The Knights of the Horns.

“You don’t fight a Knight of the Horns. You survive them.” -Excerpt from The Alchemist’s Guide to Suicide Duels.

The Knights of the Horns are not mere soldiers. They are the flaming edge of Everwealth’s spear, the kingdom’s last resort when diplomacy fails, armies falter, or cataclysm knocks at the door. Each knight is a living weapon, physically transcendent, magickally fortified, and intellectually tempered in the crucibles of war and study. Forged through a grueling process of alchemical imbibement and arcane rune-binding that would brutalize lesser men, those who survive emerge reborn, faster, stronger, sharper, thrice everything they used to be. Trained by the brightest minds Everwealth has to offer, equipped with nigh-indestructible enchanted armor that lets them move like a champion race horse and strike forcefully enough to deflect a cannon ball with the reflexes to do-so precisely. This white plate, accented with bright orange displays their allegiance to the crown, representative of The Charging Banner. a vibrant, easily seen coloration that dares any enemy of the kingdom's to take action. The oculus of their horned helms glow like torchlight when worn, making an eerie battlefield presence and creating a useful light source, though they need it not, their magickal helmets allowing the wearer to see through day, night, fog and ash all the same. But most notably, each knight wields the 'signet' of their order, the infamous Embersnap Blades: Swords of enchanted fire capable of igniting the wettest kindling as if kissed by lightning, that when swung emits a sound like a screaming ram. Founded during the earliest days of the Civil Age, their presence has meant the difference between ruin and resurgence in conflicts ranging from dragon incursions to necromantic uprisings. Yet they are not without controversy. Their very nature, bodies altered by magick, armed with relics, minds filled with knowledge forbidden to common men, breeds fear as well as awe. Some whisper of defectors turned assassins, Knights who broke away and became terrors in the criminal underworld. So while cities cheer when they march through the gates, there are always eyes that follow with dread. For when a Knight of the Horns is involved, it means the kingdom is truly in peril, and nothing left in its way will stand.

Career

Qualifications

Candidates are chosen from Everwealth's elite military, promising spellswords, or gifted mercenaries. Selection is not based on nobility, but on potential and resilience. The rune-binding trials, painful enchantments seared directly into flesh, in-tandem with a slew of body altering potions each with their own possible, nasty, side-effects, weed out all but the rare few capable of surviving both the agony and transformation.

Career Progression

Recruits are Initiates until their runes stabilize and any hindering side effects of repeated mutative potion ingestion (nausea, suicidal indignation, unpredictable burst of anger from 8-foot super men) finally subside, a process that can take months. Those who do then undergo martial and magickal training, if-completed an initiate advances to the rank of Ember. From there, exceptional Knights may rise to become Hornwardens, commanders, tacticians, or lorekeepers. A select few elite warriors will ascend to the rank of Charger, great champions called upon in only the most desperate crises.

Payment & Reimbursement

Knights receive stipends well above standard military wages, along with personal housing in whichever city they are stationed. Their weapons and armor are maintained by The Arcane Coalition at no cost, and all magickal upkeep is considered a state priority, though some of the Coalition grumble the degree of magickal enhancement the knights and their gear are ordered to undergo, borders on an affront to their doctrine or is even an outright amoral practice; Such powerful force multipliers as one knight can potentially be, able to brave cannon fire and lightning bolts head on, is far too dangerous for any to wield official or not, especially with the damage knights who defect from the order often cause.

Other Benefits

Prestige, political influence, and access to classified materials from both the Scholar’s Guild and Arcane Coalition. Some cities erect shrines or statues to local Knights. Others offer them total legal immunity in wartime conditions.

Perception

Purpose

To act as Everwealth's final line of defense against catastrophic threats. Their very existence is a deterrent to warbands, magickal uprisings, and looming inhuman entities bent on ripping the souls from entire villages at-a-time.

Social Status

They are revered by commoners, feared by political factions, and tolerated with cautious respect by the nobility. Among Everwealth's soldiers, they are seen as demigods in plate, awe-inspiring, unreachable, and terrifying.

Demographics

In Everwealthy habit, the knights too are predominantly Humans and Dwarfish, with occasional Half-Giants and even some Elfese though these members are greatly despised by eastern Elfese factions of Kibonoji, such a dedication to people who stole their ancestral lands an impossiby insulting notion. Race is not a barrier, but bodily resilience and magickal aptitude are desirable traits disqualifying physically weaker races; There are currently no known Gnomish knights or members from the races of Goblins or Smallfolk either. Though among the Flameborn Ten, first of their order, Sir Gallus 'Littlehorn' O'Bare, was supposedly among the Faerie race; This for now is but rumor, the Flameborn Ten disappearing in pursuit of a Vampire Lord amid The Cloudrend Mountains several hundred years ago with little recorded accounts of their history, leaving their true identities, their fate, and the fate of their prey entirely uncertain.

History

The first Knights of the Horns were forged from desperation. In 121 CA, with dragons razing coastal cities and undead spilling from fractured mountains, the kingdom needed a force that could answer threats conventional armies could not. The Arcane Coalition leadership first proposed the Rune-Binding Ritual, experimental magick that, if survived, would enhance the body beyond its mortal limits. The first ten candidates, known as the Flameborn Ten, gave birth to the order. Since then, the Knights have become Everwealth’s most trusted and feared elite. Every major campaign of the Civil Age bears their mark, from the Siege of Fireshade to the cleansing of the Bleeding Hills.

Operations

Tools

Embersnap Blades, flaming short swords forged with potent runes binding great magickal flame to the weapon; The symbol of their office. Ram-horn helms, sacred, enchanted headgear acting as powerful visual aids in dark or inclement conditions. Tactical scrolls and arcane seals for battlefield orders.

Materials

Runestone tablets used during initiation, flame-bound steel, white-mirrored plate armor reinforced with and against magick. Each Knight carries a personal Field Codex inscribed with spell-keys and battle doctrines.

Workplace

Their central barracks, known as the Hornkeep, lies within Opulence. Outposts, called Flameposts, exist in major cities. In wartime, they often operate independently, embedded in military units or deployed alone.

Provided Services

• Catastrophic threat response.

• Anti-magick combat and containment.

• Magickal sabotage operations.

• Tactical reinforcement of vulnerable military fronts.

Dangers & Hazards

Rune failure can cause bodily collapse or madness. Defection is rare but devastating, one rogue Knight can topple a district or empower entire criminal factions. There are whispered tales of assassins and warlords empowered by stolen rune-knowledge.

Alternative Names

'The Ember Order,' 'The White Flame,” “Ram’s Wrath,' 'Ram’s Final Bleat' (used ominously by outsiders)

Demand

Extremely limited. Only a few Knights exist at any one time, and all are state-commissioned. Training new candidates is dangerous and costly, making each one an irreplaceable weapon.

Legality

Fully sanctioned by The Monarchy and backed by both the Arcane Coalition and The Scholar's Guild. While technically answerable to the crown, most operate with autonomous authority in crisis zones. Civil authorities rarely interfere.

Charger Miranos, head of the order.