The Knights of Lastwall

Among the first atrocities perpetrated by the Whispering Tyrant after his emergence from his prison-fortress in 4719 ar was the transformation of the guardian nation of Lastwall into the desolate, undead-haunted waste known as the Gravelands. While the vast majority of the nation’s cities and soldiers were wiped out in that grim event, a fraction of Lastwall’s knights survived and helped the remaining citizens of Lastwall escape. From among those battered crusaders and ragtag refugees rose a new knightly order: the first rays of dawn upon the horizon, the first flickers of a new Shining Crusade—the Knights of Lastwall.

While the knights place the Whispering Tyrant’s destruction, Lastwall’s reclamation, and the defeat of undead and necromancers above other goals, they also seek to keep the spirit of Lastwall alive through their deeds. The order’s members are typically paragons of good in all forms, from justice and heroism to charity and redemption. Even the most driven knights reject the notion of descending into evil to fight evil; while they may temporarily ally with evil creatures in times of need, a typical knight never allows themself to become tarnished by such associations or permits evil to occur on their watch.

The knights have no true headquarters or official leaders; their belief in centralized leadership died with Vigil, and the knights now seek to build consensus rather than follow authority, though senior or especially accomplished members garner influence and respect among their fellows. Members are encouraged to consider themselves first among equals, as anyone who is willing to lay down their life against the hordes of the Whispering Tyrant should be considered worthy. If a knight should stray from the proper path, a trio of knights seeks out the wayward member to investigate matters and, if necessary, aid their comrade’s rehabilitation. When members of the order gather in numbers, they most often travel in military fashion, packing light and establishing temporary camps. In cases where centralized command is required, such as large-scale battle, particularly inspiring or tactically minded knights are elected to serve as commanders for the conflict’s duration.

While the Knights of Lastwall are not officially a religious organization, the nature of their goals attracts many people of faith. Followers of all the major gods of good can be found among the order, from Erastilian rangers to Iomedaean paladins or Shelynite bards, and devotees of the empyreal lord Ragathiel are particularly common. Followers of most neutral deities are largely welcome as well, so long as their hearts are good—with some exceptions. Worshippers of Abadar, for example, have faced some resistance from other knights; while Abadarans consider it their duty to bring order to Lastwall and contain the undead crisis, many knights fear unscrupulous members of Abadar’s clergy may attempt to profit off the devastation.

There are two major subfactions among the Knights of Lastwall. The Shining Sentinels are crusaders and defenders at heart, striving to keep the plague of undeath from spreading, protecting innocents from evil, and shielding the weak from the depredations of the strong. They are the most concerned with keeping the legends, heroes, and spirit of Lastwall alive, seeing themselves as the heirs of Lastwall’s cause and serving as a living memorial to all of the previous heroes who sacrificed their lives. They currently seek to rally the nations of Avistan to a second Shining Crusade against the Whispering Tyrant. Shining Sentinels are primarily based in the city of Vellumis on the shores of Lake Encarthan, but they pursue their crusade across all of Avistan. Understanding that the might of entire nations will be required to defeat Tar-Baphon, sentinels travel to noble courts to persuade rulers to lend aid or promise future support to the fledgling crusade, or to town squares and city streets to recruit idealistic youths and local heroes. Some sentinels travel in search of wrongs to right or innocent folk to defend, or to conduct righteous personal quests and strengthen themselves for the conflict to come; such knights might find themselves drawn into parties of good-hearted adventurers, where they protect their comrades with all of their skill. In battle, sentinels favor defensive tactics such as shield walls or choke points, prioritizing the survival and protection of innocents.

Conversely, the Crimson Reclaimers seek to take the fight to their foe directly. While they cooperate with the Shining Sentinels, it is an open secret that reclaimers are more disillusioned and jaded than their fellows— most feel some measure of betrayal by the failures of their leadership in the days leading up to Lastwall’s destruction, and they are skeptical of Shining Sentinel idealism. Still heroes at heart, the majority of reclaimers occupy the Gravelands, harrying the Tyrant’s forces and undermining his plots while protecting those refugees that remain. Though these efforts seem doomed to fail, many reclaimers are skilled veterans who are no strangers to putting their life on the line for the cause. They are also bolstered and protected by a mysterious rite known as the Crimson Oath, first sworn by Clarethe Iomedar, the so-called Sunset Angel. Most Crimson Reclaimers swear this oath upon joining, and it grants them some measure of power against the constant horrors of the Gravelands. Among the order, only a few know the true nature of the oath, though rumors abound among the ranks that the rite is connected to a powerful and hidden patron whom many Reclaimers believe to be an emissary of Ragathiel. While some Reclaimers find this secrecy disquieting, Clarethe’s charisma, heroism, leadership, and devotion to the cause are enough to quell most concerns.

Within the Knights of Lastwall

Among the Knights of Lastwall, all proven members—known as knights vigilant or knights reclaimant, depending on their role within the order—are considered equal. Novice or newly recruited members are known as squires until they prove themselves worthy of the responsibility of being a knight. A would-be member might become a squire after completing an excursion into the Gravelands, helping to defeat an undead threat, or rescuing innocents from undead horrors. However, mighty deeds alone are not enough to earn the title of knight; would-be knights are also judged for their dedication to mercy, selflessness, and other ideals of good, as well as their devotion to the order’s cause.

