The Crimson Blades

THE CRIMSON BLADES

“By the blood we bind, by the blade we break.”
— Oath of Induction

ORIGINS

The Crimson Blades were founded nearly six centuries ago, during the height of civil war and chaos in the aftermath of the Great Purge. Born in the sands of northern Ra’ahet, they were originally a loose brotherhood of disenfranchised sons—exiled nobles, disavowed soldiers, and merciless raiders.

But it was under the mysterious warlord Azhir the Red Jackal that they were unified into an elite and terrifyingly disciplined force. Azhir declared that honor had no place in a broken world — only strength, loyalty, and the sharpest steel. Under his blood-oath system, the Crimson Blades became something between a cult and a mercenary army.

Today, they are not a kingdom's army, but a private military order—hired, feared, and obeyed. Their allegiance is always temporary… unless blood has been spilled.

ORGANIZATION

The Crimson Blades operate under a strict hierarchy:

All members undergo the Blood Trial, where they are cut and left to survive in the desert alone for seven days with only a dagger, then return with a kill — beast or man.

METHODS OF WARFARE

The Crimson Blades are known for:

Shock Raiding and Skirmishing:

Masters of fast-moving cavalry and sand-based ambushes.

They use burning oils, blinding powders, and shard-grenades (glass pots filled with alchemical fragments)

Night Tactics:

Wear crimson veils and paint their faces with red ash for stealth and intimidation.

Their blades are shorter scimitars, curved for quick strikes and parrying in the dark.

Disciplined Formations:

Despite their mercenary origins, their unit cohesion is flawless, trained like a private army.

They favor circle formations, shield walls made of lacquered wood and brass, and a style called the “Vulture Dance” — an encircling slaughter pattern.

BASE OF OPERATIONS

Their main stronghold is the Fortress of Veils, hidden deep within the Flamecaller’s Teeth, a jagged, wind-carved mountain range in northern Ra’ahet. It was built inside a canyon reachable only by narrow paths and rope bridges.

The fortress includes a red stone arena, training pits, secret vaults of captured relics, and even a prison for oathbreakers.

Outsiders rarely enter — and if they do, they are masked and blindfolded the entire time.

The fortress is supported by two oasis outposts, known as:

The Gash (used for training and recruitment)

Stonewell Bastion (a refit camp for wounded and a storage hub for loot and tribute)

CODE & OATH

“Loyalty is written in blood.”

“Speak not against the Vrax.”

“Honor is a luxury of kings. Obedience is the law of blades.”

Members of the Crimson Blades are marked by a crimson scar tattoo on the inner wrist. Oathbreakers are hunted down by Bloodseers — silent, masked assassins that serve only the Vrax.

The Crimson Blades Leadership

Leader (Vrax): Khassir the Silent

Lead Advisor :Zahir the Hollow Flame: Pyromancer, strategist.

Fang-Circle (Elite Commanders):

Rayjan Vareem – Mentor to Elion, views him like a nephew.

Shamur the Widowmaker: Brutal infantry commander.

Young Prodigy: Kael, youngest Fang-Circle member, close to Elion.

Support Character: Saelira, desert shaman from Tal’Azar, age 1 year older than Elion, saved from an Ordo purge and now a key member of the Chain.