Knighthood Orders

The Order of the Rose
Gallant and True

Founded in the 125th year after the founding of Pendor. Colors: White Rose on a green field. This order was founded by Sir Rhys of Avendor and during his lifetime was a prominent order of gallant knights. After his death in the 158th year after the founding of Pendor, his successor turned the order away from martial pursuits and more towards scholarly ones. Since that time the order has degenerated into an elite club for the sons of the Sarleon nobility to enjoy fine wine, and intellectual diatribe. I list it as it still does exist in the taverns and back rooms of Avendor.

The Order of the Falcon


Established in 94th year after the founding of Pendor. Colors: Black Falcon on a yellow field. This order has the notable distinction of allowing females into it’s ranks. The original charter allowed for this as one of the five founding members was a woman warrior by the name of Valera who was of no little prowess on the battlefield. This Order originated as a very successful adventuring company in the early years of the Kingdom that later transformed itself under the Validus Charta.

The Order fragmented after the breaking up of the Kingdom and over the years have declined to the point of extinction. The order was outlawed in Ravenstern in the 349th year after the founding of Pendor by King Gregory IV. Most of the order either retired or fled to other lands.

Scholars note: The order may have survived in a form with the Valkyrie in Fierdsvain as they wear the orders emblem upon their breasts. No documents survive that speak of this, and the initiation rites of the Valkyrie are not well documented nor understood. Though I daresay that I doubt that any of my scholarly brothers would want to risk their manhood by too closely examining the breasts of these female warriors.

After the Unification of Pendor by King Mordred the Great the Order of the Falcon joined with Madame Ursula in an attempt to crown her in Ravenstern. Several Orders including the Order of the Dragon, and the Royal Army, united to put and end to her rebellion. Madame Ursula was exiled and the Order of the Falcon virtually destroyed.

The Order of the Lion
The Lion Knights

Note: We expect this to be an NPC Order

The Order of the Lion was one of the largest and most renowned orders of Knights in the land, established in the 82nd year after the founding of Pendor by Sir Roderick the Red. The charter of the order is strict in its chivalrous by-laws, and is the oldest knighthood order that still has members in Pendor. After the untimely deaths of the royal family in 198, the order was instrumental, along with the Order of the Griffon, in establishing and maintaining order in the realm and preventing an all out war between rival factions contending for the throne of Pendor.
After the seccession of the Northern Lords, and the war with the Greater Baccus Empire, the order backed and supported Duke Alfred of Sarleon in assuming the throne and declaring himself the King of Sarleon.

In the 298th year after the founding of Pendor, the Order was outlawed. All texts and reference to the reasons and history surrounding this event have been destroyed by the order of our King, Ulric I of Sarleon, himself now a prominent member of this Knighthood Order. In the 346th year after the founding of Pendor, the Order was restored by the order of King Ulric I of Sarleon and all references to the events and histories since 298 were destroyed.

Acting as the bodyguard for King Ulric l,now the monarch of the Sarleon Kingdom, they fight with lances, morningstars, silver claymores and bastard swords under the banner of the king. The royal knights of Sarleon are the best calvary one can easily employ in the realm of Pendor. They fare extremely well in their role as heavy cavalry and can easily trample infantry and archers. On foot, they make excellent heavy infantry and the punch they deliver with their weapons are not to be underestimated. They also make excellent siege troops, able to attack and defend a walled center almost effortlessly. Undergoing rigorous training and maintaining a hearty diet of ale and red meat before being initiated into the order, the well-built and experienced Knights of the Lion can easily overpower other knights, even the extremely well-trained Knights of the Dawn, which many Pendorians deem as effective killing machines.

The Order was destroyed by King Mordred of Pendor, and the reformed Griffons, during the Battle of Sarleon. It was reformed in secret by numerous nobles as a way to combat the power of the Orders, specifically the Griffons, after the Noble Wars. The Order acted as a secret society for powerful nobles and members of the King's government.

