Order of the Sword

The Order of the Sword is a militant religion which started out as a small congregation of fanatical devil hunters that came from the shores of their isolated home island of Fortuna, and it is ever present in Devil May Cry 4. They believe that centuries ago the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda once served as the feudal lord of the island city of Fortuna. Now they forvever worship him as a god and wishes to eradicate all demons in his name. All the native townspeople of Fortuna including children are members of that faith which dictates every aspect of their daily lives. The townspeople wear cowls with the insignia of the sword of Sparda on them, and live pious yet modern day lives, peacefully worshiping Sparda among their different and daily activities while the Order of the Sword act as the guardians of the island and protecters of its people. Every year the Order of the Sword celebrates the Festival of the Blade, the day that all of the faithful remember Sparda's "great sacrifice".

Members
The Order of the Sword is headed by Sanctus, the holy priest of the Order and Vicar of Sparda who is killed by the Son of Sparda, Dante at the beginning of the game. He was later resurrected though the power of Ascension Ceremony. The Holy Knights of the Order were previously lead by him, but now the current Supreme Commander of The Order is Credo. Knights all wear uniform clothes and swords while still bearing their crest that resembles the sword of Sparda, designed by Agnus, The Order's Chief Alchemist. Other notable members include Nero and Gloria, as well as Kyrie, who was the songstress for the Festival of the Blade this year, though it isn't clear if she is actually member of the Order or not.

Beliefs & Activities
The Order of the Sword originally began as a small congregation back in the island of Fortuna centuries ago. They believe that the great demon hero Sparda served as the feudal lord of the Castle Town of Fortuna after his war with the forces of hell long ago. Up to this day they stil take these legends as truth and even worship him as a god. They incorporated the the Dark Knight's beloved into their faith as a sacred symbol as well as their emblem. Those same people formed the Order of the Sword: a religious organiztion of devil slayers who praised Sparda and seek to purge the world of evil in his name. Under the care of the Order, each native citizen of Fortuna including man, woman and child are members of the Order of the Sword which dictates all aspects of their lives. The townspeople wear cowls with the same insignia of the sword of Sparda on them, and live a pious yet modern day community, peacefully worshiping Sparda among their different and daily activities while the Order of the Sword themelves act as the guardians of the island and protecters of its people.

The Order of the Sword has been collecting Devil Arms for some time before game, in order to create minor Hellgates across the island. In turn, the Hell Gates were needed to summon demons and thus provide the Order with the material to build their weaponized demons (the Angeloes and other lesser demons ). The also Order of the Sword created and power the Ascension Ceremony, a mystical ritual that can transform all memebrs of the Order into angelic-looking demons with phenomenal powers.