A Black Knight sowing terror and fear

Name
The Grave Keepers, the Black Knights or the Priests of Death

Size
1 Ebon Sword, 78 Death Knights, 156 Dread Knights, 458 Black Knights

Hierarchy
Ebon Sword
Death Knight
Dread knight
Black Knight
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High-Priest
Priest
Apprentice
Acolyte
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Servant

Culture
For starters, the Grave Keepers do not take slaves. Which makes them almost unique amongst the many orders within Makania. The exact reason for this is rather unclear but due to the order's relatively young age, it is suggested that the first High-Priest saw necromancy as a form of slavery. Thus in a way, slavery was a way of necromancy. Still, accounts differ and some would claim that the duties of a Grave Keeper are too confronting with one's own mortality to leave to slaves. Either way, everyone who enters the ranks of the Grave Keepers starts as a servant. Both the farmer's daughter and the nobleman's son. There has been an uproar about this in the past. But it would seem that the High-Priests have always been resolute on this. A Servant has many duties. From washing corpses and gathering valuables to maintaining their master's equipment. Even in times of peace. He is also trained in melee combat and taught how to read and write. If the servant can stand the service. They are free to leave whenever they want and after they finished cleaning their first murder, a great many servants chose to leave. Which is not a shame.

Servants ascend to the rank of Acolyte when they start showing a deeper understanding of death and a healthy respect for the dead. They are given their ebony armor too. As an Acolyte is also a Black Knight. During peaceful times one remains an Acolyte and in service. An Acolyte's duties aren't so different from a servant but he is being taught by a Keeper of a higher rank as well. What's more important, a Black Knight's magical aptittude is tested. If they prove to be strong, he may ascend to Dread Knight/Apprentice.

An Apprentice aids his master (a Death Knight/Priest) in the funeral rites he performs. He is also taught the deeper, philosophical questions of death and the ending of life (without getting any answers. Keepers are expected to develop those themselves through deep meditation). These questions often lead to the development of certain magical skills.

When an apprentice ascends to priest, he is expected to lead funeral rites and guard the many graveyards of the world. He may offer the last rites of a dying man, assuring peaceful departure. A dark purpose could be to mercifully end suffering. When called upon to fight, a Death Knight will march. Yet after the battle he takes up the black and amethyst priest robes and puts both friend and enemy to eternal rest.

The Ebony Blade is chosen by the namesake's weapon. The Blade is, in fact, a Glaive. The blade seems to almost have a will of its own. Those ill-suited for the ranks seem to barely be able to hold the pole normally. Claiming the weight constantly shifts. While those deemed worth say it is the best weapon they've ever used. The Ebony Blade/High-Priest is the leader of the Keepers. His will is very much the Law.

The Keepers believe that their last rites put a soul peacefully away and allow the body to return to the earth. Where it should be. Their sacred duties are composed of caring for those dying and death. Giving mercy to those in pain, making sure their physical bodies are taken care of while their soul can be in peace. However, they do not trace their roots to these duties (even though it was they do most of the time). They trace their roots to the Grey Knights and have not forgotten their inheritance. They still march for war when they are called upon by their liege. And when they are, it is not the Keepers that march. But the Black Knights.

Goals
Some seek merely peace or absolution for all the lives they took. Others desire to gain a deeper understanding of mortality. The general goal, however, is to allow the dead to rest eternally. A lesser known goal is to root out necromancy wherever it may be found. As necromancy in itself is an insult to death.

Specialization
War, generally. They serve as shock troops or heavy cavalry. Their fear-inducing powers often break lines and men far earlier in a battle than usual. They are rather well-versed in the absolute slaughter of infantry. When the battles are over, they take up their robes and commence the funerals for all who have perished.

History
The Black Knights started as the Grey Company. A band of mercenaries with the ill fate of being in Makau when the first siege happened. They were rather forced to fight, considering the attackers didn't really care who was behind the walls. After the first siege past, over half the company died and the priest had to organize a massive funeral for everybody. In fact, as he went outside, he tried to bury everyone. A few of the Grey Company helped him. They dug the graves, gathered the death, begged for money to buy balms and bandages to wrap the dead up. Some stopped when their companions were put to earth. Others joined the priest. Which is why they got their most important title: the Priests of Death.

Then the second siege came. Once again the remainder of the Grey Company was forced to fight to the dead. But the burials had changed them. Suddenly they did not fear death. Neither did they welcome it through reckless behavior. But not a single member of the Grey Company ever routed from the second siege. Instead they fought with a dreadful aura. Instead of breaking themselves, the enemy around them ran. Claiming to hear the howl of spirits. After the siege, the Grey Company once again turned to their daily duties.

