Tharsiscan Knights

Overview
The Tharsiscan Knights are an elite defense force under the command of the Duke of the Fiefdom of Tharsis. Small in number, they are known primarily for their unmatched swordsmanship and quality steel.

History
The assassinations of Duke Mareth Vensill Crowe and Duchess Lanis Siri Daegr had sparked the War of Glass and Shadow in 452, which had involved the Fiefdoms of Tharsis, Thimia, and Vasel. As the war was primarily concentrated along the Thimil-Vaselian border and the Kronlin Plains, Tharsis tacticians quickly realized that their relatively immobile ground army would be insufficient in mounting a long-range offensive all the way in Vaselian territory.

In addition, growing unrest in the Fiefdom of Aeristhane prior to the Treatise of Bowic had prompted many Tharsiscan councilors to vote against general mobilization; they believed that the army of Tharsis was needed in Skyscour to defend against possible civil unrest from the elvish workers inspired by the events in Aeristhane.

Immediately succeeding the slain Mareth Vensill, Duchess Liann Mareth Crowe was set on exacting vengeance upon the Fiefdom of Vasel. Without the help of the ground army, Liann Mareth turned to the Tharsiscan steel-shapers and members of the royal guard. The Duchess intended for the formation of a small mounted division, to be utilized separately from the ground army and answerable directly to herself. In addition, the Duchess planned to bypass the anti-war councilors by hiring mercenary swordsmen from her own private coffers. Only after the war had ended was it revealed that the Duchess's "hired mercenaries" were really decorated soldiers from the general army and royal guard, utilizing fake names and identification forged by the Duchess herself.

Within weeks of conscription, the Duchess had spent a significant portion of her treasury outfitting the mercenaries in mythril-infused steel plate. Additionally, a thin layer of ebony was affixed over the metal, giving the knights their distinctive black shade and reducing the noise made by their armor. Several private blacksmiths within Swordsfield were paid handsomely for their silence and their work in creating a set of mithril longswords, dyed black to avoid glare from the sun. Known only to the Duchess's circle as the "Blades of Liann", much of their formation was intentionally kept secret from the rest of the Fiefdom and the council.

By April of 452, the Fiefdom of Thimia had begun to lose ground against Vasel. The Vaselian army, comprised largely of slaves of various races, had begun to overwhelm the Thimil forces with sheer numbers, which prompted Liann Mareth to act as soon as her knights were ready. On April 22nd, 452, Liann collaborated with the Thimil General Faunz Estawk in order to launch a two-tiered offensive against the Vaselians. Liann believed that if the Thimil forces could engage the main Vasel army, her knights could flank the engagement and assault the enemy command post. Running out of supplies and energy, the Thimil army seemed unlikely to continue fighting for much longer, and General Estawk seemed wary of the Duchess's proposal. However, with few other options, the general was forced to put his trust into the young liege.

On the evening of the 23rd, General Estawk had mounted a surprise offensive on the southwestern flank of the Kronlin Plains. Many of the Vasel forces were getting ready to end fighting for the day, but were forced to continue engagements by Estawk's sudden push. Utilizing the confusion and the Western position of the sun, the Blades of Liann moved north of the battle unnoticed, circling around towards Fort Dael, the center of command for the Vaselian army. As the battle stretched towards nightfall, the Blades surrounded the fort before the alarm could be raised, shrouded by the guise of twilight.

The lead knight removed her helmet, revealing to all that Duchess Liann Mareth herself had led the offensive. Drawing her sword and dismounting, she demanded that the commander engage her in a one-on-one duel. Although the Fiefdom of Vasel was much less prone to bouts of honor than the highly disciplined Tharsiscans, General Khire Redoun, the commander of the Vaselian forces, thought to humor the girl and disgrace the Tharsiscan nobility in the same stroke.

General Redoun was cut down easily by the agile Duchess, the act of which enraged the rest of the fort. Breaking the rules of engagement and the duel, Vaselian guards within the fort immediately attempted to attack and kill the Blades. This course of action was predicted by Duchess Liann, who had ordered several knights to infiltrate the fortress while it's defender's eyes were locked on the duel. Defeating the majority of the guards, the Blades of Liann captured the fort and secured it before sunrise.

