by Athelassan » Sun Jul 17, 2011 10:01 pm
More! This section is perhaps half-done (there is one particularly noteworthy omission). I present the Knightly Orders of the Empire. Again, I'm planning to detail all of them, including a few of my own invention (there are a couple in the following). C&C welcome as always.
Ath
The Order of the Black Bear
A number of commentators have described the Order of the Black Bear as less a knightly order and more a formalised drinking society, and certainly the order is equally renowned for its destruction of taverns as for its prowess on the battlefield. The truth behind the order's foundation is unknown, but legend has it that it was founded after the first grand master defeated a bear in unarmed combat to rescue a noble lady. The order requires therefore that each incoming grand master wrestle a bear as part of the opening of the order's many tournaments.
The order are a stalwart, if unruly, component of the Empire's eastern defence, and are well-known in Averland, where their chapter house is located.
The order wear steel armour and black and gold barding. The order's heraldry is a black Imperial cross on a red and yellow field.
The Order of the Blazing Sun
One of the most prestigious orders in the Empire, the Knights of the Blazing Sun are templars of Myrmidia, although their behaviour has more in common in some respects with secular orders. The story of the orders' foundation is legendary: during a battle with the forces of Wazir the Cruel in Estalia in 1457, a group of crusaders were facing certain defeat when divine intervention of Myrmidia caused the Emir to be crushed, turning the tide of battle. Upon their return to the Empire, the knights dedicated themselves to fighting the forces of darkness wherever it was discovered, and serving as ambassadors for the church of Myrmidia.
The knights generally function independently of one another, travelling as individuals and offering their services as champions wherever they are needed, but when fighting in formation they are one of the most feared orders in the Empire. The order has served with distinction in innumerable campaigns, including most notably the Battle of Grunberg, the Battle of Grovod Wood and the Battle of Norduin. Although the foreign nature of the order's worship still leads to suspicion among the most conservative Imperial commanders, none can dispute its martial prowess, and it has been said that a single knight of the order does more good for the image of its cult than all the priests in the Empire.
The full numbers of the order are unknown, but they are one of the most widespread and almost certainly one of the most numerous orders in the Empire. Since the reign of Magnus the Pious, the order has sent representatives to Tilea and Bretonnia in efforts to extend its influence. Some have seen in this the political ambitions of the Eagle of the North, the religious head of the order, and a corresponding challenge to the traditional power base of the church in the south, although relations with the Myrmidian church as a whole remain good.
The order's appearance varies from knight to knight, but all wear the heraldry of the golden sun on black background. Knights wear gold armour or black armour edged in gold, with black and gold or yellow barding.
The Order of the Black Rose (I)
One of two prestigious orders to bear the same name, the first Order of the Black Rose forms the personal bodyguard of the Duke of Talabecland. The order is first attested in records from the 7th century but might be considerably older, and it is one of the most heavily ritualised secular orders in the Empire. Numbers are restricted to one hundred knights at all times, emphasising the order's elite nature, although also making it one of the smallest orders in the Empire.
The order was one of the first to use full plate armour, at a time when most knightly orders in the Empire were still wearing suits constructed largely from chainmail, and the crushing charges executed by them turned the tide of many critical battles, earning them a formidable reputation. Their most notable victory was probably at the Battle of the Talabec in 1360 which secured the independence of Talabecland.
The order's small size has prohibited it from becoming as ubiquitous and politically powerful as some, but it remains the stuff of legend, and a powerful presence at court in Talabheim.
The order wear burnished steel armour including a full-face mask, with heavily decorated barding embellished with stylised black roses. Although the order are proficient in the use of the lance, their favoured weapon is the mace.
The Order of the Black Rose (II)
The second Order of the Black Rose was formed during the Black Plague in Wissenland at a time when the Empire was at its lowest ebb. Communication with Talabecland had been lost and the destruction wrought was such that many towns believed they might be the last outpost of civilisation in the Empire. In Nuln, one of the few major cities to remain whole, the cult of Morr gained greatly in power and popularity, leading to the formation of a templar order. The similarity in name with the existing Talabecland order appears to have been a coincidence, and the orders are so different that rarely is any confusion caused.
The order fought with distinction in the campaigns of Emperor Mandred and relocated following the events of the Plague to a new chapterhouse at the small town of Eigenhof. The order has increased and diminished in size several times over the years, reaching its zenith in the late 1700s when the Counts of Wissenland sought to build up the armed forces in the province to compensate for the secession of Nuln and invested heavily in the Order of the Black Rose.
