Orden Family/Blackknight
The Early Years
Blackknight is eldest living member of the Orden family, and certainly the most well known. He was born and raised in the central Perdan, on a small farm estate in Dimwood. There he learned about hard work, dedication, and loyalty. When he was younger he always wathced in awe as the armies marched through, often on their way to war with Ubent or Ibladesh or some other far off place he only knew through legends. On this 13th birthday Blackknight convinced his father to send him to the military academy in Perdan City, then the capital. While at the academy Blackknight worked tirelessly to be the best of his class. On evenings and weeknds he could be seen on the training grounds, praticing his swordfighting skills and using the lance as often as possible. He was strangely drawn towards cavalry and the sword, and he possesed a strong dislike for anything related to archery.
In his second year at the academy he learned of his father's death and was made the lord of the estate in Dimwood. It was a difficult time for him, but he pressed on. During his fourth year he was walking in the city streets when he saw a beautiful woman he could not live without. After weeks of pursuit he finally won her over, and during a holiday leave they married. They saw eachother frequently in the following years, and now that Blackknight was a noble he was able to afford a small house on the outskirts for his wife. They soon had two children, Whiteknight, and Silentknight. As time went on he graduated from the academy and entered into military service in Perdan's army at what would turn out to be the low point in the realm's history.
Rise To Power
In the first months of his service, the 20 year old noble learned things were not as well as he was lead to believe while at the academy. Perdan had been reduced to just 5 regions, and his home was now on the frontlines in the south. Their ally in the north, Sirion, was promising help that never arrived while the armies of Caligus, Oligarch, Ubent, and Ibladesh continued to advance. In hopes of protecting his children, e sent them to the great realm of Isadril in the south. Little did he know that the southern realm would soon meet its end...
As the fighting grew closer to home it became apparent that things needed to change in Perdan. Nobody understood why we were fighting our neighbors, why the upper nobility horded the financial resources, and why military leaderhship was severly lacking. The other nobles started discussing their dislike for the governent, and soon an ultimatum was given to the King. Realizing he was hopelessly outnumbered, the King (whose name has been lost with time...OOC: If you know please tell me!) stepped down and an election was held. When the final vote was cast, the young Blackknight was the new King of Perdan. Fresh blood had risen to the throne, and with it came new ideas and new goals for the kingdom. After much discussion with his fellow rulers and open debate among the nobles, it was decided that Sirion had been trying to control Perdan, and that Doc was not an ally, but a puppet master. This became clear when Doc discussed his plans of destroying Oligarch and splitting the northern lands between the alliance. He promised Blackknight support in his southern war, and how he would aid Perdan to defeat all the southern realms, conquering the continent. His rant of conquest and destruction did not bode well with the honorable nobles of Perdan, and when the cards fell a new alliance was formed in Perdan City when all the rulers of the south joined together against the northern tyrant and his plans of conquest.
Through strong foreign policy and good politics Blackknight was able to have much of the lost lands returned to Perdan, including Meuse, Partora, Woolton, and Beziers. A strong bond formed between Blackknight and Burning Hawk of Ubent. When Ibladesh armies marched into Perdan lands, Burning Hawk stood by Blackknight's side and together they marched south. In what turned out to be a very short campaign, the forces of Ibladesh where smashed and driven back to the capital. During a takeover of Al Aquabah, a peace agreement was finally reached between Perdan, Ubent, and Ibladesh. This would mark the last time enemy troops would step foot on Perdan soil during the reign of Blackknight Orden. For more then a year not one battle took place on Perdan soil. Not long after the peace treaty, Ibladesh and its northern neighbors grew to be friends, and Blackknight became very fond of the southern people. Eventually an alliance was formed and together the forces of Ibladesh and Perdan marched north against the greedy elves of Sirion. They fought alongside eachother in the mud of Bruck and Greatbridge, where the banners of Perdan, Oligarch, and Ibladesh could be seen for miles in all directions.
As the years went on Perdan found itself constantly at the sides of her allies. To the north Oligarch was only left with Westmoor and the few surrounding regions. The realms of Rancagua, Eleador, and Sirion were bearing down with all their strength against the struggling people of Oligarch. To the east the realms of Coimbra and Fontan stood by, unsure of where they stood. However, the world soon found out when armies of Coimbra and Fontan marched south into Caligus, and yet another realm broke out. Blackknight continued to lead his people to victory, and it wasn't long before Oligarch started to make gains and the front slowly pushed north. In the lands of Caligus great battles were fought in Akesh Temple, Aureus, and Tokat. Time and time again the Coimbra and Fontan armies were forced back against the charge of Perdan's heavy cavalry which Blackknight himself rode into battle. Despite the wishes of his trusted advisors, Blackknight always fougtht with the army, leading the cavalry charges into enemy formations. After a crushing defeat in Viseu, Coimbra yielded to Perdan's might and an uneasy peace formed.
The Decline and Return
After countless battles and many wars, Blackknight grew weary and his wounds began to take a toll on his health. He did not seem as fast on the battlefield, and his heart longed for peace. A look into his eyes easily revealed this was a man who had seen too much war. He quietly withdrew from the public eye, and eventually stepped down from leadership, completely disappearing for more then a year. To this day no one is sure where exactly Blackknight went or what he did, but they do know the important part, he came back....
