Knights of War

Goals and Philosophy

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“If we leave the embers of chaos with breath, it will be an inferno before anyone even notices the smoke. It will not only be the guilty who are lost in that blaze.”

— Sanctorex Reun Dyrik

  The Knights of War are a collective of knightly orders working underneath a single high commander, known as the Sanctorex. Though, many would call them mercenaries when they are not in earshot.
  Where guard companies focus on keeping heinous crimes at bay, and paladin orders seek to strive toward the greater good, the Knights are not distracted by the concept of morality or temperance.
  They wish to bring law and order to any settlement they reside in, and readily use whatever means available to them to do so. Regardless of the reasoning for disorder to exist in a space, or what task they were initially hired to handle, the Knights will not stand for any traces of anarchy to exist without challenge.
  Regardless of the personal morality of individual knights, it is agreed that anarchy is their ultimate enemy. No matter what form it takes, like the demons in the dark, it can only cause trouble for everyone in the area, and put them at risk as routines and safety protocols are ignored.
  Demons being the embodiment of the chaos they fight, Knights are particularly ferocious in pushing back the demonic horde as far as they can. This makes them desirable to the common people, even if they are also rightly feared for their extreme adherence to law and order.

As their name suggests, War is the unchallenged patron deity of the order. The Armored Guardian's divine magic is particularly useful to push back demonic hordes, but can just as readily be used to enforce law upon unruly people. Many within the knight's ranks were once acolytes in training to become priests of War; but found their calling was more toward fighting the root of the problem rather than mending the broken minds of others.
  During the Days of War, the Knights ritualistically make offerings of blood to please their patron. The blood shed in these praises is always their own, as it is seen as an insult to substitute the blood of the uninitiated.
  Flagellation is the most common way that the knights will make offerings to War, though some more zealot members have favored the more delicate methods of drawing blood with a blade edge. They will carve a prayer into the flesh of their arms and torso, using precise shallow cuts; not quite enough to leave scars, so that they may remake them once they heal fully.

Structural Hierarchy

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The hierarchy of the Knights is absolute, and each member feels the weight of it upon their shoulders; either the pressure of authority, or the anchor of expectation. Speaking out of turn or disobeying a superior officer will result in swift, harsh punishment to dissuade future disorder and rebellion. In many ways, the training of the knights Orders is designed to break down and indoctrinate its soldiers, and only those who have learned to kneel before the authority have hope to rise to positions among them.
  Those who fail to meet expectation, or continue to be a source of rebellious actions against orders will quickly lose standing, and even their lives. The Knights of War do not allow initiated, but disgraced soldiers to wander unbound by their laws. The potential for them to cause issues elsewhere is to great.
 

Sanctorex

Sanctorex is the commanding general of the knights, with absolute authority amongst all the order’s ranks. In many ways, they are seen as a King by their soldiers, with their word being law. The Sanctorex is in charge of organizing the wider movements of the ranks, where they are allowed to be, and what settlements were worthy of receiving their protection. Likewise, they may decide which have caused enough offense to warrant being abandoned to their fate.
 

Vicarex

Vicarex is the second-in-command, set to succeed the Sanctorex in the event of their death or dishonor. They are often sent out to reinforce their order’s justice if the settlement they are charged with defending attempts to force them out before the contract is concluded.
 

Gladiux

Gladiux are the captains of the knight orders, leading them from place to place, keeping their soldiers in order, and dealing with conflicts and prisoners that their company encounters. While they defer to the laws of whatever city they are stationed in, should decisions not reach their standard, it is not unheard of for them to encourage their soldiers to become more forceful in their methods to correct the issues.
 

Knight

Knights are the rank-and-file initiated soldiers of the orders.
 

Armiger

Apprentice warriors to the knights, armigers need to learn the rigid systems of the hierarchy quickly, lest they be kicked out. In order to prove themselves, they must assist the knights in their duties for six years, then they must slay a demon in single combat. The demon is typically captured for this purpose as the order prepares to initiate the most suitable armiger.

The Knights are feared all across the Midnight Expanse, but also respected for their military strength. All peoples, from those that live within city walls to those who have nomadic lives, are aware of their expertise in battling demons as well as keep crime to a minimum by the force of sheer presence alone. The reputation that precedes them has reached mythical status, even though not many would say they enjoy the presence of the knights.

The knights use this influence to gain a foothold in the politics of the wardstone cities and their vassals. Those that call upon them for protection are bound to hear out the assigned Gladiux in matters related to their presence, such as how to deal with criminals or what protocols should be implemented to keep demons farther from the walls.

Those that refuse this requirement will quickly find themselves unable to call for the aid of the knights in the future, no matter how much they plead or how dire their need. Smaller settlements have tested the mercy of the Sanctorex and have eventually fallen to the demon hordes; thus dissuading others from attempting the same, regardless of whether the defenses and guardians of the wardstone cities could keep the demons at bay without the assistance.
 

History

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When the Azlaryn Empire fell, the devastation left the remnants of civilization scattered, but trapped by the Vi’Rok mountains and at the mercy of demons that lurked in the shadows. Though the first months were guarded by the great Herald of War, sent by the Armored Guardian themself to defend the survivors, the herald could not provide the protection forever.
  When the herald disappeared, either defeated or called to another task, the remaining peoples of the empire scattered to find other means of protection. Any small error, or moment of forgetfulness, could result in disaster that claimed whole families.
  The chain of horrors seemed endless, and many grew rapidly impatient with the mistakes that caused their homes to be vulnerable.
  The initial foundations of the knights were little more than a collection of gangs trying to keep their villages safe in whatever way they knew how. Some would attempt polite encouragement to others to stay on task, but more often than not they would turn to bullying and coercion to force others into following their rules more strictly.
  These gangs had little contact with each other back then, indeed conflict and tensions were high. Battles would break out between factions over their disagreements of how to best ensure the safety of all. What should be given in payment for this protection was also a popular subject of conflict.
  Over the centuries, as the people settled into larger towns and cities, these groups began to absorb one another, bonded by their like desire to see the demon hordes pushed back and bring order to keep the streets safe from more mortal threats closer to home.
  Once the growth started, the number of the Knights of War quickly grew so large that it became unruly, which unsettled the foundations of their beliefs. The chaos in their own ranks spoke to the need for more rigid rules and a definite system of rank to determine who was able to give orders to whom.