Red Knights

The Grand Order of the Red Knights, known also as imply the Red Knights or, in High Denn, as the *Etain' ur Moarkor*, are an order of Knights descended from the armies of the Moarkor during the Drowning war.

## History

The Grand Order of the Red Knights, or more appropriately, in High Denn, *Etain' ur Moarkor* (although that term has not been used for at least a century), had their origins centuries ago in the various religious organizations founded upon worship and enforcement of a God's dictates and teachings. Each kingdom had their own array of Knight Covens, as they were known, with a few proving sufficiently popular and effective to span multiple kingdoms.

During the Moarkor's uprising, however, various Covens were co-opted by the warlord, who convinced them to join him. A vicious civil war was soon in progress, with the newly sworn in Godslayers crushing the loyalist Covens after a protracted conflict. The Moarkor thus renamed them the *Paladins of the* *Moarkor*or the *Etain' ur Moarkor*. Historians, however, doubt this was the true name of the group. The term 'Moarkor' in itself refers to something else, but in what tongue, historians have been unable to decipher.

After the Drowning, the Red Knights, as they were now colloquially called, due to their habit of painting their faces red and their red motifs during the war, symbolizing the blood of the Gods they sought to spill, went into a recession in the ensuing chaos, splintering once again into various squabbling factions. Forced by the apocalypse to work together, those surviving Covens and the *Etain*merged into what would become the modern Grand Order. Eventually one faction moved into Galea and attempted to conquer it, but was fought to a standstill. A treaty was drawn up, and the Red Knights were incorporated into the government, taking the role of protector of the kingdom, in exchange for authority and certain land concessions.

They have since settled in their duties, currently serving alongside the High Institution in investigating warpzones and magic recovery, as well as tracking down rogue mages. Their primary duty, however, is maintaining the peace, alongside with neutralizing demonic threats unleashed by the warpzones.

## Command Structure

The Red Knights are roughly divided into four echelons, with the usual subdivisions in them, alongside an independent fifth echelon which operates based on orders from the Council and the Ecclesiarchy.

### *Keepers*

The lowest rank of Knight, a Keeper is often a cleric, an accountant, or a low-ranking healer. Generally they are the rank and file and serve to maintain the Red Knights' infrastructure. All new recruits must go through the Keeper rank.

### *Journeymen*

The Journeymen comprise the majority of Red Knights. It is their sworn duty to travel Galea and 'maintain the peace', whether it be repel a barbarian assault or mediate a conflict over goods. The Journeymen are compromised of two main sections- Swordsmen and a smaller Battlemages corps. Most Red Knights have some magical ability, but the balance between Swordsmen and Battlemages is maintained at a strict ratio for magic rationing purposes. Should a Battlemage die in the line of duty, a Swordsmen will be granted permission to use magic and will be transferred over after a refresher course.

### *Masters*

Senior Knights, they have exhibited particular skill in whatever domain is their speciality. They make up the Small Council, which, ironically, is the larger of the two councils. They convene to make policy decisions and coordinate interaction with the High Institution of Spellcraft. As such they are largely responsible for the punishment and sanctioning of mages violating their rationing policy and the monitoring of their overall magicka quota.

### *The Ecclesiarchy*

Composed of four individuals, the Ecclesiarchy is the highest echelon in the main Red Knights infrastructure. They are the pinnacle of achievement in general domains, and have been judged suited for leadership tasks. They are the ones who are in charge of the fundamental organization of the Red Knights, and act as a direct liaison to both the High Institution and the Royal Council. They form the Greater Council.

### *Paragons*

Outside of this command structure exists what is known as the *Paragons,*three individuals who are selected for their particular aptitude in a given field. These individuals are required to renounce their names, ties, and land, are issued with the most powerful rune-imbued magic combat armor in the Red Knight armory, and are given substantial leeway in the accomplishment of their tasks. They are merely told to "do what is best for Galea", and then turned loose.

The Paragons represent three traditional aspects that have remained the same throughout the Order's history. Currently, the Galean faction is the only one with Paragons:

#### *The Negotiator*

A Knight chosen for his diplomatic skill and glib tongue, the Negotiator's present task usually involves speaking with the Northern Tribes in an attempt to stop their raids, as well as interceding with the Dragon people of the Northwestern mountains and the Southern forests.

