Lore 

The bloody dawn is a composite order of the final remnants of various knight orders who have fallen in battle fighting back against the various foes of the empire. The name of the order comes from the first battle they engaged in as a knightly order where nearly all of the order was brought low, so much blood was said to have been shed that day that when the sun rose again its yellow was stained and surrounded by a bloody aura that covered the sky, from near to afar, thus those who still survived came to be known as the Witness’ of the First Bloody Dawn, whilst the leader of the order took the title of He Who First Saw The Bloodstained Dawn. As time has passed since that fateful dawn different orders have been brought under the Bloody Dawn’s Banner, for the most part the order has been supplemented by a constant influx of new squires coming to mentor under the battle hardened veteran knights of the Order. As well the role of the Bloody Dawn has expanded to fulfil both a battlefield role in being the group to whom the Empress turns to to hold the bloodiest of combat lines as well as the guardians of the Empress’s palace and grounds. A noted part of this is the hidden side of the Order that of the small knights order known as The Golden Order, who function as a form of special operations team within the Bloody Dawn and are notable for having a highly flexible and quick operational efficiency and tactical structure, they are commanded by the Council Lord (starz) who carries the title of The Hidden Eye of The Grandmaster, a trusted companion of the Grandmaster he operates The Golden Order to wreak havoc amongst the enemies of the Bloody Dawn and freely borrows both Mages from the tower and trusted knights of the Bloody Dawn.

Separate to all of this lies the mage tower of the Bloody Dawn, an affiliated structure its mages are called upon to act as healers, fire support and all round the backline of the order’s defences. Many follow the example of the Empress who, being a skilled mage herself, has become a strong part of the Mage’s towers forces.

The Bloody Dawn has several noticeable traits around it’s organisational structure in regards to its ranks and troops. At the top of all sits the Grandmaster whom above which sits only the Empress, beneath the grandmaster sits the council, the council may be comprised of up to 4 Council Lords tho they may also be known as knights of the inner circle, this inner circle of knights represents the advisors and trusted companions of the Grandmaster this is a rank only attainable upon the decision of the Grandmaster alone. Under the lordship of the Council Lord (Starz) sits the Golden Order who’s knights are of equal rank to the rank and file knights of the Bloody Dawn. The knights of the Bloody dawn sit beneath the council and are responsible for training the squires and forming the main defensive line of the combat formations often noted for using shields and one handed weapons. A squire may join the ranks of the Knights upon demonstrating a particularly valourant deed or fulfilling an agreed upon oath, the oath’s value is determined by the council when they sit and upon it being achieved a knight will then be born. At the bottom of the hierarchy sit the squires, bondsman and similar armed forces of the order, they have yet to earn titles or achieve glory and must strive to do so to advance further in the Order. The Ranks can be easily determined from afar by the style of Tabard, if the symbol is edged with gold then they are a councillor, the tabard only edged with gold then they are a knight and if no gold is present then a squire. When serving on the battlefield the grandmaster for sake of brevity is often referred to as The Commander by many of his men and by related factions of imperial mercs.

As well to those who join one may work their way up the ranks and grow both in titles and in their own personal glory, titles will be granted to you by the members of the council and the Grandmaster.

After several generations, the Capital has been built and some vassal states have been constructed. Many knightly orders have risen in the Empress’s name to fight her enemies, but after each battle less and less return. Though many seek to join these Orders, recruits’ lack of training and trust means numbers are not easily bolstered. Hence, Empress Fallyn, of the House Morosi, 9th of her Name, decreed they would merge into one to fight against her enemies and defend the Empire with the height of the Orders’ strength. This was the beginning of the Order of the Bloody Dawn. As such a famous Order was formed, many young people wished to be recruited, to fight alongside their heroes. To find only the best and to limit the harm these youths were exposed to, the Grandmaster created the esquire role, to find and nurture talent and raise those who possessed it to knighthood. The lesser-known addition to the Order of the Bloody Dawn, known only to the Empress and a select few advisors, is the Golden Order. This Order was created by, and is commanded by the Empress, its members chosen from only the most loyal and best warriors. Any mission that requires discretion is undertaken by the Golden Order. Currently, the Golden Order has special orders to operate under the Bloody Dawn, to assist where necessary but to also watch its members for any potential traitors in the ranks of the Empire.