned, they will be washed, they will be issued clean raiment, their armour and weapons will be salvaged/cleaned/patched, they will then carry their reliquary to the nearest Grail Chapel where they will leave it, they will spend a week of nights praying, they will then enter the Grail Chapel where they will receive a newly (and solemnly) constructed icon which will be designed to honour (with dignity) the memory of whatever particular Grail Knight they might have had the remains of.

4a. Any actual remains will have been properly interred during the intervening week.

5. They will then be sent forth carrying their new icon to battle the enemies of Bretonnia, to revere Grail Knights from afar, to defend the corpse of any fallen Grail Knight to the last, to keep it from being defiled or touched until a Grail Damsel, or a Grail Knight, takes charge and sees to its disposition.

5a. If they have been particularly worthy they might be allowed to escort it back to the nearest Grail Chapel.

6. Some of these pilgrims will refuse to accept. They will not be suffered to live.

Bretonnian Lords answer only to The Lady, and the King, but are otherwise autonomous in their own right. Where these Grail Pilgrims are concerned Lord Greyholt is going to act like it."

"A reliquary is supposed to be a box which contains bones (e.g. relics). 

Three guys propping up a skelton is ghastly, it just is. (and it is not a reliquary...)

I think we all object to the scrawny, ill-fed, badly used, gap-toothed, guant, decrepit, diseased looking peasantry of which these pilgrims are the nadir. (If that is what one's peasantry looks like one is doing a very bad job managing one's fief.) The pilgrims are where we draw the line.

They have their shields backwards. (...and there is not one word in the army book explaining why.)"

Sir Artegall: "The fluff and storyline behind the battle pilgrims is just silly, and I refuse to use the unit as them. The background behind this unit is so terribly thought out. It is inconsistent, defies belief, and is just plain silly.It is also a shame, because such a unit would be a valuable tactical addition to a Bretonnian army, with its stubborn capabilities and hatred. However, I refuse to use one until I can find a way to fit them into my army. Which will certainlynot be as fanatics carrying a dead Knight. "

Baron Godefroy de Parravon: "Do they have to be carrying a dead knight? Why can't you just alter them slighly, and still keep the role of fanatics. They could be carrying a large and sacred icon of the Lady or even just a large banner. An option would be to make these guys into a group of warrior monks of some sort. This is not radically different from the Reliquae idea, but at least these guys wouldn't be fanatics but monks instead."

Robert de Giselles: "My 'battle pilgrims', if and when I get hold of some, will almost certainly be the monks of Ã?lfinfort Priory carrying some form of holy relic in a reverent and dignified manner - not the disinterred skeleton of a Grail Knight!"

Sir Boudwin De Brienne: "There will be no dragging around with the remains of grail knights in my barony. I allow pelgrims to worship the remains, but they have to be kept in the grail chapel. In my oppinion no living knight with the Grail vow would allow such a dark habbit as disturbing a grave. The pilgims are allowed to make a statue of a grail knight or the lady, carrying the gail, and carry this around in a holy proccession, chanting and expressing their devotion."

Lady Tiranth: "I agree...the whole idea behind the Grail Pilgrims is horrid. I do not tolerate their presence in my lands."

The tradition

The Grail Reliquae has been present in the Bretonnian army since the 3rd edition.  It was represented as a small portable altar carried onto the battlefield and guarded by one unit of religious fanatics. The War Altar contained or incorporated holy relics. These relics take the form of bits of revered Saint's body, ritual objects, idols, holy texts and so on. The presence of the war altar on the battlefield conferred psychological advantages to the army and raised the confidence of the troops.