The Order was changed again under the rule of Grandmaster Brennus, Duke of Avendor. Knights, rather than officials, were recruited. The Order rose up to challenge the rule of King Mordred the Mad during the Night of the Lion. Both King and Duke were slain. Afterwards the Lions and the Griffons fought a bloody civil war that ended with the legitimization of the Order of the Lion.


Code of Chivalry- It should be noted that the Code makes no mention of commoners. Lion Knights are allowed to marry and hold lands privately.

Spoiler:

Lion Ideology:
1. Maintain the power of the nobility. The Lions are not overtly hostile to the King or Monarchy, but they receive most donations from the nobility across Pendor.
2. Pendor Unity. The Lions may have once guarded the King of Sarleon, but the destruction of the Kingdom would leave them as petty knights in one of several Kingdoms.
3. Feud with the Griffons. Though they have aligned with the Griffons in the past, these have always been temporary alliances. Defeating Griffon Knights grants Lion Knights great prestige within the Order.

Retainers: Lion retainers are Squires. Heavy cavalry, but with lighter armor and less training... in effect, Medium Cavalry

The Order of the Dawn

The Order of the Dawn are an order of fanatics who follow the goddess Astraea and are dedicated to the destruction of evil. However, their fanaticism often goes too far; they believe that everyone is guilty of something and prefer to burn first and ask questions later.

The Order of the Dawn is mortal enemies with the Order of the Eventide, believing them to be heretics. For once, they are actually right.

Among the strongest knights found in Pendor, they wield lances and swords to battle against the Heretics and enforce their sense of law in Pendor, in the name of Astraea. Instead of using the faster hunters like the Eventide, they use slower, stronger warhorses. They are trained to use their swords with lethal speed; some even compare their skill to the D'Shar Bladesmasters. They also wield lances to great effect, often able to take out large groups of infantry with a single charge. Their warhorses are then able to get itself and its rider out of harm's way. However, their reliance on swords means that they make decent assault troops, but lack the ability to shatter shields easily. However, their ability not to be underestimated and they can easily slaughter troops single-handedly.

After the Unification of Pendor, the Order of the Dawn split into three factions. The New Dawn followed the teachings of the King's companion, Paladin Roland. A rift developed when some in the Dawn percieved weakness in their grandmaster. The Red Dawn followed Sir Lambert Tenorio and Bishop Gregory Herlin to Javiksholm and represented the most fanatical elements of the Order. The remnants were termed the Loyal Dawn. The Loyal and New Dawn allied to battle the Red and laid siege to Javiksholm, eventually killing Earl Aedin Redsword. Shortly thereafter, much of the Red and New Dawn Orders abandoned Pendor for Amala.

The Venerable Judicator, the head of the Astraean Church, now controls the Order instead of a proper grandmaster. The Great Purge dampened the partisan conflicts within the Order for decades. Though many of Saint Roland's reforms were enacted and the worst excesses of the Dawn stamped out, the Traditionalists continue with brutal methods. The Rolandians revere the Paladin-turned-Saint and seek to fully carry out his message of merciful justice. The Venerable Judicators have kept both sides from pushing too far into schism and open war, but with the return of both Red and New Dawn Knights from Amala, the internal disagreements threaten to turn into open warfare once more.


Retainers: Dawn Wyverns are Fierdsvain and Vanskerry infantry who wield swords and shields along with powerful two handed axes. Retainers are not bound to poverty or chastity.
The Dawn has also attempted to integrate with the local Fierdsvain culture and now recruits Dawn Valkyries from the noblewomen of the Fierdsvain.
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Ideology:
1. Astraean – The Dawn is a religious Order. Though views may vary widely, those questioning the Astraean Church often find themselves burning before long. The Church has become prominent in the old Fierdsvain and most Dawnites wish to see this become a trend across Pendor.
2. Zealous – The Dawn is known for its belief in purging sin. Individual knights often choose how far to take any single matter, but most are not known for mercy and forgiveness. Trials, whether sham or real, are commonly held by Dawn Knights since the Rolandian Reforms.
3. War with the Eventide – The Dawn believes the Order of the Eventide to be an order of 'heretics' at best and actual Heretics at worst. To kill an Eventide Knight is to bring Astraea's return one step closer. Some believe that the death of the Venerable Judicator who attempted to end the schism was a sign from Astraea.

