Hell Knights
The Hell Knights were a group of Elturgardian Hellriders and members of the Order of the Companion that transformed into devils during the Damnation of Elturel as a result of secret oaths and pacts they had swore as part of the cult of Zariel.
While all members and relatives of the Hellriders and the Order of the Companion were liable to become Hell Knights upon being killed, as a result of the Creed Resolute all military personel swore, the term is an informal one and could be applied to all Elturians-turned-devils or only to those that willingly became devils.
Structure
As all of the Hell Knights came from militaristic orders, that command structure represented itself in the structure of the Hell Knights, who operated as devils very similarly as they did as mortals, with bases of operation, a strict hierarchy, and a focus on discipline for any that disobeyed.
Public Agenda
Upon their transformation into devils, the Hell Knights were given two key directives from Zariel. The first was to seek out and kill any magic users in Elturel that could attempt to summon or call for aid. The second was to kill any and all Hellriders, members of the Order of the Companion, and their families. Doing so would cause the slain to rise again as devils in Zariel's service, an intended byproduct of the Creed Resolute which all Hellriders and Order of the Companion members swore by.
History
In the decades following the 1447 Reign of Vampires, which was resolved by the appearance of the Companion over Elturel via a pact made between High Observer Naja Bellandi and Archduke of Avernus Zariel, members of the cult of Zariel began infiltrating Elturel's government and military orders. Under the direction of the Shield of the Hidden Lord, these cultists either recruited military commanders or conspired to place their own members in key positions. By 1497, nearly every high-ranking government or military official in Elturel was a secret Zarielite.
At the same time, all actively serving Hellriders and members of the Order of the Companion were made to swear on the Creed Resolute to defend Elturel. However, the tome binding the creed contained a hidden devil contract that extrapolated the creed's statement of one's "blood" serving Elturel to include direct descendants. In this way, any mortals that were related to someone in Elturel's military was liable to become a devil upon death, once the terms Naja Bellandi's pact came to be.
On the 2nd of Eleasis, 1497, as many members of the Order of the Companion and the Hellriders were brought into Elturel as possible to prepare for a military parade welcoming Grand Duke Ulder Ravengard on a state visit. However, that day the entire city of Elturel was teleported to Avernus, taking all within the city with it. This event was the catalyst for the plethora of secret pacts the Hell Knights swore, triggering their own transformation into devils. Thrown into chaos by their commanders sudden betrayal, many Hellriders and members of the Order of the Companion were unable to rally before being cut down by their former comrades, causing them to rise as devils too. The Hell Knights then launched a planned assault on all known mages in Elturel, killing nearly all of them. During this time, the Hell Knights were led by Janfire Mistmore, a prominent leader of the Order of the Companion.
For the next month of Elturel's damnation, Hell Knights stalked the streets, seeking to kill Elturians that would be transformed into devils upon death, but generally leaving others alone unless provoked, knowing that if they were killed now they would not join Zariel's army when the city was bathed in the River Styx. Thus a general stalemate emerged, as the Hell Knights were unable to breach Shiarra's Market, which was guarded by Klav Ikaia and his vampiric servants, nor could they take High Hall, where Ulder Ravengard rallied his own guard and Elturians, though they came close during the latter.
The largest coordinated military action the Hell Knights took was the Siege of Helm's Shieldhall, which saw the Hell Knights attempting to breach the defenses of their once military base, now defended by Hellriders protecting scores of Elturian citizens. At the end of the siege, the Hell Knights overcame the Shieldhall's defenses, swarming inside and slaying all of the defenders they could. However, before they could breach the final seal between them and the Elturian citizens, the Lost Star Detectives arrived, killing most of the attacking Hell Knights and slaying Janfire Mistmoor.
Disbandment
The failed Siege of Helm's Shieldhall was the beginning of the end for the Hell Knights, as their failure, and the subsequent rally of the defending Elturian forces, prompted a change in strategy for Zariel. While token amounts of Hell Knights were left in Elturel to stop demons from preemptively killing most of the population, most of the Hell Knights were folded into the traditional Blood Legions.
Following the Battle of Elturel and the city's subsequent salvation, any Hell Knight units that were not destroyed in the final battle were turned into traditional Blood Legion cohorts, ceasing to operate independently.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
2nd of Eleasis, 1497 - 1498
Type
Military Order
Predecessor Organizations
Training Level
Professional
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Leader
Location
Comments