Emerald Knights
An order of Dalish warriors responsible for protecting the Dales, the independent Elven nation. Emerald Knights are revered by those who have managed to see them, their honor and prowess esteemed.
With the Dalish living more secretively, with caution to safeguard their homes, it is common that if one stumbles too close to guarded land that these warriors will reveal themselves. An ominous ward, approach is met with warning, and transgression with swift defeat.
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Typically accompanied by loyal greatwolves, Emerald Knights represent the lost traditions and pride of the Elves. An attempt to return to their glory. These fighters wear armor reminiscent of the old Elven Kingdoms, a reminder of history wiped out over centuries of oppression.​
History
The Emerald Knights are inseparable from the founding and relative growth of the elven kingdom forming in the Dales. In the aftermath of ancient Arlathan's collapse, the knight remnants worked together to form the Arlathan Enclave. Over centuries, they covertly networked and grew refuges for Elves, slaves, and outcasts to live free from the Imperium's rule.
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A society structured around these surviving knight's chivalric ideals of honor, bravery, and self-sacrifice, morphed over the centuries into a freedom fighting organization. During the Blight, the Arlathan Enclave made greater moves against the Imperium around the Vyrantium region, even fostering signed releases of slaves after war proved to drag on.
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With the defeat of Archdemon Dumat and the Blight ending, the Arlathan Enclave soon found true sanctuary in the Dales for the Elvish people. The organization returned to its roots, relics and history used as foundation to foster a new kingdom. The legacy of the Emerald Knights, their last acts being the formation of the Enclave that then found home in the Dales, was given honor by having new oaths formed.
New Emerald Knights sworn to duty in -165 Ancient, after nearly a thousand years without them, they have and continue to unearth lost Elven culture and tradition to adhere to. The Emerald Knights not only protect the physical territory of the Elves, but actively seek to restore what was stolen by the Imperium's oppression.
Career Features
Wolf Companion: Start with a Savage Mount Rune
Relics: Access to Arlathan Enclave and unique Elven Equipment
Culture
Symbols of honor and Elven reverence, Emerald Knights are not merely warriors, but guardians of Elven heritage and dignity. Deeply respected by the Dalish, the knights ensure the preservation of ancient customs from old Arlathan.
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When an Elf swears themselves into service as an Emerald Knight, a tree is planted in their honor in the Emerald March as a symbol of their oath. And when that Emerald Knight dies, their remains are interred at Din'an Hanin, a hidden tomb located in the Dales.
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The Emerald Knights ride halla, or horned stags, into battle, and also always fight alongside wolf companions known as the Knight's Guardians. An Emerald Knight and their Knight Guardian hold an intense bond, never leaving the other's side. They fight together, eat together, and when the knight sleeps, their wolf guards them, when the wolf sleeps, the knight guards them in turn.
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Central to an Emerald Knight is the concept of Tanaleth'vhenan, or 'eternal vigilance'. It is the idea that a knight's duty does not end even in death. It is said that an Emerald Knight's spirit lingers in the Emerald Graves, whispering to successors who meditate beneath their planted trees. Even outside the Emerald Graves, Emerald Knights are said to be able to meditate in times of great need and call upon the guidance of their previous brothers and sisters in arms.