After the third siege, their fame started to grow. As did their power. Claiming weapons and armor from their fallen enemies, they painted it black and wore it in the next attack. Their might did not go unnoticed and a great many noblemen wanted their sons to instill the same terror on the battlefield. Though when the sons joined (after any war out of safety), they entered as servant. Most hated it and left soon after their first corpse balming. Some stuck around and started to understand. Slowly but surely. As their order grew, so did their influence. As peaceful priests they went to nearby villages to bury the dead there too. But they encountered other deathly needs as well. The granting of a merciful death above all. So the priest of the company started making poisons that would send off the sickly, ill and fataly harmed peacefully away.

Eventually, after the fifth siege their name and ranks changed. And after the war, they were approached by Alexander. Who came bearing gifts. Among it was the Ebon Blade.

Military Capabilities
Runes
The Black Knights do not harness arcane magic in the traditional way. Nor the divine magic (they do use a combination, making them technically sorcerers). Through prayer and arcane magic, they make runes in their armor and blade. Especially the runes on the blade has a specific purpose. Various runes can be used the most common ones are: frost, spirit and death.

Frost runes strengthen armor and make for savage strikes. They sap the energy from those around them. Runes of frost can literally cool the air around the knight and induce frostbite upon wounds. Or send howling, freezing winds towards those who dare stand against them. Frost runes glow a light-blue color.

Spirit runes induce terror and fear in the hearts of the Dread Knight's enemies. They can hear the screeching and howl of long-dead beings clawing at their brains. Clawing at their very sanity. Doubting their resolve. Spirit runes can send entire groups of enemies running and rightly so. For once the dark energy of the spirits is unleashed, death is almost certain. Spirit runes have an amethyst glow on them.

Death runes afflict the enemies body. Initially, these runes will cause infected wounds that continue to bleed, no matter the bandages used. The sickness will spread over the body, eventually claiming the victim in a painful death. However, as the runes grow more powerful, a victim does not have to wait so long for the final embrace. As almost every strike seems to kill. Unleashing the power of Death Rune means delivering Doom to all surrounding the Knight in one, savage eruption of deathly energy. Death Runes have a sickly, green look.

Runic power
These runes act as batteries and thus must be charged up. They feed on fear, death and blood. Meaning the more carnage a Knight can deliver, the more power he gathers. As the powers gather, the knight gets passive boons. As said, the frost rune makes his blade strike harder, the spirit rune induces terror and the death rune makes wounds dangerously infected. When fully charged, a full Death Knight with various runes can bring utter mind-wretching destruction to the battlefield. These passive boons and the power charged within the runes can be used to instantly cast powerful spells. Like sending forth a gust of freezing wind or sending spirits to assail the resolve of the enemies around you.

Common tactics
The Black Knights generally are within the vanguard of any skirmish. Holding their blades and axes they cleave through the enemy. The longer the battle continues, the more powerful and dreadful they become. Usually using their abilities and aura's to induce terrible fear upon the enemy and force them to rout. Once that happens their trusted steeds are never far. Mounting the horses they chase the fleeing warriors and cut them down.

Warcry
Death is with us!

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Taiyo Kaga is not a member of the Empire, instead he is one of the most influential actors of the Oyama Shogunate, a nomadic nation which heralds its origins to the Great Solar Empire that once used to inhabit the shattered lands of the west, which wanders the Draor Chor Reaches. His role as Shogun, however, does not only grant him great administrative ability, but also due to the darwinian nature of these inhospitable lands, those with power rise to the top. Taiyo Kaga's power and ability could most likely be comparable to those of the Imperial Archons of Illyrica.


Taiyo's relationships are few in number. Though their reach does not extend beyond his people, for he sees the uncultured Easterlings with disdain and pity; lacking of the culture and wealth that his people has nurtured for thousands of years. Even cataclysm was not enough to quelch the embers of the Oyaman resolve, and as such he thinks highly of his own whilst looking down on those of foreign lineage.

Taiyo is a surprisingly young man, considering his power and ability, only numbering 31 years of age. Whilst his skin no longer ages, it does disform as time passes, although it can be more compared with a metamorphosis of unknown proportion as opposed to aging. Due to his young age, Taiyo has had few ignorant romances, a broken heart, and friends and family to rely on. The ordinary life of a clan heir was disturbed when suddenly, over night, his body was transformed into what it is today, a living vessel for the might of the sun. His hair bleached immediately, and his sense of mortality was forever discarded.

