Knightly Fellowships

## **Active Knightly Fellowships in Castia**

These are the current fellowships available in the Castian continent to those with the Knight of the Order background. Solan has many other fellowships, but these are the ones we’ve currently fleshed out, as they are the most impactful in the area. If you would like to flesh out these other options, please feel free to submit them to the Lore Team and/or reach out to us, and we’ll help you do so.

Do note that while these fellowships were originally created for the Knight of the Order background, players may join them via RP/missions/skill challenges.

### **The Knights of the Silver Chalice**

The lonely sentinel at the gate, the duchess’ bodyguard in gleaming armor, and the weary traveling knight with a hand on her blade as she kneels to drink from the river; each of these represents a knight of the Silver Chalice. They are both the questing knights and the hand of the law, the nobility’s servants and the people’s shield. A knight of the Silver Chalice holds their word as their bond and takes no duty lightly. They are the wardens of the land, and they still seek a cure for the blasted wastes of the Warp.

#### **History**

The Fellowship of the Silver Chalice was formed in the midst of the Age of Mist from the fallen human kingdom of Thalan, the ruined dwarf kingdom of Modrach, and the multi-racial republic of Harrsa. Each state was located in the northwestern region of Castia and each was captivated by the legend of Helm’s Silver Chalice. Once a gift from Helm’s lover Murdane, legend held that Helm had been caught feasting when he heard of her death, and that he hid his tears in the Silver Chalice. The tears of one of the Prime Pantheon are rumored to hold tremendous power, and the Chalice itself is said to have enormous healing potential and protective qualities. Enamored by the legend, knights would leave in search of it, scouring ancient ruins, abandoned shrines, and even the desolate wastes of the Warped Lands for clues. They dreamed of restoring the lands blasted by the Warp, of healing those afflicted by the strange and arcane diseases of the wastes, of bringing an era of peace to their war-torn lands.

Eventually, with their homelands in ruins, these questing knights came to the conclusion that only the worthy would be granted the blessing of Helm in their quest. By abandoning their duty to their homelands, contributing to their collapse to raiders desperate for supplies, hordes of monsters from the Warped Wastes, and internal strife, they had failed The Vigilant One. Kneeling in the ashes of Harrsa’s capital, they swore an oath to follow the tenets of Helm, to be guardians worthy of the gift of the Silver Chalice. Grim and determined, they spent six months gathering the scattered survivors of all three nations and escorted them southwest, as far from the Warped Wastes as they could reach.

Some from Harrsa chose to break away and went north, settling along the coast and founding several of what would later become the Free Cities. The fledgling fellowship chose to send their halfling brothers and sisters to protect their kin, unwilling to abandon the duty they had claimed. When the great train of refugees chanced upon the ruin of a dragon roost near the mountain’s edge many of the Modrachi clans rejoiced, and set to work repairing the ancient city for their own purposes. Paranoid and wary, the knights of the Silver Chalice argued with them for weeks before continuing their journey, leaving only a handful to defend the stubborn dwarves. They were not enough to defend them from the dragons’ wrath however, and the scorched cairns outside the ruins of Zhra’akhaush are a warning, not a memorial.

The last of their weary train found a bustling trade city growing near the edge of the continent, welcoming new warriors and tradesfolk with open arms and steady work. Far from taking a rest, the Fellowship of the Silver Chalice viewed their vigil as just begun. Quickly swearing service to those nobles they viewed as keeping order in the land, they supported the establishment of a permanent constabulary, training and leading the first generation before it became independent. Integrating themselves into this new society, the Fellowship of the Silver Chalice took their service seriously, as it would prevent the hubris that lead to their prior failure, yet always balanced the cost of their service against the Tenets of Helm.

