The Noldor are maybe the last trace of the elder races of Pendor, which vanished during the War of the Titans. During that conflict, their proud cities and much of their power was lost, but what remains of it is still beyond most human men or woman can ever dream. They now live isolated in forests being extremely hostile to anyone who tries to enter. Among the Noldor there still warlords such as Warlord Aeldarian and Warlord Ithilrandir whom posses powers that echo the old days. The Noldor, found in the forests east of Laria, work a bit differently than the other minor factions. While you are seeking to destroy all other factions, you must gain the trust and friendship of the Noldor. The Noldor are indeed elves, but do not possess magic. Their equipment, however, still bears enchantment and is thus some of the most powerful in the game. Your alliance with them will ensure access to this and their extremely powerful troops.

Troops

Noldor troops are insanely powerful. Their weakest unit, the , is on par with standard top tier units and has far stronger equipment; Noldor Composite Bows are renowned and hated by players due to their near-perfect accuracy and speed. merely capitalize on this weapon. are the horse archers and cavalry of the Noldor; the strength of these women would make the Veccavi tremble. Finally, are the foremost foot unit of the Noldor, and they upgrade into , the foremost mounted unit and perhaps the most powerful unit obtainable by the player in the game.

Commentary on the Noldor

"Looking to your raceand your deeds I can only think how infantile you all appear. You are nothingmore than children playing at being an adult with children's toys, dreaming ofconquering the world. Do you not know how pathetic a vision this is?" - Noldor Knight

"Sometimes we truly which tobelieve that humans have some potential in the future, but their actions makeit very difficult to sustain this hope..." - Noldor Lord

"One can be only out of his mindif he plans to walk in the Noldor lands, because he won't walk back."- Empire Guildmaster.

Noldor battle style

The Noldor are powerful opponents, and show great tactical flexibility, beingeffective with with both arrows and blade. They also have the fastest horses inPendor, very effective armor ( 70+ Body Armor ratings are common), relicweapons, (+45 damage with regular noldor bastard sword), but their most deadlyadvantage is their skill. Noldor warriors have great weapon skills in allcategories and very high morale (you'll rarely if ever see them run). Thismeans that a 20-member Noldor Patrol can gut a full sized (150-200 troops) armywithout careful handling. If you see some Noldor warriors garrisoning a castleor city when besiegeing it, you may want to retreat from battle and go siegesomewhere else, as it is almost impossible to capture a castle garrisoned withNoldor archers (you may well die before you can even order your troops toattack).

Locating the Noldor

Noldor can regularly be found on the Eastern side ofthe map, East of Sarleon, North of Empire lands and the great desert, among thedeep forests around the great lake. While in this region, be very careful, assmall Noldor patrols can very rapidly catch up to larger forces and stilinflict improbable casualties.

Befriending the Noldor (Spoilers)
Having positive relations with the Noldor is a requirement to finish the game,but there are many additional benefits to being on friendly terms with them.
1- With high enough relations, the player can access the noldor emporium atLaria and buy superior Noldor weapons, armor, and horseflesh. A companion armedentirely in Noldor gear (for instance, Noldor Knight armor with a Helmet andBastard sword can turn Lethaldiran into a one-man army.
2- (SPOILER) You can recruitelven warriors from the same merchant who offers Noldor gear, although this isvery expensive both in gold and qualis gems. Noldor mercenaries are worth theirweight in gold - a handful can wipe out an army, especially when defendingwalls in a siege.
3- (SPOILER) With high enoughrelations, a player may be granted access to their hidden castle Elecrai [sic](you must first finish their favor quest and destroy the Jatu army in theirhomeland)
4- Once you're friendly withe the Noldor, those small patrols that used to be aserious threat are now a significant asset, protecting your villages andcaravans passing through the area.
5- Once the Noldor armies with named personalities spawn, they can be convincedto accompany you on campaign or attack certain locations (unverified).
6- Incidentally, if you make Laria your first conquest when starting your ownkingdom you can depend on some defensive assistance from Noldor patrols in thearea.

How to befriend the Noldor

1- One approach is to stock up on food and fast, high-tier cavalry, then patrolthe Noldor homeland until you sight a Noldor force. Keep your distance (or runaway, if they chase you) and try to lead them into the Jatu plains. Eventually,they'll get into a scrap with the Jatu. Once they do, join battle on the Noldorside for a few points of relation (don't forget to run afterwards - they'llattack you right afterwards otherwise). 6-10 repetitions of this strategy maybe sufficient to build up a positive relationship (unverified).

2- Second option is difficult and expensive and really only useful in the lategame. Attack Noldor patrols or battle groups and defeat them, focusing oncapturing them alive (easier said than done, and expensive even when you pullit off). Afterwards, release prisoners, getting +1 honor and positive relationsfor each. This approach tends to be very costly in virtual lives - you need awarband packed with high-tier troops and you should still expect to lose a lotof them, which is an expensive and time-consuming proposition.

Facing Noldor in Battle:
Should you be unfortunate enough to find yourself confronting the Noldor inbattle, keep your troops together. You'll take fearsome casualties from theirarchery, but it'll be even worse if you spread your troops out and wind up in abunch of 1:1 fights. Find high ground with a steep rear slope to hide behindand use shieldwall or square formation (shieldwall is preferred). Try to backyour archers up a little behind your infantry so they can engage Noldor Nobleswhile they're slowed or (if you're very lucky) stopped by your infantry. Youcan then advance to high ground to slow the momentum of their horsemen or backdown the slope again to hide from those ungodly foot archers. Often, once theirarchers have lost sight of you, the VI will punch their cavalry, which requiresyou to get up to high ground in a hurry, which exposes you to fire again butdoes mean their shots will be blocked at least partially by their own cavalry.

yle='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"VNI Times";mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>, the foremost mounted unit and perhapsthe most powerful unit obtainable by the player in the game.

Commentary on the Noldor

"Looking to your raceand your deeds I can only think how infantile you all appear. You are nothingmore than children playing at being an adult with children's toys, dreaming ofconquering the world. Do you not know how pathetic a vision this is?" - Noldor Knight

"Sometimes we truly which tobelieve that humans have some potential in the future, but their actions makeit very difficult to sustain this hope..." - Noldor Lord

"One can be only out of his mindif he plans to walk in the Noldor lands, because he won't walk back."- Empire Guildmaster

Recruiting the Noldor (SPOILERS)

Building an army with Noldor warriors is almost prohibitively expensive,although it is possible. Once you have good relations with the Noldor you shouldbe able to recruit them from the merchant in Laria, for the exorbitant price ofone qualis gem for each recruitment opportunity (not each Noldor, just eachtime you check for mercenaries). You may also choose to purchase Noldorequipment for the price of a dragon tear (qualis gem), but you only have to paythis once to open up the shop. This generally works out to be a better deal, ascompanions with Noldor gear can become unstoppable death machines. Even if youcan afford the cost of Noldor mercenaries, their value will likely make youunwilling to deploy them anywhere but in defense of your capital city, wheretheir superior archery can turn the tide in a siege.

