Knights of the Final Crusade

== Founding ==
The Knights of the Final Crusade has origins dating back to the early settling of the wasteland. While the true location of origin of this group is unknown, speculated to be anywhere between 5 miles to 300 miles from the Border. Records retrieved from one of their bases during “Operation: ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇” states their origin to be sometime in the Medieval Era, though this lacks evidence to back it up and is heavily disputed. More accurate predictions have it’s original founding sometime after 2030, when large corporate militias such as the early AEGIS began to become more common. Other predictions put it sometime between the Nuclear War and settling of the fallout.
According to their records, they were founded following one of the last crusades of the medieval era, though the exact crusade and date is never specified. They claim to be founded by a great knight prophet who took down 300 enemy soldiers alone. They claim to have existed in secrecy, controlling certain historical events, before taking direct action in the 21st century. Most of these records are widely believed to be entirely false, as they have no historical backing and often contradict themselves and historical events. A second raid in its latter years showed an entirely different story, which while remaining similar in its general structure, had entirely different people, events, and claims than the other one. Most people agree that their claimed “backstory” is false and/or greatly exaggerated to fuel their cult-like mentality within the higher ranks of the group.
What is known about its founding and leadership is that it was originally created as, and still very much is in its higher ranks, a cult. While the cult itself is not widely followed in the group, it is usually mandatory for those who join its higher ranks. Members of the cult believe they are saviors blessed and sent by god to rid the world of what they deem as “corrupted” and “evil,” often through destructive means, and while some of their targets generally fit these quotas by the average person’s standards, they are also known to attack random and innocent settlements/organizations for poor or no reason at all. Most reasons are for containing a person who has spoken out against the group, or for a plethora of reasons which will often have little-no backing whatsoever and seem to be excuses to take over the area for strategic reasons such as location or resources. While their declaration of AEGIS as a “hostile, corrupt, and evil regime” is a belief shared by many in the wasteland, many speculate they attack AEGIS solely to prevent them from intervening against them and to prevent AEGIS from protecting fedorlite supplies.
The group is speculated to have rapidly expanded following its opening to wastelanders, especially around massive settlements and/or corporations believed to be “corrupt” in leadership or practices. There are reports and records of this group being at settlements as far away as 450 miles. This group rapidly grew support within the wasteland around the border due to the strong anti-AEGIS sentiment which has formed over the decades there. This recruitment growth of anti-AEGIS wastelanders was only further fueled by the recent crushing of several smaller raider groups at the time during “Operation: ▇▇▇▇▇▇.” The group would then go on to frequently raid and attack the border several times over the next few years, nearly destroying it entirely on a handful of occasions, though the situation was often handled quickly.
Raids on AEGIS
The early raids on AEGIS by the group were minor, as their focus remained elsewhere on the “▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ Corporation.” Furthermore, they sought to gain intel on what AEGIS was via internal spies and these raids. While the internal spies mostly failed, they helped to, along with several other methods such as AEGIS deserters and experienced raiders, gain enough information regarding AEGIS to launch coordinated strikes. The first of these major strikes was referred to as the Battle of the Crusaders.
== Battle of the Crusaders ==
In the early morning, the Knights of the Final Crusade launched a surprise attack at the roof on three angles. Documents retrieved about this attack map out the plans of the attack, displaying the names of the army groups and their strategies. The first army was Crusading Force A, which would come in through the mines located West of the roof. Small forces were sent to take control of the outposts, and a small sniper battalion within the force was sent at the bottom of the tower to attack people on the roof from behind and above. Crusading Force B would come in from the East, beaching through the doors located there and rushing in to occupy the roof. Finally, Crusading Force C, which was the smallest of the three would provide covering fire from the towers located across from the border. The plan was for Crusading Force C to provide the initial distraction and covering fire throughout the whole battle. Crusading Force A would then come in from the West, staying on the high ground just off of the roof, causing attention to turn to them and those on the bottom of the tower. Lastly Crusading Force B would rush in from behind while they were distracted, directly occupying the roof and killing those still on it. While there were plans for what to do after this which involved breathing the border itself and causing critical damage to important areas, these plans were never put into action as they failed to seize full control of the roof.
