Knight-captains

Origins
War has always been at the heart of the Girothian Empire's values. Beset on all sides by menaces such as the Bloodfallen and the Qidrans, humans found themselves unable to consistently rely on the leadership of the Firstborn. They could not be everywhere after all. Enter the Knight-captains. Hailing from the immense Harken Keep, the Knight-captains are masterful duelists and unparalleled tacticians.

Every Knight-captain starts out as a lowly recruit. Day after day they will train under the strict supervision of a higher ranked officer. Once an initiate is deemed worthy they are pitted against an officer of the station just above theirs. Only when an initiate can best their opponent will they rise in the ranks and Knight-captains are those who have bested them all. One after the other until it is well-established that their fellow men can safely place their trust in their newfound leader. Only one rank higher than Knight-captain even exists; Grandmaster of the Keep, and it is a rank which can only be held symbolically. For the fortress' first and current grandmaster lives yet.

What a Knight-captain is in charge of can vary greatly from time to time, especially in times of dire need. Despite the rigid structure of Harken Keep's battalions many of them are greatly diminished during times of war and are therefore rapidly reformed or its forces reallocated. Regardless, when the need arises a Knight-captain can draw upon immense manpower including but not limited to chariot phalanxes, massive siege engines, thundering cavalry and rank upon rank of disciplined infantry.

It is a noteworthy distinction to make that the Knight-captains, while sharing certain similarities, are not Arknights. For where the Arknights have compassion, Harken Keep has camraderie and a rigid army structure. This difference has made the forces of Harken Keep unpopular among the masses but popular with their superiors. For though the army rarely gets back in one piece, it always comes back victorious. As per the Harken mantra: The many above the one. Victory above survival. Battle-brothers above all.