Deploying your Noldor

Once you've got them, the value of Noldor warriors dictates that you use themcarefully. Typically they are most effective in siege defense, making them agood guard unit for a city or castle you intend to defend personally (they losemuch of their advantage in autocalc). Noldor are best used while attacking orespecially defending on sieges, because their great arrow skills, speed andclose combat modifiers make them very effective. Avoid committing them againstenemy heavy cavalry, especially when outnumbered as you're likely to lose them,in particular when facing order nights. Knights of the Lion seem particularlygood at this. Unless you have an unlimited supply of dragon tears (and whodoes?) this isn't a tenable approach. One effective tactic may be to deployyour Noldor cavalry behind your main cavalry and infantry lines. Send them infirst, then follow up with your Noldor horse - with the enemy focused on yourfirst wave, the Noldor can catch them by surprise and deal decisive damagebefore the enemy can start to target them effectively. Noldor foot are veryeffective bodyguards and hole pluggers - tell them to follow you and you'll bevery well protected indeed.

Castle Elecrai (SPOILERS)

After your relations with the Noldor are "accepted" or better, youmay be able to get a quest from the Noldor goods merchant in Laria. Apparentlythe Noldor have a Jatu problem, and if you can make it go away they'll not onlyreward you with a very nice prize, they'll also let you into their hiddensettlement. The jatu army can sometimes be faund in the deep forest, East ofLaria and near the big mountain (unverified). The army includes Jatu Lancers,Warlords, and other top-tier Jatu horsemen. It shouldn't be too much of achallenge to a late-game player, but could be a stretch before that. Orderknights or top-tier horse are recommended. Return to Laria after your victoryfor the prize and a quest update. After this, any Noldor patrol you encounterwill ask you to go see their leader at castle Elecrai located north of thegreat lake in the noldor homeland. It's hidden by magic and will be invisibleuntil you get close enough. Inside the settlement, the Noldor warlord has someinteresting information and options, and you'll also gain access to somemid-level Noldor equipment and a number of training options for you and yourtroops. Training can increase your skills between 25 -50%. As long as you keeppeace with the Noldor, you will always be welcome in Elecrai.Armies

Unfortunately, even if you are an ally of the Noldor, you may have to defeat the mighty and/or to win the game. Bring your best troops...

ked at least partially by their own cavalry.yle='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"VNI Times";mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>, the foremost mounted unit and perhapsthe most powerful unit obtainable by the player in the game.

Commentary on the Noldor

"Looking to your raceand your deeds I can only think how infantile you all appear. You are nothingmore than children playing at being an adult with children's toys, dreaming ofconquering the world. Do you not know how pathetic a vision this is?" - Noldor Knight

"Sometimes we truly which tobelieve that humans have some potential in the future, but their actions makeit very difficult to sustain this hope..." - Noldor Lord

"One can be only out of his mindif he plans to walk in the Noldor lands, because he won't walk back."- Empire Guildmaster

Heretics

Riding the countryside one can find small groups carrying around profane altars and performing evil deeds. Originally the heretics hail from Barclay, being a sect that is getting stronger each day, so much so, that they don't fear showing themselves in daylight.

Heretics often travel by horse, led by one or more priest along with confessors, followed by some footmen which are in most cases new followers.

Their strength has grown so much that rumor talk about heretic priest being able to bring corpses back to a sick parody of life, and some tales talk even about demons joining their ranks. Some even whisper that among these Demons lurks the Demon Lord, Eyegrim the Devourer.

The Heretics are a group of evil cultists who tend to dwell on the border between Sarleon and the Fierdsvain, from Avendor all the way down to the D'Shar border.

Commentary on the Heretics

"Everything they teach you is wrong, because there is nothing which is forbidden. Every taboo must be broken, every sin must be committed, every pleasure must be felt, there is nothing holy or pure in this world, so join the dance of decadence." - Heretic Priest

"There is nothing more beautiful than see all that is pure fall in the true colors of malice and misery. Make everything holy, unclean!" - Excerpt of a Heretic book.

"If you need to face them, make sure that you men are deaf to heretic lies, otherwise you risk get a knife in your back. Their lies are powerful weapons and someone will fall to it." - D'Shar Lord

Troops

If one wishes to add an element of darkness or evil to their party, , their upgrade , and may all be recruited. These troops, along with , are common in small Heretic parties. Heretic patrols are not particularly difficult for a well-trained army, but their mounted units can be dangerous.

Armies

By far more dangerous are the Heretics' armies. are one of the most enduring and heavily-armored troops in all of Pendor. The best way to deal with them is either to hit them very hard with couched lance strikes, or failing that, order your troops to attack without you and hope that they defeat them. Thankfully, once they are dealt with, the rest of the army is not particularly difficult.

A standard Heretic army usually has about 700-800 men.

· 5-25 Demonic Magni

· 15-45 Heretic Invokers

· 25-45 Heretic Magni

· 50-90 Heretic Worshipers

· 450-700 Heretic Minions

· 5-25 Adventurers

The Heretics also have two even more dangerous unique spawns: three seers and devourer.

Followers of the Snake Goddess Azi Dahaka plague Pendor. The cults are led by vile snake priestess which are guarded by sly Cobra and Anaconda Knights. Much like the Heretics, they are getting stronger as each day passes. In the Empire particularly, Emperor Marius is fighting almost endless battles against their influence which is spreading and corrupting even the highest nobles, despite banishment of the cult and their priests. Rumor says that the Snake Cult overthrew the old Baccus Empire, and now has eyes aimed squarely at Pendor, they have even sent the one of their greatest champions - Maltise to facilitate the corruption of Pendor.

An evil cult threatening to corrupt the Empire and indeed all of Pendor, the Snake Cult tends to reside entirely within the Empire. Their corrupting influence could be considered the main evil Pendor must rally against.

Commentary on the Snake Cult

"Your hopes are nothing, his [Marius] hopes mean nothing, do you really think that you can avoid the inevitable?" - Snake Priestess

"The poison is already spreading, and there is no antidote." - Snake Cult Motto

"For I swear that this snake shall have its head cut off!" - Emperor Marius speech before the Act of the Banishment of the Snake Cult

Troops

are a pathetic unit on par with peasantry, dangerous only by their large numbers. Far more dangerous are the equally numerous , who pack crossbows and polearms. Though not very skilled, their comparatively good equipment can make them a threat to cavalry and isolated units. Followers upgrade into Armsmen, who can then upgrade into , heavily armored knights who repeat the Armsmen's trend of having good equipment but poor training.

