Oathkeepers
Formed by the then-knight, Galeas Bristroth , and eventual founder of House Dragavei , the Oathkeepers were a group of knights and soldiers under his command both prior to and following his acquisition of an official knighthood and lordship within Trandrafia. They began as what would now be known as a vigilante group dedicated to hunting down rebel factions, criminals and fallen knights, and continued with that goal well past the founding of House Dragavei.
Structure
In the beginning, the Oathkeepers were led by their leader, Ser Galeas, but once House Dragavei formed they were led by the leader of the house. Eventually, when the business of the house grew beyond a simple lord's house, the role of leader was passed to the second in line for the head of the family. There were knights among the organization that made up the lower leadership and soldiers who joined under them.
Culture
During the time of Galeas Bristroth Dragavei, the Oathkeepers were seen as an auxiliary peacekeeping force used to focus efforts on criminals and heretics following the Apostacy. In these times, they were definitionally vengeful against those who did wrong to the people and kind to regular citizens.
As time went on, there were rises and falls in the zealousness of the group depending on its leadership, and the knights gained a reputation for some questionable activities it took while attempting to smoke out criminals in hiding. The oathkeepers became known less and less for their heroics as time went on and old members were replaced with newer, zealous, and aggressive members. Today, they are still remembered for their heroics, but he last decade or more of their history has left a stain on their otherwise honorable reputation.
History
Created by Galeas Bristroth as a group of like-minded individuals who sought to bring order back to the terrorized land of Trandrafia after the upheaval of the Bloodless Apostacy, the Oathkeepers became a known knightly chapter under the house of Dragavei when he was given his lordship. The organization continued to be led by House Dragavei for over two centuries before differences in agenda caused the knightly organization to be disbanded. The conflict between the growing focus of House Dragavei toward the applications of alchemy and medicine, with the then-head of the house more focused on the absolution rather than punishment of the criminals found by the knights, and the knight's persistent push toward more violent and unmeasured extremes to achieve their goals was the ultimate decider in this inner conflict.
Following their disbandment, several of the knights found their methods more at home within the Chapter of Dread Knights within the Duchy of Draebia, while others joined lesser knightly chapters, served lesser lords, or remained to serve House Dragavei directly.
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