The Order of the Eventide

The Order of Eventide is a splinter group from the Order of the Dawn. The Eventide ostensibly left because the Knights of the Dawn burned people as they pleased. They also claimed to be studying the Heretics in order to effectively combat them, but may have been corrupted by that which they studied. Thus, the Order of the Dawn's accusations that the Knights of Eventide are Heretics, or at least are in league with them, are true; the Knights of Eventide try at every turn to prevent people from learning this so that they can recruit under the guise of good people being attacked.

The Order of the Eventide still resides in Singal. Over the past century, they expanded throughout the D'shar territories and took part in many blood feuds. As their power in the desert expanded, their influence as a claimed Astraean Order waned. Pure Astraean Knights became progressively rarer. Much of the Order, and the most devoted worshipers of Erida Occisor, left Pendor to crusade in Amala. The remnant in Pendor was greatly weakened by this Black Crusade, and so recruited more heavily among the warring D'shar tribes. They have de facto absorbed the Order of the Windriders into their Ghilmen.

Still, the knights practice dark arts in their fortresses: blood magic, demonology, sorcery of many types. This is not known to the public at large, but the Dawn believes it to be true. Publicly, they are in favor of the expansion of an overseas Pendorian Empire. They wish to conquer new lands, largely for the income in their secret slave trade, and for the scraps of magical lore found in other places of the world. The Shadow Council of Singal is only too happy to support these endeavors, as they are enriched in coin as much as the Eventide. The Eventide is suspected of engaging in piracy and other raids, but no proof has yet emerged.


Retainers: Eventide Ghilmen are light cavalrymen from the D'Shar who support the heavier knights with bow and sword.
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Ideology:
1. Colonial Conquest – While the Radiant Cross advocates a crusade against the remaining strongholds of the Snake Cult, the Eventide pursues investing resources in outright conquest. The Eventide is also concerned with extracting wealth, slaves, and knowledge from overseas territories.
2. Secret Heretics – Though no longer focused on the worship of Erida Occisor, the Eventide continues to practice dark magics and commune with demons. Some Heretic cabals serve the interests of the Knights, while others do not.
3. Feud with the Dawn – The Dawn still despises the Eventide Knights as much as before and the hatred is mutual. The Dawn has thwarted the darker goals of the Eventide in the past and to kill one of the Dawn is to win glory within the order.

The Order of the Griffon

The Order of the Griffon was established prior to the founding of Pendor; this prestigious order of knights was the royal guards of the line of Cavalas. The plague of 198 wiped out a large number of the order's knights as well as the royal family.

After the plague, they put aside their differences and worked with the Order of the Lion to maintain order in the land. In the 203rd year after the founding of Pendor, in the forests of Laria, the order made its last stand against a small army of the Jatu who were assaulting the Larian farmlands. While successful in defending Laria from being plundered by the Jatu, not a single knight of this once proud order survived. The great hall of the Griffon Knights in Sarleon stood empty for many years until being converted into an abbey.

The Order of the Griffon was reformed by the future King Mordred and Sir Darlion of Pendor during the Unification Wars. After the unification, the Griffon Knights served as the king's bodyguard, his agents, and the commanders of the Royal Army.

The Griffons escaped the Noble Wars relatively unharmed. Their personal duty to the king left them with little to lose. Their status within the kingdom has varied over time, depending on how many of those in the king's service chose to join the Order. Over time, the Order has generally lost influence in the wake of the Noble Wars, as kings and chancellors relied more on the non-affiliated nobility. The order maintains responsibility for training the Royal Army and supplies some officers, but knights rarely command the army after the disasters in the D'shar.

After the war with the Lions, the Griffons act more independently than ever before. They are still funded primarily by the king and, to a lesser extent, the Duke of Sarleon. The Griffons have acted in every part of Pendor since the unification and actively recruit foreigners. The Griffon chapterhouse in Sarleon is the restored, ancient seat of the Order. The Griffon's Roost, a large and well-built fortress, rests at the mouth of the river and the great lake near Sarleon. Women have been allowed in the Order since the Veccavia Intervention.