You will also encounter Serpent Priestesses in most Snake Cult patrols. They cannot be captured or recruited; even if the final blow was by a blunt weapon, they will still be killed. They are generally not a large threat, but should be dealt with quickly.

Armies

Snake Cult Armies introduce the inhuman , who are much more well-trained and equipped than Cobra Warriors. They are a match for any heavy cavalry you bring to the field.

Snake Cult Armies generally have 800-900 men.

· 5-20 Serpent Priestesses

· 15-30 Anaconda Knights

· 250-275 Cobra Warriors

· 200-350 Snake Cult Armsmen

· 250-400 Snake Cult Followers

Although these armies are not terribly difficult for a better-trained force, the unique spawn of the Snake Cult, the , is one of the most dangerous armies to invade Pendor.

Jatu

The Jatu are independent nomads which come from land far beyond the southern sea, along with several mercenaries who followed General Oasar as he came to conquer Pendor, due an agreement between the Jatu and the Baccus Empire after years of conflict. But when the Baccus Empire fell apart, the Jatu found themselves isolated without any mean to return to their home lands, so they choose to make the eastern steppes of Pendor their new home after raiding several villages for womenfolk.

They live in closed tribes which are very hostile to anyone outside, boys learn horsemanship and how to use the bow at an early age. Becoming true masters in time. Among the tribes the most powerful warlords are Zulkar and Kjuda the Ravanger.

The Jatu are a fierce warrior people that inhabit the eastern steppes of Pendor. They are one of the most dangerous forces in Pendor, being entirely mounted with good weapons and armor. Beware them if you cross the eastern steppes with a large force, because they move quite fast and decimate lesser units easily.

Commentary on the Jatu

"There is nothing we desire from weakling outsiders, as there is nothing good that could come from them." - Jatu Chieftain

"Do not let the outsiders speak, for their words carry nothing but lies. Do not accept the goods which their merchant sell, because they try to poison us. All we need from them, we can take ourselves!" - Jatu Law

"Learn the way: ride and kill their men, burn their lands and take their woman! This is our way." - Jatu Rider song

"Savages, nothing more than savages to whom we must teach a lesson in civilisation, with sword and lance if need be." - Sarleon Lord

Troops

and their upgrade, , are common in all Jatu groups and can be recruited from rescued prisoner stacks. Although they are not similarly recruitable, can be upgraded from Lancers. You may also see Jatu Warlords, but they are not obtainable due to being an elite unit.

Armies

Jatu Armies typically spawn with 550-600 men, and consist of the following:

· 5-10 Jatu Warlords

· 1-5 Hero Adventurers

· 5-10 Adventurers

· 50-100 Jatu Battle Riders

· 150-250 Jatu Lancers

· 250-450 Jatu Raiders

The Jatu also have two unique spawns: and .

Mystmountain Raiders

Beyond the Mystmountains lies a danger of which only Ravenstern is aware: hordes of barbarians whom once settled in Pendor, but where driven away by the kings of old. Living in a poor wild region, split in numerous tribes lead by shamans, they are driven to return to Pendor both by desire of revenge and despair due overpopulation and starvation.
They will often form mounted bands of warriors which cross the mountains and strike Ravenstern. They lack both training and good quality weapons and armor, but they make it up with numbers and sheer strength. Their usual weapons are often heavy hammers and light bows, their armor is limited to leather and a few precious coats of mail.

The waves of barbarians are increasing each year. They lack any kind of central leadership, but rumors talk about several potential high chieftains emerging, and among them the most feared name is Wolfbode, who appears to have united most clans and is coming... The Mystmountain Raiders are a group of clans that are most concentrated in northeastern Ravenstern, although they can be found throughout that kingdom.

Commentary on the Mystmountain Raiders

"Don't take their appearance as measurement of their strength. They look ragged and their are weapons poor, but they compensate this with sheer weight of numbers." - Ravenstern Lord

"Kill their families! Burn their lands! Make this land once more ours!" - Mystmountain war cry

"Kill the Dragon ! Kill the Dragon! Kill the Dragon! Feast on his corpse!" - Mystmountain war cry when facing the Knights of the Dragon

"Wolfbode will take you away if you dont eat your vegetables!" - Typical saying of a Ravenstern mother

Troops

Of all the minor factions, the Mystmountain Raiders are probably the least dangerous, although they are still a cut above mere bandits. Their foot unit, aptly named the , is poorly equipped but often numerous. and are more dangerous, being mounted, but still have poor equipment and can easily be defeated by an equal force. All of these units can be recruited.

Armies

Although it is important to have a large army to endure the long battle, again, a Mystmountain Army is probably the easiest to challenge, and one of the first a player will want to attempt. Mystmountain Armies generally have about 750-850 men.

· 10-15 Hero Adventurers

· 20-50 Bearclaw Berserkers

· 5-15 Mystmountain Shamen

· 250-600 Mystmountain Warriors

· 200-300 Mystmountain Raiders

· 50-150 Bandits

is the sole unique spawn of the Mystmountain Raiders.

The Vanskerry Raiders

When General Oasar came to Pendor, under the Baccus Empire banner he brought with him several bands of mercenaries, among them where the Vanskerry, raiders from far off lands, so skilled at sailing that they could reach any coast, storm it and leave before any reaction was possible. They came because of his promises of plunder. But when the Baccus Empire collapsed, General Oasar now isolated canceled the deal he made with the Vanskerry's Jarls. However they continued their raiding, finding the weakened Pendor the perfect target.

Fearing for their lands and wealth a delegation of merchants from the Merchant Princes of the Free Cities offered to let them settle their rich lands in exchange for protection. This caused a split among them - some now saw the oportunity to stay in this new lands, this ones would made a deal with the Merchant Princes forming the modern The Federation of Free Cities of the Fierdsvain. But the other Jarls felt double betrayed, first by Oasar and last by their cousins which decided to stay and start to adopt a new way of life which was against the Vanskerry warrior code. They went back to their homelands to bring the news of their cousin's betrayal, and to spread tales of the riches in Pendor that could be easily taken.

This caused much uproar in the Vanskerry's lands, several Jarls and even bandits start to muster their own warbands and sailed to Pendor, they came in fast ships famous by their ability to navigate even in low water regions which allowed them to plunder almost at will.

A typical warband has between 20-30 men strong, they might lack the disciple being often drunk, but each Vanskerry is warrior at in heart and experience, lured by the desire of gold and slaves. They use medium armor, mostly mail along with their famous round shields and large axes.

