Order of the Knights of Dalmasca

The Order of the Knights of Dalmasca was an elite section of the Royal Army of Dalmasca in Final Fantasy XII. It was under Basch fon Ronsenburg's captaincy until his supposed treason, and Vossler Azelas until he retreated to aid the Resistance. The Order played an integral part in Dalmasca's political strategies and status before the events of the game. More information is shed on the Order in the Final Fantasy XII manga.
==Notable members==
*Basch fon Ronsenburg - Captain of the Order until his supposed treason in the year 704.
*Vossler York Azelas - Captain alongside Basch and in his absence before he joins the Resistance.
====Temporary members/allies====
*Sir Forz - General of Nabradia, placed as a spy within the Neo-Rozarria Faction.
*Reks - One of the remnants of the knights following the Battle of Nalbina Fortress.
*Rasler Heios Nabradia - Fought alongside the Order in the counter-attack on Nalbina Fortress.
==Story==
===Neo-Rozarrian threat===
In the wake of the Neo-Rozarria Faction rising and becoming more active, the Order sought out the help of Nabradia, and placed Sir Forz as a spy within the faction to monitor its movements. Through Forz, they learned an assassination attempt on King Raminas was underway, and would lure the faction's members out of hiding.
The faction planned to sneak into Raminas's bed chambers with help of their own spy, Marchioness Argas, and stab Raminas while he slept. Unknown to the faction, the Order took Raminas and hid him in a secure room on the night of the planned attack. Instead, their captain, Basch, laid waiting under Raminas's bed sheets.
Despite an unexpected interference from Princess Ashe, the night went to the Order's plan; Argas stabbed Raminas, only to have Basch leap out of the bed and cut her arm off. The Order of the Knights of Dalmasca stormed the room, led by Vossler, and captured the remaining faction members. The Neo-Rozarrian movement was defeated, but the Archadian threat was still growing on the horizon.
===Battles at Nabradia and Nalbina Fortress===
With King Raminas's assassination attempt foiled, the pro-Rozarrian faction in Nabradia abandoned subtlety, and rose up in open rebellion in the year 704. The Archadian Empire, under the pretense of restoring order in the country, responded by invading Nabradia. After dispatching Rozarrian troops, they headed for the capital, Nabudis, where—after a great battle—the city and the surrounding area were destroyed in a massive explosion of Mist by Archadian Judge Zecht under Doctor Cid's order.
Knowing that Dalmasca would be next, Basch led the Order of the Knights to fight the Empire at the siege of Nalbina Fortress, joined by Lord Rasler, the prince of Nabradia. The battle began well, with the defenders using a combination of unmanned kamikaze airships filled with oil, the use of flaming arrows, and a chocobo cavalry charge to wipe out the Archadian vanguard. However, the main body of the Archadian army soon arrived, bolstered by the presence of two Judge Magisters. While the Order fought the army, a small task force under Judge Zargabaath teleported into Nalbina Fortress, intent on disabling the paling.
Although Rasler was reluctant to disengage, he listened to Basch's counsel and hurried back to Nalbina, but the damage had been done. The Archadian army entered the fortress before the defenses were fully prepared, and, with their attention divided, the Order could not prevent the task force from disabling the paling. With the odds stacked against them, Basch suggested a retreat, but Rasler believed they could hold out longer. This proved a fatal mistake; Rasler was killed by an arrow, severing the Royal House of Nabradia. Basch took his fallen lord and retreated to Rabanastre with the remnants of the Order.
Some time later, Archadia and Dalmasca met at Nalbina to discuss a peace treaty. The heir to the Empire, Vayne Solidor, wished to press further and conquer Dalmasca, and hatched a plan to assassinate Raminas. Vayne leaked rumors of assassins to the Order, and Basch led a force to Nalbina Fortress along with Vossler. Encountering too many enemy groups, Basch rushed to Raminas, while his forces—including Vossler and a young soldier named Reks—stayed behind to fight the Archadians.
In King Raminas's chambers, Basch was attacked from behind by his twin brother, Gabranth. With Basch incapacitated, Gabranth killed the king while impersonating Basch who was blamed for Raminas's death. The peace negotiations fell apart and Archadian forces took control of Dalmasca. Basch was found guilty of incitement of sedition, the assassination of King Raminas, and high treason. Archadia announced they had executed him.
After Basch's treason, Vossler retreated into the underground to help Princess Ashe with the Resistance. It is unknown what happened to the Order's captaincy after these events.
Category:Organizations in Final Fantasy XII