The Final Lord of Lastwall

It takes a truly exceptional personality to stand up and carry on in the face of utter defeat. What causes some individuals to be viewed with admiration in the face of failure when so many others in the same position are treated with contempt is a mystery for the ages, but one thing has proven true for the former Watcher-Lord of Lastwall, Ulthun II—the rich, powerful, and noble all love a displaced royal. Though his nation was lost and he was forced to retreat, Ulthun and his retinue arrived to a hero’s welcome in Absalom. Some of this was due to the recent siege that Absalom faced from Tar-Baphon’s forces, which engendered a natural empathy toward those who had fared worse against the Whispering Tyrant; some was due to the quick and natural friendship Ulthun found with Acting Primarch Wynsal Starborn, due to their common military background. But much of it seems due to pure fancy, as people became wrapped up in half-true tales of gallant heroism and a rightful heir to a lost throne.

Neither Ulthun nor most of the Shining Sentinels that still look to him are entirely happy with their newfound celebrity, as the fall of Lastwall seems far too bleak an affair to inspire such curiosity and gossip. At the same time, it has placed Ulthun and his closest retinue in a far more valuable position than any they could find on the battlefield. Inspired bankers, nobles, and youths mean a steady stream of money, supplies, and fresh recruits to those nations threatened by the Whispering Tyrant’s undead armies, and those supplies mean the difference between life and death for the Knights of Lastwall. That Ulthun remains in Absalom while others die in horrific battles means that at times he feels like a fraud and a coward, though he knows his efforts to inspire others in the war effort are just as crucial to defeating the Whispering Tyrant as individual sacrifices.

To this end, the Shining Sentinels set up an embassy to their ruined nation in Absalom’s Precipice Quarter, an area of the city that likewise fell to ruin and has been abandoned ever since. Acting on the suggestion of Wynsal Starborn and feeling some kinship with the shattered district, Ulthun has made it his goal to lead by example, by both attracting people to his cause and providing a much-needed service to the community. Following in the watcher-lord’s footsteps, most of the Shining Sentinels seek out similar causes in the towns and nations they visit, helping out wherever they can—and perhaps proving that the world can be made a better place.

Ulthun’s trials have also had a curious impact on some other residents of the Inner Sea region: goblins. When the watcher-lord limped into Absalom with the remainder of his shattered forces, he brought a very unexpected aide-de-camp—a goblin named Zusgut—along with an entire goblin tribe. Though the city watch was skeptical, Ulthun swore by his companions and made it clear they had been critical to his escape. As a result, the goblins became something of celebrities themselves, if viewed with a tinge of apprehension as the citizens adjusted to their presence. Some of this acceptance was simply by fortune of geography, since Absalom proper has had less trouble in the past with goblins than other locales, but whatever the reason, the end result was that goblins are treated better in the city than in most parts of the Inner Sea region.

The Crimson Oath

The Crimson Oath and the mysterious entity that empowers it is a source of controversy the knights have yet confront. Many feel that any aid in the face of the undead should be welcomed, while others fear repeating mistakes that allowed the Whispering Way to infiltrate Lastwall. That no one has addressed the issue yet is a testament to how dire things truly are for the Knights of Lastwall.

Theories abound concerning the true identity of the Crimson Reclaimers’ benefactor, with many knights suspecting the empyreal lords Ragathiel or Vildeis. Though this benefactor has so far remained carefully anonymous, rumors of their aid and involvement filter quickly throughout the ranks, inviting speculation on their nature and motives. Most knights who swear the Crimson Oath instinctively feel that this figure is more grim than Ulthun II or other shining heroes of Lastwall, yet intrigued by the Crimson Reclaimers: the entity has shown support for those who are wounded by their experiences but who still maintain their will to fight the good fight. It is this tenacity that attracts many of the Crimson Reclaimers—while many knights have been robbed of their innocence and can no longer put their faith in heroic tales that too often prove to be cruel lies, they are still willing to stand up and fight to ensure no one else has to suffer the same indignities. To have a benefactor who accepts the Crimson Reclaimers in all their broken glory and perhaps understands them in a way that none of their more idealistic companions can is a boon none of the Crimson Reclaimers treat lightly.

Much as Ulthun’s goblin aides have raised questions, the anonymous benefactor of the Crimson Reclaimers has spurred no shortage of controversy. Rumors persist of undead hiding among the Crimson Reclaimer’s ranks, concealed from detection by an unknown power— supposedly those who suffered unwilling transformation into undeath at the hands of the Whispering Tyrant and his forces. And while none of the knights have proof or can name any examples, rumors continue to circulate of undead monsters that were given means to maintain their personality or were freed from their servitude by the Crimson Oath. Much like all things related to the Crimson Reclaimers, this rumor has led to a clash of viewpoints; some consider this purported power to be a gift of ultimate mercy, while others hold concerns that such an incredible boon could only spring from potent necromantic magic.

Knights of Lastwall Options

The following feats and equipment are uncommon, but characters who are members of the Knights of Lastwall have access to them (see the sidebar on page 65 for more information).

Knights of Lastwall Class Feats

The following class feats are available to Knights of Lastwall. Those with the champion trait are champion class feats. Those with both the champion and fighter traits are both champion class feats and fighter class feats; when you take one of these feats, it loses the trait that doesn’t apply to your class.

Knights of Lastwall Focus Spells

The Knights of Lastwall use powerful magic in their efforts to fight wickedness. The invoke the Crimson Oath focus spell is unique to the knight reclaimant archetype (page 95).

Knights of Lastwall Equipment

The following equipment is available to Knights of Lastwall. The fauchard and armored skirt are common items.