Knights of the Black Star

### Symbols and attire

Ring in the shape of a crescent moon, black roses, dark clothing and pieces of cloth littered with stars, heavy plate armors and tower shields, and dark horses

### Rivals

Remnants of Nárindo, Orcs of Rasgath, Order of the Radiant Sun

### Motto

"Shine bright in the blackest of nights"

The Knights of the Black Star, much like the Order of the Radiant Sun, is a well-known order within the southern kingdoms. The Black Star knights are particularly unique among the elves, as their members borrow their principals and ways from traditional human knights. They wear heavy plates, carry large tower shields and use flails, whereas other elves are usually drawn towards ranged weapons and magic. Some say that this is because of the militaristic role of the gray elves (now called moon elves) when dark elves still ruled Náraleth; the gray elves were usually put in the frontlines of the Náralethian army and so they were more inclined to use better protection and melee weapons. It was hard for a gray elf to gain access to spellbooks and traditional dark elf weapons which also helped their growth towards more straightforward martial roles. The order itself is not fully devoted to a particular God, but their symbolism and teachings bear a close resemblance to Morghen, whom some of their members follow more passionately than others.

The order itself was founded around 200 years before the Second Demon War by the current king of Náraleth, Undariel Blackstar. Under the watchful eye of the dark elves, Undariel trained a powerful force of knights devoted to their nation and race. These knights then saw action in the Second Demon War and surprised both the humans of El Sherdan and dwarves of Vonrim. After the war was won, then-king of Náraleth, Nárindo, descended into madness because of the corruption of Kyil'Zhal and Undariel and the Knights of the Black Star had the difficult duty of striking him down. With the help of Renünion, they cleansed Náraleth of their corrupted kin in the event known as the Scouring of Náraleth. Because of this event, they have faced discrimination and doubt from other civilized races of the south, especially members of the Radiant Sun, to this day. Some believe that they are either violent opportunists or the true traitors of Náraleth trying to push most of the blame onto the dark elves and drow. Within their own kingdom however, they are highly respected and their will is law.

Currently, the largest part of the order's army is situated around the northwestern parts of Náraleth. The orcs of Rasgath like to frequently invade Náralethian lands by moving through the Forests of the Forgotten, which were burned by Nárindo under the influence of Kyil'Zhal. Enraged by the burning of their ancestral grounds, the western orcs lead by Ratghor are now devoted to destroying the elves of Náraleth. The Knights of the Black Star employ cavalry around three camps south of the Forest of the Forgotten, with these three camps simply known as West Rider Camp, Center Rider Camp and East Rider Camp. These camps are dedicated to defending the borders and riders do not venture far. Other places of importance include the Blackstar Academy, Blackstar Fortress, Startower and Magus Tower. Blackstar Academy is mostly reserved to new recruits and their trainers and the Blackstar Fortress acts as the main barracks and base of operations for the order. Startower is dedicated to the research of magic, an art unfamiliar to the moon elves of Undariel. Magus Tower is also dedicated to magic but specializes in the traditional arts of the dark elves. Some of their members also include a few trustworthy dark elves that Undariel spared in the Scouring of Náraleth. Obviously, the capital of Náradomain and the city of Sanguinius both have a large reserve of Black Star knights and their duties include the hunting of drow and protection of the cities. In the east, the Woodland Scouts and Black Star Scouts both perform reconnaissance and border control and their members include some exiled wood elves from the Woods of Flemer. Fort Morna Mesh acts as a base for these two groups and wandering knights. Knights frequently wander to Antar and back, as they attempt to establish a chapterhouse for themselves, but the Radiant Sun who already have a chapterhouse there have naturally prevented them from gaining a decent foothold within the city.

Even if the name suggests that the Black Star only has knights in it, that is not the case. Like the Order of the Radiant Sun, the Knights of the Black Star have learned to become more specialized to combat the many different threats they have to face within the Realm of Mortals. Being a knight is more of a formality and an honorific title to permanent members. Despite some beliefs, the Black Star does not generally have any paladins within in its ranks, mostly because of the fact that their members do not worship overtly good and lawful Gods such as Imperatus. Warpriests are perhaps the most common class among them and they preach of the ways of Morghen and the role of the moon elves as protectors of the night. Some have also begun to worship Maleem as they see her path as the right one to take if Náraleth ever wishes to have peace with the rest of the southern kingdoms. All in all, the Black Star knights consist of martial classes that take their duties seriously. The organization also has a select few trusted dark elf wizards and sorcerers among them, constantly under their watchful eyes. Their role is the to train a new generation of moon elves capable of wielding magic for the benefit of Náraleth. Some gray elf sorcerers have been born since Undariel overtook Náraleth and they are often taken in by the knights at a very young age. Their bloodlines are studied closely and if they are clean, they may claim their role as specialized operatives of the Black Star. This kind of caution is demanded because of the fear that Kyil'Zhal may have been able to corrupt a large portion of Náralethian citizens to introduce bloodlines of demonic origin within the kingdom. If a child is found with an incompatible or particularly dangerous bloodline, they are allowed to live within the organization but essentially serve as prisoners and subjects of study.

As the Knights of the Black Star continue to clean up the mess that Nárindo and his drow left behind, they have a tough road ahead of themselves. The Radiant Sun is constantly giving them a bad name and although the Black Star knights have tried to solve their problems diplomatically, even they are getting frustrated by this treatment. Some are expecting a great clash between these two orders in the future unless a common enemy comes and is able to unite them together. However, both orders are extremely hesitant to attack one another; if they make the wrong decision and destroy themselves, a new demonic invasion will surely engulf Énelya in flames. As such, the Knights of the Black Star are also dedicated towards discovering who the true enemy is and whether it really is the Radiant Sun.