Dragon Knights

The Dragon Knights are a formal organisation of dragon hunters known throughout the world. Their headquarters is the massive fortress named Dragon Hold, and they have outposts scattered across the world.

## History

Though there is no date given for when the Knights were formed, it is clear that they've been around for a long time. From Kaden's flashbacks and Davion's age, we can deduce that they existed at least 20 years before the series began, and that Dragon Hold was built long before Davion was born.

Whatever the date of their founding may be, it was long enough for the Dragon Knights to establish a reputation as renowned dragon slayers, to the point that they were often summoned to deal with any dragon sightings, and even kings had a hard time refusing their demands. They also created several remarkable items they used to level the playing field against their formidable enemies. Their lead researcher and Elder, called Father, also conducted research into the nature of the Dragon Clan, humans who possessed powers similar to those of dragons.

Almost twenty years before the series started, Kaden and a contigent of 29 Dragon Knights rode to the town of Leathsham to investigate a wyrmling sighting. That night, the sky lit up as Slyrak attacked the town. The knights bravely stood their ground, but were completely eradicated and incinerated. Kaden was the only one who survived, having been shielded by his captain and mentor. This caused him to become cold and reticient, and he began searching for Slyrak to settle his dragon debt. On his quest he killed one adult of each type of dragon himself, and brought their parts to Father, who helped forge a powerful weapon and a set of armor imbued with the powers of the dragons he killed.

When Davion was a boy, his parents were killed by a dragon, and his village destroyed. He met a Dragon Knight, revealed later on to be Kaden, who gave him a dragon tooth necklace and told him to find his way to Dragon Hold when he was ready. Shortly after Davion made his way to the fortress, and he was taken as a squire.

### Book 1

Davion is the first Dragon Knight seen in the series, along with his squire Bram, up until The Monster at the End of this Book. Davion is hired to kill an Earth dragon wyrmling, and after defeating it the villagers hail him as a hero. After his encounter with Slyrak and the possessed Uldorak, he meets Mirana and Marci and accompanies them to Haupstadt, where an innkeeper is only too happy to give them rooms for free after saving them from a dragon years ago. A portrait of Kaden is hung on the staircase, and Davion states that Kaden is a legendary Dragon Knight he met once as a squire, who had killed one of each type of dragon.

After making their way through a snowy wasteland they find a Dragon Knight outpost, and shortly after Kaden comes in hauling a Fire dragon carcass. While Davion is tense, Kaden is polite and welcoming, offering Mirana arrowheads made from Fire dragon scales and telling Davion he shouldn't be ashamed of running from an Eldwurm. Wanting to trust the older Dragon Knight, Davion tells him the truth of what happened in Uldorak's burrow. Kaden, however, attacks Davion and chains him up, planning to force Slyrak to come out so he can settle his dragon debt. Despite Mirana's interference the plan partially succeeds, and as Davion fully transforms into Slyrak Kaden rises to meet him. The two battle, destroying the outpost and weakening the already injured dragon. Slyrak then swoops up Mirana, Marci and Sagan and flies away, ending the battle.

In A Game of Chess, Kaden eradicates the nest of Air dragons Fymryn and Davion encountered in Speak the Words. He is seen with Bram and a group of Dragon Knights, and it seems that they are tracking Davion. They then head towards the Nightsilver Woods. During the battle between the Dark Moon Order and the Coriel'tauvi, Davion transforms into Slyvion to clear a path for Mirana to escape. The Dragon Knights then take the opportunity to pin Slyvion down and knock him out, reverting Davion to his human form. Kaden then tells them to take him home, to Dragon Hold.

### Book 2

As the Dragon Knights escort Davion to Dragon Hold, he tries to tell them about Terrorblade. However, Kaden insists that he meet with Father before anything else. In the fortress, Davion is chained up and experimented on by Father, who wants to understand what Davion is and how he can host an Eldwurm. Kaden is able to put a stop to the experiments, though Davion voluntarily contributes samples for Father to study. Father tells Davion he's been conducting research concerning humans who exhibit what could be considered draconic abilities, such as elemental powers. Those he speculates to be members of this "Dragon Clan" include the Warden of Icewrack Fortress, Rylai, and her sister Lina.

It is later revealed that Father, having been incapable of succeeding at the physical trials to become a Dragon Knight due to a disabled hand, wants to use the power in Davion's blood to become stronger. His experiments fail and open his mind to Terrorblade, who coerces him into letting him in. Now possessed and providing a foothold for the demon, Father summons an army of Earth and Water dragons to Dragon Hold.

