THE HORDE

The history of The Horde is somewhat shrouded in mystery, tangled in the roots of the founding family. The lineage of the Rosencrantz Family has long ruled over The Horde, starting generations ago when the Family had been Royals of a now forgotten kingdom. The progenitors had been driven from their rule when the civilians had learned that their beloved rulers were not quite … the same as they were. The civilians revolted against the progenitors and younger generations of the then-Royal Family, driving them from their home and throne. The Rosencrantz managed to take the near majority of the Knights that they had trained themselves and loyalists, in their escape from the rage of their former subjects. It was a brutal time for the family as they learned to change from their comfortable ways to one of rough living, taking jobs as mercenaries and many more shady business dealings.

As time went on, their force began to grow and swell in rank, becoming a formidable fighting force capable of subjugating settlements and taking control. With the new power, the group began to raid and pillage, losing most of the morals they had once had generations ago. Now everything was fair game until the group gained a new leader, a feline vampire of rich midnight fur and shockingly pale red eyes, and his wife, a feline vampire of glossy silver-red fur and mesmerizing lilac eyes. The couple brought the group under some civilized control, and gave the group the name they have since been known by; The Horde. The couple wanted to correct the twisted ways of the fallen Knights and Royals, and slowly but gradually reshaped the Horde into what it is today. Under their leadership, the group of Knights banded together and took over several different lands before finally reaching Fort Crom. After several years-long battles and skirmishes, The Horde overtook the civilians of Fort Crom and took them into their hold, integrating civilians, nobles and slaves into their member base over the generations to come. The Horde settled in Fort Crom after the extensive battle, their own resources having been drained over the years. During exploration, the Rosencrantz Family and its members came across a church in what can only be expressed as a Gated Garden, where they began to use the location as a ceremonial location. The vampires found it very … familiar, and decided that this was to be a location special only to the family’s ceremonies, and perhaps sacrifices. The jail of the group was then situated in the cellars below the church, where many a vampire of the family would sate their hunger, or offer to turn the prisoners in exchange for information. The practice has since fallen out of practical use, in a long period where The Horde focused on simply on pursuing peace until mote recent generations, where one or more sub groups of the family have split off.

KNIGHTING — The ceremony when a Knight is given their peerage, or accepted into The Horde's ranks, is called a “Knighting”. The prospective member is usually knighted by the Lord or Lady of the group, and the ceremony is held whenever it is deemed necessary. The knight is usually presented with a sword by the Lord or Lady, or may use/find one of their own.

TOURNAMENTS — The Horde holds tournaments every six months to a year, or sooner if needed. These tournaments are a time of celebration and excitement for the common folk as well as prospective Knights. The purpose of the tournaments are to seek out potential new Knights and to accept them into the Horde’s order. Here the challengers will come bearing a crest to know them by, be it something that bolsters their family’s roots, or something they created themselves.

MASQUERADE BALL — The Horde holds a Masquerade Ball usually once a year. The event is famous through the territories that The Horde has passed through and hold under their control. The event itself is a large social networking site, and The Lord or Lady at the time may extend invitations to the leaders of other allied groups, or potential allies. Nobles are expected to attend, and the lesser fortunate folks of the lands may attend if they can reach the location, with special individuals being specifically invited.

All attendees of the event are expected to wear masks and capes to help hide their identities.

The Horde hosts the Ball in one of the Grand Halls held within the Estate’s lands.

CHALLENGING DUELS — Also known as ‘tossing the gauntlet down’, The Horde accepts and encourages its Knights and multitude of ranks to Challenge or Duel with each other. The only requirements of the Challenge is that the Challenger and Challenged belong to the same or similar group of hierarchy (i.e.: Head Knight Challenging the Starwatcher), secondly that there must be no death committed in the act of Dueling and thirdly the Duel must be fought on equal footing (i.e.: using swords with swords or brute force with brute force). The Challenges can be initiated by anyone in The Horde, but Duels must be overseen by an individual with a higher rank. When done between high ranks, or those who are wanting a higher rank, the Duels are called Promotional Duels. The winner takes the rank of the defeated and the defeated takes the former rank of the winner.

TITHES — The Horde functions as both an order of Knights as well as a band of mercenaries. If The Horde has raided and successfully overtaken an opposing group, they demand tithes in the form of food and folk in repayment for protecting the land from other groups that might wish to sweep in and cause greater chaos. Fort Crom itself used to be land that belonged to a group, one that The Horde swallowed into it’s ranks upon their arrival at the mountain range’s foothills. The denizens of Fort Crom pay tithes in the form of labor and crops grown over the year.

