Knights of Orlas

History

The Knights of Orlas were active between 885AD and approximately 1230AD. The order began as a coalition of nobles concerned with raids in the Celest Province by several unknown and mostly inept creatures. After it was determined that the creatures spawned from some unknown and unlimited source, the Knights of Orlas set out away from Celest to find the source. The Knights and their surrogates searched for the source with the blessing of the monarch until 1225AD. It was at this time that King Henry III ordered by royal proclamation that the creatures were to be afforded equal protection. When the Knights of Orlas refused to end their quest for the source, King Henry III ordered the Knights exterminated. There is record of coordinated activities from The Knights of Orlas until 1235AD, when the last 13 knights were surrounded and killed at the Battle of Windsor.

Rise to Power

The Knights of Orlas were, at first, very poor warriors. While trained in the execution of combat, the mental acuity of the original knights were bound by the limited life span of the day. As a knight became seasoned in combat, he generally also suffered terrible and debilitating physical injury. In approximately 904AD, Maximilian Orlas, for whom the knights are named, found a piece of technology buried beneath his manor. Later identified as the NEDD this device allowed his knights to retain memories of battles until they could be simultaneously be experienced, causing a significant increase in battle ability. This discovery was important, but greater progress was made when the technology was modified in 939AD. The modification allowed experiences to be stored beyond the upload event. This effectively allowed a novice knight to experience a lifetime of battle from his fallen mentor.

Fall from Favor

In 1200AD, King John first discovered how the Knights of Orlas maintained such a high level of battle proficiency. Concurrently, there were reports that repeated use of the modified NEDD device was beginning to take a toll. Experiences unrelated to combat had found a way into the device, and these experiences, tainted by personal prejudice and taste, began to corrupt and alter the minds of the Knights of Orlas. Writings from the Exocline deny this change had taken place. The King, desiring the power for himself and his inner circle, negotiated for access to the modified NEDDs until the end of his life. After taking power, King Henry III briefly reopened negotiations, but quickly determined that under no circumstances would the Knights of Orlas surrender the technology. It was at this time that he used the rule of law to cut off their popular support, and eventually eradicated them.

Mythology of the Knights in Modern Day

The Elevated Knights of the Order of St. Orlas was a semi-secret society in Oakland, CA that claimed it's origins with the Knights of Orlas. The Order was disbanded in 1929 with the dueling death of the last High Virago Henrietta Sherman and the burning of St. Orlas Hall.

In the year 2000, a work of fiction written by Robert Escobarez suggested that while the Knights of Orlas themselves were destroyed, the modified NEDDs used to give them their abilities still existed, and if found could be used to give the user great power. While this book kicked up public interest in the Knights of Orlas, there is no evidence to suggest that the modified NEDDs still exist, and no reason to believe that if they did, they would still function properly.

Published under the terms of the CC BY 3.0 license.