#### **Culture**

A knight of the Silver Chalice chooses their course carefully, and seeks to understand the consequences before making a hasty decision they will regret. They seek to anticipate attacks and actively study their foes. They take as much care in the selection of their equipment as of their companions, arguing fiercely with any smith that dares give a weapon to any in their command. Sometimes viewed as slow to react, and deliberate, plodding thinkers, once they grasp a situation the knights of the Silver Chalice take care to prepare for any conceivable alternative. Their discipline and dedication to orders are crucial to the success of these detailed fallback plans, and provide a strong advantage if their forces are able to match their discipline.

Although the knights of the Silver Chalice take their oaths to the nobility seriously, they have a strong preference for the nobility to only set strategic goals, leaving the specifics of strategy and command to their knights and other commanders. However, they take the chain of command seriously, and strictly adhere to whatever hierarchy is established within their forces. Their intense discipline and rigid traditions often lead to conflicts with other knight Fellowships, but also make them excellent commanders when allowed to train their own forces. Perhaps uniquely among other Knight Fellowships, the Knights of the Silver Chalice are practiced at acting as a unified force as well as alone, and the few times their entire Fellowship has been called to battle they have faced tremendous odds and come out not only victorious but with far fewer losses than any other force might have expected. From the Gnoll War to Kailor’s Uprising, the Silver Chalice has gathered much glory on the battlefield.

Individual knights are often grim and stern, as preoccupied with their duties in their bedchamber as on patrol. However, they also view their relationship with their comrades in arms as one of their duties, and strive to know the strengths and weaknesses, hopes and fears of their fellows. They lean on one another to process their grief, face their fear, and puncture their pride. Their harsh demeanors often soften after first acquaintance, and their skills as storytellers make them a welcome site at the tavern.

#### **Traditions**

The Tenets of Helm: Never betray your trust. Be vigilant. Be fair and diligent in the conduct of your orders. Protect the weak, poor, injured, and young, and do not sacrifice them for others or yourself. Always obey orders, providing those orders follow the dictates of Helm. Demonstrate excellence and purity of loyalty in your role as a guardian and protector.

There are three particular titles among the Knights of the Silver Chalice. The Knight-Watcher: a leader selected from among all the knight-masters to hold their fellows to their oaths, and the arbiter of their judgement when a knight fails to uphold the Tenets of Helm, breaks an oath, or disobeys an order they claim contradicted the Tenets of Helm. The Knight-Herald: the Fellowship’s ambassador to the nation they serve, chronicler of their glories and feats, and the history-keeper who holds them to their founding purpose. And the Knight-Masters: veteran knights who have not only passed their Vigil, but have served a decade or more, are considered a master duelist, and have received the blessing of a cleric of Helm. The knight-masters as a collective form an equal body in decision making for the Fellowship, with the knight-watcher handling internal discipline and punishments, and the knight-herald guiding council discussions and acting as a tie-breaker if necessary.

To become a knight of the Silver Chalice, an aspiring squire must undergo a ritual known as the Vigil. After a day spent in instruction and testing by the clergy of Helm, they enter a stone chamber and are sealed within, wearing their armor and weapons. While within, a squire will face their own weaknesses of body and mind, purifying themselves for their future service. Those who fail go mad, clawing at the sealed door and screaming for release, or are found lying peacefully within at dawn, as though they had died in their sleep. A rare few report facing a foe in combat, each of those knights only recalling the encounter after facing that same foe outside of the chamber, years later. Regardless, a knight’s Vigil is a deeply personal matter, and they are forbidden to speak of it to any except for the clergy of Helm.

By tradition, a knight-master of the Silver Chalice is responsible for training and selecting the guards of their master’s house, and takes three volunteers from among them into their own service. Those guards will become the instructors and mentors of new squires, forcing the candidates for knighthood to learn first from those beneath them in social stations. They will also be the knight’s only companions should they answer the Call of the Chalice and leave to quest.