The bonds of his former relations are still alive, although one-sided. He had a momentary romance with the Solar Empress during his eighteens, only possible due to his Kaga lineage, but has now lead to a forever infatuated Empress desiring the recognition of her Shogun. In times this has lead to anything from dueling to beast slaying, all of which more often than not end in disaster. The Shogun, although, remains unamused.

The Silver Sun has largely discarded any of his former kinships and relationships, instead focusing on his duties and honing his power. The safety of the nation and the people come first, and therefore his power is essential in combating the hellish reality that is the vast Draor Chor Reaches that they had been forced to inhabit since their distant ancestors' exodus from the sun-blessed lands of the now scorched and disturbed shattered west. Although his hatred and envy of the easterlings does still manage to pique his senses, no ill can compare to the dark realms of Illyrica. As such he desires not only the realms of the Easterners, but their heads. The greater civilization deserves the world, and he believes his people, their ancient lineage, are those of the greatest civilization to ever bless the world.


Slender and muscular; regular Oyaman build. Similarities with others of his kin end when height is concerned, and whilst his eyes may be slanted and his skin sun-tanned like any other of his people, his eyes themselves would most sensibly be compared with suns and stars as opposed to anything human. His body, whilst well-maintained and fit, seems to crack, as if stone, letting out the supernatural glow of blinding incandescence. Few Oyaman consider him mortal any longer, instead they revere him as the Western Sun; the Silver Sun. After his reverence as the mortal manifestation of the Golden Sun, Taiyo's solar incandescence only grows brighter as the approaching summer beckons, and his power more overwhelming by the passing of winter.


Taiyo, head of the Kaga Clan, officially serves the Solar Empress, the leader of all of Oyama. Due to the changing times however, the Shogun has been able to overrule the authority of the Imperial Family, and as such effectively rules the nomadic nation through martial law. The Imperial Family is therefore largely traditional, although their importance is enormous for the people, as their lineage is one of very few direct links back to the golden ages of the Great Solar Empire. Though very few of the administrators of the current Oyama care much for their past. Instead they see it as a coping mechanism for the people.


Most people see Taiyo as an incomprehensible machine, rooted only in duty and purpose, an automation which works tirelessly towards the betterment of the nation, and as such they welcome his power and influence. Taiyo's story is much less about such a noble decree as tirelessly working towards a golden future and more a tale of a star which was cast down from heaven. Whilst others revere him and his power, Taiyo discards his emotions and works ceaselessly so that his thoughts do not conquer him. He feels alien amongst man in a way that only a God cast down from heaven could. It is a lonely sense of superiority which encompasses him, whilst he's seen as a God amongst man by the people, he isn't amongst the heavens where he belongs.

As such Taiyo's ultimate goal is to return to the stars, the stars of which he feels he belongs. But before doing so conquer the East for his patron people, for they took great care of his vessel before his awakening at the humble age of 28. In his few years of having awakened to his true self he managed to unite the numerous lost and defiant Oyaman tribes of the desert wastes. Now the recently united Oyama sets out towards a future where its people are no longer forced to disgraceful caravan life, instead the promise of city life in glorious metropolises and palaces where they belong. The world itself was granted to them by the Golden Sun, after all. The world therefore is all Oyama's to take, so decreed the Silver Sun.

Although much like the river flows; all things are in constant change. Sometimes some rivers dry, and others change course entirely. The motivations of Taiyo may change, his desires could expand, and the promise of power could overwhelm him. Maybe the new Emperor of the Sun has already descended upon the Earth, or mayhap not.


As each warrior comes of age, and that the mantle of protecting the nation falls upon their shoulders, the story of the Solar Empire is placed upon them to carry. The Greatest Empire the world had ever seen lives on through such means, through word of mouth and the passing of generations. The coming-of-age of Taiyo Kaga was no different, and no less special. As he was told of the accomplishments of his ancestors, the might of their nation, and the wealth of their culture, he was brought into bewilderment. As the story concluded, with the death of the Emperor of the Sun, Taiyo was in tears. These would be the last tears that a warrior of the nation would ever shed, for the pain of the nation is greater than the person, and the person is the one to bear and protect the nation; therefore each person must be strong, each warrior must be equal a hundred men, so that even those few warriors may yet carry the nation onwards unto golden dawn.

Taiyo's father was the one who told him the story of the Solar Empire, of the nation which graced the earth with the majesty of the golden sun. In turn, his mother had been the one whom granted him his armour, the armour of which he would wield to carry the nation. It was an heirloom of bewildering origin, one of few direct relics of the golden past. As his father sat before him, the Clan Mistresses would adorn Taiyo the armour of which had just been granted to him on his 18th winter. Although snow was something only found in the dreaming world.

