Emerald Knights

Tu'then
The telling of the earliest years of the settling of Ostagar is not an easy thing to hear; tragedy and misfortune struck those of the elvhen that had agreed to the King of Ferelden's offer, and despite their survival there was little to quell the anguish they felt at facing this new world as they were, brought together in a manner more befitting the humans, with their seemingly never ending spawning and spreading across all of Thedas. No, those who survived knew full well that they could not continue to do even that without defending themselves.

Much chaos and turmoil surrounded the elvhen as they sought to re-build their civilisation in the south of the world, but amongst all of it the wisest of them could see patterns forming, as with the apparent whims of the Creators and the world they forged so very long ago. There was something else there, and as events aligned to bring together the various warriors of the newly formed city, one thing became clear; the life of an army had taken root.

Tu'suledin
It was declared by the newly formed Council of Elders that the only way the elven city of Ostagar could not only survive, but possible thrive, was to form an army from the ranks of warriors who were eager to take up arms in the greater numbers they now found themselves in; even the diminished population of the city was greater than any of the travelling clans. The craftsmasters of the population quickly saw to the creation of armour and clothing, which became the source for what they were named. The Emerald Knights were born. As the elves saw to organising the city, their community, and for the primary purpose of the army - to defend the city, and protect those who would travel for trade - the structure of the group was guided into place by a mixture of the Elders and the senior most warriors, greatest strategists that they were. Four groups came to light, each guided by those skills and philosophies they lived their lives by, bound together as they held these in common. The four are thus:

Wolf clan

 * Arcane Warriors. Devoted, disciplined (especially older). Assigned to Elders as bodyguards outside of Ostagar.
 * Leaders: warrior, two mages, one Elder
 * Number: 30
 * Notes: By far the smallest group with the Emerald Knights. These knights balance skill as a warrior with magic, centred around the philosophy of the sword; they specialise in handling curved longswords and long knives. They are the highest concentration of Arcane Warriors in Thedas and have grown as the elves of Ostagar discovered knowledge previously thought lost, of the ancient ways of magic and most specifically the meditation-centric lifestyle needed to grasp even the most rudimentary of skills that the group employs. Their lives are their duties, their duties their lives as they are all consumed by the choices made during their training as Emerald Knights.

Bear clan

 * Spies, assassins etc. Information trade throughout Ferelden, and sometimes beyond. Individualistic. Difficult to pick out from a crowd.
 * Leaders: warrior, two Elders
 * Number: 100 (roughly - exact number not known)
 * Notes: The most secretive, and least trusted of all Emerald Knights. It is common for even the citizens of Ostagar to know little of any such Emerald Knight, as they often declare themselves to be of the Spider clan, if asked. The records of their missions and identities are closely guarded in the library of Ostagar.

Hawk clan

 * Archer specialists
 * Leaders: two warriors, one mage
 * Number: at least 200 (exact number not known)
 * Notes: The deadly aim of these knights sees them as the preferred option for scouting, sentry duty and the position of vanguard, even in small groups. They practise with their bow and arrows every day, perfectionists as they relentlessly pursue Vir Tanadahlor.

Spider clan

 * All round, no specialisation
 * Leaders: three warriors, two mages
 * Number: 400 (at the last count, in the Spring of 9:51)
 * Notes: The foot soldiers of the Emerald Knights. Most common warriors and magi are part of this unit.

Structure
Within these four units, or as they are known, clans there exists the structure that has been agreed upon, and consolidated over the years:


 * Commanders


 * [Captains of the city]


 * Primary Rangers


 * Knights


 * Recruits

- Commanders or Primary Rangers can be Captains. Often a role for an aspiring Commander.

- Commanders answer directly to the Council.

Training and Advancement
Training and promotion within the Knights is as fluid as much of elvhen culture, though what structure exists is the key to their continued growth as a force. All are trained to Knight; the Ranger spec is learned as part of this training. The varying elvhen styles of combat are taught, and whichever the recruit takes to with the most proficiency dictates their likely path regarding clan. Advancement to Primary Ranger includes learning of new spec, custom Ranger (will have own name).

Further structural facts:
 * Their exact numbers are not known, due to gradual increase in the overall population of Ostagar, and the fluid nature of certain sections of the army.
 * Elves of both Dalish and City kind are recruited.
 * Magi recruited.
 * Each Knight's gauntlets are inscribed with magic, activated by a vocal spell which all knights know. Used sparingly by the Bear clan.

Tu'na'din
The army of Ostagar has become renown across Thedas as a force to be reckoned with, and is considered one of the vital elements in the continued security of the newly formed elvhen civilisation. As both the city and the Emerald Knights continue to grow they also continue to become a larger issue of contention, with some Heads of State concerned that Ferelden is growing an army from within; an army which the human rulers cannot control, nor take responsibility for.

Created primarily for the purpose of defending the city of Ostagar, the Knights have expanded into defending the territories of the greater Ostagar area, which reach into the Korcari Wilds and into the southern lands of Ferelden. Increased trade with the ever-growing settlements of Ferelden sees many looking at exactly where it is that the elves will further develop their territory, and exactly how much of a voice the human commoner will have in deciding what to share, and what to sacrifice.

Their creation was sanctioned via the agreements held between Ostagar and the kings of Ferelden and the Dwarven territories, thus it is that the people look to their leaders, whilst Thedas looks on, wary of the whispers, the rumours that the elves are re-discovering themselves; it is said that they are learning magic once again, new magic the likes of which has not been seen for millennia, but they are, as ever, a secretive people and so it is up to all others to indulge in conjecture and supposition.

One thing is for certain, however; the elvhen are no longer merely nomadic people of the wilds, most often easy prey for the likes of templars and Imperial slavers. For wherever the elvhen are in the world, it has become known that the eyes of the Emerald Knights are not far behind.