A brief history of the Albermarles and the Galinian Order.

Late in the Great Hann wars, Aston, the third son of Count Richard of Albermarle decided that that continuing to defend the family lands was not tenable. The surrounding states were taken already and Albermarle was rapidly going the same way. Taking a small company of his family's finest warriors, much of the family fortune and as many of the family's non-combatants as he could muster, he headed for the safety of the coast.. The rest of his family stayed to fight the hordes hoping that he would be able to return later - but secure in the knowledge the family would survive into the future.

Aston and his company eventually arrived in Galinia, during the last throes of the war there. On the way many of his less hardy family members died - some at sea, from disease and some in bandit raids. But with his two sisters and many of his troops he came through. Leaving his sisters in the care of the Albert Angasa he headed directly off to the war, arriving at the battle of Humingtom Peak, just in time to save the day. Over the next few months Aston, and his men fought bravely to defend the borders of Galinia and were eventually rewarded when the hordes withdrew from Galinia. Aston was granted a small island as a fief, partly as a reward for his help in the war but also partly to win his favour, as one of his sisters was shortly to wed a close friend of the Lord of Angasa. With the land came the hereditary title of Lord Albermarle.

Taking the land Aston, grieved for the rest of his family now lost in the far lands he had come from and made a vow. He dedicated his family and his life to protecting the new land that had welcomed him, and started to build a military base on his little island. His small fortress maintained extra patrols to assist those of the Prince of Galinia, and provided training for specialist members of the Prince's forces. The group, originally called Aston's Company, grew into the Albermarle Volunteers and finally into the Galinian Order - with its members dedicated to protecting the state of Galinia. Not a true religious order, it still had pious leaning and while its officers held no priestly ranks or powers, they could often be found reading from their prayer books as lay preachers, in the more remote areas when itinerant priests were rare.

Over the years the members of the Albermarle family were inducted into the order, and continued to lead the order to protect the borders of Galinia. They were some of the most experience warriors of the region, continuing on active service years after most of the regulars had been rotated back for garrison duty.

Finally, in 523h, the hordes appeared again - this time sweeping through Galinia as if there was no protection at all. The members of the order fought well, but there were too few of them. Finally the order was given that the base should be evacuated, under the control of Rula Albermarle, one of Squuires of the order. She left the island fleeing to Bufa using a ship owned by the order. The rest of the order went down fighting to the last man.

Rula lodged the history scrolls of the order with the church, and formally closed the order. She married one of her co-officers, becoming Rula Spenine-Albermarle, and ran a successful business based on the ship and wealth she had managed to retain. When Bufa was over run in 588h, the family managed to make its escape again, this time to Jekleal. They still own a couple of small ships and trade locally.

This is believed to be the compliment of the order at its death ..