The order wears steel armour with stylised skull masks and black barding. Their heraldry is a black rose and green thorn on a red background.
The Brotherhood of the Axe
Prior to the unification of the Empire, it was common for each tribal king to maintain a bodyguard of select warriors, and these were later to develop into some of the earliest recognisable knightly orders. The Brotherhood of the Axe were the guards of the Teutognen kings since time immemorial, named for the heavy axes carried by the men and wielded with fearsome effect.
The Brotherhood fell into decline during the reign of Artur, who in his later years became increasingly paranoid about the risk of usurpation from powerful warriors or nobles of the tribe. Warriors who fell in battle were not replaced and by the time of unification the Brotherhood was a rump, comprised only of the most trusted lieutenants of the Teutognen king.
The order enjoyed a brief resurgence under the reigns of Myrsa and his sucessors following unification, but the pre-eminence of the White Wolves lured many promising young warriors to join their ranks rather than those of the Brotherhood. When Middenheim was granted its charter, the Brotherhood relocated to the Middenstag to remain the bodyguards of the senior ducal line. After reunification of Middenheim and Middenland, the Brotherhood returned to Middenheim and have remained there ever since.
The order remains largely a ceremonial one and now overlaps almost entirely with the White Wolves. The order was ravaged by the deaths of many of its members during the Storm of Chaos and the riots over the following year; its long-term future remains unclear.
The modern order bears no heraldry save for an icon of a double-headed axe, worn around the neck.
The Order of Eleven
Founded in the 1150s, this was a particularly esoteric order devised by Emperor Otto to try to maintain unity among the provinces. Each of the Electors was to contribute a champion to the order, which would serve as guards of the Emperor's palace and, Otto hoped, go on to perform an ambassadorial function.
The order became a joke when the majority of the Electors displayed their general disregard for Otto by sending knights they no longer needed rather than the cream of their warriors. A number of families, especially in Middenland, felt the sacred unity of the Empire had already been broken with the dissolution of the province of Drakwald and thus the eleven knights were a symbol of failure rather than of success.
The order was disbanded in the early 1200s and has never been renewed, although the idea of a “twelfth knight” who would serve to reunite the Empire has passed into popular legend.
The order bore the sign of a white eleven-pointed star on a green background.
The Order of the Griffon
Commonly known as the Knights Griffon, this order was founded by Magnus the Pious following the Great War Against Chaos to guard the Temple of Sigmar in Nuln, although the order sees itself as a defender of all temples of Sigmar and maintains small chapterhouses across the Empire for this purpose. The order accepts only the most martially proficient of applicants, although some commentators believe this condition is being increasingly relaxed in order to provide a greater pool of knights.
The order makes no secret of its aspiration to become the pre-eminent order of Sigmarite templars in the Empire, and this ambition has led to rivalry with both the Reiksguard – founded at the same time and who believe the Knights Griffon are infringing on their traditional role – and the Order of Sigmar's Blood, who fear that the increasing prosperity of the Knights Griffon will lead to a depreciation of their support among the church's hierarchy.
The order wear blue-steel armour and dark red or black barding. The order's heraldry is a gold griffon on black background, recalling their foundation by Magnus the Pious in Nuln.
The Order of the High Helms
The High Helms were founded by Emperor Karl-Franz II in 2512 as a supplementary order to guard the Imperial palace along with the Reiksguard, following the Wastrel's War and casualties sustained by the existing knightly orders in those battles. Recruited for their physical presence as much as any particular martial ability, the knights are all over six feet tall and wear helmets that add at least a foot to their already imposing height.
The High Helms have a burgeoning rivalry with the Reiksguard, who are jealous of the Emperor's patronage of the newer order, and disparage their ability in both thought and combat. A common joke among the Reiksguard is that the High Helms have only one brain between each four knights. The High Helms have never seen combat
The High Helms wear heavily burnished steel armour and helmets with high plumes in red and blue. The heraldry is a white Imperial cross on a blue field.
The Order of the Holy Snake
This was one of the many small orders which emerged during the Age of Three Emperors. Adherents of the Serpentine branch of the Divinist school of Sigmarism, the Order was based largely in the secessionist areas of Ostermark where the church of Sigmar had little penetration but Sigmar remained a popular deity among the population. They held the belief that Sigmar was the same god as the ancient elven god Sotek, and wore the image of the twin-tailed comet as a symbol of their unified faith.
