The setting of this RP

The mighty Kingdom of Sarleon is slowly fulfilling the prophesy of the mad wanderer Madigan. With conquering Singal, King Ulfric is sure to have found limitless funding to field his great armies. In Singal, however, different factions are at play. The Shadow Council that has for generations used the D'Shar lord as their puppet, now announces a direct rule over the city and defies King Ulric with daggers in the night.

This roleplay is centered around the power struggle between the King in Sarleon and the Shadow Council in Singal, with the players as their pions in this game of chess. More info is found in the first event's prologue. If you've noticed the 'Field of Strife' already, you'll see that the first scenario is titled 'Chapter One'. Pendor Renewed had the structure of a book, where the players are the main characters and meet new people along the way. Every chapter will enjoy more information in its prologue and more npc's that will either move with you, or against you.

Players can join a knighthood Order and battle and scheme to forward the cause of their master.

In Sarleon, ruled by King Ulfric, who seems to be the champion of Madigan, players can join the Order of the Lion and help him fulfill the prophesy.

In Singal, ruled by the Shadow Council, that is fond of both slavery and heresy, players can join the Order of the Eventide and help them remain in power of their city.

The Order of Eventide is a splinter group from the Order of the Dawn. The Eventide ostensibly left because the Knights of the Dawn burned people as they pleased. They also claimed to be studying the Heretics in order to effectively combat them, but may have been corrupted by that which they studied. Thus, the Order of the Dawn's accusations that the Knights of Eventide are Heretics, or at least are in league with them, are true; the Knights of Eventide try at every turn to prevent people from learning this so that they can recruit under the guise of good people being attacked.

It is rumored that these knights indeed eve practice the dark arts; blood magic, demonology, sorcery of many types. This is not known to the public at large and regular knights would know little of this dark shadowy side. The Eventide is suspected of engaging in piracy and other raids, but no proof has yet emerged.

It's Grandmaster, Darius, never cared much for religious pursuits and joined the Order for a more poetic reason to plunder and enrich himself. A large man, both fat and strong as an ox, he's mostly recognized by his dark red beard, shaved head and both his nose and eyebrows pierced with gold and silver. It is rumored that Darius is a member of the Shadow Council and the Knights of the Eventide often serve as the messengers and enforcers of the Council's will within Singal and the surrounding lands. Making them the most feared individuals in the city.

The Eventide has no chapterhouse that can be visited by the common folk, but as instead favored to remain feared in the shadows. Before Ulric's conquest of Singal, they were rumored to have held office in the castle.

Player Ranks:
High officer ranks within the Eventide are closed at the moment, with all starting players starting as a Knight Inquisitor. This rank is one up from the ordinary knighted member, and signifies that the player is recognized by the council as someone who can handle special missions.

Their direct superior is the High Inquisitor, Ser Galeron.

The Order of the Lion was one of the largest and most renowned orders of Knights in the land, established in the 82nd year after the founding of Pendor by Sir Roderick the Red. The charter of the order is strict in its chivalrous by-laws, and is the oldest knighthood order that still has members in Pendor. After the untimely deaths of the royal family in 198, the order was instrumental, along with the Order of the Griffon, in establishing and maintaining order in the realm and preventing an all out war between rival factions contending for the throne of Pendor.
After the seccession of the Northern Lords, and the war with the Greater Baccus Empire, the order backed and supported Duke Alfred of Sarleon in assuming the throne and declaring himself the King of Sarleon.

In the 298th year after the founding of Pendor, the Order was outlawed. All texts and reference to the reasons and history surrounding this event have been destroyed by the order of our King, Ulric I of Sarleon, himself now a prominent member of this Knighthood Order. In the 346th year after the founding of Pendor, the Order was restored by the order of King Ulric I of Sarleon and all references to the events and histories since 298 were destroyed.

Acting as the bodyguard for King Ulric l,now the monarch of the Sarleon Kingdom, they fight with lances, morningstars, silver claymores and bastard swords under the banner of the king. The royal knights of Sarleon are the best calvary one can easily employ in the realm of Pendor. They fare extremely well in their role as heavy cavalry and can easily trample infantry and archers. On foot, they make excellent heavy infantry and the punch they deliver with their weapons are not to be underestimated. They also make excellent siege troops, able to attack and defend a walled center almost effortlessly. Undergoing rigorous training and maintaining a hearty diet of ale and red meat before being initiated into the order, the well-built and experienced Knights of the Lion can easily overpower other knights, even the extremely well-trained Knights of the Dawn, which many Pendorians deem as effective killing machines.

