Cockatrice Knights
I've seen those things roam the mountainsides as wild herds. Wild cockatrice alone are dangerous enough. But ones that are tamed? Bred for war? Couldn't imagine anything but a sea of rock. Take it from me, the moment you see a blur of feathers, it's too late.
~ William Odo ~
Bonds and Pride
Many different ranks make up the prideful and shiny armies of Ravenna. The Crimson Guard are the common foot soldier of the military. The Ruby Titans are elite cavalry used for shock tactics and fast-paced combat. But no military unit is more decorated, revered, and feared than the Cockatrice Knights. Only an official knight endowed by the monarch can be eligible to join its ranks, which, even then, requires years of training.
The formation of the cockatrice knights came shortly after the Ravennian Civil War when Marcus Mendago rose to become the new king over Ravenna. The Ruby Titans had just been instated as an elite and heroic cavalry branch for efforts during the civil war. But for that reason, it had left Ravenna's military infrastructure heavily fractured. So, King Mendago focused as much as he could on repairing the kingdom's strength.
One of these ways to fix it was the idea of a second cavalry even more iconic than the first. The Ruby Titans were a cavalry symbolized after the kingdom's national icon, the cockatrice. But, King Mendago saw the vision of a cavalry unit that used actual cockatrice. Nests of them ran wild in the cold mountaintops of the Trispire Mountains, and through a collection of reforms, cockatrice, preferably infants and eggs, began being caught and tamed.
It was a very dangerous project given a cockatrice's lethal ability to turn its prey to stone, but with the young being gradually grown up around Ravennian herders, hostility was less frequent. The real challenge for breaking in a cockatrice was actually getting someone to ride it. They valued deep bonds greatly. And so, it could take weeks before a cockatrice felt comfortable allowing someone to mount it. But through this trial and error, the first soldiers were able to mount their cockatrice.
Being extremely agile, perceptive, and quick to react, the hardest part was manifesting the bond with a cockatrice. After it accepted a rider, things became much easier. A cockatrice learned to interpret its riders intentions, moving exactly as the rider needed it to without them commanding so in any way. As long as the rider knew how to handle a weapon, the cockatrice was able to do the rest.
With this success, King Mendago finally unveiled this to the rest of the kingdom when the first ever cockatrice knights marched through the streets of the new capital, Mendago. The crowds were awed and looked to the knights like they were some kind of saint. From there, the fame continued to grow into the highly praised unit it has become.
The War of Turmoil
The Cockatrice Knights became a cavalry unit unlike anything ever seen. A knight's mounted training was so strict it was a truly powerful opponent to face. Couple that with an unbreakable bond with its cockatrice mount, and the land had cavalry that could move in ways horses never could. The Cockatrice Knights began to serve as an elite ranger force, traversing the rural and harsh environments along Ravenna's border.
Only on a few occasions did the Cockatrice Knights ever serve together. And one such time was the at the outbreak of the War of Turmoil. The Tenelean Empire to the west had launched unprovoked attacks across its borders, hitting Ravenna the hardest. In response, the Cockatrice Knights were one of the few branches mobilized to war.
The cockatrice knights dispersed into the mountains and hills of Forokia and to the small forests deep into Tenelean territory. The knights struck fast in an ensuing operation of guerilla warfare. During this timeframe, two sibling knights made a legendary name for themselves as they led even a successful strike against the Tenelean capital itself. Their names were Affexus and Cassandra Graymire, and their attack against the capital earned them both the title, the Twin Paragons.
When the Tenelean Empire aimed their campaign towards the fabled Heartened Soul Monastery on the continent's largest mountain, the cockatrice knights all organized in the forests around these mountains to aid the monastery in repelling the attack. Covered with dense fir trees, the knights utilized it as excellent camoflauge against the enemy, attacking and disappearing back into the trees in an instant. On multiple instances, the knights formed up together to lead mass charges through the tree lines.
Being near the end of the war, the Tenelean forces were forced to pull out before peace talks reached its climax and brought a close to the war.
Major Individuals
The Cockatrice Knights are a military faction consisting of very skilled and well educated soldiers. To become a knight is a legendary feat in and of itself, but only a few have left an iconic and lasting memory that will live on as their legacy.
Diane Lynch, the General Admiral: Diane Lynch was a female human. A devout and powerful follower of the Dawn Father, she served as the Marshall over the kingdom, a rank which commanded the Cockatrice Knights.
Affexus Graymire, the Phoenix: Affexus Graymire was a male human and one of the Twin Paragons. Wearing very decorated armor, he and his sister are both remembered for the successful attack on the Tenelean capital during the War of Turmoil, known as the Graybiggy Raid.
Cassandra Graymire, the Phoenix's Wing: Cassandra Graymire was a female human and one of the Twin Paragons. A girl who can hold her liquor as strong as she can her lance, she aided her brother in a successful attack on the Tenelean capital during the War of Turmoil, called the Graybiggy Raid.
