prologue ♔ chances are more than expectations

[wynn]

WHO || Wynn and any characters newly joining the Knights
WHAT || Initial recruitment meetings with Wynn
WHERE || Knights Headquarters outside London, England
WHEN || Anytime before the 1st of each month
HOW || Prose OR Actionspam (I'll follow your lead!) Please make a new thread for your character's arrival below.

♬ [When you see this note in a post or NPC tag, click for musical accompaniment!]

The paths to the Knighthood are as unique as the individuals who comprise its widespread organization. But all of their tales have one aspect in common: their first trip to the castle that serves as the primary headquarters for their operations occurs blindfolded, generally with the member who had recommended them for service as their escort.

Only when the car had pulled up to the front steps of the opulent building are they unmasked and allowed to follow inside.



Within the wide front hall is what looks like a receptionist desk to the left, manned by any one of a number of usually young Knights, who make the newly arrived sign into an ancient looking tome with hundreds of yellowed pages, along with today's date, usually accompanied by a look of curiosity from whoever's working the desk. Either way, they ask no questions.

They are then directed down the main ground floor hallway, which seems to stretch on for a great distance, passing tapestries of a mostly medieval flavor, suits of armor and weaponry lining the walls, and archways that open into opulent ballrooms, extra wings with numerous doors, poshly decorated parlors and more.

It's in front of an incredibly large painting that they come to a stop, drawing some kind of keycard out of their wallet or pockets and using it to open a small glass case containing a fire extinguisher to the right of the artwork. They pull the extinguisher upwards like a lever, making it clear it's just for show, and a loud mechanism creaks behind the wall, as the entire mural swings aside slowly to unveil a torch lit hallway. Escorts leave their charges to go on from here alone, usually with a nod or word of encouragement.

There's something solemn about the long stone corridor, made only more so by the fact that almost every inch of the walls on either side is covered in paintings, tapestries, rugs, artifacts, carvings, etc. that depict various images from the Knights' history, of those in armor battling against all manner of twisted and dangerous creatures. There's another constantly reoccurring image as well - of a gigantic silver dragon battling against armies of dark elves, or just one dark elf in particular, who is often depicted with a certain circular symbol somewhere on his wicked looking armor.

More prominent than this collection of madly arranged images is the incredibly large lettering inscribed over the large doors at the end of the hallway.

Thou Shalt Defend the Knighthood.
Thou Shalt respect all Weaknesses, and Shalt constitute thyself the Defender of them.
Thou Shalt not recoil before thine Enemy.
Thou Shalt make War against Injustice, without Cessation and without Mercy.
Thou Shalt never lie, and shall remain Faithful to thy pledged Word.
Thou Shalt be Generous, and listen to and Respect All.
Thou Shalt be Everywhere and Always the Champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

The room that stretches out beyond those doors, however, is enough to wrench the eyes off the inscription. It houses an incredibly large, thick, wooden table constructed in the round, surrounded by at least twenty five chairs. Rising from the center from the table is a massive statue that appears to be made of glass or crystal, depicting a dragon in flight. Suspended in the middle of the statue is a proud looking sword, that looks as if it's merely hovering there because of the statue's transparent nature. The statue rises up towards the vaulted ceilings as if it means to break free and soar out of the room, creating a very otherworldly aspect to the setting.

It may take a moment for those who enter to realize they are not fully alone, as Wynn waits on the exact opposite side of the table, facing a pair of incredibly tall sealed doors, that appear to be gilded in gold leaf. His hands are locked behind him, laced white cuffs falling over them, one ring visible on his left hand. His height is intimidating, at a full six foot seven, and his posture rigid and impeccable. He wears an old-fashioned tailored coat worked with silver and dark blues, over a silver and white doublet, framed with gleaming buttons that have tiny dragons worked onto them in brushed silver. He says nothing - doesn't even so much as turn, as if he doesn't even register that anyone has arrived.

Once inside, the doors fall shut with a ponderous thud, of what seems to be their own accord.

Comments

[hacker]

[ A whistle sounded as Skye's boots thudded on the stone floor of the corridor leading into the round table room, punctuating her eyes' careful exploration of the nuances. Grim paintings of a lone dark elf (wis 19 to realize it's the same one), depicting grisly battles and dangerous monsters. Skye reached one hand out to brush against the inscription on the doors that ended the hall. She searched the words, swallowing thickly when her eyes scanned the lines. ]

"Thou shalt never lie," huh? [ Skye glanced up at the frame of the doors, drawing a slow breath, then nodded. ] All right, then. [ She pushed the doors open and headed well inside the room, glancing at the central statue from different angles until the doors she'd entered through swung shut. She glanced up sharply, then looked around and noticed the looming, silver-haired man standing near the opposite doors.

Just where the hell did those go? The intricate gold work was a pretty good indicator that it was something valuable to the Knighthood, and Wynn looked to be standing guard over it. ]

Whoa. Hi. Are you the super tall reason I got brought here with a bag over my head? [ She was beginning to see where Malina as coming from. ]

[wynn]

If you mean, was it by my mandate, then yes. [ delivered all without turning, only moving to face her, after he says those words. ] The reason, however, lies with the hundreds here that such secrecy helps protect.