The doctrine of Serpentism was declared heretical by the church of Sigmar at the Grand Conclave of 2361 and the order disbanded. Most of its members joined the Order of the Twin-Tailed Orb, although some left military life, a number joined the Knights Griffon, and one, Albrecht von Kursk, even became a renowned member of the Reiksguard.
The order wore burnished plate armour with edging of brass, weathered copper or green enamel and emblazoned with images of the twin-tailed comet.
The Order of Longshanks
An unusual order by modern standards, the Longshanks are templars of Taal, but maintain no known chapterhouses and fight as infantry rather than heavy cavalry. The order's knights pride themselves on their ability to flourish independently, and take to battle in small groups, wielding a variety of weapons. The order's main preoccupation, however, is protecting Taal's forests, and they are rarely seen on the open field. The Longshanks are the largest known order dedicated to Taal, but their numbers remain a mystery.
The Longshanks have no consistent heraldry, although animal pelts are a unifying feature. Knights tend to wear light armour although have been observed in chainmail.
The Order of the Prowling Wolf
Dedicated to the ancient god Lupos, this was a small order based in Hochland during the 6th century, founded to lead the armies of the province by example during the Drive to the Frontiers and in particular the conquest of the Middle Mountains and the Forest of Shadows.
The cult of Lupos had been largely absorbed into that of Ulric long before the order's foundation and in 611 the last remnants of the cult lost their independence. The order was folded into the White Wolves.
The order's heraldry is unknown.
The Reiksguard
Formed as the Reiklandguard during the Great War Against Chaos, the Reiklandguard formed the personal bodyguard of Karl von Holzkrug, who until the appearance of Magnus von Bildhofen had claimed the title of elected Emperor. As the order was formed in something of a crisis, no uniform heraldry was decided, and the order was known for its variegated appearance, as each suit of armour and heraldry tended to be one the bearer had worn prior to joining. Holzkrug was one of the earliest supporters of Magnus's crusade, and when he fell in battle before the Gates of Kislev the Reiklandguard transferred their formidable allegiance to Magnus, his successor to the throne of the Reikland and to the now-undisputed title of Emperor.
The Reiklandguard retained a ceremonial role as bodyguards to the new Emperor but were largely overlooked in the course of his reforms and foundings of new knightly orders. In particular they forged a fierce rivalry with the Knights Griffon, who also counted Magnus as a patron and were given the task of defending the Emperor's person. Following Magnus's death the presence of a highly-trained Reiklander order of knights in the household of the new Stirland Emperor was considered unwise, especially since Magnus's brother had been a rival for the crown. The Reiklandguard were dispatched to Altdorf and thence to Castle Reikguard and seemed set to remain there as another small provincial order.
However, following the accession of Emperor Wilhelm II he set about re-founding the order, and they re-emerged under his rule as the Reiksguard. Wilhelm altered the conditions of entry so that only the eldest sons of nobility could join, and enforced the highest standards of training, such that many would now consider the Reiksguard the pre-eminent fighting order in the land. The Reiksguard now constitute the formal bodyguard of the Emperor and serve as his ambassadors both in battle and, on occasion, in the courts of the Electors. Their long-term future in this position should the Imperial crown once again move away from Altdorf is, however, unclear.
The order wear plate armour burnished to a mirror shine with red and white plumes and accents and decorated with images of the Imperial Cross. Descendants of the original Reiklandguard knights are permitted to wear their ancestors' armour, resulting in the occasional appearance in Reiksguard ranks of unorthodox gilt or black-enamelled armour.
The Order of Sigmar's Blood
The largest templar order of Sigmarite faith to take to the battlefield in regular formation, the Order of Sigmar's Blood was founded during the 20th century to defend the Imperial border following the devastation of greenskin invasions and the collapse of a number of other knightly orders formerly devoted to protecting the eastern passes.
The order suffered heavy casualties in the early stages of the Sylvanian Wars in battles along the Stirland border, and even by the mid-22nd century had still not recovered enough strength to provide a meaningful contingent to the decisive phases of the war. The order contributed heavily, however, to the campaign of Magnus the Pious, forming the vanguard of his host until the arrival of Middenland and Kislev contingents provided a larger number of heavy cavalry.
The order wears steel armour with red-edged steel barding. Their heraldry depicts a golden skull superimposed over a gold hammer mounted with a laurel wreath on red background.
