Knights of the Lunar Mansions

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The 28 Lunar Mansion Warriors (28の月の大邸宅の戦士, *Nijuhachi no tsuki no dai teitaku no senshi),* also known as the *Knights of the Lunar Mansions*, is a group of warriors who work with the Twelve Earthly Branches and serve the Four Guardian Beasts. All of them serve the Silver Deer Warrior of the Changing Moon. Each Guardian Beast has three Earthly Branch generals and seven knights under their command. They are loyal to their respective master.

Each member has a silver badge that they use to call their Dreamland Dimensional Mate to their side to fight with them. When the battle gets tough, the Knight would use the badge's lunar energy to merge with their Mate in order to transform into their Night Form. Like the Stars of Destiny, they came about after the battle between the Crusaders of the Constellations and the Devourer of Worlds.

## History

After receiving her titles in the Investiture of the Stars Ceremony and her graduation from Aether World Cosmic University, Maya discovered that her adopted younger brother met his Dreamland Dimensional Mate. The Mate, Revati, handed him a silver badge and taught him how to use it. She consulted King Athos on what to do with this. He advised that she must train him and Revati to use their powers to protect people.

Eventually, Maya's adopted younger brother met people like him who received the silver badges from their Dimensional Mates. She took them under her wings and with the help of her classmates, taught them human combat skills and the proper usage of their newfound powers.

Eventually, her pupils graduated a year later...as the newly minted Knights of the Lunar Mansions.

## Unique Abilities

Aside from the abilities their Dreamland Dimensional Mates possess, the Knights have their own unique abilities:

* Badge Summons (•): A technique derived from Ranald’s summoning of Hydara, the Knight can use his silver badge to call their Dreamland Dimensional Mate to fight with them by their side.
* Borrowing the Fauna’s Skill (••): The Dreamland partner of a Knight can give his powers to his Mate, be it in Dreamland or Earth. However, this ability costs less energy on Earth, so Knights usually use Badge Summons before this ability.
* Tranquil Knight (•••): The Knight and his Mate emit a soft silver glow, calming the minds of those affected by the nightmare monsters and spirits that descend to Earth to cause trouble.
* Sin-Viewing Vision (••••): At night, the moon witnesses the misdeeds of those who fear their exposure by the light of the Sun. From crimes to corruption and sordid affairs, the moon sees. A Knight looks at a target and instantly learns the most horrible deed the target has done. If his Dimensional Mate has a similar ability, both of them can activate this ability to view all the sins committed by the target in his life, from the least to the greatest.
* Delirium-Inducing Visage (•••••): When a Knight in his Night Form simply wants to scare away unwanted people, he simply activates this ability with the silver badge, which causes the target or a group of them to flee in terror after taking a glance or a look at the user in his fused form. Targets often report feeling a 'primal fear' run through them and hallucinating an unnatural form over the Night Form of the Dimensional Warrior before running away. When the ability is strong enough (+•••••), the target(s) end up with a mild form of the moon's lunacy for a few days.
	+ Visage of the Guardian Beast(+•): This upgrade mitigates a possibility of the Knight accidentally scaring away a loved one or a friend and driving them mad with fear. As long as anyone with positive connections to the Knight glances at the user, instead of seeing an unnatural creature of the night, they see a terrifying yet beautiful beast-warrior of legend. Instead of fear, they feel peace knowing that this warrior is benevolent and protects them from the monsters of the night.

## List of Members

### Azure Dragon of the East

The Knights serving under the Azure Dragon are said to be born leaders and tacticians. Smart and focused, they are always (well, most of the time), leading their fellow Knights on missions given by the Silver Deer Warrior of the Changing Moon.