[hacker]

Hundreds? [ Whoa. ] When Kali said knights, I was picturing Lancelot and Pals, not ... [ She gestured up and around. ] Quite the army you're building. Does that have something to do with the — [ She gestured back into the corridor leading into the round table room, where the grisly battles with dark elves were depicted (wis 19). ] I couldn't help noticing you've got a pretty particular taste when it comes to castle decor.

[wynn]

With the evil we stand against? Yes, of course. Without numbers, we would find it quite difficult to do so, to any great effect.

[hacker]

The evil you stand against.

[ She parrots him in an almost disbelieving voice. He makes it sound like such a cohesive entity. Her eyebrows arch. ]

And what evil is that, exactly?

[wynn]

Anything that threatens the welfare or well-being of those who make this world their home. Particularly threats that originated in Faerun, but also threats to those who have become victims of prejudice upon arriving here.

[hacker]

Isn't that what laws are for? And police? What made you decide to take that responsibility on yourselves?

[wynn]

Many times we find ourselves working by or for those who govern a specific land, but time and again, both we, and they, have found themselves ill-equipped to deal with certain otherworldly matters, which our experience serves to make us particularly well suited to address.

[hacker]

Sounds like a fancy way of saying you don't answer to anyone, to me. [ Or maybe her pseudoanarchist tendencies just have her looking for a reason to poke holes in what seems too good to be true. ] That kind of thing leaves a bad taste in people's mouths these days. What makes you any different?

[wynn]

Our organization has endured for thousands of years, seen governments that did well by its people, and those that did not. Our first duty is to the well being of all people, of all races of all worlds. Refusing to listen to the very people we seek to protect would be at odds with that philosophy. We've endeavored over the years to forge a working relationship with what ruling powers we can. But our work continues largely in secret, to prevent misconceptions from spreading about our intentions, and to protect those in my employ.

[hacker]

Kali thinks that's true. She vouched for you, said you're good people.

[ Skye seemed to have her reservations on that, looking him over, but she visibly softened, as if ready to cut him some slack. Wynn, at least, appeared to have good intentions. So did a lot of people, though. Good intentions weren't always enough. ]

But she also told me that you're still surveilling the other individuals involved in the PEGASUS project after you freed them. Are you gonna tell me that's just about protection too? That none of this is because you want more weapons in your arsenal?

[wynn]

I'm surveilling them in case anything should begin happening to them, so that we might know if anyone begins to search for Kali and her kind. She considers them to be her siblings, in a way, and they were released into this world without a full understanding of what they might encounter. This could be dangerous for them - or for those they come across.

I do not actively seek to recruit for the sake of adding the powerful to my cause. What I offer here is, in many ways, a home for those who join our efforts. Somewhere they may find greater purpose.

[hacker]

Home.

[ The word felt thick in her throat. She dropped her gaze to the table, looking on the dragon sculpture. ]

And you? What do you get out of all this?

[wynn]

The very same.

I imagine you may have questions, about how we operate.

[hacker]

Yeah, like how you get your information and pick your missions. Your people showed up on the scene in Guadalajara wicked fast for a group out of England. What are we talking here? Psychics? [ She looked up and around the room. ] How do you decide something's evil enough to be your business?

[wynn]

We investigate any manners that may be linked to Shadow, and what you see here is merely the headquarters of a series of global cells, each consisting of individuals with talents as varied as they come. This allows us to keep, as they say, an ear to the ground in many different ways: through contacts, magical channels, technology.

[hacker]

How many cells are there?

[ Just how big is big. HOW DEEP DOES THE RABBIT HOLE GO, MORPHEUS. ]

[wynn]

Closer to twenty. Much smaller, of course, than what you see here.

[hacker]

And if I sign on, I could be assigned to any of them? Or would I stay here while I was a squire? I'm not sure I get how the whole ... on-the-job training aspect works.

[wynn]

Relocation to other cells occur almost entirely by request. You would be squired to another Knight, stationed here, whose job it would be to evaluate your progress, and to help you decide if this path is right for you. You would complete missions side by side with more experienced Knights, able to learn in the field precisely what it is we do, with an array of training options available to you in the interim, for you to hone what skills you need.

[hacker]

And how do you decide if someone is worthy? Is there a written? Field test? Some obstacle course with a ring of fire?

[wynn]

It's a bit more subjective than that. Considering the wide variety of skills and experiences shared by our members, a single test of any sort would likely place some of them at an unnecessary disadvantage - and what we prize is that variety. It is up to the supervising Knight to decide when the time is right.

[hacker]

You're telling me there's no guidebook, no instructions, you just ... hope the mentor knight knows what they're doing and send 'em on out? Just like that?

[wynn]

I have complete faith in every member of my Knighthood to play their part properly. What's more, none of them are sent out on their own - or even solely with their mentor. Only our Dragon's Claws are allowed to act without the assistance of other Knights, and it is that support, coupled with the resources at our disposal here to train and prepare our squires for the field, that grants me this confidence.

[hacker]

But someone on the field has the final say, right? Like Malina did.