"Although a fierce foe to Bretonnia's enemies, Knights should be wary of their kleptomaniac tendencies…"
- —The zealous Battle Pilgrims.[3]
A band of fanatical Battle Pilgrims.[4]
Battle Pilgrims are zealous Grail Pilgrims who have survived following their Grail Knight for some time.
Role
"This battle is but a test of our faith, and our faith in the Grail is unbreakable."
- —Anonymous Battle Pilgrim.[5]
As a result of their long service, Battle Pilgrims have become competent fighters. In most cases, they have also become even more fervent admirers of their Grail Knight and worshippers of the Lady of the Lake, having seen what the flower of Bretonnian chivalry is truly capable of.[1a]
Battle Pilgrims are the effective leaders of groups of Grail Pilgrims, as the Grail Knight never condescends to give orders to peasant rabble. Some Grail Pilgrims resent taking orders from someone no better than they, so Battle Pilgrims often have to impose order by force. Wiser Grail Pilgrims note that their chances of survival are greatly increased by doing as the Battle Pilgrims say.[1a]
Tasks of Peace
"Milord bequeathed unto me this relic for my honoured service. Failure to serve me, and through me his Holiness, shall reveal what holy powers this gauntlet shall visit upon thy sorry skull."
- —Anonymous Battle Pilgrim.[2]
In the simplest sense, Battle Pilgrims lead pilgrims into battle alongside their Grail Knight, emboldening their brothers-in-arms. However, a Battle Pilgrim must also protect his Grail Knight from the zealous predations of his own followers. Grail Pilgrims claim anything from a discarded clout to bedstraw left after breaking camp. True Battle Pilgrims keep such craven behaviour out of their lordship's sight (and punish those who usurp their rightful first refusal of such holy relics).[2a]
Battle Pilgrims also have a host of mundane roles in their Grail Knight’s service, such as ordering the breaking or making of camp, acting as a knight’s aide as needed, assigning followers to work as grooms for any horses in the retinue and the like. One of the more bizarre roles, however, is the privilege to bear the company’s Reliquae – the corpse of a Grail Knight who fell in battle, carried along in a decorated waincart. This is a fiercely contested honour, as the reliquae is oft considered the ultimate symbol of their devotion and fidelity to the Lady of the Lake.[2a]
Notable Battle Pilgrims
- Estrebert - The leader of a group of pilgrims who follow the Grail Knight, Sir Letour.
- Johann Novastus (Ulrike Stavonnus) - A peasant girl who changed her name and disguised herself as a boy after falling in love with a Grail Knight.
- The Holy Wardens of La Maisontaal - A fearsome group of elite Battle Pilgrims.
- Roatta — The leader of the Carnival of the Blood-Kissed Duke, a group of Grail Pilgrims who followed Sir Leodegar of the Golden Hart.
