The Paladin Corps was established originally as a way of enforcing the will of the Mahsai. Men and women of faith trained as elite soldiers, so that they could carry out case judgements, as well as bring unwilling accused before the court. As they had to travel across the Dominion, to places which varied greatly in matters of law, they were granted near-immunity to these laws when in the course to carry out their duties, especially in the case of ‘known criminals’. Similarly, they had access to estates built and maintained for their purposes, to be used as staging grounds for their activities.
As they grew in number and influence, some of the members of the Corps began to act as local warlords, wielding their power as they believed it ought to be wielded in pursuit of their interpretation of the law and justice, sometimes callously or even wickedly. Though they were agents of the Mahsai, they were accountable only to the yazi, who were responsible for approving candidates brought forth to them. However, the yazi were more often than not, too slow and too divided to effectively deal with them.
When trust in the justice system had dropped to its lowest, the then-King Magurah, great granddaughter of the late Priest-King Sibbid, delivered a rare edict to those Paladins still remaining loyal and diligent in their duties: Arrest these rogue Paladins if you can, slay them if you cannot.
In return for this duty, the loyal paladins were granted holdings within various Ukorates, which embedded them within May’Kar’s systems of power, by giving them something that could be taken away from them and making them accountable to local nobility.
Afterwards, Paladins eventually regained their status as a prestigious profession, but were given administrative and religious responsibilities to discourage unrighteous or unworthy people from taking up the mantle. They’re also under ongoing scrutiny from the yazi who have subsequently been quicker to censure and discipline them, but are protected by high ranking members of the Mahsai from overreach. They are barred from membership in either the yazi or the Mahsai as well.
While they were originally recruited from the Mahsai, Paladins now participate in an ongoing tradition of apprenticeship, taking on squires and tutoring them in the martial and divine arts. These squires also assist the Paladin in carrying out their duties, which has become much more complicated and arduous as the Dominion has expanded its reach to the further fringes of the desert. Their holdings are passed down to a favored apprentice when they retire, who then inherits their title and office.
A spiritual duty of the Paladins is the cultivation and stewardship of their undead-slaying divine blades, which they use to clear the desert when reports of a lone zombie or two reach their holdings. The art of making these blades is a closely guarded secret, taught only to an apprentice on the eve of their inheritance. It’s said that it can take many years to complete the process. The death of a Paladin severs their connection with their blade and renders it impotent, but this connection can be ritualistically passed to the apprentice so that they may continue to prepare and wield it.
Paladins have been known to often travel, beyond the needs imposed by their official duties. Some believe them to be tending to various communities across the Dominion, in the form of esoteric and spiritual rituals that might not even be understood by their beneficiaries. Others believe that they venture to find undead in the more remote parts of the desert, in fear that they’ll grow in foul power if left to their own devices. Others still, say that they quest for magic power hidden in catacombs buried beneath the sands, perhaps to forge into their divine blades.