The dragons relentlessly attack the fortress, eliminating most of the Knight's external defenses. Though such different types of dragons would normally fight each other rather than work together, Terrorblade is able to command them to work together, combining their strengths and compensating for their weaknesses. This unusual behaviour proves effective, and soon most of the Dragon Knights are killed save Kaden, Bram and Davion, who is saved by Fymryn. Father, still possessed, then appears before the four survivors and tries to take Slyrak's soul from Davion. Fymryn is able to teleport herself and Father into the air, outside the fortress. Though Father tries to drag her down with him, she uses her blades to cut his hand and slips free, giving Slyvion a chance to catch her before she falls to her death. Father is not so lucky, however, and falls to his death. With his host dead, Terrorblade releases his hold on the dragons, causing them to go into a frenzy and attack each other. Dragon Hold, the headquarters and home of the Dragon Knights. is completely destroyed, but Rylai and Auroth arrive in time to save Kaden, Davion, Bram and Fymryn.

While they recover, Rylai advises Kaden to help instruct and comfort Davion and Bram, as they are the only other survivors of the attack.

When Davion tries to force Emperor Shabarra to give him the Eye of the Worldwyrm by invoking his Dragon Knight title, Shabarra quickly disputes his claim and authority, stating that news has already spread of Dragon Hold's destruction. This news may have led to the Dragon Knights losing their reputation as renowned dragon hunters.

### Book 3

In The Wind Under the Door, Bram reveals that he's been trying to get the Foundry working again. With it, while he can't create new weapons, armor and equipment yet, he can repair existing equipment. Such equipment includes Davion's new blade. Bram is the one who discovers that dragons are converging on the Broken Peaks. Seeing that Fire dragons have joined with Earth and Water dragons, Davion is able to deduce the fact that Slyrak failed to defeat Terrorblade, and that the gathering dragons are likely going to attack the Invoker. Fortunately, the Invoker is able to repel the assault.

When Davion, Kaden, Mirana and Luna decide to accompany the Invoker to Foulfell to fight Terrorblade, Bram attempts to join them. Kaden, however, tells him to stay behind. Bram argues that he's earned this opportunity, but Kaden calmly states that future Dragon Knights will need someone who remembers the ways of their order, someone who can guide them and most importantly, someone who can work the Foundry. Kaden then calls Bram "Father", as he is the only one who can unlock the secrets of the Foundry and replace the now dead Father.

### Reality 12,403

The Dragon Knights are still a respected order, and their fortress remains intact. Because of this, Davion is able to gain passage though the lands of the Principality of Shadow with Mirana, a member of the Helio Imperium, in tow by reminding them that Dragon Knights can go where they please to deal with dragons. Kaden is still hunting Slyrak, and manages to track him to his lair in a volcano. However, Mirana needs to speak with Slyrak, hoping he can help her restore their original reality, and she fights Kaden to stop him. She awakens Slyrak, but Kaden quickly overwhelms the Father of Fire and prepares to land a killing blow. In desperation, she fires a full powered arrow imbued with divine power at Kaden, which knocks him back. As his sword hits the cavern wall, it's weight altering power activates, causing tons of rock to collapse on him. Davion arrives and manages to dig him out, but Kaden is heavily wounded. He passes his sword on to Davion, telling him to guide the Dragon Knights, and dies.

Afterwards, a troop of Dragon Knights convene in Haupstadt to hunt an Eldwurm, though the exact one is never named. As the Mad Moon continues to break apart, Radiant and Dire shards rain on Haupstadt. The inn the Dragon Knights are occupying is destroyed, and those in the area who survived, including the Dragon Knights, are quickly mutated into ravening, mindless monsters. Davion and Bram try to defend whoever is left, but Davion is impaled by one of the mutated humans. Fortunately, Slyrak reforges his bond with Davion, healing his wounds in the process. As Bram defends Davion's defenseless body, Davion awakens as Slyvion, and the two of them kill the mutants.

The cataclysm that destroyed the world likely destroyed Dragon Hold, as well as all the dragons and the Eldwurms.

### Original Reality

With the original reality restored, Davion and the other Dragon Knights are buried near Dragon Hold, which is being rebuilt. There are other Dragon Knights attending the funeral, perhaps Knights who were out in the field or occupying other outposts when Dragon Hold was destroyed. The boy Davion gave a dragon tooth necklace in Book 1 Episode 1 also attends the funeral, having made his way to Dragon Hold, thus implying that he will be the first of the new squires as the Dragon Knights rebuild their order.