Retainers: Bowmen of the Griffon are deadly longbowmen trained in the Veccavian style.
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Griffon Ideology:
1. The King's Men – The Griffons serve the king first and foremost. Many have had misgivings about certain royal decrees and even certain kings, but their loyalty is carefully measured while they serve as squires.
2. Pendorian Unity – The Griffons serve the King of Pendor, who is not keen on the division of his lands.
3. Feud with the Lions – The feud goes back to the first founding of each order and both have eliminated the other at least once before. After their failure to prevent the killing of Mordred the Mad, Griffons have gained prestige by defeating Lion Knights.

The Shadow Legion

The Shadow Legion is an elite group of knights from the Empire. Known for its devotion to the ways of the Old Baccus Empire and friendly with the Snake Cult, it is often at odds with the Order of the Radiant Cross.

Riding on the rare Ironbred Stallions (which only noblemen have the funds to purchase), they once acted as heavy shock cavalry to complement the heavy infantry forces of the Empire. The Centurions arm themselves with lances and broadswords as well as lethal broadhead javelins.

Once the greatest power of the East, the prestige of the Shadow Legion suffered a severe blow after the failed rebellion of the 'New Baccus Empire'. The main supporters of an autonomous New Empire, they were betrayed by the lords of the east, save for the Dux of Cez, and systematically crushed by King Mordred. Some say it was the Legion's ties to the Snake Cult that drove his highness so hard against them. This belief confused many when he showed mercy at the Siege of Cez. He allowed the Legion to live, under the condition of surrendering their properties in Pendor and going into exile in Amala.

When the exile finally ended, the Legion returned to their chapterhouse in Cez. Slightly corrupted by the Snake Cult during their time in Amala, the present-day Shadow Legion is a fierce defender of Baccus values. Due to the Dux of Cez's loyalty during the rebellion, the Shadow Legion reciprocates with unwavering loyalty towards the city of Cez and its leader.


Retainers: Shadow Legion Marinus are the spiritual successors of the marine soldiers of the Baccus Empire. Trained to use halberds and javelins, Marinus are effective medium infantry on land.
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Legion Ideology:
1. Meritocracy. The Old Baccus Empire chose leaders based on merit, and the lords of Pendor hold back the land from forming a proper empire. Small elections, held by those with merit, are the best way to determine leaders. Personal property, and thus nobility, are still hereditary to the Legion. Rulership and offices are not considered personal property, however.
2. Militant. The Baccus Empire was great because it tested itself. They are educated to constantly throw themselves into battle (and survive!), or to attend competitions of every nature. They do this not as a reckless, barbarian-like trait. Instead, they do it with the clear purpose of improving their skills, techniques and personal honor. They also do this because they feel it is their duty to their society. As a consequece, the Legion prizes discipline.
3. Superstition. The Baccus Empire largely rejected science. The Legion keeps the gods of Amala and, but prizes the reading of signs, the use of oracles, and honoring all the gods, even those of Pendor and occasionally Azi Dahaka.

The Order of the Radiant Cross

The Order of the Radiant Cross was first established in the 113th year after the founding of Pendor by Baron Jorn of Dunglave; the city of Dunglave is now known as Janos. It was formerly an order of doctors that was militarized in order to defend their physicians from bandits and rogues. The order was one of the prominent forces to battle the invasion by the Greater Baccus Empire in the 202nd year after the founding of Pendor. Overwhelmed in the battle of Sagent Glade, they were all but destroyed by the legions of General Oasar. When General Oasar became “Overlord,” and after the desertion by the Jatu, he incorporated the order's colors to form the identifying marks of his elite cavalry units. They were reinstated by Marius Imperator as an order of the "New Empire."

The Order of the Radiant Cross vanished right after the end of the Unification wars, for reasons still unknown to most Pendorians. Sensing a threat in Amala, they concentrated their forces beyond the sea and, in time, supported prince Valdemar in his quest to eradicate the Snake Cult.