1. Wood Crocodile of Horn (ホーンの木のクロコダイル, *Hōn no ki no kurokodairu)*: Leader of The Azure Dragon's subordinates. A crocodile with a horn on his head. He uses the halberd Red Lotus (赤い蓮, *Akai hasu*) as his signature weapon. He can manipulate rain and has a paralyzing gaze.
2. Metal Dragon of Neck (ネックの金のドラゴン, *Nekku no kin no doragon)*: Dragon with a hard, metallic grey neck, hence his epithet "Iron Neck" (鉄の首, *Tetsu no kubi*). Aside from being an alchemist, he is also a judge who metes out punishments on villains with his sabre.
3. Earth Marten of Base (ベースの土のマートン, *Bēsu no tsuchi no* *māton)*: A marten with the power of flight. Has a mischievous streak. Mentored by a previous warrior, a raccoon dog.
4. Fire Tiger of Tail (尾の火の虎, *O no hi no tora*): A tiger with a fiery tail. Face of a thug with a heart of gold. A great strategist.
5. Water Leopard of Basket (バスケットの水のヒョウ, *Basuketto no mizu no hyō*): A snow leopard who is the most elusive of Azure Dragon's subordinates. Frequently travels around the world to fight evil.
6. Sun Rabbit of Room (部屋の日のうさぎ, *Heya no hi no usagi*): The fastest of the warriors, she can infiltrate enemy bases and disable their defenses before the other warriors can enter. She is in a rivalry with Moon Vixen, though she mistakes it for friendship.
7. Moon Vixen of Heart (心の月のビクセン, *Kokoro no tsuki no bikusen*): Second fastest of the warriors and the most cunning. She can create minions from small things and can fly on clouds. Rivals with Sun Rabbit.

### Vermilion Phoenix of the South

Knights serving under the Vermilion Phoenix are said to be the most courageous of all. Yet, they can be impulsive, going headfirst into danger. Though some of them are quite mellow and calm, they would be the first to jump into a battle, with courage burning like that of the Golden Griffin Warrior of the Blazing Sun.

1. Wood Wild Dog of Well (井戸の木の犬, *Ido no ki no inu*): Leader of the Vermilion Phoenix's subordinates. A wolf/dog hybrid with the power to manipulate water. Likes gardening and tinkering. Dislikes people ruining his gardens and his motorbike Fortitudo.
2. Metal Sheep of Ghost (幽霊の金の羊, *Yūrei no kin no hitsuji*): A mysterious sheep who watches over the souls of the dead, their resting places and where they died. Has an eye for buried treasure.
3. Earth Buck of Willow (柳の土の鹿, *Yanagi no tsuchi no shika*): A water deer with the power of the forest. Has a short temper.
4. Sun Horse of Star (星の日のうま, *Hoshi no hi no uma*): A feisty red horse that is equipped with the naginata Distemper (ジステンパー, *Jisutenpa*). Guardian of travelers and merchants.
5. Moon Deer of Bow (弓の月の鹿, *Yumi no tsuki no shika*): A red deer with net and arrows he uses to hunt down villains. He is more mellow than Earth Buck.
6. Fire Snake of Wings (翼の火の蛇, *Tsubasa no hi no hebi*): A winged cobra, resembling the Aztec feathered snake, Quetzalcoatl. Likes music, pomp and pageantry. She likes Earth Bat's music the most. Prefers toying with the enemy rather than defeating them quickly.
7. Water Worm of Chariot (戦車の水のワーム, *Sensha no mizu no wāmu*): A velvet worm who rides the chariot Favorable Wind (嬉しい風, *Ureshī kaze*). He is the one who transports the rest of his fellow warriors to their destination.

### White Tiger of the West

Knights serving under the White Tiger are the spies of the moon. Stealthy and quick, they are as wise as the Azure Dragon's Knights and prefer using their intellect to find more knowledge and spy on enemies than leading people. They were said to be shy and gentle one minute and roaring warriors the next, the moment those they care about are attacked by evil.

1. Wood Wolf of Legs (奎の木のウルフ, *Kui no ki no urufu*): A wolf who is the strongest of the 28 lunar mansion warriors. He is the leader of the White Tiger's subordinates and a weapons expert. Holds the power to balance all things.
2. Metal Dog of Mound (マウンドの金の犬, *Maundo no kin no inu*): A dog with power over time. Is fond of festivals that are joyous with music and food. He has a shy nature and is called the "Hidden Angel" (隠された天使, *Kakusareta tenshi*).
3. Earth Pheasant of Stomach (胃の土のキジ, *I no tsuchi no kiji)*: A pheasant with acute awareness. She is in charge of storage and thus has powers related to the concept of storing and enclosing.
4. Sun Rooster of Hairy Head (昴の日の雄鶏, *Subaru no hi no ondori*): A rooster who serves as the sentry for the warriors. He also serves as the one who pronounces his master's edict, hence his nickname "The Mouth of the Guardian" (保護者の口, *Hogo-sha no kuchi*).
5. Moon Crow of Net (ネットの月の烏, *Netto no tsuki no karasu):* A heroic crow who uses his net to catch villains and his trident Edge of Oblivion (忘却の縁, *Bōkyaku no en*) to prevent them from escaping. He watches over the borders between worlds.
6. Fire Monkey of Beak (タートルビークの火の猿, *Tātorubīku no hi no saru*): A monkey who enforces the laws of the Four Guardian Beasts. He uses a chain whip to bind offending people.
7. Water Ape of Three Stars (參の水のエイプ, *San no mizu no eipu*): A gorilla with a taste for books. He has a mercurial nature and can either set or break boundaries. Uses his strength to pummel evil forces into submission.