#### *The Warrior*

Chosen from the best warriors in the Red Knight ranks, the Warrior is entrusted with the task of slaying Galea's enemies, and as such spends much time campaigning against raiders, barbarians, and the rest of their ilk.

#### *The Avenger*

Perhaps the darkest of the three Paragons, the Avenger acts as a sort of internal grim-reaper, tasked with killing rogue Knights, as well as 'avenging' fallen brethren. He is chosen to be independent, free-thinking, and skilled, in order to operate with little input from the main Order.

A previous trio of Paragons were dispatched upon special request by the High Institution in a joint effort to kill the Fire Mage, one of the rare times all three cooperated on the same project. All of them, as well as their escort, were slain by the Fire Mage. How, both factions are unaware. They now treat the Mage with much more care, but the Fire Mage is now more illusive than ever.

The prececeding trio, sworn in in the year 888, was down two members, with the Avenger being the sole survivor. The Negotiator and the Warrior were killed in a Barbarian ambush in a diplomatic sortie to the Bear tribe. The Avenger succeeded in recuperating their armours and returned them to the Red Knights.

All members of the current trio, consisting the Avenger of 888 (Kelias Erristar), the Negotiator of 891 (Delyth Eira Crewe) and the Warrior of 891 (Emmanuel Du Cantodor Etdel'Rivecheldo) are dead at the hands of Pretender forces. The Avenger was killed by Savien de l'Etraz, Knight of Crows; the Warrior was slain by Sigurd Demonsbane and the Negotiator was murdered by the Pretender King's northern ambassadorial party. The order is not currently aware of the situation.

## Paragon Armour

Paragon Armour is **runic armour**- magically reinforced steel of the finest quality, infused with runic ore from rune stone mines. Each set of armour, of which there are three main variants- Negotiator, Warrior, and Avenger- are decorated with an individual pattern of runic script, which are incantations giving the bearer superior strength, speed, and stamina, as well as shielding him from certain curses. The runic scripts are of variable colour, changing when donned by a user.

Technically speaking each incarnation of a Paragon should bear the same armour, meaning that the first Paragon should have borne the same apparel as the most recent. In practice this is untrue- on at least five occasions armour has proven unrecoverable to the Red Knights, and thus a new suit was issued.

While no one knows exactly how many armours exist, there are at least 20, with different visual aspects, much as can be expected from any collection of armour (as standard weapons assembly is not common- armour is still handcrafted by a blacksmith).

The armour, on top of the aforementioned capabilities, as well as the properties inherent of any armour, possesses the ability to store limited amounts of magic on contact. This means that a Paragon can weather a storm of physical attacks with little to no harm. However, spells which bypass physical barriers and do not make physical contact, and that fall outside the region of warded curses, are capable of striking past the armour. The bearer has the ability to discharge the stored energy in a manner he so chooses, fitting the battlemage fighting style favoured by many Red Knights perfectly.

As stated, the armour is incapable of protecting its bearer from mental or spiritual attacks beyond its predefined repertoire of warded curses, of which there are about 30. The armour, as with any, is vulnerable around the joints, unless the bearer erects a magical barrier. In addition to this, a concentrated attack of massive magnitude will overwhelm a suit's storage capacity and severely injure the bearer by magical backlash. The visor, as always, is a good point of attack should one by able to slip a blade into it.

In case of loss, certain Red Knights are selected to recover the armour. If risks are deemed too great, or the task above their skills, the Avenger will be assigned to the task instead, with a mandate to either recover the armour or destroy it in its entirety. The only time an Avenger has not been able to accomplish either objective was when a Negotiator was slain by a Northern warlord, and he too was slain. The warlord had two armours at his disposition, but luckily before he could become a threat, his people mutinied and threw him in a lake, causing him to drown.

Donning the armour can be remarkably easy if the Paragon is prepared to expend some of his quota or use some stored magic in the form of runestones or the armour itself. Telekinetic magic can be used to assemble the armour on oneself quickly and efficiently, but this requires training in the precise order of plates, in order to avoid having the armour assembled incorrectly.