The harshness of the Amalan wars and the sacrifices the Radiant Cross have made for their victories to date have changed and hardened them. They believe that it is only a matter of time before the Fifth Crusade against the Snake Cult begins and so they try to support the Amalan branch of their order by sending supplies and reinforcements from Pendor. Though this displeases local merchants and lords, the Radiant Cross’ prestige, earned over the course of the past century, allows them to go on relatively unhindered.

As non-signatories of the Validus Charta, the Radiant Cross often has commoners in its ranks.


Retainers: Radiant Cross Plaguewardens are less “knights-in-training” and more common soldiers, ready and willing to die in order to stop the Snake Cult.
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Ideology:
1. Sense of urgency – The order's indoctrination makes the members feel a sense of urgency regarding the possible return of the Snake Cult. The Radiant Cross expends a lot of effort in supplying their Amalan chapter with resources, both to rebuild their defenses and to keep fighting the Snake Cult in the distant borders of the continent. This also includes finding political support for their crusades.
2.Education and Science – The Radiant Cross supports all kinds of agricultural and medical research. They do not care so much for storing and protecting knowledge as does the Ravenspear, but use they skills more aggressively, either for fighting the Snake Cult and the heretics or for promoting services to the people of the East.
3. Pro-Unity – Radiant Cross hospitals work on an "open door policy." They are open to all without restriction, and the knowledge gathered by the Radiant Cross is shared freely with everyone that requests it. A noble intention, but maybe not the wisest, militarily speaking. The Radiant Cross actively seeks to use their knowledge to promote said unity.

The Order of the Dragon

The Order of the Dragon was established in the 199th year after the founding of Pendor by Earl Klovis of Rane. There are some accounts that the order was actually ordained on the field of battle during the Siege of Rane. Other accounts point out that the order actually came into existence when the documents were ratified and signed several weeks later by the traitorous lords of the northlands.

The Order of the Dragon was created to honor the noble warriors who stood and routed the armies of the Mystmountain tribes during the siege of Rane. It is a rogue order, with no charter under the Validus Charta.

The Dragons entered the Noble Wars on the side of the aristocracy, thanks to repeated provocation by the Silvermist Rangers in Poinsbruk, particularly after the rangers were proven to be the financiers of Mystmountain raids. Although the nobles came out the eventual victors, the damage to Ravenstern was significant. Perhaps the greatest was the loss of Poinsbruk. The city burned (in which numerous texts were lost forever) and the surrounding countryside was salted, turning them into wasteland. The denizens of Poinsbruk held the Dragons responsible for this atrocity, as Ravenstern had been mostly neutral until the order joined and dragged the region into the conflict with them.

Following the campaign, the Dragons turned their eyes to the northwest and launched a massive campaign to purge the Mystmountains in order to claim the profitable materials held within its stony embrace. While the northwest profited due to the flow of wealth from the mountains, Poinsbruk was forgotten and became increasingly isolated. Eventually they closed their gates to Ravenstern entirely, and banned any member of the Dragons from entering their lands, turning instead to the Steppe whose shared similar burdens to them. The Mystmountain tribes, pushed east by the Dargons, began to settle the salt wastes around Poinsbruk. The citizens accepted them as a fellow oppressed people and pledged to protect them from Dragon incursions in exchange for protection from Ravenstern as a whole.

With their enemies mostly defeated and those who remained out of reach, the Dragons became complacent. Most of their branches were absorbed by powerful local nobles (who had long been their benefactors) and it became commonplace to see Dragon troops fighting on behalf of their financial masters as elite mercenary units.

Ravenstern, Senderfall and Rane all became wealthy thanks to the influx of materials like iron from the cleansed mountains and they even undertook a civil works project to open the Icemirror River to ocean going vessels, opening Lake Avendor to foreign commerce. The City of Ravenstern took its share of toll money from being at the head of this canal and invested the funds further into Senderfall and Rane, turning the region into an economic powerhouse. Following the development of the waterwheel by Graham McCloud, manufactories began to spring up on every mountain stream; industry developed rapidly in the hands of the magnates and patricians.

