Bards and minstrels have spun many tales about love so pure, it overcomes death itself. While it is, indeed, the stuff of many a ballad (too many, perhaps) the Realm of Teleria had seen these wondrous tales come to life.

One particular legend speaks of a maiden so fair she caught a jealous eye of an evil Sorcerer, a servant of Siroth's dark will. The spells he weaved allowed him to entrance the maiden and entrap her in a distant stronghold. Fortunately, her faith allowed the maiden to break free and regain her will before the sorcerer's vile designs could be realized, yet she remained a prisoner under threat of imminent death were she not to accept the Sorcerer's advances.

But all was not lost, for her promised one, a noble Knight of great renown, rose up to the challenge. He fought his way through untold dangers and enemies uncountable before forcing the great gates of the dark keep open. There, the entire might of the Sorceror's magic was unleashed upon him. The Knight cut down hordes of Siroth's servants, ignoring his own wounds and striking the villain down with a single blow of his blessed sword. Though life ebbed away from his body by the moment, he chose to expend the last of his strength on proclaiming his love for the Maiden who was finally free.

I was at that moment the Arbiter herself interfered. Though Lumaya may never guide the affairs of mortals, her faithful herald would not let a heroic deed driven by love as pure as that turn into tragedy. She used her power to save the dying Knight, yet such divine assistance did come with a price. Unable to live on without her beloved, the Maiden did not hesitate to swear her own soul to Lumaya’s cause. In turn, both she and her Knight were granted with life immortal.

There are many recountings of their adventures afterward, some contradicting each other, some - the stuff of fairy tales. Even their true names are lost to history, as is any proof that their origins are anything more than legend. Yet one thing is certain - wherever the mysterious lovers known as Venus and Cupidus appear, no darkness may stand before the fires of their passion. With her magic, and his trusty blade, the pair has saved lives beyond counting. Any warrior that gains the loyalty of both of these divine servants will find their force strengthened with the kind of purity only love that transcends mortal boundaries can bring.

Hatred is a powerful thing, one that is, perhaps, as hard as death to overcome. Yet even here love finds a way, the story of Belanor and Zavia. Cruel fate had them fight on different sides of one of the many conflicts between the High Elves of Aravia and the exiles known as Dark Elves. Still, even though the bloody fog of war, through hate, and through fury, these two souls were united.

As stragglers of a battle between the warring Elven factions, they were initially forced to survive an unwelcoming orc-infested desert together. The sheer adversity and the dangers they faced allowed them to see a person behind the mask of an enemy. The passion that was sparked then survived far beyond a temporary alliance of convenience. And, in the end, both Belanor and Zavia chose to escape together rather than continue the feud. Now seen as traitors and deserters by their former allies, the two of them had no choice but to live on the run.

They faced persecution, poverty, and mortal danger together. Finally, they were captured and sentenced to death for their crimes. Yet when the first light of dawn broke and the jailors arrived to take the fugitives to the scaffold, they were taken aback. The cell was locked and secured, not a single hint at how the captives escaped. The only thing they found were two feathers on the stone floor, one black as night, the other - white as Lumaya’s light. To this day no one knows what transpired on that night, though some, as they often do, attribute the miraculous escape to the Arbiter.

But, of course, it is not just love that is marked by divine intervention or tragedy that is worthy of the minstrel’s attention. Those are merely good for the dramatic flair that those knights of the lute do so enjoy. More often than not, love overcomes obstacles that are less grand on a cosmic scale, yet no less difficult for the mortals who find themselves entwined.

The Sacred Order as a whole, while not necessarily enforcing a Vow of Chastity, does forbid its members from having families and heirs - a precaution to make certain positions of power within the Order pass on by right of virtue, not that of blood. Undue attachment is heavily frowned upon as well, outright forbidden in some of the stricter Divisions of the Order.

It is no surprise then, that the Knights Romero and Juliana had never thought of themselves falling in love. Romero, ever coolheaded and pious found himself at odds with the young and brash Juliana, whose skill with the blade and fiery zeal led her to many mortal perils that she, to the young Knight’s credit, honourably overcame. But a life full of battles does tend to make emotions run wild. In time, the two warmed up to one another’s “quirks”, learned to appreciate them even. Their eventual union, though it may never be formalized by marriage, remains true and tested. Neither did that union affect their relationship as comrades-in-arms, if anything it allowed the two Knights to fight as one. Where Romero’s natural cautiousness may lead to him losing momentum, Juliana’s brazen but no less skillful tactics ensure that their forces control the initiative. And where Juliana may begin losing herself in the heat of battle, Romero is always there to serve as an anchor of reason. To this day, they remain among the Order’s prominent warriors and are ready to bring Lumaya’s light wherever it is needed most.

Sometimes love blossoms early, and remains in the hearts of those touched by its warmth for the rest of their lives. Such is the tale of Fenax and Tallia. He was the son of a destitute noble, serving in the household of Tallia’s father. She - a cherished heiress. Though they have sworn to marry one another as children, no one had taken that vow seriously. And by the time Tallia’s father realized that this was more than childish games, that their love was not fading, it was far too late. The girl was far too headstrong and wild to be cowed into obedience, and the aging Lord had come up with a cunning and dark plot.