During the actual battle, STHD were quickly sent out to deal with what was Crusading Force C on the towers. As Crusading Force A came up from the West, MDF and PKSF along with a handful of basic AEGIS personnel quickly responded, launching a counter-offensive into the cliffside outside of the caves, starting a battle which the outgunned Crusading force failed to win. While that battle was happening in the West, Crusading Force B broke through the east however, personnel on the roof, not facing fire from Crusading Force C, or a distraction from Crusading Force A, were able to quickly defeat Crusading Force B, who were rushing through a narrow corridor which was easy to shoot down.
While the battle was a complete failure on the Crusaders’ part, they learned and adapted from it and that was the last major battle where they assaulted an area such as the roof head on. Their following raids and battles would target more sensitive and/or vulnerable areas of the border.
== 4th Battle of the Sewers ==
The sewers have always been a place where raiders attempt to go under AEGIS defenses, however frequent MDF defenses usually halt any raider going through. Very few times has a battle taken place within the sewers, however the Knights, believing the sewers to be patrolled only by small groups of MDF believed that with large, concentrated forces scattered throughout the sewers, they could throw MDF into a disorganized panic and successfully break through the sewers. Their full plan is relatively unknown, and what they planned to do should they succeed in taking over the sewers is also unknown.
The raid itself, while showing initial success for the raiders, was quickly handled by MDF. The early groups of the raiders pushed through, defeating the small MDF patrols in the area. However reinforcements quickly arrived, and larger patrols were sent out. Eventually large gun fights began in the small corridors of the sewers, with both sides taking massive casualties, but with MDF taking the victory in most if not all of the fights. While the full details of this battle is left mostly unknown, it is known that MDF quickly and effectively dealt with the raiders before any significant damage was done.
== Reactor Raids ==
Rather than just raid, the reactor raids were a large series of significant raids led by the Knights of the Final Crusade over the course of several months and/or years to cause damage to and/or entirely destroy the reactor, and the border with it. These raids varied in effectiveness, some unable to even breach the facility, other nearly causing a reactor meltdown. In almost every case, raiders were dealt with by skilled PKSF, STHD, or ARD. It is these raids that the group is most known for in AEGIS. These raids showed their destructive tendency above other similar raider groups, and showed how they will risk the lives of many people, even innocent wastelanders in order to destroy those who they deem enemies or a threat.
The closest the group got to actually causing a reactor meltdown was during the Easter Incident, when on Easter day, the raiders broke into ARD facilities and nearly caused the reactor to overheat. Reactor temperatures reportedly got as high as ▇▇▇, however was cooled down before it could reach critical levels. The main success of this raid was because of another raid going on just outside of the roof, which had distracted many which would have normally been sent to aid against the raiders. Eventually however, the roof raiders were cleared and PKSF managed to arrive just in time to clear out the raiders in the facility, allowing ARD to handle the situation and cool the reactor.
== Goals ==
The group has a plethora of goals, and raids against them such as “Operation: ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇” has allowed AEGIS to gain valuable information regarding the order’s goals. The primary of these goals was the “complete annihilation of those considered unworthy.” What exactly defined “worthiness” to them is left vague, but other records imply that they intended to create a “holy theocratic utopia” as the only surviving civilization. This led to them taking aim at major corporations and settlements which would not only pose a threat, but were generally seen as corrupt enough to the public that they would be able to gather support for raids against them. Their plan from what it seems was to strike at organizations and settlements with “corrupt” leadership in order to gain support and a following for raids against them in order to bolster their numbers. Then, utilizing their new “loyal supporters,” they would then attack other settlements until all people were forced to join in their holy theocratic state. Their plans however, oftentimes seem to rely on too many unlikely variables, and other factors which make their plan not only extremely difficult, but also likely impossible to actually pull off. Regardless, it mattered little as the order would eventually collapse before its greater plan could take form.
== Downfall ==
Much like other raider orders like it which attacked AEGIS, it would be their decision to raid AEGIS that would be their downfall. After it became clear that the group would be a frequent threat to AEGIS, HICOM approved operations such as “Operation: ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇” in order to hunt down and destroy nearby bases. This effectively resulted in them being pushed back 100 miles away from the border. The Order would shortly after return, and while they would be much weaker now, AEGIS still took action against them, once again pushing them out of the immediate wasteland outside of the border, however taking it another step further and raiding what is believed to be their main base. This effectively crippled the group, and following a handful of other counter-raids done by AEGIS, the group was pronounced no longer a threat. Whether or not the group remains in any form is unknown, however it has been confirmed that it no longer exists within a 200 mile radius of the border.
Logo commonly used by the group to represent themselves, though alternative versions of it do exist.