u/Briantan71

This is my first contest. I hope that I am not too late in submitting it. This project took forever!!!

The Knights of the Silent Pride took to the field.

1) Two-man skirmish

Calinor Ironhoof, the Centaur Knight:

Born in the Ironhoof clan, Calinor was recruited to join the Silent Pride, a knightly order, at a young age after their knights witnessed his courage in battle against a raiding party of ogres. Despite being outnumbered and out-muscled by the monstrous ogres, he killed many of them with nothing more than his hooves and an oaken staff, but was on the verge of being slain until the timely intervention of the Knights of the Silent Pride.

In accordance with the sacred traditions of his clan, his hoofs are clad in polished iron shoes, and they served him well in his many battles, alongside the heavy greatsword that he wields with ease and discipled grace with one arm while carrying his trusty kite shield, marked with the sigil of the Silent Pride.

Xantheia “Bear-Slayer” of the Iron Colosseum:

Raised in the Iron Colosseum, Xantheia, as a Minotaur, she towered over many of her fellow gladiators, and she found affinity for large, unwieldy weapons. On one hand, she wields an atgeir, chained to her wrist as part of the gladatorial tradition of the Iron Colosseum, and a stone greatsword with the other hand. Draped across one shoulder hangs the head of a massive dire bear she slew barehanded during a pit trial, and its pelt, which she made into a cloak, that she wears as a trophy.

She was rescued from the pit by Calinor Ironhoof himself. Despite many protestations from his fellow knights, he took it upon himself to take her under his wing and, out of gratitude and after much education and trials, to temper her choler; she joined the Silent Pride.

2) Jousting

Tristan Vale and Stormwing:

Young Tristan gained fame as one of the few ordinary humans to successfully peer-bond with a hatchling gryphon. He named it "Stormwing", and they grew up together, forming a strong sibling bond.

He found his calling as a dragon slayer for the Silent Pride, befitting his reckless temperament and his desire for adventure. Despite his reckless nature, Tristan is a devastating hunter and specialises in jousting, though he is also no slouch with other weapons of his trade as a knight. However, with his signature weapon, the Dragon Lance, he and Stormwing have slew many dragons and wryms, engaging these reptilian elemental beasts in aerial combat.

3) Archery

Brother Silas Blackbriar:

The Silent Pride, like many knightly orders, appear noble to the citizens that they swore to protect. However, like many such organisations, they understood that sometimes, underhand tactics are required to win wars and battle campaigns, and so they formed an inner wetwork division (The Hidden Arrow).

Silas Blackblair, one of the order's veteran knights, belongs to this division. Cold, methodical and practical, Silas is not what one might expect of fauns who are usually depicted as merry forest folks as a result of his many decades of service, which dulled his once idealistic optimism. However, he still believes in the heroic calling of the Silent Pride and the unpleasant but necessary nature of the wetwork division. As a master of the bow and arrow, Silas favours a bow of oak for his long-range assassinations.

4) Maze-race

Vixenne of the Redmanes:

Forced to raise herself as an orphan, Vixenne became a thief, stealing from many homes to feed herself. Despite initially stealing for survival's sake, she soon grew to enjoy the art of infiltration. She would often test her skills by breaching the stronghold defences of the highborn elites, but not steal anything, just for the fun of it.

Her luck finally failed her when she broke into one particular manor. She successfully infiltrated his stronghold's defences but faltered at the last hurdle, leading to her discovery by the guards. Even then, she led them on a merry chase through the city before eventually being cornered at swordpoint. The city magistrate offered her a single chance at redemption: serve as a squire and train to become a knight, or spend her life behind bars. Vixenne accepted, though many within the Order still distrust her cunning nature and criminal past.

Upon joining the Silent Pride, she formed a bond with Xantheia, the Minotaur, who taught her the ways of the labyrinth, an innate skill inherent in all Minotaurs. Coupled with her cunning, her street smarts, and her sharp senses, Vixenne became a Master of Maps and was often sent out as a scout for the Silent Pride in many of their quests and battles. As part of her combat training as a squire and knight aspirant, she is taught to wield the gladius and shield.