Fenax, then a squire, was sent with an “important message” to a neighboring bannerman. Alone with no escort, of course, as messengers had to travel light and swift. By the Lord’s design, a group of orc raiders was meant to ambush and slay Fenax - a tragedy to be sure, but one that his daughter would forget in time. Unfortunately for the Lord, he failed to take Fenax’s wit into account. Though indeed ambushed and brought low, he managed to convince his captors that he was, in fact, the heir of an important baron who would pay the savages handsomely. The greedy brigands were quick to drag him off to the camp instead, hoping to fool the Lord and gain both rewards.

And when the searching party that went after Fenax upon him “suddenly” going missing on the road, Tallia’s father became concerned. He ignored his daughter’s pleas to send a group of men-at-arms to rescue her beloved from the orcs, who left plenty of traces to be identified. The Lord refused in anger, yet once more he had miscalculated. Furious, Tallia escaped the castle to mount a rescue on her own.

A dangerous venture, to be sure. But fate was not always cruel. A Sacred Order patrol came across the young Lady, their Sergeant a man of honour and piety that did not shrink away from his duty to protect the innocent. With their help, Tallia managed to find and free Fenax from the raiders after a vicious battle in which she too was baptised by fire.

Though after a loving embrace was shared and words of comfort were spoken, the Tallia could not help but wonder what was so important that her beloved had to risk his life to deliver. She unsealed the letter only to devoid of a single drop of ink. But it was not needed, the empty parchment spoke of her father’s betrayal louder than any words could. Hurt and furious, the two young lovers did not, however, let themselves be broken. Unwilling to return to the man that would see them separated so cruelly, they both swore an oath to join the Order and dedicate their lives to Lumaya, an oath that they have carried out with honour against servants of darkness beyond counting - together.

Even those that live the lives full of hardship and primal strife among the Barbarian tribes are not immune to love. Atur, one of the mightiest warriors of his tribe, has always been a vain and arrogant man. He had every right to be proud, of course, for none could face him in a battle of equals and walk away victorious. None, until he met Kallia, whose prowess and ability to fly into relentless fury are as immense as her beauty.

Neither of them truly remembers what sparked the conflict between them, both will, of course, blame their other half. Regardless of the truth of the matter, an argument went out of control, and a battle of words, in which even Atur himself admits he took a thorough thrashing, turned to fisticuffs. Here, their passion for a fight was evenly matched and soon turned to passion for each other.

Though Barbarians are not exactly sophisticated, if not outright crude, by the standards of Kaerok or Aravia, Atur’s and Kallia’s relationship still blossomed into something sweet and loving… in its own way. It is certainly as strong as the mountains that surround their home, and as wild as the sandstorms that sweep the Deadlands.

It is said that love often grows from compassion and mutual care, and, indeed, such is the case with Harrier and the Hospitaller. When he was wounded in battle, it was the young sister of the Hospitaller Order that saw to his wounds. Through the long recovery, they spoke to one another daily, pushing past the initial hurdles and becoming friends. Yet so was the ranger stricken by his saviour’s kindness and beauty, that he dared to seek her out even after recovering.

It was night when he arrived, sneaking through the window of the hospital in search of his flame. In hindsight, that was not a wise idea for his flame mistook the poor Harrier for a thief and knocked him out with a chair that happened to be nearby. Needless to say, the Hospitaller was less than pleased and he was subjected to quite a lecture - all while his new bruises were tended to.

Even so, despite unforeseen and rather blunt issues, the Harrier did manage to strike a chord in her heart. In time, the two started seeing one another in secret and their love blossomed, as it does still to this day. For there are no things more precious to Lumaya than two hearts united as one.

Where Lumaya brings us the purity of love, Siroth places his bets on the pure carnal desire. He tempts with excess and indulgence, pulling more and more willing servants into his net wherever he can. Such was the fate of a young noble of Kaerok, vain and greedy, he wished for nothing more than to better his position in power and lot in life. By the magic of Siroth’s necromancers, and by his own dark deeds he was granted a vampire’s “kiss”, turning into one of the undead beasts himself. But his pact with the Shadow stood firm, for the noble was allowed to retain his humanly looks that he so adored - for a time, at least.

One can only imagine this wicked Seducer’s shock and surprise when he was faced with another servant of Siroth, known as the Temptress. A child of a vampire and a mortal woman, she was as vain and self-assured as he was himself. And throughout all his attempts to gain the upper hand, the Seducer only succeeded in catching himself in his own trap. For even the darkest heart can sometimes be illuminated by Lumaya’s light, and he found himself hopelessly in love and at the whims of the woman he sought to outdo.

Still, it may not be such a horrible fate in the end, for despite their mutual viciousness and less than savoury practices, the two of them do go together as well as a werewolf and a full moon. That connection is hard to deny, and it overcomes even the deeply ingrained selfishness that both of them were so known for.