The Call of the Chalice is held twice a year, on both the summer and the winter solstice. The Fellowship of the Silver Chalice gathers in a grand hall to feast and celebrate their survival and service. The knight-herald tells the story of their founding, and then an ancient silver horn is brought forth, and the knight-watcher will blow it three times. At the first sounding of the horn, every knight within the hall shall close their eyes, as the magic of the horn brings the mind of each knight to their founding in Hassra’s ashes. At the second sounding of the horn, each knight-master who feels so called shall rise and answer the Call of the Chalice, swearing to quest after it until they have found it or a year has passed. At the third sounding of the horn, each knight strikes their chest with a palm and recites their oath once more, opening their eyes to witness the Called.

#### **Reputation**

 The current Knight-Herald, a half-orc named Kultha Strolgas, is a popular hero from the Gnoll War, and has done much to reconcile her fellowship to the common folk of Remnant. Her relationship with the Council however, is a challenging one, as she has sought to distance the Fellowship of the Silver Chalice from their direct control after falling directly under their command in the Gnoll War. While Kultha still holds the City Guards’ respect, and her conduct has never been less than respectable, there are rumors that she seeks to push the Fellowship away from their traditional relationship with the City Guard as well.

 Well mannered, if stiff and grim, the Knights of the Silver Chalice have a strong relationship with the Knights of Remnant, and in many ways are viewed as sibling knighthoods. They are viewed with distaste and scorn by the Fellowship of Blood and the Fellowship of Harmony, for their strict code of conduct by the first and for their ties to the nobility by the latter. Often viewed as the “nobles’ knights”, the Fellowship of the Silver Chalice has an aloof reputation as being distant from the everyday struggles of the common folk, but a dependable shield against any invasion. However, with the Gnoll War still in recent memory, most are grateful for the constant vigil of the Silver Chalice.

 Their “Questing Knights” have a slightly different reputation however. Those who answer the Call of the Chalice seem to attract such adventures as make a hero’s legend, and the time away from the constant demands of their role as a master-knight seems to relax most of their number. Because of this, a “Questing Knight” of the Silver Chalice attracts interest and followers wherever they go, eager to hear of their adventures so far and to interact with a potential future hero in a ballad.

### **The Knights of Harmony**

The Knights of Harmony began as whimsically as they exist now, starting from a modest satyr’s travels around Castia and growing into a band of knights that do good for the mere price of a good time, or the means to procure one. This does not mean that they are weak or uncommitted, for once they have a task they fight just as fiercely as a charging unicorn to complete it.

#### **History**

One of the youngest Knighthood that developed in the Age of Wings, these knights are free soaring individuals. With the fear of the Fade gone, these Knights from a multitude of backgrounds from different deities, geographies, towns, and economic classes. They are said to have started with an old satyr named Giovanni Bocca from Sylair that had a delightful taste for the Midday Court. He took to his travels across Castia, not doing any recruiting in particular, mainly letting his character and dedication become such a positive aura that people wanted to involve themselves in his lifestyle. Giovanni wasn’t what you would expect in a Knight: plump, jolly, and inexperienced in combat at the start of his journey, yet by the end of a decade he was as skilled a warrior as any in Castia, having passionately dedicated himself to all aspects of his new life. Despite his death from the marauding ancient dragon Vauryx, Giovanni’s legend still inspires new heroes to follow his example and join the Knights of Harmony.

#### **Culture**

The Knights of Harmony are the most relaxed group of warriors you will find in Castia. They are easy to please: pay them in gold, alcohol, or parties; they are content regardless. They seek out fights to get a thrilling tale for the tavern, to add to their legend, to bring peace back to the land. They consider it a grave dishonor to slay a sapient opponent of lesser skill, and so train heavily in non-lethal combat techniques. The Knights of Harmony do no formal recruiting, but have an open invitation to any free souls willing to lend a hand. Giovanni encouraged outcasts and strays to stand proudly and if their home did not want them, to build a new one, together. It was those ideals that inspired those that followed him to create the Fellowship of Harmony.

#### **Traditions**

On the anniversary of Giovanni Bocca’s death, the whole Knighthood hosts a festivity of peace and harmony. There are drinking games, fables, contests, puppet shows, archery, and dances, open to outsiders as well as members. It is considered a time to resolve feuds and end conflicts, and the challenges reflect that; they’re designed to be team-based rather than individual.

