Knights of the Queen

When the horde of evil invaded Parseil and claimed it as their own, a small knot of loyal and exceptional humanoids were key to the successful defense of the new conquest. There were only twenty of them in number, but enchanted arms and armor paired with sorcery allowed them to be incredibly effective and efficient in carrying out their missions. Each time powerful forces for good managed to bring hope the ruin could be tamed, these "knights" would descend on them and leave the corpses as examples for both the next would-be heroes... and those who might think of parting ways with the horde's leader. Over the decades following the fall of Parseil, attempts which were serious grew fewer, but they were treated with the same brutality should there appear to be even a sliver of hope.

In the centuries the city was secured, the exact number and disposition of these "knights" has not been clear to those outside the city. But they do still exist, recruiting from those whose hearts have fallen into evil, and training replacement members as needed. Each of them answers only to the leader, and as such they are perhaps the only beings universally feared by Parseil's denizens. The outer world only knows who they are by one instance, early in the occupation, where five of them were seen atop the wall throwing a corpse from the top and departing. The corpse had a note written in blood on it, simply reading: "In the name of the Queen, no quarter shall be given to trespassers."
Not for Players' Eyes

About the Knights

Amidst the horde, there are few who know the true identities of the Knights, but everyone knows they answer directly to the Lord of Ashes. Every lesser leader inside the ruins lives in fear of a time when one of the Knights arrives to deliver instructions or otherwise present orders. The Knights wear face-concealing helmets when out and about, but their armor ranges from heavier mail towards lighter fare such as hardened leather. One consistent aspect is the presence of a flame with five tendrils curling and entwined together. With their presence outside the heart of the ruins being rare, there is little evidence for exactly who they are or what their agendas are individually. However, they undoubtedly are in service to the Lord of Ashes and brook no ideas of betrayal.

All of them use with finely crafted equipment which is enchanted to resist decay, and to call upon various types of elemental energy in their attacks. Secondly, more than a few of them possess the ability to channel divine magic, though the source is not obvious to witnesses. Lastly, when sent to dispatch a genuine threat there is no underestimating their target. The Knights strike with overwhelming force and an unrelenting fury should they have the pleasure of cornering their target. This means they will bring any reasonable magical objects (mostly taken from what was inside the city when it fell) to help them acquire or retain the edge in battle.

Most importantly, the Knights may be fanatical in their devotion but they are not reckless or martyrs by nature. Should they appear to be losing a fight, and they have no means to win, they will attempt to disengage for another time. For them, a war of attrition is in their favor should it come to it, as they have access to recovery magic much as adventurers invading the ruins would. Any combat engagement where a retreat is needed thus serves as a means of wearing down their targets, as well as collecting information on exactly what they are dealing with.

True Nature

While it can be gleaned from those familiar with the history and lore of D&D, the Knights serve Tiamat, the Five-Fold Wyrm, Queen of Dragons. A number of them are clerics, or paladins, while others pursue arcane power. Almost all of them have training with melee weapons so they can fight if cornered, and the GM is free to arm them with any reasonable magical equipment to make them a fitting challenge for when they appear. While all of them have sworn service to Tiamat, they are more immediately subservient to Malsheril, a red dragon who masterminded the fall of the city and recently returned to reclaim his position as 'regent'. During his absence, the Knights were given instructions which were passed down through their successors of how to keep up the illusion Malsheril was still present and active.

Overall training Level

Elite