Realising the profit to be gleaned from these new machines, the nobility turned their villages into factory towns and harnessed their large estates to further resource extraction and urbanisation. Competition in the region has become fierce with the magnates re-investing their wealth into new and more efficient systems while the nobles use their Dragon-led private armies to coerce their workers to greater efforts.

Note: Industry in Ravenstern is the type found in Europe in the 16th-17th centuries, not the Industrial Revolution.

Retainers: Dragon Drakes are knights-in-training. They are footsoldiers in scaled armour and they represent the elite of the Ravenstern-style of swordsmanship.
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Ideology:
1. Ravenstern First – All Dragons value the integrity, prosperity, and security of Ravenstern more than that of the Kingdom of Pendor. Many recall the example of Grandmaster Mastifus, who paid homage to King Mordred I rather than fight for an independent kingdom. However, Dragons represent the most fanatical of Ravenstern idealists. As such, they are loathe to see southern administrators, landlords, scholars or any others who in any way 'rule' in Ravenstern.

2. Pro-Noble – The Dragons receive funding, and manpower, from the lesser and greater nobility of Ravenstern in the form of mercenary contracts. They would be harmed if the power of these supporters were diminished.

3. Guardians of the North – Historically, the Dragons were defenders of ALL the people of Ravenstern, and they enjoy great relations with the common folk.

Order of the Clarion Call

The Order of the Clarion Call is a force of highly mobile rangers that once protected the borders of Laria against the Jatu. Their method of fighting is similar to the D'Shar and the Jatu, although they are as much knights as horse archers. Rangers of the Clarion Call are very capable knights, capable of using sword, spear, or bow with deadly efficiency, mounted or unmounted.

No order has changed nearly as radically as the Order of the Clarion Call has in the past century. Originally found by the lords of the Larian marches as a bulwark against the Jatu mercenaries of Oasar's invasion, the order was largely regional for most of its existence. The order nearly destroyed itself in battle at Stormcliff Cove in a daring, but costly, charge. Briefly merging with the Silvermist Rangers as it built its numbers back up, the two orders separated at the outset of the Noble Wars, abandoning the Clarion Hall for the steppes. One of the few orders to come away from the wars with its reputation relatively intact, the Clarion Call became the primary defenders of Pendor for decades. Their patrols could be seen from Windholm to Cez.

It wasn't until Brencis the Bold, with a new Jatu horde, threatened Pendor that the order found specific purpose. The Clarion Call rose to the challenge and have defended the southern regions of Pendor from Jatu raids since. They now reside in Janos and have built a new Clarion Hall nearby.


Retainers: Larian Outriders are the light cavalry equivalent of the knights. More lightly armed and armored, outriders are better suited to skirmishing than direct combat.
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Clarion Call Ideology:
1. Anti-Jatu – With Jatu in Pendor once more, the Clarion Call have returned to their original mission. The order protects the southern lands from the menace that the Jatu hordes and their D'Shar tribe allies pose.
2. Defenders of Pendor – In some ways, the Clarion Call have become greater patriots than the Griffons. The order is virulently opposed to foreign encroachment into Pendor, whether physically or ideologically, and works hard to stamp out foreign influence in the kingdom.
3. Pendorian Nationalists – The order is also on the lookout for ideologies and cultures within Pendor that could threaten the kingdom's stability. The manifests most obviously as hostility toward the remaining cultural differences in Pendor. However, the Clarion Call does not pursue this as aggressively as foreign threats.

Order of the Ebony Gauntlet

The Order of the Ebony Gauntlet differs from many knighthood orders. They always fight unmounted, using crossbows before engaging with heavy weapons. Their tenacity and might in combat surpasses even the strongest Fierdsvain infantry. The order is extremely anti-Noldor; they are likewise at odds with the Order of the Silvermist Rangers as well.

The demise of the Silvermist Rangers at the end of the Noble Wars coincided with the dawn of the golden years of the Ebony Gauntlet. The victorious Duke Aelfwine fulfilled his promise and granted the Gauntlets the Silvermist chapterhouse in Laria, along with the task of destroying any surviving members of that order. For several reasons—including their own propaganda—the Gauntlets started being seen as symbols of power for the high nobility. The number of Gauntlet knights in a lord’s personal guard was considered to be in direct proportion to that lords wealth and influence. They became even more coveted after the Silvermist Raids of 405 AF, in which several nobles were assassinated by Silvermist and Noldor agents in the course of a year.