By the next day, the defeat of General Redoun quickly made its way to the front lines. With the death of their handlers, the slaves who had comprised the majority of the Vaselian ground force had no reason to continue fighting, and surrendered to the beleaguered but victorious General Estawk. Shortly after the battle, Duke Borse Vorgel Narsen drafted the terms of a cessation of arms and reperations to be made for the Fiefdoms of Tharsis and Thimia.

Any attempts to disguise the existence of the Blades of Liann were made impossible by popular rumor spreading from merchants and peasants who had witnessed the battle. Upon returning, Duchess Liann publicly revealed the formation of her private force and their use in the War of Glass and Shadow. While the council had opposed the principle of such a clear violation of funding and expenditure, they could not argue with the results. The Blades of Liann had not only defeated a significantly larger enemy force at the Kronlin Plains, but strengthened ties with the Fiefdom of Thimia and secured the Tharsis name in military superiority throughout the Terian Empire.

With little structural changes, the Blades of Liann were rechristened officially as the Tharsiscan Knights, and remained a symbol of military esteem and strength throughout the rest of history.

Present use
Present-day Tharsiscan knights have evolved a fair ways from their initial conception as the Blades of Liann. Most particularly, their numbers have swelled significantly, reaching almost 300 in rank. Performing in military operations all over the continent, Tharsiscan Knights are relatively equivalent to a military officer in rank, often granted command of small military detachments and outposts. Tharsis is also commissioned rather regularly by other fiefdoms to deploy a small number of knights in leadership, support, or peacekeeping roles in various conflicts throughout the empire. Squads of knights are commonly employed by the nearby Fiefdoms of Braythorp and Thimia to fight alongside the respective kingdoms' main armies.

As the knights have grown in number and have become more generally used, the elaborate mythril-ebonsteel plate armor commissioned for the original Blades of Liann could not be produced in similar quantities. As such, mythril-ebonsteel plate is only reserved for the highest ranking of knights, such as General Valen. Most knights are equipped instead with a simpler ebonsteel-plate armor, which has proved much easier to produce while still retaining the iconic look of the Blades.

The original Blades of Liann all carried swords into battle, another aspect which has changed to suit the evolving military-political climate of the current era. As the Tharsiscan Knights are often called to respond to increasingly varying situations, their arsenal has increased drastically, including warhammers, longbows, tower shields, etc. Even magic users have started to become more and more common among the knights, their unique arcane abilities proving essential on the field of battle. However, keeping with tradition, all knights are required to at least have some experience and training wielding a proper longsword, the likes of which remain the most popular choice of weapon among them.

In addition, Tharsiscan Knights are required to be able to fight on foot and on horseback to maximize versatility. Many squires choose to travel to the verdant plains and valleys of nearby Thimia to complete their equestrian training, due to the large number of horses and experienced riding instructors in the fiefdom.

To this day, the Tharsiscan Knights are known across the empire for their effectiveness and intimidating aesthetics. Feared by many bandit and rebel groups around the continent, the mere presence of the black-clad swordsmen have often proved enough to illicit declarations of surrender from the enemy force.

Controversy
Unchanged from their original conception, the Tharsiscan Knights are under direct control of the duke/duchess, and are not answerable to the Fiefdom's military council. Many have argued that this allows the duke/duchess undue power over the council, allowing the knights to "bully" the rest of the fiefdom's government. However, past experiences with the knights, not limited to but including the War of Glass and Shadow, has proven that this aspect of their control is mainly a positive thing; the knights can be deployed immediately by the ruling duke/duchess in emergency cases or where the main force would not be able to respond in time, bypassing the debate and bureaucracy of the council.

As well, in times of general peace the duke/duchess often relegates control of the Tharsiscan Knights to the military anyway, simplifying the structure of command and allowing the reigning monarchy to focus on other matters.

However, it should always be noted that in any event, the Knights are loyal to the duke/duchess first, then the fiefdom, and only after that, the Empire.