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The
Blackguard is the elite guard that protects the High King or Queen of the
Castellan Kingdoms. Those who excel in the military, the temple's militant branch, the knightly orders, or as an adventurer for the state may be asked to join the Blackguard. Any aspiring Blackguard symbolically severs all their other ties to dedicate themselves to the defense of the Monarch in a ritual known as Hallowing.
History
The first Blackguards were a knightly order of Paladins dedicated to minor local spirits. Back in the
Spoken Era they were tasked with defending the country that would later become Easarch. They were godly men and women, strong in faith and empowered by that faith to produce minor miracles. They even carried two divine words, '
Valor' and '
Faith'. They would spit at the idea of a Divine Queen, confident that no foreign Queen could be as strong in the sacred arts as they were.
That was until Queen Nereida Castellans forces gathered at their borders, and the Queen herself called out for surrender in the
Divine Tongue. Overwhelmed by the fluent Celestial, the Blackguards did not tremble. They repented their heresy, realizing that before them was an individual truly chosen by the Gods. They defected, and that act of betrayal made the order of Paladins all fall from the grace of their gods.
The fallen Paladins asked the Queen for forgiveness. Queen Nereida graciously offered them a place at her side as her personal guard.
Hallowing
The
Hallowing is a sacred rite all Blackguards must go through. The first step is purification. The guard takes a cleansing bath, fasts, and must make a full confession to the Spymaster. They are then allowed to don the specially enchanted white robes of an Aspirant.
Aspirant Blackguards are trained at the military academy. They are expected to spend their nights in prayer and meditation. At the end of the training, the next step is the Sacrifice. The Aspirant dons their white robes, and chants the Hallowed prayer. As they do so, stigmata begin to appear on their flesh, and the blood stains the white robes crimson. The Sacrifice represents a symbolic death of the individual before their service, cutting any other ties they may have.
At the end of their chant, the Blackguard is annointed with sacred oils, and a black robe is placed over the the crimson robe.
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