The Order of the Black Sword

The Order of the Black Sword is a knightly order stationed in Caldos and serving directly the Caedes. Their order hall is the Black Tower in north eastern Caldos.

History
The Order of the Black Sword was founded in 618 A.E. but was in a formation stage since late 620 A.E. after the crashing of the comet in the Pallidas. A need to contain and maintain the area around the affected crater was apparent, and thus a group of banner men came together under the leadership of Lord Stelion Marios, a nobleman from Aedica who was serving the Caedic advisor Omiron the Quick. As the first Knight Commander, Marios oversaw the renovation of the crumbling Heleiomaede into the great gatehouse later called the Black Tower, as the stone used in its renovation is of an inky black color.

To gather recruits, Knight Commander Marios convinced Advisor Omiron to bring the notion to the Caedes who approved greatly of the idea. They gifted thirty banner men to the Knight Commander of various degrees of skill and training, who then moved to be stationed at the tower. Records show that the Knight Commander's first duty was to survey the Crater and make maps of it. Samples of plant life and stone in the area was taken and examined by the tower's most educated man, called Lagos, though his findings are privy to the Order. Whatever was found, caused Marios to call for the current containment procedures of controlled burns about the Crater and the restriction of the area.

The Order was responsible for the evacuation of the shepherds who lived in the area who had contracted the invisible illness, a disease undetectable by the eye. Afflicted individuals would loose the ability to reason before their fingers and toes would turn black; eventually their skin would peel off in thick layers and they would die. Knights brought the afflicted to a holding area near the edge of the mountains where all but three died. The three would later join the Order.

After their founding, the Order would patrol the roads outside and through the Asteria Valley, keeping travelers from entry to it and the lesser Valley of the Crater. Passage has been granted to important affairs since 615 A.E with an accompanied escort.

Duties and Rites
Members of the Order of the Black Sword are required to complete a lengthy and secretive hazing process before entry to prove that they are able to be trusted with the secrets of the Crater and the Order. After, one must complete the initiation ceremony, a process said to be in line with other knight orders of Caldos. The Rite of Fire is a ceremony performed every three months where a great ring is burnt about the Crater to ensure it is contained. The act is full of ritual symbolism and is followed by the burning of the Caedes three symbols before the ring. Other rites inside the Order remain secretive, though we know of their existence through brief mention in the journals of former members.

The Order of the Black Sword has the following duties to the realm:
 * Maintaining the Crater, Valley of the Crater, and Asteria Valley
 * Barring entry into the above areas
 * Providing escorts along the Black Road
 * Continuing the practice of the Rite of Fire
 * Serving of the Caedes
 * Containing the anomalous effects of the Crater
 * Striving towards the purification of the valleys

Important Members
Knight Commander Stelion Marios - Served the Order from 618 A.E. to 593 A.E. as their founding commander. Established many of the rites and duties of the Order and made it a respectable entity in Caldosi affairs.