BANNERS — The Knights of The Horde are separated visibly by the colors they wear on their bodies. Any individual from The Horde or working with The Horde is given a banner or color to ‘ride’ under, usually a symbol of which force they belong to within The Horde. Purple belongs to those directly under the Lord or Lady of the time, usually their closest advisors or family members. Purple is also given to those with a skill in negotiating, and acts in the place of a title, or alongside one. Blue belongs to the healers and those charged with retrieving the injured and dead from the battlefield. Those bearing blue are to be protected by The Horde, and are deeply cherished and celebrated for their ability to heal and for their skill in looking after all they come across. Red is the majority population of The Knights, and is worn by both the offensive and defensive forces. Individual titles may be given to any who wear the Banners (which may be dies, fabric, bones, etc all in the color of their force), and will be recorded in the history books of The Horde.

FORT CROM — A city situated at the foot of an ancient mountain range. The city sits below a gated estate, where the Knights of The Horde reside. The main populace of the city is held by non-knight or non-mercenary folks that rely on The Horde for local protection, given that they provide food for them. The housing situation of those who live here is done in a state of hierarchy, with the noble families closest to the Estate where The Horde live, spreading down to the merchant quarters and further out to the slums where the poorest live.

THE DESERTED CITY — When winter comes knocking, the denizens of Fort Crom move below ground to an old cavern system under the city that is warmed by volcanic vents and hosts mineral springs. The cavern city is usually built from tents and canvas, items that have been sourced over the years from other civilizations and from raids. The air is warm enough that true housing is not needed, nor would it survive the high humidity, where the tents are generally enough to protect the denizens' privacy and items. The heat from the vents does not penetrate through the top layers of the cavern nor through the aboveground city’s streets, leaving the aboveground city looking very abandoned when snow falls, hence the given name of ‘The Deserted City’. The Black Market is also found in this cavern and is accessible year-round to the locals, and to those who come to trade in risky deals.

THE ESTATE — A large swath of grounds, located on a large hill overlooking Form Crom. A sturdy stone wall of medieval make and design surrounds The Estate, accessible by three defensible gates to the South, East and West of the main buildings on the grounds. The Western and Eastern entryways are often closed off by portcullises and are patrolled by Knights during times of conflict, while the Southern entryway is used as the main thoroughfare into The Estate. The Southern entryway boasts 3 doorways, 1 large enough to move carriages or a riding force through, with two other smaller doors to the left and right for foot traffic after the gate has been closed at night. The Estate itself boasts living quarters for the Knights, those in training to become Knights, and the leading family of The Horde. The leading family lives in a large mansion, where the Knights of The Horde may also reside. The Apothecary is expected to reside within the mansion as well, given their own wing for the sick bay and for the injured. The Knights may live elsewhere on The Estate, or they may live within Fort Crom if they so choose.

THE MARKETPLACE — A place of trade found in the center of Fort Crom, where merchants and many who wish to sell or trade their wares and services gather together. Street ways lined with shops on either side lead up to a large square where stalls can be found in open air; where butchers and merchants hawk their wares, where you're likely to find pickpockets and skirmishes between all sorts of folk. The Marketplace is the center-most portion of the Fort, and holds inns and guild halls around its perimeter. This is where the Adventurer’s Guild holds its own hall and does its business. Jobs may be submitted to the Adventurer’s Guild, and those who accept these jobs will also receive a reward from The Horde or Guild.

THE GATED GARDENS — To the West of Fort Crom lies a garden surrounded by brick and iron. The grounds are kept relatively organized and clean, free from overgrowth. Within the Gardens there lies a dilapidated and crumbling church. Behind the church’s main building lies a pool of spring water contaminated by iron minerals, causing the water to appear red. The water is safe enough to drink in small amounts, if one is careless and drinks too much they are likely to experience iron poisoning. The church itself is site to the ascension of the Lord or Lady, where the celebration regarding their rise to rule is held. There the Lord or Lady is ‘crowned’ in a fur cloak with antlers around the neck of the cloak, and a small silver pin closing the cloak at the front of the neck. The church itself is decorated with antlers and the skulls of big cats, some of the decorations depicting epic battle scenes between elk and several big cats. The fallen church is seen as a sacred ceremonial place to the vampires of The Rosencrantz Family, the founding family and longstanding leading family of The Horde.

These will be finished later, but are relatively self-explanatory.

Lord/Lady — Leader
Starwatcher —
Apothecary — Medical
Apothecary's Apprentice — Medical apprentice
Head Knight (noble) —
Master Adventurer (noble) —

Knight Corps — (fighting force, subjugation)
Adventurer's Guild — (hunters + gatherers. Once there's other groups, traders)
Students — (applies to Knight and Adventurer)
Common Folk —
Prisoners/Slaves —

The horde currently aligns with a chaotic neutral mindset.
ALLIES — N/A
NEUTRALS — Currently everyone
ENEMIES — N/A