I'm having trouble thinking up a name for an order of knights and by default, their heraldic device as well. So I thought I'd explain the situation and see what feedback I could get.
The scenario is that the PC's have a chance to reestablish an order of knighthood that died out with an NPC who they attempted to rescue from a bunch of thugs. This plays into the longer story arc I have planned for the players.
The history of the order is as follows:
In ancient times, the druids ruled all the lands and kept everyone in check. There was relative peace and prosperity for all peoples because of this benevolent tyranny.
Part of their power came from an intimate knowledge of magic. All the mystics of all the lands, were a part of the druidic order. With their pooled knowledge, they created stone circles to serve as focuses for various magical uses. One of the most powerful uses these circles had, was as permanent teleportation nodes.
The druids, however, are long since forgotten and now only exist as scattered individuals whose power pales next to what they used to be. Their legacies, however, still remain. Some of these are evident in political structures, lay worship of spirits, wizardry, runic languages, etc. and knightly orders.
And the circles.
Most of the circles are now guarded by elves who hide the existence of the circles. Not that many need hiding, as the ones that were not destroyed during the Goblin Wars, are well overgrown and untended and eroded.
All except one. The most powerful of them all.
Despite existing in plain sight, hardly anyone realises or even knows it exists. The circle is several hundred meters in diameter, and surrounds a small, but prosperous village. A tower at the centre hides the power stone at the centre of the circle, of which not even the current residents of the tower know about.
Should anyone discover how to use this circle, it would enable an enemy to transport masses of troops almost anywhere on the continent, or even the world. As such, there has been a secret order, hearkening back to the ancient days of the druids height of power, that has kept the circle hidden and guarded. Not even the elves, whose sacred trust was given them by the druids aeons ago, know of this circle.
And so it came down to six farmers and one warrior to guard it. The order had been incognito for so long, that their sacred trust was mere tradition and folklore for this little band, but it was nevertheless taken very seriously by them all. They met in secret and prayed to the old gods of earth and fire and air and water and metal. And they drunk copious amounts of beer.
But when the Troll King and his inhuman forces came down from the Neridan Mountains, and made a beeline for the insignificant little village, they knew they had to fulfil their sacred oaths and defend the circle. And so, just as the village was about to fall, they joined the fight and their valiant endeavour rallied the people and turned the tide of the struggle.
It was a little battle in the midst of a great war, and no-one but these seven people knew just how important a battle it had been. But that day, six farmers and an unlanded squire changed the course of history and saved the lives of hundreds of their countrymen. And for such heroic service, in the midst of battle, the lord of the area knighted the squire and established a new order of knighthood.
So... what do I call this knighthood and what heraldic device should I use?
My problem comes in several forms. First of all, it needs to be cool. I want the players to WANT to take up this order as their own and reestablish it. They're not going to want to do that if it's the order of the Pink Pansies Who Wear Frilly Lace (not that there's anything wrong with that).
The second problem, is that I don't want to give away too much at this stage. The PC's will be involved in area and I'd like hints at its origins and the circle, but they shouldn't know what the power of the circle is, or its level of importance.
Eventually synergistic factors will have them become the protectors of the village and it plays into future adventures. But for now, I simply want them to be excited about being inducted into this order by the ghost of the knight who established it over twenty years ago.
So they can't know too much about its purpose or origin, but it has to be enticing enough that they are keen to take up the mantle.
The scenario is that the PC's have a chance to reestablish an order of knighthood that died out with an NPC who they attempted to rescue from a bunch of thugs. This plays into the longer story arc I have planned for the players.
The history of the order is as follows:
In ancient times, the druids ruled all the lands and kept everyone in check. There was relative peace and prosperity for all peoples because of this benevolent tyranny.
Part of their power came from an intimate knowledge of magic. All the mystics of all the lands, were a part of the druidic order. With their pooled knowledge, they created stone circles to serve as focuses for various magical uses. One of the most powerful uses these circles had, was as permanent teleportation nodes.
The druids, however, are long since forgotten and now only exist as scattered individuals whose power pales next to what they used to be. Their legacies, however, still remain. Some of these are evident in political structures, lay worship of spirits, wizardry, runic languages, etc. and knightly orders.
And the circles.
Most of the circles are now guarded by elves who hide the existence of the circles. Not that many need hiding, as the ones that were not destroyed during the Goblin Wars, are well overgrown and untended and eroded.
All except one. The most powerful of them all.
Despite existing in plain sight, hardly anyone realises or even knows it exists. The circle is several hundred meters in diameter, and surrounds a small, but prosperous village. A tower at the centre hides the power stone at the centre of the circle, of which not even the current residents of the tower know about.
Should anyone discover how to use this circle, it would enable an enemy to transport masses of troops almost anywhere on the continent, or even the world. As such, there has been a secret order, hearkening back to the ancient days of the druids height of power, that has kept the circle hidden and guarded. Not even the elves, whose sacred trust was given them by the druids aeons ago, know of this circle.
And so it came down to six farmers and one warrior to guard it. The order had been incognito for so long, that their sacred trust was mere tradition and folklore for this little band, but it was nevertheless taken very seriously by them all. They met in secret and prayed to the old gods of earth and fire and air and water and metal. And they drunk copious amounts of beer.
But when the Troll King and his inhuman forces came down from the Neridan Mountains, and made a beeline for the insignificant little village, they knew they had to fulfil their sacred oaths and defend the circle. And so, just as the village was about to fall, they joined the fight and their valiant endeavour rallied the people and turned the tide of the struggle.
It was a little battle in the midst of a great war, and no-one but these seven people knew just how important a battle it had been. But that day, six farmers and an unlanded squire changed the course of history and saved the lives of hundreds of their countrymen. And for such heroic service, in the midst of battle, the lord of the area knighted the squire and established a new order of knighthood.
So... what do I call this knighthood and what heraldic device should I use?
My problem comes in several forms. First of all, it needs to be cool. I want the players to WANT to take up this order as their own and reestablish it. They're not going to want to do that if it's the order of the Pink Pansies Who Wear Frilly Lace (not that there's anything wrong with that).
The second problem, is that I don't want to give away too much at this stage. The PC's will be involved in area and I'd like hints at its origins and the circle, but they shouldn't know what the power of the circle is, or its level of importance.
Eventually synergistic factors will have them become the protectors of the village and it plays into future adventures. But for now, I simply want them to be excited about being inducted into this order by the ghost of the knight who established it over twenty years ago.
So they can't know too much about its purpose or origin, but it has to be enticing enough that they are keen to take up the mantle.
