History of the Order of the Ebon Rose
During the Industrial Age on Gallentia, the region of Amaethon was divided between several princely city-states, all vying for control of the shared archipelago. Skirmishes and low-level conflicts were extremely common as territory exchanged hands on a frequent basis. As airship technology was not widely available to the nations of Amaethon, it become clear to a small minority that the region as a whole may be subjugated by the imperial powers should the archipelago remain divided. However, this same group knew that the princely states would not trust each other enough to unify to the extent of being able to fend off an imperial power.
This group was vindicated when Amaethon was invaded by the Eastern Garoun Empire, an imperial power that was not actually located on the Garoun continent and in fact regarded as a pretender state by actual Garouners. The Amaethonese were able to put up some resistance due to a lull in their in-fighting, but without access to airship technology, many felt it would only be a matter of time before the invaders won. This would not be so thanks to the efforts of a woman called Hesperides Saissorus of Numantia. Hesperides was a retainer for a minor patrician, and her multilingualism combined with her skill at diplomacy allowed her to rally the forces of the different princely states to fight back against the Eastern Garoun Empire. Leading from the front, Hesperides scored spectacular victories, becoming famous for leading boarding actions for the capture Eastern Garoun airships to utilize against the enemy. Contemporary art and literature depict Hesperides and her followers wielding a single rapier and off-hand pistol. Soon enough, the invasion by the Eastern Garoun Empire was repelled.
After peace had been attained, Hesperides Saissorus and her fabulous retinue chaired a congress of nations on Duynys, an uninhabited island in Amaethon. There, the princely republics agreed to unify into a loose coalition of nations, and create an independent military force to defend the newly-created Free Principalities from any would-be invaders. It was titled the Order of the Ebon Rose, named after the dark flora of Duynys. Hesperides would be the first Knight Commander of the Order, which was to be composed of any unlanded individual of any gender. Members of the Order were elevated to a form of knighthood, similar to the chevaliers of Caille and other classes of elite cavalry in human civilizations. The Order of the Ebon Rose would be the only force in the Free Principalities to be in possession of an airship fleet, which had been developed by the Amaethonese from reverse-engineering Eastern Garoun technology.
No future invasion of Amaethon would come, and thus the Order of the Ebon Rose would instead go forth to battle sky pirates in the greater region, led by an aging Hesperides. Over time and beyond Hesperides’ passing, the Order grew in stature and expanded operations worldwide, even as far as the Garoun continent, protecting weak states from the threat of pirate raids. Following a chivalric code, knight captains of the Ebon Rose would only wage battle with the express permission of the local government, seeking to avoid the stigma of intervention associated with the colonialists of Garoun. Though still tied to the Free Principalities back in Amaethon, the Order of the Ebon Rose accumulated an international reputation.
During the democratization and globalization of Gallentia, the Order of the Ebon Rose was gradually marginalized as something of an older, darker age. Knights of the Ebon Rose became perceived as dangerous unaccountable mercenaries during a time when professional, civilian-controlled militaries dominated the planetary landscape. The Order found itself unable to operate worldwide, and shrunk back to Amaethon. Eventually, the Free Principalities demilitarized the Order following foreign diplomatic pressure, opting to abide by the international standard of utilizing a civilian-controlled defence force instead. The Ebon Rose became nothing more than a chivalric institution to recognize the achievements of ordinary citizens, both Amaethonese and non-Amaethonese, as well as serve as a source of inspiration for artists and expressionists worldwide, even cosplayers from Caille or Hueromont. The Order of the Ebon Rose saw a very small resurgence during the Space Age, operating some charity groups on Intaki and Mannar not long after first contact, as well as on other worlds. This would continue past the founding of the Federated Union of Gallente Prime as well, where the Free Principalities reorganized itself to become the Amaethon Federation (which had been done in order to satisfy the criteria of Charter membership).
Only during the capsuleer era would the Order of the Ebon Rose show signs of returning to its former glory. The Amaethon government designated independent capsuleer Steffanie Saissore to become the new Knight Commander of the Ebon Rose, hoping to make use of the empyrean’s elite status. The Amaethon Federation visioned that this new Order of the Ebon Rose would play its historic role once again in bringing together belligerent entities for a future of cooperation. It was decided that the Order would be released to become errant, the Amaethonese aware of the fact that their Gallente allegiance might compromise the independent mission of the Ebon Rose. In YC115, the Order of the Ebon Rose was recognized by CONCORD as an independent capsuleer entity, venturing forth amongst the grand interstellar empires of New Eden.
The Invasion of Amaethon
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Topic: History: The Order of the Ebon Rose (Read 3208 times)