Overview
The Witch Knights, also called the Witch Knights of Vaasa, were a evil organization operating in the Bufferlands between
Kymos and
Damara. They were notable for their brutality and for their aspirations of conquest in the land of Damara, seeking to destroy the religious society of the nation and replace it with one worshipping their lord, Telos. Witch Knights were expected to be skilled warriors first and foremost, but all were also required to have some aptitude for arcane magic. The secret to their power, as their name implies, was from forming a kind of star pact with the comatose primordial Telos, although this was more akin to siphoning its essence rather than making a deal with it. When a Knight wielded Telos' power, it manifested as radiant and searing light and was often themed around meteors or shooting stars. The Knights' connection to Telos and to each other was solidified with a simple ceremony known as the Pact of the Iron Ring, and violations of their oaths could result in a fatal curse. Some Knights were known to have red eyes as a byproduct of this pact.
Activities
As rulers, the Witch Knights were brutal taskmasters who had forced the few people of Vaasa (a small fort city in the Bufferlands) into serfdom and slavery, conscripted them into their armies, and reserved the right to execute them if they resisted. As both a faction and as individuals, Witch Knights were focused on accruing power. Within their own domain, this meant a great deal of jockeying for prestige and undermining rivals, while abroad, it often involved a combination of subtle manipulation of proxies and overt displays of raw brutality. They were an ever-present menace to their neighbors, especially Damara to the east.
Combat
Witch Knights wielded weapons and equipment made of ironfell, a metal-like crystalline substance harvested from the body of Telos through which a Witch Knight could channel the primordial's power. Their more subtle agents made use of ironfell daggers and shurikens, while front line fighters tended to prefer glaives. Every Witch Knight wore a simple ring made of ironfell as a symbol of their status and a focus of their power, and this ring could not be removed once their pact with Telos was completed. The Witch Knights valued patience. While they were dangerous combatants themselves, Witch Knights preferred to engage enemies with squads or platoons of underlings and humanoid slaves. Their preferred front-line fodder was orcs, but their armies also contained goblinoids and gnolls as well as viscous, suicidal constructs called shardsouls.
