About
Sir Richard, the Duke, had long dreamed of expanding the Crown Kingdom beyond the borders of the Yellow Castle. He knew it was a dangerous mission, but he was determined to succeed. And so, he gathered his bravest knights, who became known as the Crusaders, and set out to conquer new lands.
Sir Richard chose a lion for his heraldry symbol, which represented his royal lineage and bravery. His knights were referred to as the Lion Knights across the land, and they quickly became known as the protectors of the innocent and the keepers of justice.
The Crusaders settled south of the Yellow Castle on the other side of the mountains in the desert lands, bordering the forest. It was a harsh and unforgiving terrain, but they persevered, building a new castle and establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
But they faced a challenging adversary in the Forest Guardians. These resourceful, skilled fighters knew the forest like the back of their hand, and they were impossible to fight head-on. The Crusaders' only hope was to capture their leader and put an end to their thievery.
It was a long and grueling process, but the Crusaders prevailed. They developed siege weapons and Armorer shops, expanding their arsenal and their skills. They even built seacraft to reach the snow cap isles of the north, where they discovered magic crystals that had been lost to time and the dark forces of the land.
As the Crusaders' power grew, so did their conflicts with neighboring kingdoms. The Black Falcons, who shared royal lineage with the Crown Kingdom, were highly focused on military superiority and combat. They were neutral but would support and could be hired to fight for just causes across the land. The two factions fought for a year over kingdom boundaries, but eventually declared peace to avoid further conflict.
The Forest Guardians used the year of conflict to their advantage, stealing resources and artifacts from both sides. Once peace was declared, the Crusaders focused their energy on capturing the Forest Guardians, pushing them into hiding for many years.
But Sir Richard was not content with simply defeating his enemies. He wanted to ensure that the Crown Kingdom would always be safe and secure. And so, he commissioned a mountain fortress for the Duchess, where she could live in safety and solitude.
Years passed, and the Crusaders continued to expand the Crown Kingdom, recover magic artifacts and crystals, and become the owners of currency with the gold mines found within their lands. They managed the production, security, transport, and recovery of all gold in the Kingdom. They were a powerful and wealthy faction, but they never forgot their duty to protect the innocent and uphold justice. They were the first expansion of the Crown Kingdom, and they would go down in history as the bravest and most successful of all.
The battle raged on for hours, with the knights fighting with a ferocity that seemed almost supernatural. Despite the odds stacked against them, they pressed on, determined to protect their land and their king.
As the sun began to set, the Dragon Horde began to retreat, their numbers greatly reduced by the knights' valiant efforts. But the cost was great. The kingdom of Riddari lay in ruins, with most of the knights slain in battle.
The remaining Knights of Battle stood tall, their armor battered and their bodies weary, but their spirits unbroken. They had fought with extreme prejudice, displaying skills that almost seemed superhuman, and had given everything to protect their land and their people.
In the end, only a few Knights of Battle survived. They were the last remnants of a once-mighty army, but after the fight with the Dragon Horde their army was no more. The Kingdom of Riddari they pledge to protect was no more. Over a thousand years had passed since the inception of the Knights of Battle and this was their first defeat. Every Knight of Battle made a blood oath to honor their leader in life or death to obtain victory or die trying as anything else would bring shame to their leader and the Knights of Battle. This had been the first loss in a thousand years…they had failed.
The remaining Knights of Battle wandered the land for months, searching for a new purpose. They were lost and broken, until they heard of a new king, King Richard, of the Crusaders. They heard stories of King Richards feats of battle in the service to the crown and were impressed. King Richard also revered the Knights of Battle and had great respect for their late leader, Dreng the Great.
The Knights of Battle decided to pledge their allegiance to King Ricard, hoping to redeem themselves for their past failure. King Ricard welcomed them with open arms, recognizing their bravery and their loyalty to their previous leader.
To honor their late leader, King Richard allowed the Knights of Battle to wear an updated version of their heraldry, changing the colors to black and yellow with two battle axes to honor their heritage. The Battlemen, as they were now called, fought as crusaders alongside King Richard's army as a single faction.
The Battlemen proved to be a formidable force, and they quickly gained a reputation for their bravery and skill in battle. They fought fiercely alongside King Ricard's army. It became known across the lands that the most fearsome and dangerous of the Crusaders were those known as the Battlemen identified by two battle axes across their chest.
