Chalice Knights[]
Though most nations have knightly orders unique to that nation and loyal solely to the nation’s ruler, Chalice Knights are unique in that they hold particular respect and authority within all ‘civilized’ nations. Though the 6 orders of the Chalice, by and large, each have a patron nation that funds them, they do not serve a particular king but rather a purpose and ideology.
The Chalice Knights were founded during the Crusades, when humanity was beset by all manner of dark creatures. These Orders each specialized in combating a particular type of creature or enemy. Their tactics, weaponry, and membership requirements each reflect their field of study and the enemies they combat. During the Crusades, these Orders were so effective that the mere mention of their presence brought fear to their respective enemies.
These orders were:
~The Silver Chalice, dedicated to hunting down and eliminating Demons.
The Knights of the Silver Chalice continue to litter bardic songs and tales as the bastions of virtue, nobility, and chivalry. Though they are skilled warriors, virtue is paramount when fighting creatures of darkness, and so these knights tend to be well spoken, polite, and kind. As they commonly use silver weapons and armor, the image of these shining knights captures the poet’s attention. The Silver Chalice is primarily based out of the Celestine Empire.
The Returned in Solace have had multiple interactions with the Silver Chalice on Tear, including aiding them in battle against Inexo's demons. Lady Diamante Telesca has even accepted a squireship to one of the Silver Chalice Knights.
The Order of the Silver Chalice is active.
~The Iron Chalice, dedicated to hunting down and eliminating Fae.
The Knights of the Iron Chalice had a dark past. During the Crusades, they somehow managed to uncover and use fae secrets to capture, lure, and destroy almost all fae kind. In retaliation, the fae cast a great curse on these knights, who all met horrible ends. The Iron Chalice was based out of an ancient Citystate called Antioc, on the island of Tear, before its destruction.
It is rumored that Valdir was once an Iron Chalice Knight, before his quest against Eden led to his fall.
The Order of the Iron Chalice is inactive.
~The Golden Chalice, dedicated to hunting down and eliminating Celestials.
The Knights of the Golden Chalice also litter bardic tales, though in a far different way than the knights of the Silver Chalice. The Golden Knights had great success in destroying the Celestials of their time. It is said, however, that they used deceitful means, twisting the virtue of the Celestials against them. They also conjured Anziel -- “The Bride of Suffering” -- to destroy the Celestials. Later, during the Purification, the Golden Chalice rebelled against the Amalgamation and was crushed along with Castle Syltane.
In the third year of Adelrune, a large contingent of Golden Chalice Returned through a vortex, arriving in the center of Solace. Though the initial interaction with the Prince Aleric of Syltane was tense at best, both groups of Returned have since worked together to eliminate many demonic threats in and around Solace. Through conversation with the Prince of Syltane, the Solace Council discovered that there were roughly 2,000 Golden Chalice Knights returned with him. Further, they determined that these Chalice Knights were the same knights who were destroyed by the Amalgamation after they refused to take up arms against the Effendal, who they did not view as a threat. The Prince of Syltane also made it clear that he considers Celestials and Demons to be one and the same, albeit with different preferences in corrupting humans; as such, he is equally willing to hunt Demons.
After assisting Solace with several battles, the host of Golden Chalice Knights moved northwest into Effendal territory, where they took up residence in the ruins of Antioc, ousting Hope Lightbringer from her home. Prince Syltane was soon after coronated, becoming King Syltane. In December of 9r, Leucraven murdered King Syltane; with his death, the Golden Chalice knights who had Returned with King Syltane collapsed and instantly died as well.
The Order of the Golden Chalice is inactive.
~The Blood Chalice, dedicated to hunting down and eliminating Blood Mages.
The Knights of Blood Chalice held a fearsome image, as the legends tell of blood-soaked knights wading through battle with unnatural strength, able to withstand the most devastating attacks, both to their body and their mind. The Knights of the Blood Chalice were based out of the Citystate of Mandala, but they were destroyed by the Amalgamation during the purification, as the Amalgamation believed that they would quickly turn corrupt and rebellious as the Golden Chalice had done.
The Order of the Blood Chalice is inactive.
~The Black Chalice, dedicated to hunting down and eliminating unauthorized Necromancers.
The Knights of the Black Chalice are a sinister force, and even their formation was a dark bargain. The Order was formed by Sir Vojin of the Nadine Empire, who vowed that he and his men would use their skill and knowledge of the undead to get rid of the deep-rooted necromantic sects that existed throughout the Expanse. In exchange for this, it was understood that the Knights of the Black Chalice would not turn against their own nation. As a result, necromancy is rare in every nation except the Nadine Empire.
In April of the fourth year of Adelrune, Khazad was accepted into the Order of the Black Chalice. In March of the fifth year of Adelrune, Wrathmore Bane, a hero of the Black Chalice, Returned. He promptly took the Bitch of War, Aesa, as his squire.
The Order of the Black Chalice is active.
~The White Chalice, dedicated to maintaining order and eliminating corrupting influences which sustain dark forces.
The Knights of the White Chalice have an odd role compared to other Chalice Knights. White Knights exist to preserve order and alter the conditions of a location that allow sinister forces to thrive. During the Purification, this involved the destruction of a great number of heretical books on everything from dark magics to literature of a graphic nature. Other tasks may include destroying artifacts, protecting holy places or sacred objects, or even performing rituals to restore a desecrated and cursed location back to its original form. The Order of the White Chalice primarily resides in the Amalgamation.
Because of its close ties with the Amalgamation, there tends to be an overlap between White Chalice Knights and Inquisitors. Because of this, many of the Returned in Solace are wary of them, at best. Zachariaus, previously known as Gregor, revealed himself to be a White Chalice Knight and Inquisitor in March of the fifth year of Adelrune.
The Order of the White Chalice is active.