When a Knight of Harmony dies, it’s traditional for the body to be brought forth to a Druid Grove as nourishment of the land, either on the material plane or in the Feywild as Giovanni was. On the day of initiation, potential members are faced with a challenge that requires them to remain calm in the face of their greatest fear, as well as a test that requires them to act with compassion over self-interest, even while under extreme conditions that are as real as magic can conjure. Yet unlike other knight fellowships, failure in this test does not result in death or exile, instead it becomes a learning experience to focus on, as they are mentored for a time before trying again.
One of the traditions of the Knights of Harmony is to pay for a meal for those who cannot afford it, gathering a procession of beggars and poor when they first enter town. They ask only to be paid in song or story, listening eagerly and sharing stories of their own as they try to restore a bit of hope to those without.

#### **Reputation**

The Knights of Harmony are known to get the job done with the least amount of civilian damage as possible, willing to sacrifice themselves if necessary to drive monsters away from towns and innocents. They are known to also be the Knights of the common folk as they rarely have any official authority or power to corrupt them, and their services are not reliant on money.

They have a reputation for naivety among the other Knight Fellowships, but their earnestness and willingness to help is never in doubt. Because of this, a Knight of Harmony may not always be a welcome ally, but they are always a trusted one.
The most famous Knight of Harmony was the satyr and founder Giovanni himself. His remarkable white hide and golden hooves contrasted with beautiful bronzed skin, staying in the minds of all who encountered him. He was proud of his differences from other satyrs, even the mark on his eye which once made him an outcast, and accepting of everyone else’s.

### **The Knights of Remnant**

These stalwart knights are nigh-unknown in the City of Remnant, despite having their headquarters and origins there. Even more than other fellowships, the Knights of Remnant pride themselves in their knowledge of history and in carrying on the memory of their hero, Mirrash the Brave, the Dura-Khan of the Khatran Empire.

#### **History**

Most know that the Khatran Empire fell when the Dura-Khan and her husband were assassinated under Corellon Larethian’s orders. What many who live in Remnant don’t know is the legend of the city’s foundation. It is said that Mirrash’s brother Karresh preserved her body after her death, placed it on a stone sarcophagus and then brought it across half the continent on a cart, alone, to the place that is now Remnant.
Originally, there had once been a dwarven outpost dedicated to mining a particularly mineral-rich area, but with the decline of the Bharum Republic, it had been abandoned to the elements. Karresh encountered these ruins, with a beautiful lake, in the middle of the woods, with distant mountains barely visible in the horizon, and decided he had found his new home. After clearing out the old mines of monsters, he single-handedly built his sister a mausoleum in its depths for her final rest, and made himself a home on the surface to spend the rest of his days.

Legend has it he called the place Remnant, for in his eyes it was the only place in the world where any honor remained, and it laid resting eternally dozens of feet beneath the earth.

However, as word spread of the Dura-Khan’s final resting place, more and more pilgrims began to trickle in to pay their respects. Some even settled in the area and in time, it became a small trade post, later on a town, and finally a city. Karresh, when his grief finally healed, started a family. He gave himself and his loved ones the surname “Mirraskhar”, an old Orcish way of saying “In Mirrash’s Memory”. The Mirraskhar family would go on to become one of the four founding families of the city’s Council, taking the title of “The Wardens of the Legacy”.

To the Knights of Remnant, Karresh Mirraskhar is the First Knight of their fellowship, even though he was long dead before it was founded. He was a humble orc, who never envied his sister’s power, who instead saw her as an example of honor, strength and wisdom, and who, when he witnessed a terrible injustice, did what he could to make it right. Even though his actions did not return him the sister he loved, they echoed across time all the way to the present day.

