Knights of Man
They call us rebels. We are simply those who remember the world before the chains.
Overview
The Knights of Man are a militant, ideologically unyielding faction dedicated to a single, absolute goal: the severing of the draconic leash that binds humanity. They view all Dragon Overlords as ancient usurpers and their mortal proxies—including Kendron's revered Stormlord—as contemptible puppets. Their xenophobia is absolute; they cite the tyrannical rule of overlords in lands like Hamurk and Myrrandor as irrefutable proof that all draconic dominion is inherently corrupt, regardless of individual temperament. Rooted in the unwavering worship of Mandur, god of dominion, war, and disciplined order, the Knights believe humanity's strength lies in its own hand, unburdened by scales or arcane artifice. They operate in clandestine cells, conducting strategic sabotage and ceaselessly rallying the disenfranchised under the stark banner of human sovereignty. To the state, they are dangerous extremists. To their sympathizers, the "Unshackled," they are the last true heroes of a stolen world.
Founding and Ideology: The Iron Oath
The Knights were founded in the shadowed ruins of Caelmoor by Marcus Dragonsbane, a decorated officer of the Stormlord's guard who defected, denouncing the Draconic Accord as a gilded chain. His final words before his execution—"No chains. No dragons. No kings."—became the movement's rallying cry.
Their core ideology is codified in the Iron Oath, a creed that every member swears upon blood and steel. They believe that humanity was born free and that the Ninefold Pact was a grand betrayal. They see the "benevolence" of rulers like Midasaura as a mere tactic of control, a comfortable cage to keep humanity docile. Their interpretation of history is centered on the glories of the pre-draconic Mandurian Empire, and they seek to build a new world in its image, guided by the disciplined, human-centric principles of their god, Mandur.
Methods and Operations
The Knights blend rigid military discipline with revolutionary fervor, employing guerrilla tactics and technological countermeasures to fight a war of attrition against an overwhelmingly powerful foe.
- Strategic Sabotage: Their primary method. They do not engage in open battle but strike at the symbols and infrastructure of draconic rule. They will bomb a dragocite conduit, assassinate a key member of the Heliox Assembly, or sabotage a shipment of drakemetal.
- Technological Countermeasures: The Knights disdain arcane magic as a tool of the dragons. Instead, they are masters of "human-centric" technology. They develop and deploy specialized devices like Dragocite Pulse-Disruptors to temporarily disable Vanguard armor and Arcane Null-Fields that create zones of muffled magic, giving their conventional soldiers a fighting chance against powerful spellcasters.
- Ideological Subversion: They are masters of propaganda. They circulate pamphlets in the Shadowmere Depths, secretly fund dissident speakers in the Collegium Quarter, and spread a Mandur-centric interpretation of history to expose the "lies" of the Draconic Accord and rally the disenfranchised to their cause.
Role in Platinus
In Platinus, the Knights of Man are the ultimate domestic threat. They are the ghost in the machine, the constant, nagging proof that not everyone is content in the Gilded Cage. Their cells are hidden throughout the city, from the working-class tenements of the Windemere Wharfs to, it is rumored, the very halls of the noble houses in the Highdrake Enclave. They are the primary internal adversary of the Drakemetal Vanguard, who hunt them with relentless zeal. Their unstable alliance of convenience with certain cells of the Umbral Serpents provides them with black-market technology and intelligence, though their rigid ideology often clashes with the Serpents' nihilistic pursuit of profit.
Structure
Organization and Structure
The Knights are not a traditional army but a revolutionary movement, organized for secrecy and resilience.
- The Iron Council: The secret, centralized leadership of the Knights. Its members are anonymous, known only by titles such as "The Hammer" or "The Anvil." They set the grand strategy for the entire organization.
- Cells: The Knights operate in small, independent cells of 5-20 members. Each cell is led by a Chapter Master and is specialized for a particular task: propaganda, sabotage, recruitment, or direct action. This structure ensures that if one cell is compromised, the larger network remains secure.
- Quartermasters: A vital role within each cell, the Quartermaster is responsible for acquiring and maintaining the cell's equipment, particularly their specialized, human-developed technology.
Culture
They call us rebels. We are simply those who remember the world before the chains.
The culture of the Knights of Man is shaped by harsh discipline, fierce nationalism, and a nearly sacred belief in human sovereignty. They reject the authority of the Dragon Overlords and their mortal vassals, viewing arcane magic as a tool of enslavement rather than power. Their worldview is binary—human freedom versus draconic tyranny—with little room for nuance. Their doctrine, the Iron Oath, instills three beliefs: that humanity was born to rule itself; that all dragons, even the so-called benevolent, are patient tyrants; and that true power lies in steel, reason, and what man builds with his own hands. These beliefs are reinforced through ritual: recruits swear their oaths on dragon fangs wrapped in broken chains, blades bear the names of the dead, and each year, cells gather to honor their founder’s death at the Siege of Blackspire. Knowledge is weaponized—history reframed into myth—to deepen conviction and fuel rebellion. To the Knights, freedom is forged, not granted.
Public Agenda
The Iron Oath circulates not on fine paper, but on rough-spun parchment marked in blood. It rejects the illusion of peace in Platinus, calling its harmony a gilded cage and its dragon-appointed rulers glorified zookeepers. The Knights of Man refuse this lie. They vow not to rule, but to unshackle humanity from draconic chains. Their mandate begins with the rejection of the Dragon Overlords and their mortal proxies. No scaled tyrant or bowing bureaucrat has the right to command humankind. In their place, the Knights seek to restore the Mandurian ideal—a disciplined human empire ruled by human hands alone. Magic is seen as a corrupting influence, to be stripped from society and replaced with reason, steel, and engineered progress. Unity is their weapon; division, their enemy. Under Mandur’s gaze, they aim to forge an ironbound state where freedom is earned, not granted. No chains. No dragons. No kings. Only man—unshackled and unyielding.
Assets
The Knights of Man command no banners, castles, or armies. Their power lies in conviction, secrecy, and precision. Financed by tithes from sympathizers and black-market spoils, their treasury exists in scattered caches—hidden coins, smuggled drakemetal, and favors banked with covert allies like the Umbral Serpents. Their operatives function in tight, independent cells spread across Kendron, supported by a vast network of civilians who shelter, fund, and inform them. Many leaders, like Gideon Vane, are former officers turned revolutionaries, well-versed in the strategies of the very forces they now fight. Lacking territory, they thrive in hidden safehouses across cities like Platinus and in remote ruins deep within the Fallen Mountains. Their humanist technology is engineered to disrupt dragocite systems and suppress arcane forces—null-fields, pulse-disruptors, and precise mechanical tools form their arsenal. Fast horses and covert transport ensure swift, untraceable movement. The Knights’ true wealth is not gold, but belief—and the sharpened edge of purpose.
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