Soon, finding themselves more wealthy and prestigious than ever, the Gauntlet started feeling the effects of such power. The order became increasingly lazy and corrupt, even eliminating the need for an oath of poverty. By the beginning of the Amalan wars, the fiery spirit that burned within them during the unification wars was all but extinguished. So when the order witnessed Noldor fighting the Snake Cult alongside the Pendorian prince in Amala, the Gauntlet, with a renewed purpose, allied with Azi Dahaka’s followers and and fought Pendor.

They lost.

As before, their story is often intertwined with the Silvermist's. Under a royal pardon, they have returned to Pendor in the same year that the Silvermist's have made moves to end their century-long exile. The Ebony Gauntlet has been even harsher in its recruiting and enforcement of their ideology. Forever stained by their corruption and affiliation with the Snake Cult, the order is trying to find a meaning for its existence.


Retainers: Ebony Gauntlet Hammers are powerful heavy infantry that use two-handed pole-hammers in support of the crossbow-wielding knight.
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Gauntlet Ideology:
1. Anti-Noldor – Gauntlets believe that the Noldor have no right to exist in Pendor (or anywhere else). To kill a Noldor, though extremely difficult, is worthy of the highest praise and honor within the order.
2. Feud with the Silvermists – For the Gauntlets, killing a Silvermist Ranger is a badge of honor. It is stated so in their charter.
3. Snake Cult Ties – Some Gauntlets were not able to abandon their spiritual link with the dark goddess. They remain corrupted and provide special services to the order.

Currently unplayable


Order of the Silvermist Rangers

The Order of the Silvermist Rangers are the greatest archers among men in all of Pendor. They use techniques learned from the Noldor themselves, the greatest archers of all, to gain an edge on accuracy, power, and speed alike with the bow. While they may be absolutely devastating in ranged combat, their melee abilities should not be dismissed either.

Silvermist Rangers bear a grudge against the Order of the Ebony Gauntlet. While they are alike in their mighty abilities, Silvermist Rangers prefer to live in harmony with the Noldor and do not seek to destroy them.

On the fourth anniversary of the Manifest Destiny decree, Pendor was in chaos. The Silvermist were considered the cause of the Noble Wars, a conflict that would eventually fracture the kingdom and put the entire continent at war with itself. Leading the reformist coalition against the Marleons League, the Silvemist Rangers were initially at a strategic and economic advantage. The Winter of Sorrow, as it became known within the order, was what changed the tide. The marcher nobles of the Clarion Call, feeling dishonored by their submission to the rangers, seceded and created their own chapterhouse in the now-settled steppes. Mastifus of the Dragons, unable to contain himself, made public the casi belli he had been listing during the years and declared war on the Silvermist.

Without their former allies and fighting a war in three fronts, the reformist coalition was defeated, and Silvermist assets were taken as compensation for the destruction of most of the heartlands. The order was banished from Pendor for one hundred years.

The few remaining rangers found refuge in Elacrai, remained in the Larian woods fighting a guerrilla war, or infiltrated Pendorian courts. One must concede that Noldor wisdom acted in their favor, as their long-term plans of slowly preparing the way for the order's eventual (and lawful) return did pay off.


Retainers: Silvermist Halberdiers are capable medium infantry used to protect the more vulnerable rangers. They practice similar meditation techniques with their halberds as the rangers do with their bows.
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Silvermist Ideology:
1. Commoner Only – Not only does the order attract more commoners than other orders, but, due the order's past actions (and an anti-nobility streak), most nobles refuse to become members of such an organization.
2. Pro-Noldor – Silvermists are constantly attempting to spread Noldor culture. Though it has been difficult since the Noble Wars, the order also attempts to defend the Noldor to an untrusting populace.
3. Feud with the Gauntlet – For the rangers, the destruction of the Ebony Gauntlet has precedence over any Pendorian laws.