The current Grandmaster of the Order of the Lion is Ser Stafford 'the Roaring', who is known for his famous battle roar, dashing features and excellent swordfighting, Grandmaster Stafford is greatly admired among the smallfolk in Sarleon.

Player ranks:
The Order of the Lion is a very broadly aimed one, with tasks ranging from simple guard duty to policing the Kingdom. The players will join a special branch focused on the policing aspect and their rank shall simply be that of a Knight.

Their direct superior is knight-captain Renault.

Thee City of Singal

This was told me in thee Sarleon tavern, by a traveler missing one hand, with a scar from temple to chin:

"Thee very name 'Singal' sends a shiver down thee spine of all right-thinking men. In Singal, Pendor's human underbelly skulks; everything is for sale and everything has a price, including one's continued healthy existance. Thee alleyways teem with dealers in Buriligi's drug, Red Brotherhood Slavers and murderers of all classes. Assassins flourish here and sometimes those lords who come seeking to hire them . . . disappear. D'Shar outlaws sell their loot openly in Singal's markets.

Ramun's auctions of thee most beautiful women in Pendor, including kidnapped noblewomen and Noldor captives, are held behind secret doors, and it is rumored that ze admission prices to these select sales exceed 1000 denarii, merely for ze privilege of bidding. Sinister Knighthood Orders who fight for evil godesses and bands of ruthless Singalian Slavers led by Temptresses maintain their headquarters in Singal. ze Snake Cult and ze Heretics practice freely within ze town, unhindered by ze corrupt City Guard, who are either bought off or part of ze many Singal conspiracies. Honest men keep their women locked up and no one of good intent walks ze streets of Singal by night. Only ze obviously insane are able to move freely through these mean streets, for ze mad are known to be touched by ze gods and thus are sacrosanct.

Woe betide one who finds himself bound over to Singal's Courts of Justice. All ze honest judges were assassinated years ago, and justice is defined by ze quantity of gold dropped into ze judge's greedy hands. In ze older parts of ze city, mangy stray dogs fight with D'Shar orphans over noisome garbage. ze Red Brotherhood finds many youthful recruits amongst these childish strays. Whores dripping with nameless diseases offer their dubious charms for a few coppers. Many of these whores go veiled, to hide ze sores and signs of their disease. Prophets in ragged robes preach ze benefits of converting to hideous religions. Human sacrifice is openly practiced in their rank hovel temples.

Hawkers compete to enquire of ze unwary visitor 'What do you desire? If I don't have it today, I will assuredly have it tomorrow!' Contracts for murder are written openly in Singal's largest tavern. Go there and see for yourself, but don't linger too long or otherwise attract attention.

ze groans and pleas of crippled beggars and ze shouts of hawkers, ze dulcet propositions of whores and rhythmically beating tablas create Singal's backdrop symphony of disharmony. Kicked dogs yelp, stallions scream challenges as their handlers beat them into submission, priests chant in many tongues. Rising above all, ze sinister rhythm of ze drums drives ze heartbeat of ze city.

Singal's market smells of spice and opium, of exotic perfumes with an undercurrent of poison-scent from ze Herbalist stalls. Food sellers offer kebab cooked over dried dung fires in their braziers, but ze origin of ze meat is oftimes dubious. Bales of scarlet silk spill onto counters, high-bred horses arch their necks, kick and snap at their handlers. Unusual weapons long outlawed in Pendor can be had from ze weapons makers - all one needs to do is ask to see ze "special goods." ze stench of unwashed bodies and rotting vegetables permeates ze market, nearly overwhelming ze pleasant scents. Hold onto to your purse, keep a hand on your sword and always guard your back as you walk there. Innocent-looking urchins await a moment of inattention to lift your purse, and ze cults ever seek fresh sacrifices from amongst ze hordes of travelers there.

ze lord of Singal pays lip service to Kadan Bahadur Khan, and periodically attempts to enforce a modicum of order within ze city. He is known to impale lawbreakers outside ze city walls. ze sickly stench of rotting corpses pervades even ze more affluent parts of town. So long as his taxes are paid, ze Bahadur Khan interferes little, knowing that even he, with all ze might of his army, cannot conquer ze evil within Singal.

Go warily, should you travel there."