| abstract | - The knights bear these followers with a dutiful resignation that borders on the stoic, though they endeavor not to encourage their self-appointed apostles. This is a vain hope, for even the merest word or gesture is seized upon as an act of great import and eagerly immortalized in tales and discordant song. If a Grail Knight is unfortunate enough to fall in battle his devoted followers will swarm over his corpse, picking it clean of anything that could bear the Blessing of the Lady.[1a] It has been known for these desperate peasants to mistake gravely wounded knights for dead - indeed it does not stretch credibility to believe that more than a few Grail Knights could well have met their demise as a result of being crushed by scavenging pilgrims. To such a zealot the most prized of all the possessions of a Grail Knight is his body itself. In fact, many bands of pilgrims cart around a reliquae wherever they go, with the corpse of a departed knight resting at its centre. The outside of the reliquae is a gaudy mélange, adorned with trinkets gathered from many Grail Knights from across all corners of Bretonnia. The pilgrims devote themselves to this construction, supplicating themselves before it as if it were a living Grail Knight, praying for its blessings.[1a] To the pilgrims, the reliquae is the ultimate icon of their devotion to both the Lady of the Lake and her knights - mobile shrines from which the chosen amongst them can preach their creed. There is never a shortage of listeners for these demagogues, for at each town or village the common people will flock to the reliquae so that they might hear graphic detail the latest tales and deeds of the heroic knight who unintentionally leads the procession. These gatherings can often turn ugly, the fanatical zeal of the pilgrims exploding into violence that the local militias can have difficulty containing. Such outbreaks are always short-lived, subsiding instantly at the command of a Grail Knight, the pilgrims collapsing into rapture at the thought of actually having been noticed by their idol.[1a] Often, peasants in the crowd will choose to join the ragtag band of pilgrims, drawn by promises of salvation and the blessing of the Lady. Others are drafted into the ranks through threats and near blackmail, generously being offered an opportunity to earn the redemption of the Lady for crimes and misdeeds that are sometimes real but, more usually, invented by the fanatical preachers who are ever eager to expand their flock through any means. Battle Pilgrims are the fanatical worshippers of the knights from which they derive their namesake. They are furious warriors, utterly dedicated to their patrons. A ramshackle band of zealots, Grail Pilgrims make up for what they lack in skill with fury and righteous fire.[1a]
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