Knights of the Square Table
Five Knights who serve as the Patrons of the Five Orders of Knighthood.
The Knights
The current Table Knights are:
- Sir Toadus, of the Order of the Frog
- Sir Grinian, of the Order of the Wind
- Sir Ralstaan, of the Order of the Sword
- Sir Fairchilde, of the Order of the Dragon
- Sir Scorpius, of the Order of the Shield
The Swords
All Guardia's knights are noted for their special swords, forged from enchanted Dreamstone and housing a living spirit within the blade, but the swords wielded by the Five Knights of the Table stand a rank above the rest in power.
- Masamune – This massive, double-edged broad sword is traditionally wielded by the Captain of the Square Table, generally the Patron of the Order of the Frog. It houses the twin spirits Masa and Mune, said to be children of Spekkio.
- Marasama – Masamune's sister sword; unlike Masamune, Marasama is single-edged and slightly curved. It houses the twin spirits Mara and Sama, who are similar to Masa and Mune, save that they are female. This is Grinian's sword, traditionally always wielded by the Patron of the Wind.
- Muranage – This sword is a plain, basket-pommelled claymore that appears dull and tarnished when inactive, but glows faintly and shines like polished silver on the eve of battle. It houses the spirit of Sir Zerin the Gold, who was the Knight Captain of Guardia for much of the war with the Magus, before stepping down to allow Sir Glenn to take his place. Sir Ralstaan currently wields this sword.
- Dragonrender – A straight, single-edged sword with serrations along the blade's edge, this weapon is designed in the style of traditional Guardian dragonslayers. It is always given to the Patron of the Order of the Dragon. The blade houses the spirit of Dora, an ancient and kind-hearted dragon who befriended humanity and protected the innocent from her rampaging kin in the early Middle Ages. Sir Fairchilde currently wields this sword.
- Stingblade – An elegant, thin fencing foil with two sword-catcher prongs above the crossbars, each of which houses scissors-action swordbreaker blades activated by a hidden trigger inside the handguard. The enchantment of this blade constantly produces a magical toxin on the edge, such that all who are cut by the blade risk being poisoned by it. The spirit housed in the sword is called Suchinga. Its history is not known, but when it has manifested from the blade it takes the form of a giant black scorpion with two tails. Stingblade is wielded by Sir Scorpius.
Traditional Roles
Form ancient times, the Knights of the Square Table have been the preeminent military authority in the Kingdom of Guardia, with the Captain of the Knights standing above the rest as the Kingdom's major military authority. In modern times, the Knights have managed to keep their authority over Guardia's land forces in the GDF, but Guardia's space fleet is solidly in the hands of Grand Admiral Thames, who isn't keen on taking orders from the knighthood.