Sometimes a more powerful Jarl will sail to Pendor not with a single ship, but with a large fleet at his back, these large bands are truly armies which pose a severe threat to the Fierdsvain's lords.The Vanskerries are a group of bandits that roam the Fierdsvain coast, akin to Native's sea raiders.

Commentary on the Vanskerry Raiders"One day we will teachthose soft-hearted bastards what might is truly is!" - Vanskerry Rider

"Look my brothers! Look and seewhat our cousins became! Soft blooded weaklings with no manhood. That is whathappens when you break the warrior code! So don't forget! Strength iseverything!" - Vanskerry Jarl

"The world changes, butsome fools like our cousins didn't notice... guess we need to make them awareof our new might." - Fierdsvain LordTroops

Vanskerries are essentially glorified bandits; however, they are quite glorified. They rarely have weak armor, they use large shields and they almost always pack javelins or throwing axes, which can do a lot of damage to man and horse alike. While are not very well-trained, they upgrade into the quite dangerous . Both of these units may be recruited, either from rescued prisoner stacks or taverns. You will see Vanskerry Jarls as well, but they are elite units and cannot be recruited.

Armies

Unlike other bandits, Vanskerries may on occasion form an army. Such an army usually numbers 550-600 men.

1-3 Hero Adventurers

5-20 Adventurers

20-50 Vanskerry Jarls

50-200 Vanskerry Warriors

50-150 Mercenary Horsemen

150-300 Vanskerry Raiders

The Red Brotherhood

When the old Baccus Empire invaded Pendor, among them came the Red brotherhood, a collection of secret societies, slavers, assassins, and all kinds of criminal mastermind. They quickly spread their influence, they can now be found everywhere dispensing their unsavory services. Despite being such a large group, the Brotherhood did not appear to have a central leader or hierarchy, but are rather a network with several minds and leaders which makes it impossible to get rid of them, as when one leader is down, there are several others to take their place.

Most of time they act behind the curtains, often keeping two faces before the society. One of a legitimate nature and the other which is their real criminal persona, where their perform all kinds of dark deeds in secret.

Commends on the Red Brotherhood

"Everything in this life has a price and nothing is forbidden, so just make your offer."

-Red Brotherhood Motto

"We sell desires, I mean, anything you desire can be yours. It's just a matter of price."

-Red Brotherhood Agent

Troops

They don't field armies, preferring to use assassins when someone poses a problem, they often field small gangs of bandits which ride the countryside looking for slaves, when pressed they claim that this groups had no connection to them or are rogue freelancers. They usually field relatively weak mounted crossbowmen with some poor foot troops, the Red Brotherhood Guildsmen are the only remotely powerful unit they have. They are a good faction to fight reasonably early in the game.

Note that the various gangs of Red Brotherhood operate independently of one another.

The Slave Traders of Pendor

They are drug dealers, rogues, thugs, slave traders and dirtbags. The scum of the civilization floating atop the barrel. Just kill them and move on. You can ransom your prisoners to members of their guild in the taverns, a very profitable way of making money.

em>"Looking to your raceand your deeds I can only think how infantile you all appear. You are nothingmore than children playing at being an adult with children's toys, dreaming ofconquering the world. Do you not know how pathetic a vision this is?" - Noldor Knight

"Sometimes we truly which tobelieve that humans have some potential in the future, but their actions makeit very difficult to sustain this hope..." - Noldor Lord

"One can be only out of his mindif he plans to walk in the Noldor lands, because he won't walk back."- Empire Guildmaster.

Knighthood Orders

The founding of Pendor was accomplished by a figure of legendary renown: Cavalas of Valonbray, the son of a renowned knight who, depending on which historian you reference, either 8th or 12th in line to the throne of Valonbray. Regardless, through exploit and adventure Cavalas brought together the various noble lords and founded the Kindom of Pendor and established the Silver Throne in Sarleon.

It is generally regarded as fact that King Cavalas, in his adventuring days formed , which is considered the first Kighthood order of the Pendorian Kindgom.

Soon after his coronation, Cavalas drafted the Validus Charta, and it was signed by the various noble lords of the realm and through this document established the binding charter and legal grounds for the existence of a body of knights to form an organized order that had recognized coat of arms. It is generally argued that this was a condition by some Lords to support King Cavalas in the establishment of Pendor. This claim cannot be verified as no documents are known to exist that substantiate this theory.

Regardless, within several years a plethora of knighthood orders sprung up in Sarleon and other cities and castles. Few of course lasted more than the lifetime of the founder, and this document shall confine it's scope only to those orders that have survived in some form, to this day, the 12th of April, 354, with one notable exception: that of .

Knighthood Orders are more than mere knights; they include some of the most versatile and powerful units in the game. In addition, most orders have a chapter in at least one city.

Major Faction Orders

Order of the Lion

The Order of the Lion is 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. Joining the Order of the Lion requires 10 honor. A chapter already exists in Sarleon. You must be a Sarleon lord or own Sarleon to found a chapter of this Order. Knights of the Lion are trained from .

Order of the Dragon

The Order of the Dragon was established in the 199th year after the founding of Pendor by Earl Klovis of Rane. There are some accounts that the order was actually ordained on the field of battle during the siege of Rane. Other accounts point out that the order actually came into existence when the documents were ratified and signed several weeks later by the traitorous lords of the Northern borders.

The Order of the Dragon was created to honor the noble warriors who stood and routed the armies of the Mystmountain tribes during the siege of Rane. It is a rogue order, with no charter under the Validus Charta.

Joining the Order of the Dragon requires 15 honor. A chapter already exists in Rane. You must be a Ravenstern lord or own Rane to found a chapter of this Order. Knights of the Dragon are trained from .

Immortals

The Empire Immortals are some of the finest foot soldiers in Pendor, being more heavily armored and well-trained Legionnaires; some of their training, notably with two-handed weapons, bears similarity to Gladiators as well. If a formation of Immortals can reach the enemy, nothing will withstand them.

Marius Imperator was responsible for the creation of the Immortal legions. As such, they are on good terms with the , but not as much with the .

Joining the Empire Immortals requires 10 honor. A chapter already exists in Janos. You must be an Empire lord or own Janos to found a chapter of this Order. Empire Immortals are trained from .

Windriders

The D'Shar Windriders are the honor guard of the D'Shar, summed up in two words: lightning fast. They combine the swordsmanship of Blademasters with the deadly accuracy and speed of Dervish Raiders; the only difference is that they do both things better.

Joining the D'Shar Windriders requires 10 honor. A chapter already exists in Torbah. You must be a D'Shar lord or own Torbah to found a chapter of this Order. D'Shar Windriders are trained from .

