Chapter 16 - Information for Public Disclosure: The Raven Knights

The Order of the Raven Knights, comprised of exactly 100 members, is arguably the most elite fighting force in the eastern region of the Kingdom. The foundation of the chivalric order dated back two years prior, on the summer of the year 554 of the Runtallian Calendar when the Duke of Regalia proclaimed the preparations for the tournament known as the 'Raven's Selection,' an event which was held in honor of the Duke's third son, Lord Velmund Walruse. Due to the uprising that led to the demise of his wife and almost ended the life of Lord Velmund several years ago, Duke Gaverone decided to organize a tournament to handpick his son's personal guards. However, the Raven's Selection became more complex when Lord Velmund himself oversaw the tournament's organization, which took almost a year to complete. Surprisingly, the tournament gained an immense popularity since the previous year when it was announced, and garnered thousands of participants hailing from the different regions within the Kingdom, as well as from distant lands and neighboring nations. Exactly a year after the Duke's proclamation, the actual tournament commenced. Joined by more than 5,000 combatants– knights, nobles, mercenaries, adventurers, soldiers and any profession alike– the tournament featured several types of competitions like archery, team melee, individual melee, jousting and even a riddle trial to test each competitors' prowess and intellect. At the end of the tournament, the 100 warriors to rank at the top accepted their boons in the form of knighthood, gold, treasures, land holdings, and most importantly the admission in the Order of the Raven Knights. To every spectators' shock, however, the winner of the tournament was neither a gallant knight nor a renowned warrior, but a young maiden by the name of Frenda Ferndale who was at the time Lord Velmund's personal attendant. Although the order was originally intended to only form the retinue of Lord Velmund, in due course the Raven Knights became an elite auxiliary unit for the Regalian Standing Army.