#### **Culture**

The Knights of Remnant do not join for glory or fame. Its members are forbidden to mention their membership to outsiders unless required by law, and they are expected to take no credit or reward for their good deeds. Once a knight-in-training completes their long initiation, which involves months of history lessons and discussions on ethics, they are expected to have adopted the general outlook of the fellowship, which is a cynical view of the world, tempered by an unbreakable moral fiber.

The members of this fellowship have adopted the beliefs of Karresh Mirraskhar, who saw his sister give everything she had to give to the world, and then saw the world betray her and turn its back on her people. He saw his fellow orcs banished, scattered and enslaved across the world, but he refused to succumb to despair. He had been raised to believe that strength was not only physical, but also mental and spiritual, and he refused to let the world break him too. He knew Mirrash the Brave would have endured. And so he did, too.
This is the core of the Knights of Remnant. The acknowledgement that the world is selfish and cruel and the stubborn refusal to accept it the way it is. That is why they do not take credit for their good deeds, because credit does not matter. The Knights fight an endless war against the common, banal evils of the world: indifference, selfishness, apathy, pettiness, cruelty and callousness. A Knight of Remnant expects the worst from others and, when proven right, she says “Do better.”

Common battle cries for a Knight of Remnant are “In her memory!”, “In his memory!” and “In their memory!”, though when they must all congregate and perform a single, unified attack (such as they did many times during the Gnoll War), their battle cry is always “For Remnant!”

#### **Traditions**

The Knights of Remnant have very little use for rites or rituals. Their initiation is simple, more of a formality than anything else, given the length of the training period. All a knight-to-be needs to do to complete the initiation is to perform a good deed for a Remnant citizen without being seen or heard by anyone but the knight witnessing the rite.
Once a year during the midwinter, the knights of this fellowship gather in their underground headquarters to celebrate the memory of the siblings Karresh and Mirrash, and to reflect on the events of the past year.

The Knights of Remnant stay in touch frequently (after all, they live in the same city or its surroundings), and when their leader dies or abdicates, a conclave is convened to vote for their next leader from among themselves. Though the process may take days, the knights lock themselves up in their headquarters and do not leave until they have made up their minds.

#### **Reputation**

Not many know the Knights of Remnant even exist, but those who do tend to see them as sour knights, those who join because what matters to them the most is doing what is right. The Council and the Watch regard them fondly, as the Mirraskhar family is highly respected and has always had a presence in the fellowship.

However, they are virtually unknown outside the Remnant Peninsula (though they have been secretly guarding the reopened pilgrimage route between Remnant and Varrasham), not only because of their secretive nature, but because their numbers dwindled during the Gnoll War and are only recently beginning to recover.

### **The Knight Fellowship of the Aegis**

The Knights of the Aegis appear at first glance to be a strange and callous group, with gallows humor and not a tear left to be shed. It’s said that they die with a laugh still caught in their throat and a smile on their lips. Those who know them well ascribe these attributes to the core ideal that all their practices and tenets are focused around: Hope.
From their perspective a lost battle is just a temporary setback, they’ll be back to win the war, a fallen comrade will find their reward in the afterlife, and a wound is just a mark of experience. Their relentless emphasis on hope is both inspiring and alienating to those they lead.

#### **History**

The Knights of the Aegis were founded by the surviving knights of Elandril after the fall of the ancient elven Kingdom of Lyranil. In the chaos following their civil war, these knights were left without their traditional promise of reinforcements from provinces untroubled by invasion. Banding together with the hearthguards of dwarven refugees from Vharum’s fall, the two groups first tried to defend each hamlet and town on their own, but quickly learned their numbers were insufficient. Adapting to the new world, they trained local militias and established circuits between smaller villages which their knights would travel along and stop to review the training of militias, resupply them, and scout for new recruits to add to their number. In the chaotic century between Lyranil’s collapse and the Khatran Empire being established in central Castia, the Knights of the Aegis were one of the main causes of the survival of far flung townships and isolated villages.
When the Khatran Empire was established the Knights of the Aegis left their old circuits and travelled east into Arkanos and south into Indoria to find new regions to aid, believing that the new empire would provide a lasting replacement to the Kingdom of Lyranil and the Vharum Republic for those Castians in need of protection. They had barely settled in the mountain ranges bordering Castia and these other continents and established new relationships with local communities when the death of the Khatran Empress caused a civil war between the surviving heirs. The Fellowship of the Aegis raced back to defend their former territories, leaving a skeleton force in both mountain ranges. They found some regions locked in bloody conflict, others abandoned by the fractured empire, and a scant few still guarded by partisan Khatrans. Reclaiming their former role, the Fellowship of the Aegis worked to stem the excesses of the civil war, and to address threats that were now seemingly unchecked such as goblin hordes, drow raiding parties, and duergar slavers.