Ythuna Bluebrook, the Pathfinder: Originally born in Amla Lenora in Endolin, Ythuna was a female elf who migrated to Ravenna. As an eventual knight of the military, Ythuna was one of the only Ravennian soldiers to have traveled the whole continent. As a Cockatrice Knight, this background proved extremely useful, as she knew its landscapes better than anyone else.
Jarn, the Rogue Cockatrice: Jarn is a large and battle-scarred cockatrice. The Cockatrice Knights were not immune to their own casualties during the War of Turmoil. One of those losses were Jarn's rider, Gatterby. The knights thought his cockatrice would flee back into the wild, but to their amazement, it stuck around with the knights. It continued to go where they went, and fight as they fought. Today, Jarn is an icon among the knights.
Type
Cavalry
Overall training Level
Elite
Assumed Veterancy
Decorated/Honored
Mountainside Duel
"Jump left!" Edward shouted that order, and his mount, Snow, followed it without hesitation. He felt weightless for a moment as she leapt from the rock face, landing with a hard thud against the far one. He glanced back, seeing where they once were get raked with talons as a wyvern strafed across the ground.
Its wings carried itself back into the air, angling to turn itself back towards him. On its back, Edward got a clear view of the rider mounted on top of it. A bow was drawn in its hands, and a collection of javelins were tied to the wyvern.
The wyvern's talons reared up in another attempt to catch Edward and Snow. The rider knocked an arrow into the string, taking aim as the wyvern descended into another dive.
Edward looked at his lance and shield in both hands. He gave a small pet to Snow as he raised his shield and lowered his lance against the enemy.
"Snow," he told her, knowing full well it was a bad idea, "you're not going to like this idea, but I think those legs look pretty tasty to you, huh?" Whether his idea was great or not, she didn't move. Instead, as if catching on to his plan, her head began to rear back, massive beak opening the slightest bit, poised to strike like a cobra.
A loud screech filled the air as the wyvern dived on them. An arrow bounced off Edward's shield as the wyvern's claws attempted to pierce and grab into Snow. But, like a hunter's trap, Snow snapped at the wyvern's right leg with lightning speed. Her beak snatched onto the wyvern, piercing through its hard skin. In a yelp of pain, it rose high into the air, carrying Snow and Edward with it.
But, Edward saw what was happening. The bite was already starting to have its effect, he could see the leg turning to stone. The creature continued to cry out and fly aggressively in an attempt to throw Snow off. But, to Edward's amazement, she held on and wouldn't let go.
Soon, the petrification reached the stomach. Then, the wings. After that, everyone started to fall. The cries of the wyvern carried through the air until its head finished the stone transformation. The rider fell off their mount and Edward prayed every prayer he could think of to stay on his.
The rider disappeared from view as he plummeted into a mountainous ravine. And Edward's fall came to a hard thud and an ear-shattering grind as Snow's claws hit a rocky mountainside in an attempt to slide down it and slow their fall.
"Rrrraaaaah!" Edward couldn't do anything but scream from all the adrenaline he had. Everything was in Snow's hands now.
Her feet hit a large rock rising up out of the ground and planted into it. The huge momentum shift nearly threw Edward off of her entirely, but he clung to her feathers and his saddle with everything he had.
Then, everything finally stopped. Edward was left breathing ragged breaths, Snow too.
"We... did it." Edward told Snow. "We... defeated a Wyvern Rider!"
A swordsman's diet consists of meat. But a Cockatrice Knight's consists of stone.~ Diane Lynch
Hey! Loved the article! I'm a WoW fan myself so exotic mounts are right up my alley haha. Here's the things I noticed/my suggestions! 1) The initial text blurb sounds like a quote, but it's not accredited to anyone so it seems odd. Even if it's just "A verteran warrior to his grandson", that alone gives the text some additional backstory and flavor. 2) It's not related directly to this article, but while reading this I definitely want to see a separate article on the cockatrices. They seem super interesting! 3) "Even with their low rank they are a foe to not underestimate." The language here is a bit odd. I would change it to something like "Even though they are the of the lowest rank, it would not be wise to underestimate them." or something along those lines. 4) "...command the very throngs of Cockatrice Knights that serve today." This also sounds a bit off to me, as throngs implies a certain level of disorderedness, which seems to be the opposite of what you're going for with these guys. I'd change it to "...command the entirety of the Cockatrice Knights that serve today." Or something similar. 5) "After the war, she took upon her duties as western Ravenna's new Arch-Chaplain." Why did she get these duties? Was there not an Arch-Chaplain before her? 6) "These twins are nearly inseparable as per their only demand. Find one and the other is likely to be found nearby; hopefully as an ally, and not an enemy." This seems a little weird as well. I think both of these sentences should be rewritten. 7) That last quote, like the first one, could also use accrediting. Obviously the character says their own name in the quote, but you could take this opportunity to add a little more to it, like the first one. I really liked this article a lot! I like the idea of these deadly beasts being tamed. Can't wait to read more from you!