## Recruitment

When a Knight finds someone they believe might become a Dragon Knight, they give the person a dragon fang mounted on a cord. The necklace serves as a means of identification (Kaden recognised the one he found in Uldorak's cave as Davion's) to an extent, and its bearer can travel to Dragon Hold to begin training. Many who are recuited in this manner tend to be quite young, as Bram stated he made his journey when he was 12, and are often picked from those who lost their loved ones in a dragon attack.

## Ranks

Dragon Knights, like most formal organisations, have a strict hierarchy based on skill or experience.

* **Squires**: Those who come to Dragon Hold for the first time become squires and serve under a Dragon Knight for a time, until they kill a dragon and advance to Knight status. Their duties include rendering assistance to Knights in the field, and using scrolls to teleport to Dragon Hold if their Knight is in need of reinforcements. Depending on the knight in particular they may be reduced to nothing more than a servant, polishing the knight's boots and serving them when they eat. From visions of Bram's fears, it seems that many squires do not make it to knighthood, often dying while serving their knights in the field. Examples include Bram, Davion's and later Ritterfau's squire.
* **Knights**: If a squire is able to kill a dragon, they advance to become proper Knights. They receive a set of armor and a weapon that can easily cut through dragon flesh. They are also assigned a squire, and can be called upon to investigate dragon sightings. Examples include Davion and, strangely enough, Kaden.
* **Elders**: With enough kills under their belt, a Dragon Knight can become an Elder. From the little we've seen, Knights at this rank gain more ornate armor and weaponry, and are to be treated with respect by lower ranking Knights and squires. It seems that a Knight can refuse this title; Kaden, for instance, has far more experience than Ritterfau, but had to greet him as an Elder. Kaden's refusal may be because Elders have to stay in Dragon Hold to protect it, which would compromise his quest for revenge.
* **Fathers**: Those who attain this rank may be squires who, for one reason or another, are unable to become Knights. They may be chosen more for their intellect, as they are the ones who work the Foundry that produces the equipment the Knights use to fight dragons. They are also experts in lore related to dragons. Some may have magical abilities, as it is stated that they created the teleportation scrolls keyed to Dragon Hold. Only one Father is shown in the series, but Kaden notes that there were others, so it may not be a title held by a single person.

## Equipment

The Dragon Knights use a variety of special equipment to fight dragons, often forged in the Foundry by Fathers. They include;

* **Weapons**: Using dragon parts, a unique mineral or a combination of the two, Dragon Knights forge weapons capable of piercing through dragon scales with ease. Examples include Davion's gauntlet, which deploys a blue, glowing blade that he often uses in lieu of a normal blade to cut through dragon flesh, and the dragon scale arrowheads Kaden gave Mirana, which could explode on impact. Some weapons exhibit what might be considered magical abilities related to dragons, likely made from the bodies of dead dragons; Reinfield's sword seems to channel the power of a Luminous dragon to create a blinding flash of light, and Kaden's sword, made from a Void dragon, hits harder the heavier an opponent is. Davion's new sword in Book 3 could unleash a blue energy wave capable of slicing a Fire dragon in two, suggesting it was made from parts of a Water dragon. A spear Davion briefly wielded during the attack on Dragon Hold burst into flame upon being thrown, likely having been made using fire dragon scale.
* **Armour**: While squires are not provided with armor (likely contributing to their high death rate), higher ranking Knights receive specially crafted armor. Besides the protection it provides, it is unknown if normal armor confers other benefits. The most unique armor was Kaden's, made from the parts of adult dragons he killed, which allowed him to use their strength and abilities. Ritterfau, as an Elder, possessed an ornate set of armor made from Luminous dragon scale.
* **Shields**: In Kaden's flashbacks and the armory in Dragon Hold, there were shields that could project a glowing blue forcefield that could repel dragon breath weapons. Their effectiveness, of course, depends on getting the shield up in time, and the power of the dragon or force being applied against it; Slyrak, for instance, easily broke through one such force field with a single, concentrated fire blast. The shields appear to be collapsible, as Davion's disappeared when he didn't need it in Book 3.
* **Scrolls**: Magical scrolls keyed to certain individuals or locations, usually Dragon Hold, that allow for instantaneous transportation. Bram hates using them, he claims the teleportation process makes him sick, and there is a slight chance of losing a key body part (it is unknown if that has happened before).
* **Defenses**: The walls of Dragon Hold were mounted with large ballistas that fired bolts imbued with elemental energy.
* **Miscellaneous**: They also made use of other equipment such as grappling winches which could pull a target out of the air and were strong enough to restrain Slyvion, an alchemical concoction used by Kaden to render Slyvion unconscious, and a map that could be used to monitor dragon movement patterns.

## Known Dragon Knights

* Davion
* Kaden
* Bram
* Father
* Ritterfau