As Taiyo was fully dressed in his battle regalia, the family's ancestral blade was brought into his hands by his father. His father had a stirn look through the entirety of the passing of age ceremony, his face hid his emotions well. Taiyo knew his present duties, however. Now that he is able, for he has trained his entire life under his father and his generals, duties is all that is left of his life. 'The nation, for it is crumbling, needs the stars', said his father as he let go of the blade in his heir's hands, 'become the star of the people, see to it that Silver is all that the future has in store'.

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Taiyo would spend many years fighting, protecting, and negotiating with the various enemies of the Oyama loyalist faction headed by his father and the Solar Empress. Some of the time he'd even spend woo'ing the Imperial Court with dramatical displays of swordsmanly prowess, and others times yet he'd spend time practitioning under the various sages within the Kaga Clan's influence.

His times as a Shogunate Heir were spent lacklusterly, only doing his bare minimum duty of protecting the Imperial Horde and its allies. The moments of his coming of age ceremony had all but been forgotten; brought to the back of his head through the pursuits of earthly pleasures. Charming women and impressing his fellow man was all he lived for instead, pursuing arts and poetry, literature and sword-dancing solely to fill an empty void within his heart that he could never properly trace. Several years would have to pass before the now maturing Taiyo would come to understand the meaning of his empty heart, and it would come at the death bed of his father, and the death bed of his ignorance. During the same night of his father, the Shogun's death, an awakening occured within the new Shogun. A slumbering aspect of his self made itself known in the most explosive and aberrant manner possible.

The young, ordinary Kaga heir grew immensely during the course of that single night, not only physically, but also mentally. As if a chain was lifted, or dam was punctured, allowing the endless flow of water; of power, to overwhelm him. The night would be a long one, and the day an even longer. His awakening to new power was abrupt, for as he awoke he was no longer within the Kaga Clan's caravan palace, but in the middle of the desert. His body ached, his joints immobile- He knew the dangers of the desert, vilespawn and treacherous beastlife roam and scavange the lands, eat and massacre anything in their way. Only the power of the Sun's blessed people, the Oyama, could ever have hoped to survive for so long as they have.

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Taiyo would spend years roaming the desert, he'd meet travelers and bandits, raiders and loyalists, vilespawn and beasts. His legends recall his ventures in the sands, and the loyalties of which he forged with his fellow kinsmen in the desert wastes. Thanks only to this desert stranding, and his new powers, he was able to reforge Oyama and unite it once more, the formerly divided tribes of the Oyama now prosperous in unity. On his travels he managed to unite and counsel the various tribes through various different means. His newly awakened powers however made even the most distant opponent drop down in awe, as demonstrated when he reduced the mountains of the Kayoma Passage, transforming them into mesa, with one single cut. Other times his wits and wisdom was tested in typical Oyaman battles of poetry, where his excellence was displayed in a different light.

After many years, and the conclusion of the "The Desert Sun", as written by Taiyo's companion and poet Yuri Hamada, Taiyo was reunited with the Imperial Horde and a great festival was held in his honour. The Solar Empress was begotten with joy at his return, as opposed to the reunification of the Oyaman people. As the Empress made the proclamation of unity before all the gathered tribes of the desert, the newly appointed Shogun stood behind her. In that moment, as she finished and the peoples' bliss made the worries of the world inaudible, the Shogun's chest burst open. Unlike what one would typically expect, his flesh was not of typical biologic origin, but rocky and hard. As the new nation watched on in confusion and terror, and the Empress turned around in fear and fright, the opening in the Shogun's chest glowed an incomprehensible incandescence, allowing rays of blinding light shine out into the world. The Shogun's skin began to crack, crevaces covering his entire body, allowing the strange light to encompass more of the land.

The Shogun ultimately collapsed, his body hard like stone and immovable by those whom tried to aide him. The people, however, had a different proclamation to make in light of this new discovery; 'The Silver Sun!' Shouts began faint, but eventually encompassed the entire crowd, an entire nation assembled chanted before the now kneeling and unconscious Shogun, proclaiming his divinity. Everyone was clueless of reality in lights of the events that had occured before them, however, suddenly the seemingly lifeless Shogun was brought back to life as he exhaled an odd, dark smoke from his lungs.

The 'Silver Sun' chants continued for what seemed like an eternity, but few proclaimed something unspeakable, something truly heretical, 'The Emperor of the Sun has descended upon man!' To question the legitimacy of the Solar lineage is not only against the Way of the Warrior, but also punishable by death.