With Nirraskh’s victory, they hoped for the return of a safe and ordered realm, but the Warp destroyed those hopes a few years later. Struggling to face the new array of threats, many of the knights lead refugee caravans to the west, seeking to outrun the effects of the Warp. These refugee groups contained halflings, gnomes, humans, and orcs from which the Fellowship of the Aegis would find new recruits, in addition to their older dwarven and elven members. Their splinter group in the Snowglint Peaks of Arkanos would later fall in the Rift War, defending the continent against the alien Daelkyr. Those left in Karden’s Spine however, between Indoria and Castia, would join the fledgling Indorian Empire.

#### **Culture**

 The Fellowship of the Aegis focus on leadership skills as much as their martial ones. Rank in their number directly correlates to how many soldiers, guards, or militia they are expected to capably command. As part of their training for command they are educated on the different subcultures of their future circuit, the responsibilities of leadership, and the price of potential mistakes when commanding others. The Fellowship of the Aegis has a strong preference for defensive strategies and tactics, buying time for reinforcements to arrive and focusing on protecting their charges.

 The seriousness of their duty is leavened with humor and kindness from both their teachers and veteran knights, to ensure they build strong relationships with their peers and superiors. A knight who cannot form new relationships is viewed as broken, hardened to the point of uselessness as a leader. The leadership and relationship building elements of their training are often viewed as the most important, and those tests are the source of most knights failed from their training.

 The Knights of the Aegis have an aversion to working alone, and are seen as relatively weak in a duel, though their veteran knights have enough combat experience to overcome that training deficit. Their emphasis on leadership means that most of their training is in tactics, strategy, and command, so they are better commanders and officers than frontline warriors. However, this emphasis on tactics also means that they are well aware of where they will be the most effective, and they are experienced at finding force multipliers to amplify their skills to greater effect. Despite this emphasis on leadership, the Knights of the Aegis rarely seek to take command over their fellow knights if they work alongside other fellowships. Instead, they take command of infantry or militia and support the overall strategy laid out by their fellows, providing tactical insight and strategic advice rather than taking direct control.

 Always intent on keeping a high morale within their forces, the Knights of the Aegis are prone to song and sport, starting marching songs and war chants, or letting out tension with a competition. Their squires and pages are expected to aid the cooks as well, holding true to the adage that “a well fed army is a strong army”. They take part in any chores and camp duties expected of their forces, and take care to take more than their share of the worse ones.

#### **Traditions**

Knight candidates for the Fellowship of the Aegis are selected based on empathy, physical ability, and resilience. They often seek out orphanages and refugee camps, following the sound of laughter to identify potential candidates before inquiring further. They rarely accept candidates from the nobility or wealthy merchant families, finding better results among candidates for whom knighthood itself was their hope of a future.
As part of their training each squire serves the sick and elderly of their community for the duration, with an emphasis on forming bonds with those their patients and providing hope to those in such dire circumstances. Knight-trainers take especial care to make squires bond with those on the brink of death, to allow those who might not have had a chance to experience grief an opportunity to process it for the first time without the pressures of the battlefield.