The Order of the Temple
The order from which all subsequent religious orders have taken the title “Templar”, this order was founded to protect the Temple of Ulric at the Middenstag in 550 following the separation of Middenland and Middenheim, as a counterpart to the White Wolves who protected the Temple on the Fauschlag.
The order gained lasting fame during the Westerland Crusade and was noted for its shattering cavalry charges which routed a number of Norse armies. However, over time, the order was unable to compete with the White Wolves and declined into extinction by the 9th century. The title of “Master of the Templars of Ulric” continued to be given as a ceremonial title until the time of Mandred Ratcatcher. Following his rule the provinces of Middenland and Middenheim were forcibly reunited; the title fell into disuse and the order into obscurity.
The order wore a blue surcoat emblazoned with a red Axe of Ulric over chainmail armour.
The Order of the Thousand and One
A crusading order, this was one of the largest orders ever to have been founded, and came about through expediency. Lost in the sands of Araby in 1458, Count Konrad von Hochen promised the gift of knighthood to any soldier who would follow him against an Arabyan fortress rumoured to be impregnable. A thousand men are said to have followed him, with von Hochen making up the numbers as the symbolic “one”. In reality the number is believed to have been closer to seven hundred, although as the majority of the volunteer knights were slain in the fortress assault, the true figure impossible to verify.
The order persisted for a number of years after the success of their initial mission although their numbers never again surpassed one hundred and fifty. When the order was finally expelled from Araby, several of their number travelled to the Border Princes to fight as mercenaries, although the majority entered civilian life.
The original heraldry of the order was simply the tattered remnants of its Hochland uniform. In subsequent years the knights wore chainmail or padded armour bedecked with light green and red cloth in an Arabyan fashion but an Imperial colour scheme. Their banner depicted a stylised broken fortress and the legend 'MMI'
Vannheim's 75th
Strictly a mercenary regiment rather than a knightly order, but they bear comparison with Imperial knights in both proficiency and renown, and no less a judge than Bruno Pfeifraucher is known to have declared Siegfried Vannheim at least as worthy of knighthood as most preceptors in the Empire. Founded as the 75th Light Cavalry Free Company of the Grand Army of Averland in 2485 during one of the periodic punitive ventures into the Border Princes to suppress greenskins, the regiment chose to remain beyond the mountain passes and, following some successes and corresponding rewards, remodelled themselves as an effective heavy cavalry company.
After nearly twenty years of fighting on the Empire's border, Vannheim took his troops north to the Troll Country to lend assistance to the Kislevites. The regiment met with success, killing by some accounts dozens, even hundreds of trolls, but suffered heavy casualties in the process. Pessimistic of his ability to rebuild the regiment with skilled troops, Vannheim disbanded it as a battlefield force and sent his men out into the world as itinerant soldiers. A member of the 75th has bolstered many Imperial free companies over the years, and Vannheim himself was responsible for slaying the necromancer Sorek in 2519 and the beastlord Kharghual in 2521. Several of the regiment fought in the Storm of Chaos, and its current remaining numbers are unknown.
On the battlefield Vannheim's 75th wore gilt-edged plate armour with green and gilt barding for their horses. The unit's heraldry- still worn by surviving itinerant members- is a red “V” on gold background, emblazoned with the number “75”.
The Order of the White Wolf
The largest and probably the oldest of the surviving knightly orders in the Empire, the order of the White Wolf (known more commonly as the White Wolves) were the bodyguard of the Unberogen kings before the time of Sigmar. Upon Sigmar's defeat of Artur and subsequent accession to the crown of the Teutognens, the White Wolves made their new home in Middenheim and dedicated themselves to the protection of the temple of Ulric, Sigmar's favoured deity.
The order is ancient beyond measure and its battlefield honours beyond compare. It has undergone few changes in the two and a half millennia since it found its home in Middenheim, although it has absorbed a number of smaller orders which have moderately affected its culture. The greatest change has been in the stated purpose of the order, which has shifted from the protection of the earthly temple of Ulric to a more all-encompassing role as Ulric's holy warriors.
The order wear burnished steel armour with red accents and occsasionally red barding for their steeds. Famously, the order wear neither helmets nor carry shields, and wield cavalry hammers rather than the conventional lance or sword. The most famous identifying feature is the white wolf pelt, which the knights are obliged to obtain by killing the beast themselves. A smaller, elite detachment of the order fights on foot, calling itself the Teutogen Guard.