Summer Knights

'My Lady, my Land, my Life. In that order, I bind myself to you.' - Summer Knight Oath to Tiandra

Summer Knights are champions of life spending their life in the service of one oath and one vow. The oath binds them to Elyswer and Tiandra, The Summer Queen, while their vow binds them to a duty of protecting the life of the world in all its forms.

Oath

My Lady, my land, my life. In that order, I bind myself to you.

Vow

My Life, for you.

These simple words have a strong premise. No matter how you interpret it the answer is clear to those of the order, others lives matter more than their own, none more than that of their queen and the world itself. This is a staple of the Summer Knights, who when they aren't protecting their queen throw themselves into danger in order to protect the weak, helpless and downtrodden, but their moves are not reckless, for they are highly trained and experts in both healing and protection magics.

The First Summer Knights

During the age of desolation, when the forest burned and the host of abominations poured down from a rift to the north, a group of warriors, elite and apprentice stood upon the site that is now Lifewatch. Against all odds, the warriors held the plateau wielding the powers of the creator god, Teora in the face of unending waves of grotesque forces. They held for a month, day and night, giving no ground and no quarter. While their comrades fell and the dead piled up they held the line, smiting creatures of great power and protecting the weak. Eventually, as they began to buckle, their losses too severe to plug the line, a great force from Luren arrived, pushing back the demons and rescuing those who fought.

Upon their relief, something unthinkable happened. Soldiers who had fought for days and weeks, who had taken mortal wounds and continued to fight began to drop dead, as if the powers of this place had given them the strength to protect all others until it was no longer necessary. Those few warriors that survived, entombed their fallen into an old fort upon the hill and created 'Life's Chapel' to remember their sacrifice and heroism to this day.

To Protect the Lady

The Queen of the Summer Court is life herself. Where she walks flowers bloom and sunlight swells. Her beauty is beyond belief and her voice feels like the first rays of summer at sunrise. Though behind the facade works the mind of a demi-god, alien and calculating beyond the capacity for mortals to understand. She thinks in centuries and millennia, working for the gains of her court and the life of Venya. She cannot, however, leave the borders of the Elyswer, and must act through her champions, the Summer Knights. The knights follow her orders above all else, acting without question and eradicating all threats she deems worthy of their attention. At all times a small contingent of knights guards Tiandra, ensuring that harm does not befall her.

To Protect the Land

The Elyswer is a land of magic and wonder, melding the immortal forests of the wood elves with the fey realm of the summer court. These worlds in harmony provide a great boon for both but draw the ire and hunger of many beings. Some who wish to see this melding smashed beyond repair, while others wish to feed upon the magic-rich environment, corrupting it and twisting it into something dark and evil. The Summer Knights are tasked with the protection of both these lands. They are able to rend the veil with their power and step through anywhere within the Elyswer, facing horrors or agents that seek to enter by both means. This is their oath to protect the land, and they must remain vigilant for powerful and devious creatures seek to enter. Sometimes these quests of protection may take them further afield, in which they have Tiandra's blessing to pursue dangers beyond the borders of the Elyswer. This means they may travel far from their home for many years before returning, and during this, they often help others who need help along the way, leaving a trail of goodness in their wake.

The Order

Any creature or race may be inducted into the order of the Summer Knights if they have proven themselves worthy. This means they must have put the lives of others above their own, even unto death. This means those who fought bravely, well and against insurmountable odds and survived are usually chosen. When chosen a sacred tree is planted, usually within the fort of Lifewatch, but it can be elsewhere. These trees bridge the veil, appearing in both the fey realm and the mortal world. The Summer Knight then binds their soul to it, and from it is granted strength and powers beyond their normal status, as well as longevity for those chosen who don't possess it. Some of these blessings will slowly alter the appearance of the chosen, depending on their original race. 


While they are an active Summer Knight, their family will watch over the tree, caring for it and protecting it. These families live within Lifewatch and act as caretakers and protectors of not just the tree but the whole area. The area itself is like a spread-out town, full of shrines, forts, training grounds and areas for all manner of beasts. A fortress unto itself. Should you enter and follow the road, statues of former Summer Knights line the path, their deeds carved into the stone and upon the cliff's edge stands 'Light's Chapel'. A place only full Summer Knights can enter, where the deeds and secrets of their order reside, and where they can commune directly with Tiandra to coordinate their efforts to her will as well as sense dangers to the Elyswer in the mortal and fey realm.

The callings of the Summer Knights are varied and though all are able to use the same powers, some are more specialised than others. Some focus their attention on healing creatures, fixing the land, rooting out corruption and purging it. While others are combat specialists, monster hunters and slayers of darkness. More are eternal protectors, wielding shield and sword and finding the downtrodden and hunted to save. The Summer Knight possesses all walks of life within their ranks, making their regiment a force to be feared. For while some hunt alone, most work together to achieve their goals, so it is rarely one Summer Knight you must contend with at any one time.

A Tale of Venya

Learn more about the world, its history and the factions here.

Lifewatch

The base of the Summer Knights is like a small town, walled off from the rest of the Elyswer and protected like a small nation. Within live the families of the Summer Knights, caretakers of the unique beliefs, trees, temples and forts. All are trained to fight and guard the walls and keep while the summer knights travel and see to their duties. It also offers protection for the children of Summer Knights who are bound to their bloodline and their parent's fate should they fall, for the mantle of Summer Knight can only pass through bloodlines, unless a new Knight is raised up in a secretive ceremony.

Oath and Vow

Certain aspects of their oath may seem like they are at odds with their vow, and that is a common misconception for mortals. At times Tiandra may ask the Summer Knights to eliminate something they see as no threat, or something needing protection. This may seem like a conflict but nothing is above Tiandra's orders. She is an avatar of life, cunning and powerful beyond belief, thinking millennia into the future. The knights have put their faith and belief in her. They trust that her orders, even if working against their vow, are for a greater and better world. Wielding blessings of Tiandra's power and enacting her will, the Summer Knights are the closest creatures to her and understand her and her plans more than any other, though even that is only a fraction.

Northern Elyswer

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