Lady Valkyries

The Lady Valkyries are a group of all-female Fierdsvain warriors not much unlike a Knighthood Order and considered the same in the game. They are trained as cavalry to match the impressive Fierdsvain infantry force.

Joining the Lady Valkyries requires 10 honor. A chapter already exists in Javiksholm. Oddly, men can join the Lady Valkyries. You must be a Fierdsvain lord or own Javiksholm to found a chapter of this Order. Lady Valkyries are trained from Valkyries.

Politically Motivated Orders

Order of Dawn

The Order of the Dawn is a group of fanatics who follow the goddess Astraea, and are dedicated to the destruction of evil. However, their fanaticism often goes too far; they believe that everyone is guilty of something, and prefer to burn first and ask questions later.

The Order of the Dawn is mortal enemies with a group that splintered off them, the , believing them to be heretics; for once, they are actually right.

Joining the Order of the Dawn requires 25 honor. A chapter already exists in Valonbray. Note that you start with negative relations (-10) with the Order, which means their patrolling knights will attempt to attack you if your party is small enough, and you will not be able to join until you are at 0 or better relations with them.

You must own Valonbray to found a chapter of this Order. Knights of the Dawn are trained from Pendor Knight.

Order of Eventide

The Order of Eventide is a splinter group from the Order of the Dawn that ostensibly left because the Knights of the Dawn burned people as they pleased. However, the latter's accusations that the Knights of Eventide are , 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.

Joining the Order of Eventide requires 20 honor. A chapter already exists in Singal. Note that you start with negative relations (-40) with the Order, which means their patrolling knights will attempt to attack you if your party is small enough, and you will not be able to join until you are at 0 or better relations with them. Because of the large deficit, it can be very difficult to make amends with this Order. must be in your party to found a chapter of this Order. Knights of Eventide are trained from .

Order of the Silvermist Rangers

The Order of the Silvermist Rangers are the greatest archers among men in all of Pendor. They use techniques learned from the Noldor themselves, the greatest archers of all, to gain an edge on accuracy, power, and speed alike with the bow. While they may be absolutely devastating in ranged combat, their melee abilities should not be disputed either.

Silvermist Rangers bear a grudge against the . While they are alike in their mighty abilities, Silvermist Rangers prefer to live in harmony with the Noldor and do not seek to destroy them.

Joining the Order of the Silvermist Rangers requires 10 honor. There is no chapter of this Order already existing in Pendor, so if you want to join, you must found a chapter in one of your own fiefs. You must have a to found a chapter of this Order. Silvermist Rangers upgrade from .

Order of the Ebony Gauntlet

The Order of the Ebony Gauntlet is not quite like many of the other Knighthood Orders. They always fight unmounted, using crossbows before engaging with heavy blunt weapons. Their tenacity and might in combat surpasses even the strongest Fierdsvain infantry.

The Order of the Ebony Gauntlet is extremely anti-Noldor, with it following that they are at odds with the as well. Joining the Order of the Ebony Gauntlet requires 10 honor. There is no chapter of this Order already existing in Pendor, so if you want to join, you must found a chapter in one of your own fiefs. You must have a to found a chapter of this Order. Knights of the Ebony Gauntlet upgrade from .

The Shadow Legion

The Order of the Shadow Legion is an elite group of Empire knights, trained to use the rare and mighty Ironbred stallions of the Empire. They are essentially a heavier and much more powerful version of the standard .

The Shadow Legion is known for its devotion to the ways of the Old Empire, and is thus at odds with and the . Joining the Shadow Legion Centurions requires 10 honor. A chapter already exists in Cez. You must have a to found a chapter of this Order. Shadow Legion Centurions are trained from Empire Knights.

Order of the Radiant Cross

The Order of the Radiant Cross was established in the 113th year after the founding of Pendor by Baron Jorn of Dunglave; the city of Dunglave is now known as Janos. The order was one of the prominent forces to battle the invasion by the Greater Baccus Empire in the 202nd year after the founding of Pendor. Overwhelmed in the battle of Sagent Glade, they were all but destroyed by the legions under General Oasar. When General Oasar became "Overlord", and after the desertion by the Jatu, he incorporated the order colors to form the identifying marks of his elite cavalry units. While these Cavalrymen are not true Knights by any stretch of the imagination, and they do not operate under the Validus Charta, the colors survive and the citizens of the Empire often refer to these mounted soldiers as the remnant of that once noble order of Knights.

This Order is a fair one, recruiting from both peasantry and nobility with one goal: defending physicians of the Empire so that they may find a cure to the Snake Cult plague. They were reinstated by and are considered part of the "New Empire". Joining the Order of the Radiant Cross requires 15 honor. There is no chapter of this Order already existing in Pendor, so if you want to join, you must found a chapter in one of your own fiefs. You must own Ethos to found a chapter of this Order. Knights of the Radiant Cross are trained from .

Order of the Clarion Call

The Order of the Clarion Call is a force of highly mobile rangers used as patrols on the borders of Laria, especially against the Jatu. Their method of fighting is similar to the D'Shar, although they are as much knights as horse archers. Rangers of the Clarion Call are very balanced units, capable of using sword, spear, or bow with deadly efficiency, mounted or unmounted.

Joining the Order of the Clarion Call requires 10 honor. An existing chapter exists in Laria. You must own Laria to found a chapter of this Order. Rangers of the Clarion Call are trained from .

Order of the Raven Spear

The Order of the Raven Spear consists of scholars and students dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and academia. Technically, their knights are glorified mercenaries; although they fight primarily for pay, they are dedicated to the protection and preservation of knowledge and serve as its guardians.

Joining the Order of the Raven Spear requires 10 honor. A chapter already exists in Poinsbruk. You must own Poinsbruk to found a chapter of this Order. Knights of the Raven Spear are trained from .

Order of the Griffin

The Order of the Griffon was established prior to the founding of Pendor; this prestigious order of knights was the royal guards of the line of Cavalas. The plague of 198 wiped out a large number of the Order knights as well as the royal family.

After the plague, they put aside their differences and worked with the Order of the Lion to maintain order in the land. In the 203rd year after the founding of Pendor, in the forests of Laria, the order made its last stand against a small army of the Jatu who were assaulting the Larian farmlands. While successful in defending Laria from being plundered by the Jatu, not a single knight of this once proud order survived. The great hall of the Griffon Knights in Sarleon stood empty for many years until being converted into an abbey.

Canonically (that is, from what we know of Prophesy of Pendor 4), the Order of the Griffon should be the player's first choice for a knighthood order, assuming they wish to follow the path of the old kings of Pendor.

Joining the Order of the Griffon requires 20 honor. The Order will not return without your intervention, so if you want to join, you must found a chapter in one of your own fiefs. You must have a to found a chapter of this Order. Knights of the Griffon are trained from .