SEKAIOHAKEN - Sekai-o-hakai-suru-ken (世界を破壊する剣), otherwise known as Sekaiohaken, literally translates to "the sword that destroys the world". It is the name of the solar blade which was forged from the very essence of the newly named Taiyo-no-Kami's incadescence. The greatest swordsmith in all of Oyama was granted a piece of the material which had burst out from the Shogun's very chest, and with it he discovered its mineral-like nature. He was able to forge it into a weapon of incomprehensible power, and recently finished it. As of the start of the roleplay, the Sekaiohaken, or World-Shattering Sword, will have been in the Shogun's possession for three days. The sword itself loosely resembles an Oyaman proto-sword design accustomed to the style and handling of the Silver Sun. The sword itself doesn't seem to belong on Earth, carrying with it a very distinct celestial auroma. The sword and Taiyo appear to have a kind of symbiotic connection, allowing the blade to remain fundamentally formless, which allows it to adjusts its proportions to fit Taiyo's style.

FUTSUKO - Futsu-no-otoko-no-ken (普通の男の剣), commonly called Futsuko, literally translates to "the ordinary man's sword". The name itself may be underpowering, however, the deed that it harbours is a thousand fold greater. The newly published "The Desert Sun" speaks of Taiyo's adventures when he was suddenly spirited away into the desert, and this blade is the one which a humble merchant gave him for free in pity of the lonely man wandering the wastes. Futsuko is a classical Oyaman blade of Katana style. The sword itself is not special, but its power and ability is imbued with the very essence of Taiyo. Futsuko is popular with the people of Oyama because the blade itself is analogous to the people; their power when wielded by a great swordsmaster. The power of which they speak of was well explained in the aforementioned epic published and popularized by the Shogun's traveling companion. She wrote, "the three of us stood before the great passage, the mountains towering into the heavens. The Silver Sun grasped the blade's handle, a blade of which seemed worn and old, no more ordinary than the warmth of the desert. Like the passage of the wind, the sizzling of the sand as it flowed across the dune sea, the sword was unholstered, and with a single slice, the Silver Sun sealed it within his scabbard once more. All whilst the great mountains of the Passage crumbled before our very eyes. A single cut, and the towering mountains were reduced to meager hills." It is said that the sword is the manifested spirit of the Oyaman people and carries their manifest destiny.

TEIKONARI - Teikoku-no-yari (帝国の槍), commonly called Teikonari, literally translates to "the spear of an empire" and is one of few heirlooms which remain of the Solar Empire which has long since crumbled into ruin. The sword itself was a gift by the Solar Empress, although less gift and more a chance to gain favour with the Shogun, whilst the weapon itself is powerful, the Empress' attempts at charm were not. As such Teikonari is an exceptional weapon within the Shogun's almost endless armoury, although its exceptionalism grants it certain favour with the Silver Sun, who uses it in battle more often than not. This enlightens the Solar Empress' heart to no avail. The Spear itself is said to have been used by one of the Emperors of the Sun during their reign to not only maintain order, but also rule the nation, because the spear has supposed power to not only create and destroy nations, but also to maintain them.


Taiyo, in his years of training and battle, has followed the common principles of what is known amongst the Oyama people as the Seven Star Sword Doctrines. These doctrines describe various styles, their pros and cons, but most importantly their founding principles. In Oyama, battle is less chaos and more order, the perfect duel is slanted towards perfect order and finely balanced harmony. Each cut has its own meaning, and each style is comparable to philosophical doctrines. Taiyo was forced to expand on what he'd known from growing up, but also learn wholly different styles, even make several of his own, and expand those, in order to not only conquer the beasts of the desert, but also the minds of the people.

As such Taiyo is a Great Sage, master of all the Seven Star Sword Doctrines, and even conqueror of the Black Sun style, a previously unreachable mastery which effectively makes him a War God in the eyes of Oyama. His skills have transcended all mortal limits, and his abilities not only reinforce his status amongst the people as the Silver Sun, but also expand on it. His swordsmanship seemingly transcending all mortal barriers, cutting through grass, plate, and boulders just the same. All things are laid equal before the Black Sun, death is the only currency of which the Dark Star employs, as such death is the only trade of which Taiyo has mastered. He must conquer the people of the East for they are the schackles of his celestial heritage, and he will use their idol, the Dark Star, in doing so.

Even so, Taiyo's nature remains still uncertain. Is he the mortal manifestation of the Golden Star on earth? Is he the Emperor of the Sun, whom would descend from the skies, or is he just a lonely star, cast down from heaven? Either way, hidden power surges within him, waiting for him to learn the truth of his existence.