#### **Reputation**

Most ordinary people view the Fellowship of the Aegis with a strange mix of respect and uneasy tension. Their strong commitment to protecting their charges, sharing responsibility, and charisma all inspire loyalty and faith in them as guardians, but their lack of reaction to loss, indefatigable cheer, and training methods make them appear distant and alien. The nobility in Castia tends to view them with suspicion as they put the welfare of their people above the demands of their “employers”, but as useful commanders if the threat is grave enough.

Their fellow knights view them as strange bedfellows but useful allies by and large, though they have a stronger kinship with the Knights of the Lost, and an active rivalry with the Scarlet Fist.

### **The Knights of the Lost**

This fellowship of Knights is not the stereotypical Knights in shining armor, riding on horseback and saving damsels in distress. They are the Knights of those who are excised from society, who swear to protect those who are lost due to people’s fear and hatred. Their ranks are made up of goblinoids, lizard folk, and others who are turned away by others. Their armor and weapons are usually poor quality, scrounged from what they can get. What they lack in equipment, though, they make up for in zeal and tenacity.

#### **History**

The Fellowship of The Lost, though having adopted many different names from the various cultures and peoples that are under its protection or command, have a wide reach regarding where they watch. From the Remnant peninsula to the western edge of the Warped Lands is the bulk of their territory. Before the Gnoll War there were various warriors scattered about these tribes protecting their own, separated and keeping to their own cultures.
Though during the Gnoll War, there were some that did not heed Yeenoghu’s influence and actively avoided the conflict but despite this were still being culled en masse and were supposedly justified by the Abyssal influenced siege upon the land. Thus, many different peoples of different cultures stepped in as response to this injustice, no longer separated by race.

 This led to the initial creation of the causes the Fellowship now strives to keep: protection of the innocent despite how they’re viewed, purging of those who would abuse their privilege of being ‘accepted’ as a race, and unity and acceptance of all people beyond their own.

“I struggle day to day, just as they do, as any of them do. Our blood may differ but our voices are united- and We will not be silenced.” Was a quote from a late member of the Fellowship, Hildash Sildain, known to the small eastern lizardfolk tribe of Mend-Eits as ‘Unbroken Stone’ in their own tongue.

#### **Culture**

 With the combination of Goblins, Bugbears, Hobgoblins, Tieflings, Kobold, Lizardfolk, and Gnolls within their ranks as majorities they’ve essentially gathered the most qualified in minimal weaponry martial combat. Ranging from guerilla warfare to simple weapon artistry, despite their collective backgrounds, the members of the Fellowship sport some of the most zealous and dedicated warriors in the Western Realms. Most often due to this dedication and zeal that their members aren’t separated from using the divine magic of both Paladins and Clerics, these divine warriors being almost a reflection of the deities’ support to the cause.

Due to some clashes in cultures, there are some conflicts within. However, they still acknowledge those that would use their protection as cover to get away with malicious acts such as theft and murder. Most report these individuals to authorities that are non-hostile to the various races within for fair trial and punishment for their actions. Furthermore, in their sense of justice, they often lay sieges to corrupt individuals owning their own lands outside the lawful jurisdiction of major cities to get away with whatever foul deeds they attempt to find loopholes for. Beyond themselves working outside the law, these ‘Knights’ will make refuge in major cities such as Remnant either to assist the peacekeepers of such cities, adventuring guilds, or militias for grander threats beyond the scope of their Fellowship.

The more traditionally civilized in the Fellowship work hard to be properly educated; in law, magic, craftsmanship, and other such things to be able to teach those unable to get access to such information due to prejudice or financial capability. Similarly, they also seek to bring down tradition and stigma that separates individuals as opposed to unifying them in varying degrees. These “degrees” drastically range from degrading societies based upon these aforementioned stigmas and educating the new in the world- or just beating the absolute daylights out of those who would exploit the unfortunate and oppressed.