Order of the Falcon

The Order of the Falcon was established in the 94th year after the founding of Pendor. This Order has the notable distinction of allowing females into its ranks. The original charter allowed for this as one of the five founding members was a woman warrior by the name of Valera, who was of no little prowess on the battlefield. This Order originated as a very successful adventuring company in the early years of the Kingdom that later transformed itself under the Validus Charta.

The Order fragmented after the breaking up of the Kingdom of Pendor and over the years have declined to the point of extinction. The order was outlawed in Ravenstern in the 349th year after the founding of Pendor by King Gregory IV. Most of the order either retired or fled to other lands. Joining the Order of the Falcon requires 15 honor. The Order will not return without your intervention, so if you want to join, you must found a chapter in one of your own fiefs. , one of the few remaining Knights of the Falcon, must be in your party to found a chapter of this Order. Knights of the Falcon are trained from .

Some Additional Information about Knighthood Orders:

Order Knights can also get annoyed at you and may spawn Knights who, if you are on bad terms with their Order, will attack you or raid your caravans and villages. If you sufficiently annoy a Knighthood Order in your domain, the Order may also decide to leave. Some Knighthood Orders are not on good terms with the other Knighthood Orders, which can affect you in interesting ways. (Good luck keeping Singal if the Knights of Eventide hate you!, lol) Orders that don't like you will fight against you, too.
Order Knights in the taverns cannot be recruited by the Player. Talk to them - you can find out what orders their Order dislikes, what the basis was for their founding, what equipment they use and other information. This can be useful in helping you decide what Orders you'd like to form or join. There are also rumors from the travellers about the Orders. There are now both good and bad Orders. Order Knights in the tavern can't offer you the option of joining an Order.
You can see the skills of any Order that has an existing Chapter already by going to that Order's home Town and visiting the Castle. When you enter the Castle, you will see one unit of that order there, talk to him, and you see what kind of skills he has.

Joining a Knighthood Order:

To join a Knighthood Order, you must have at least 500 renown and a fair amount of honor (the lowest required is 10, the most required is 25). You must also have positive relation with that Order (which is only really a problem with the Orders of the Dawn and Eventide). Once you meet these requirements, go to a city or castle where a chapter of the Order in question exists and speak to the knight there. You will then take part in an arena-style trial of arms against three knights of the order.

If you win, you will be accepted as a member of that Order and earn a full suit of that Order's armor.

Founding a Chapter

Knighthood Orders may be built in castles or towns and are independent of other construction projects. Building a chapter costs 20,000 Denars and requires a certain amount of honor (the same as to join the Order); you may also need a certain companion, the personal ownership of a certain city, or a Qualis Gem. Different factions can obtain different Knighthood Orders; Sarleon, Ravenstern, the Fierdsvain and the D'Shar have one, the Empire has two, and Pendor has nine. Note that if you have a good relation with an Order, its chapters will automatically (but slowly) produce knights itself.

Using a Chapter

Knighthood Orders go hand in hand with the training grounds ; to obtain knights of an Order, you must first obtain top tier nobles of a certain faction. As noted before, only certain faction nobles will work for certain orders. The church and shrine fief improvements are helpful for increasing your influx of nobles per week. Hiring noble recruits (the lowest tier of nobles) costs 500 denars per noble and can be done at any castle or town with a training grounds. Once they cannot be upgraded any farther (i.e. Sarleon Knights), they can be upgraded into appropriate Order knights for a certain amount of prestige each. Prestige is essentially renown, but your renown is not penalized for upgrading knights; it is drawn from a separate pool.

All operations related to using a Knighthood Order can be done through the steward of your castle or town.

Unique Spawns

Unique Spawns are armies that tend to be even more powerful than the standard armies of the minor factions. They are occasionally affiliated with minor factions, but not always; they also may or may not attack lords of the five major factions. Bring your best men, horses, and things.

You may or may not be able to capture a particular unique spawn. If you can, and you successfully capture them, you have several options:

· Tell them to leave Pendor forever

· Kill them (same effect)

· Ransom them for 50,000 denars

· Ransom them for a

· Some may also be prepared to exchange their unique equipment for freedom

Regardless, they are not to be taken lightly. All unique spawns must be defeated to win the game.

· Daughters of Persinoe

K'Juda the Ravager

One of the more militant Jatu Warlords, K'Juda the Ravager's charisma and leadership skills have forged a loyal following of Jatu raiders into a band of hardened warriors who pride themselves on their fearless battle prowess. His warriors wear reddish colored hardened lamellar armor and use spears as well as horn bows. Their raids and daring are legendary and even the Noldor pause when they see K'Juda's standard in the distance. K'Juda has a special hatred for Ravenstern, as he seeks revenge for the death of his only son at their hands. He has a terrible temper and is known to kill his own men when he has a tantrum. He usually mounts Noldor heads on poles outside his tent as decorations. His Honor Guard, the "Kajahars" are very fine fighters, as is K'Juda.

K'Juda the Ravager can be captured. His army generally numbers 350-450 men, and consists of the following:

50-100

30-50

50-125

100-300

Warlord Zulkar

Warlord Zulkar is the more honorable and respected Jatu Warlord. He has great equipment and combat skills, and his personal Grim Rider troops can be quite tough.

Warlord Zulkar can be captured. His army generally numbers 300-400 men, and consists of the following:

50-100 Zulkar's Grim Riders

30-50

50-150

10-150

Wolfbode the Slayer

First, they heard a battle cry more shivering than a snowstorm. Then they saw grey figures in the blizzard rumbling like an avalanche... Wolfbode the Slayer represents the unity of all the Mystmountain clans, with numerous shamans amongst his troops. Wolfbode's Honor Guards are very formidable; Wolfbode himself wields a Rune Axe, which is devastating at close range.

Wolfbode the Slayer can be captured. His army generally numbers 800-900 men, and consists of the following:

50-100 Wolfbode Honor Guards

50-100 Bearclaw Berserkers

100-250

100-300

250-350

The Three Seers

The Three Seers are three mysterious women who are said to appear near the great lakes and seas of Pendor; they are rumored to be great diviners, often sought by heroes and nobles, and many tales exist about those find great glory from their advice. But there are also rumors that their divination and promises often lead to ruin and tragedy, as there are many stories about broken bonds and betrayal between friends, allies, brothers, fathers, and lovers because of these three sisters. Kings fear the sisters, because they are as well known for turning their own vassals against them as they are known for fueling claimants' desires of rebellion. They also fear the sisters' retribution, since they hope to get good advice from them. They are protected by a personal army, a force composed of people from all the regions of Pendor, that seem bound to the three sisters; likely, in most cases, because of promises they made for their fortune or power.

