According to the persevered histories of the Crimson Order there was time, after the fall of the Skagriagaard and the Earth Tribes and before the rise of the three great families (Lionsgold, Natheron and Torakaylin) when there was once a great King. The great King was the last remnant of those tribes and was responsible for the coming together of the Order. The old times were ending, the Gillieabad were falling into slumber and the cold winds of war were chilling the bones of the isolated communities of Daer Akmir.
As the ancient fires died and new ones were lit it is recorded that our ancestors gathered with the Great King as he cast the last of the rites of the Magics of the land. He gave his powers to the three great lines; one for the people, one for their souls and for the land and as he committed such ritual so too did our people guard him or at least so it is written. As we stood guard so did we watch the blood of the King pass from his veins and on and out through the spirits and into the land waiting to be reborn in mortal form. They were present when the crown of the King was broken into three and taken to be placed in the birthing places of the three lineages that would be created. They gave succour to the King as he called upon his great and ancient powers to call forward the warrior of the called carapace and commanded him to take human form. The warrior gave word and power to the deeds of the one King and chose the paths for the future of his line. Lions and Drakes and the Gorgon were all entreated and given to the three lines to come and so the power was spoken and the secret divulged. From the King and the scaled Warrior we were given the words to speak to the Kings to come to affirm our allegiance to the Land. So armed with these words Sorgel Vyaine, Warrior Chieftain of a remnant of the Earth Tribes strode from the secret places of the world with what would become the Crimson Order.
The order prepared themselves quickly although they did not find a true name for themselves until they first formed. The title of Chieftain seemed antiquated Vyaine soon left it behind but could not shake the respect of his followers and so operating under the working title of the Soldiers of the Crown he took up the title of Lord Commander, a title that would stick with the Guild for many years to come. The training that they undertook was to stand them in good stead but by the time they were to become the Order Sorgel had passed away, the three Kings of legend had risen in the North and in the South and in the Middlelands and the Soldiers were already embroiled in keeping darkness from the doorstep of the Kings. New heroes were rising amoung their number, natural leaders and tacticians were taking the cue from the older members of the guild and the soldiers of the actual armed forces were learning to take orders from this unofficial band of Royal fighters.
Then came the Gabrak Wars in which were truly formed, in the first days, in the Shadows of the Cavaliers of King Banais and the rise of Imaris the True from those ashes. Chaos was across the land and five Kings waged war against one another in the Shadows of the Daemon Lord Sarkith. The land was bleeding and the Royal Armies vied for power. None cared for the smallfolk, the land or what would be left. Power was the only goal. Heroes were being forged upon the anvil of the Battlefield, shaped under the hammer of war and tempered in the blood of the bold. Kaphar; Sword of the Dawn, Shiryan; Lady of Ironwoods, Darynyar; Lion of the North and Shafar; Heartsbane were four of these heroes. Together they drew lines that will never be crossed by the Crimson Order, forming a Guild of Soldiers, a guild to stand outside the governance of Dukes and Counts, of Generals and Merchants of Power. The Crimson Order is sworn to the King, to the Royal Basin.
Since those days we have striven to create a wonder of the modern age in every major city across the Royal Basin. Each one is a testament to the warriors and defenders of the Basin of that age; only the greatest and most legendary of our guild members may instruct at our facilities. When the insignia of the Crimson Order is seen the names of those instructors will strike fear into the hearts of any enemy before even a blade is drawn. When battle is met it will end in blood, the sweet colour of crimson, that which the guild is founded on; the blood of our founders, the blood of the Kings and the Blood of the small folk! Over the years specific Battalions of our people have formed and we have been present in every major action that has taken place across the Royal Basin. The history and traditions of these regiments are proud parts of our Guild and we honour and remember them, they represent the lives of all those that have passed.
In recent years the armed forces of the Royal basin have not been enough to drive the enemies from the door and quite rightly turned to the guilds for assistance in their battles with Daemons, Rhygahreans, Spirits from beyond; all have fallen to the blades of the Crimson Order. In that time we have come to cement our place in the hierarchy of the Basanic forces. Our members come mainly from the common folk and minor nobility although many of our officers are from those famed noble lines that rule the courts as much as the battlefield. It is for this reason that the Guild has sought alliance and in 1544 we formed an alliance with the Silent Company to the extent that they now share our ancient Battalions. Together we have formed a powerful alliance and have now truly become protectors of not just the war torn battlefield but also the dark paths of the hidden forests and the wilds of the mountains.
As late as 2015 this ancient order of Guild folk had travelled through the great weave to the very Dawn of our story and battled the power of the Torakaylins who sought to steal our words and make a mockery of what we had been. Through strength, humility and understanding this order withstood the powers sent against us but made an enemy of the Great Spirit Ard, the very spirit of the land that we are bound to protect. Whispers of betrayal and broken pride abound but Ard saw our guild and brought his ire against it, intent at heart in removing us from the histories that we had come from. Our order was saved through when Ards forgiveness was made in the great city of Bonespire in the Frozen North and now he stands as a patron for our guild. The Land and the Gods as one.
Holly Goodall
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