#### **Reputation**

 Various scholars, often soon debunked or bludgeoned, say that the races under the Fellowship of The Lost have a natural inclination toward evil due to some of their fiendish origins or “brutish traditions.” Those who have actually faced them in battle are often either slain if refusing to yield or join the Fellowship’s ranks after yielding the point of whatever they had done in the first place to have the Knights assault them was unjust.

There’s a rather large conflict within the fellowship regarding Fyris, being as various demonic and fiendish influences take place there. While the freedom to do what you choose and what ideals to follow is an agreeable sentiment to the fellowship the adjacent and same fiendish forces would exploit those such as Gnolls and Tieflings for their own goals and greed. Therefore, some of those Knights occupying there are either inducting others to join their cause and protecting a city where they’re free to be their own people or fighting off those that would be used by said forces to further their own power- often for no inbetween.

Remnant holds a special place for these knights, despite being a trade city many cultures and people are mixed together in a state of unity and equilibrium, especially in the Adventurer’s guild. Some view the city with slight skepticism as it is a trade city first and foremost they say, and they do so just to get access to products specific to each of the fellowship’s individual cultures. With the previous in mind the overview of the city is partly mixed though mostly in favor, as for whatever the motivation they are all still able to intermingle freely among one another.

### **The Scarlet Fist**

A fellowship of knights infatuated with the skill and violence of combat, and viewing all other elements as unnecessary wastes of time. Not to say they are unmannered, no... a Scarlet Knight would be perfectly cordial except at the right moment in order to gain an advantage. Some might be blunt and unsociable, focusing their efforts on single combat. Others might be fiercely charismatic or wield a dark gravitas, treating the ability to lead as another skill to hone in the grand dance of war.

#### **History**

The beginning of the scarlet fist is shrouded in mystery and legend as most things are. Some say that it began as a cult venerating the god Bane and his lust for war and bloodshed, others surmise it was born deep in gladiatorial rings where people went to fight to express their courage and bloodlust. No matter what it used to be the scarlet fist has a reputation for brutality and prowess, renowned throughout castia.

#### **Culture**

The culture of the scarlet fist emphasizes prowess, and violence over all other personal creeds and codes. The race of any member matters little to the whole and the hierarchy of the knights is based solely on progression via combat. If your will is strong enough for you to advance and to get stronger, you garner respect in the knights of the scarlet fist.
While the knights of the scarlet fist don’t worship any one god in particular, the current highlord worships bane and many of his followers also worship this god of war, which allows his blessings to sanctify the rites and rituals of these knights.

#### **Traditions**

There are two kinds of combat that are used to settle disputes and rise through the ranks of the scarlet knights, the first is a duel, a one on one between the two combatants, before these duels the two combatants share a meal together the night before. This meal is sanctioned and purified by clerics to prevent any poison or trickery. Then at noon the next day, they duel.

The other rite of combat is the right of the army. Where two combatants assume the role of commanders in a battlefield, controlling a small number of troops, usually 5-10, in this rite the commander loses if all of his subordinates are wiped out or if he himself is defeated. The meal before this rite of combat is set across a long banquet table with each commander being set at the opposite sides of the table. Only members of the scarlet fist can participate in these rites of combat.

During these two rites of combat, blessings of Bane are placed within the combat area, this blessing prevents any combatants from dying, however they can still be knocked unconscious and this usually signifies when someone would be out of the combat.
The final and most sacred rite for progressing up the ranks of the scarlet fist is the rite of prowess. This rite is undertaken only by someone that wishes to challenge the high lord of the scarlet fist to a rite of combat, for this ritual the trial member is sent to reach the middle of the warp lands by foot, one of the most dangerous places in the continent. Once there they must retrieve a stone and plant their banner in the hill that resides at that point, they must then walk by foot out of the warped lands. This is the ultimate rite and ritual and most who take it do not survive.

#### **Reputation**

The knights of the scarlet fist are renowned across the land as strong and fair, while they live for the thrill of combat and the glory of bloodshed, there is no glory in slaughtering the weak or in unfair combat, when they do come across a strong opponent however, they give the combat their all until one side lies dead or submitting.