The Three Seers are regular units and cannot be knocked unconscious (they are killed regardless of the final weapon's blow). Their army ranges from 700-1200 men, and consists of the following:

3 Seeresses

13

169 Seer Favorites

200-400 Seer Initiates

50-200

200-600 Sarleon Deserters

Eyegrim the Devourer

As demon summoning goes, his was rather routine. As demon summoning also goes, failure is fatal. This demon was different though. He wanted something more permanent, and Pendor was something suiting his craving. After slaying the head priest, he turned on the heretics who had participated in the summoning. He whispered into their minds, granted them dark wishes and satisfied their evil lust for both power and pain if they would but follow him and do as he wished.

As if locked in a trance, the heretic coven dropped to their knees and hailed and brought forth their obeisance as one. The demon smiled a cold and evil smirk as his mind closed to the mortal world and he participated in a dark congress with his brethren still waiting to cross over into the realm of Pendor.

Calling himself Eyegrim the Devourer, the new demonic warlord fashioned himself an army from those renegade and lawless knights, bandits, heretic covens and other misanthropic bands that wallowed in the darker recesses of humanity and unified them under his banner.

Eyegrim's motives are only known to himself and his closest advisers, demonic soldiers who have risen to his banner from places better not known. Most have come to realize that to oppose him is death and the lords of Pendor turn to their knights and heroes in hopes of finding one able to remove this new blight from their lands. That means you.

Eyegrim the Devourer is a regular unit and cannot be knocked unconscious (he is killed regardless of the final weapon's blow). His army ranges between 500-700 men, is incredibly difficult to defeat, and consists of the following:

25-75

25-50 Fallen Warriors

100-200 Fallen Veterans

100-250 Fallen Footman

100-400 Fallen.

Dread Legion

The Dread Legion, lead by Maltise, is not your average Snake Cult army. The typical weak Snake Cult units are not present here. In addition to scores of Serpent Priestesses and Anaconda Knights, Maltise brings zombies to the field, likely corrupted and devoured by snakes. Maltise can be captured.

The Dread Legion ranges between 700-900 men, and consists of the following:

100-200 Serpent Priestesses

150-350

100-400

100-200 Devoured

Aeldarian

Lord Aeldarian of the Noldor is the more intolerant and hateful of the Noldor warlords, despising all mankind on Pendor; he is rumored to laugh in glee when one Pendorian faction declares war against another, and hopes that they will all destroy each other. Aeldarian can be captured.

His army generally numbers 450-550 men, and consists of the following:

10-50

25-50

200-300

10-50

150-250

Ithilrandir

Lord Ithilrandir of the Noldor is the more fair and just of the Noldor warlords, although he will still be more than happy to trounce you soundly if you challenge him. His sense of tolerance is not quite as even towards the Jatu, however. Ithilrandir is said to help harried Empire citizens, although he's far more likely to try to destroy them in your game. Ithilrandir can be captured.

His army generally numbers 450-550 men, and consists of the following:

10-20

10-25

25-50

100-300

100-250

Burilgi the Usurper

Burilgi the Usurper is a so-called Prophet of the Desert obsessed by holy madness who wants to "cleanse" the D'Shar Territories of everything unclean. What he considers unclean is unclear, as all those who know for sure have disappeared or perished. Whole Singalian tribes are said to abandon their settlements in order to join him. Burilgi the Usurper can be captured.

His army ranges between 550-700 men, and consists of the following:

25-100 Omen Seekers

250-300

100-200

50-100

50-100

Alaric von Brouhaha

It was a cold winter night in the city of Sarleon, but the local tavern was warm and buzzing with chatter when he walked in the door. He was a large, hairy man, made to seem even larger by the dented armor and huge cloak that he wore, and drew many curious stares as he stumped across the room and settled into an empty stool in front of the bar. These stares turned to grins, however, when he produced a large bag of gold and slammed it onto a table, ordering the bartender to keep every man's cup filled to the brim with spirits as long as he was still standing. Then he sat down on his stool, ordered some ale for himself, and stared off into the distance as if in a daze.

Despite the initial curiosity in the room, the patrons soon found their large guest much too quiet and taciturn for any good conversations, and the familiar buzz soon filled the room again, fueled by the free drinks. The newcomer just sat there, finishing mug after mug, and eventually he was entirely forgotten.One table away

there sat a few off-duty soldiers, and one man was bragging to his buddies about a recent campaign.
"I swear to you, there was at least a hundred of 'em surrounding us!" he was saying. "Our captain thought for sure we were dead, but that was before he saw me in action! Those D'Shar fight like demons, but I must've killed at least twenty or thirty or so before they fled. My sword was coated in blood by the end, and I got a nice promotion and a medal from the King 'imself!"

"It is a pity there are no other men of your caliber in the army." remarked one friend sarcastically.

"Too true," said another sadly. "I can't remember how many comrades I've seen killed by those bastards. It's getting so bad that caravans can't even travel without fearing for their lives! Those raiders will be the undoing of the entire kingdom!"

"D'Shar?"

At the sound of the mysterious man's voice the table turned to look at him.

"You think those horse-lovers are a serious threat!?" He looked angry, almost furious. "Why, I could destroy hundreds of them with both hands tied behind my back!"

"Oh you can, can you?" sneered the braggart. "I'll bet you've never even seen one!"

"One? I've seen them massed in numbers that could engulf this entire city!" He drew aside his cloak to reveal an old, chipped warsword with a handle worn from use. "I've killed more than my fair share too, escaping from captivity under the very nose of their trumped up Khan! I gave ol' Kadan a few scars too, before twenty of them wrestled me off him!"

The table looked at him flabbergasted.

"You escaped from the D'Shar capital?" One asked incredulously.

"Escaped? Hell, I laid siege to it! That's a bit of a story, actually. You see, I was riding out towards..."
Then the man launched into the incredible tales of his adventures, holding his audience in rapt attention. He had drank quite a bit of ale by now, and soon he was hollering and gesticulating wildly, so impassioned by his stories that no one dared to question him. The words and drinks flowed and flowed, until every man in the room was listening in, and even the stingiest had to concentrate to keep from swaying..

"...and then I jumped out from behind cover, surprised the entire company of *hic* Noldor, and beat each and every one of them black and blue, and a few other colors besides!"

The bartender laughed good-naturedly. He had so far abstained from the drunken merriment around him, and was more than a little skeptical of this man. "Your stories are just tall, drunken tales. It isn't possible for one man to do all that, even sober. We don't even know your name!"