### Black Tortoise of the North

The Knights serving under the Black Tortoise are the defenders of the Realm of the Moon. Physically, mentally and spiritually strong, they are the first line of defence should enemies ever come knocking. They also are the protectors of their fellow Knights, caring for them and healing their injuries, and they also extend their protection and care to the weak and helpless.

1. Wood Xie of Dipper (おしゃぶりの木の獬, *Oshaburi no ki no sha*): A unicorn-goat who wields the sword Justicia Poética. He metes out punishments to evildoers and is called "The Sword of Justice" (正義の剣, *Seigi no ken)*by his peers. He can see through lies and falsehoods. Leader of the Black Tortoise's subordinates.
2. Metal Ox of Ox (牛の金の牛, *Ushi no kin no ushi)*: An ox who watches over roads and barriers and by extension, anything that by its nature divides one place from another. He prefers acting alone.
3. Earth Bat of Maiden (女の土のコウモリ, *Otome no tsuchi no kōmori*): A bat who is a skilled musician. She can use her lute Tamer of Passions (情熱の味方, *Jōnetsu no mikata)*to manipulate other's emotions and her sonic attacks to disorient opponents.
4. Sun Rat of Void (虚の日のラット, *Kyo no hi no ratto*): A rat who guards cemeteries against grave robbers. He once fought off a necromancer who tried to steal a powerful artifact.
5. Moon Swallow of Rooftop (危の月の燕, *Ki no tsuki no tsubame*): A small swallow with an observant nature. She prefers to hide and observe events unfolding from the shadows. That is unless said event is very serious.
6. Fire Pig of Encampment (室の火の豚, *Rūmu no hi no buta*): A pig with the power of fire. He is a great cook and a brewer of the finest teas.
7. Water Porcupine of Wall (壁の水のヤマアラシ, *Kabe no mizu no yamārashi*): A porcupine mentored by the previous warrior, a pangolin. As a result, he has the best defence of all the lunar mansion warriors. Gentlemanly in personality, he is fond of fine arts and literature.

## Duties

They may be ordinary humans during the day, but at night, their true power shows. By fusing with their Dreamland Dimensional Mates they call to their sides with their silver badges, they can take on ten men with their Night Form's powers and abilities.

If the 108 Stars of Destiny protect people during the day, then the Knights of the Lunar Mansions, though fewer in number, protect people during the night. During the day, when the Knights are living their mundane lives, their Dreamland Dimensional Mates would perform their duties in Dreamland and watch over their partners on Earth. When evening comes, the Knights would go on patrol in their hometown on the lookout for any trouble though sometimes, both they and their Dimensional Mates meet and go on patrol together while the Stars of Destiny rest at their homes, prepare for the next day and sleep.

When the Knights sleep after a night of patrolling and defeating whatever threats they encountered during the night, their bodies will rest, while their spirits roam. First, they travel to Dreamland to meet their Dimensional Mates and then to the Realm of the Moon to train, explore and socialize, just like their counterparts led by Ra who would meet in the Realm of the Sun's Zenith Castle for similar deeds before the sun rises. But when trouble happens at night, during their Dreaming Time, they would meet at the Realm's Fort Buwan for mission briefings and then the Knights and their partners would descend to Earth to battle nightmare monsters that harm people and foil the plans of villains (some of who are in the Stars of Destiny's rogue's gallery) before sunrise.

From their perspective, it's as if they have recurring dreams about going to a realm of perpetual moonlight, either training with their Dreamland Dimensional Mates or receiving missions from their leader, then descending to Earth to fight monsters and villains at night. Very rarely would they go on Dimensional Missions. When they do, it's to help the Crusaders with serious interdimensional threats. According to Delphinus, the Knights because of their duties are in a way, the shadows to the shining Stars of Destiny.

As a Celestial Dimension Warrior of the Moon, one has to balance their normal with their Knight life (not the one you're thinking of now). It's a good thing that Mayari, the Four Guardian Beasts, and the Lunar Zodiac Generals patrol the night along with them, for if a situation involving evil forces is serious enough, they will call the Knights to help them.