The man looked at him, his alcohol-addled brain puzzled for a moment. Then a broad grin stretched across his face and he threw a huge arm around the tavernkeeper. "They call me *hic* Alaric. Alaric von Brouhaha!" He gave a conspiratorial wink to his audience. "Y'know why they call me that?" The tavernkeeper shook his head. "Because that's my name! BROUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Alaric gave a loud, echoing guffaw that was joined by the rest in the room, and slapped the bartender on the back, almost knocking him over.

"Tha's... tha's a good one..." Alaric said, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye. He suddenly grew morose, and spoke to his audience again in a bitter tone. "That's the problem with this world nowadays! No one *hic* believes anymore! The old stories of heroes and saviors and champions are only stories now! We used to be such a proud people..." He suddenly grew furious. "NOW WHAT ARE WE? Torn apart *hic* by Vanskerry raiders, Imperial legions, and Rav...Raven...Ravenst... REBEL SCUM! We need people to believe in a hero again, get behind him and reclaim all Pendor like it was in the legends!" Heads began nodding around the room, as the drunken taverngoers saw the logic.

The tavernkeeper, however, was not amused. He was still reeling from Alaric's blow, and in his irritation he said something that he would come to regret very, very much. "Oh a hero, ay? And I suppose you think you're the one to fulfill Madigan's prophesy? Tell you what, I'll make you a wager: fifty denars are yours if you can unite all of Pendor under one banner, and on top of that I'll give you and everyone in here a round of drinks, on the house!"

Alaric's eyes widened. "Tha's...a lot of money..." He furrowed his brow as he weighed the bet. Suddenly he smiled and shook the tavernkeeper's hand vigorously. "It's a *hic* deal!" Turning back to his excited crowd, he hoisted his drink into the air and bellowed, "A toast! To the *hic* NEW KING OF PENDOR! LET'S GET OUT THERE AND CONQUER US A KINGDOM, BOYS!"

The patrons all thrust their mugs up into the air and toasted their king with a drunken hurrah, then downed their drinks and hurried to the door, grabbing what weapons they had and following their leader on his epic quest. The tavernkeeper was left with an empty building, and all he could hear was the startled clatter of metal on metal as the drunks clashed with the town guards, the victorious yell that announced the new king's first victory, and the empty silence when the troops had run out the gates, ready to conquer and fight for the glory of old Pendor.

This story should have ended that next morning with a huge hangover and much cursing, but for some reason it didn't. The drunken crusade continued, the drinking never stopped, and Alaric von Brouhaha, King

of Pendor, saw his infamy grow and grow. The group sustained itself by raiding villages and farms by day and drinking and carousing by night, leaving startled and slightly confused peasants in their wake. As news of this mobile beerfest reached all around Pendor, the lazy and shiftless of all nations seemed to be struck with an almost religious fervor, strapped on whatever weapons and armor were close at hand, and ran off to join in on the fun. Soon Alaric's band numbered several hundreds of drunken followers, and entire villages have been said to have been consumed and ripped apart by this band, down to the very timbers of the houses. Local lords have been slow to confront this growing threat, and the last one to have tried, one Lord Bjornson of the Fierdsvain, was reportedly overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of revellers, and was last seen with a tankard in one hand and a crazed look in his eyes, another partygoer at the biggest and most deadly party in the world. Is Alaric von Brouhaha truly the uniter that the prophet Madigan foretold? Or will the true hero have to fight and destroy this monster, before it consumes the entire world?

Alaric von Brouhaha can be captured. Despite the story, his army is not particularly dangerous. Note that his army is quite aggressive and will attack most other armies, often going badly for Alaric himself.

His army ranges between 400-900 men, and consists of the following:

20-50

150-300

150-600 Sarleon Deserters

Sheik Shalavan

Sheik Shalavan is a former D'Shar lord exiled by for his disloyalty. Unlike most lords, Shalavan chose to stay in Pendor and plot bloody revenge against the Bahadur Khan. He has recruited many raiders and outlaws from D'Shar lands, and after he deposes the Bahadur Khan with his army, he intends to return the D'Shar to their nomadic roots. Sheik Shalavan can be captured.

His army generally numbers 400-450 men, and consists of the following:

50-100

100-125

50-100

30-50

50-125

Syla Uzas

Syla Uzas is a veteran of the Empire and an utter sociopath. He cares only for two things: money and killing, and money is just compensation for his real joy in life, killing. Despite this, he has formed an elite force of like-minded Empire knights. Syla Uzas can be captured.

His army generally numbers 300-400 men, and consists of the following:

20-30

100-225

100-200

Griffonsword Adventure Company

The Griffonsword Adventure Company, lead by Meregan Kierlic, is unique among many adventure companies in that it includes women as well as men. Meregan is infamous for his total greed, his overconfidence, and the attractiveness of the women in his company. However, he and his company have a well-deserved reputation of getting the job done. Meregan Kierlic can be captured.

The Griffonsword Adventure Company generally numbers 150-200 men and women, and consists of the following:

40-75

40-50

10-50

5-15

20-50

Kodan Ironsword

Kodan Ironsword runs a mercenary company quite reminiscent of the Fierdsvain, and as such, is infamous around those parts for the usual mercenary reasons: his intense love of money. You may also discover that he is rather vulgar, but do not take his words lightly, as he possesses a runesword that can end any soldier in a single hit. Kodan Ironsword can be captured.

His mercenary company generally numbers 100-200 men, and consists of the following:

20-40

15-40

10-25

15-40

25-75

Sir Boris the Raven

Sir Boris the Raven of the Knights of the Raven Spear is an arrogant and extremely vain man. He has forgotten his order's duty to the defense of scholars and knowledge and now seeks only conquest with those that he has convinced to follow him. Indeed, Boris believes that he is the hero prophesied by Madigan to rule all Pendor. Sir Boris the Raven can be captured.

His army generally numbers 100-150 men, and consists of the following:

25-75

25-50

25-75

Oswald de Fleur

Oswald de Fleur runs a number of small adventuring companies, but when battle calls, he forms them all up into a single, powerful unit.

Oswald's barbarism is beyond that of a Rogue Knight or virtually any other being in Pendor. The world will be a better place without him, should you manage to defeat him. Oswald de Fleur can be captured.

His adventuring company generally numbers 100-150 men, and consists of the following:

25-50

25-50

20-40

5-10

Daughters of Persinoe

Qualis Gems

Qualis Gems, also known as Dragon's Tears, are one of the rarest and most useful items in Pendor. While the majority of them will be difficult to obtain, they are invaluable items in your conquest.

Acquisition

There are four ways to obtain Qualis Gems:

· One can be found in the hidden chest in Rane. Regardless of whether an NPC has told you about the hidden cache, it will be there.

· One can be found at the Red Brotherhood hideout you can find out about from an NPC. It is possible to hear about more than one hideout, but only the first will have a gem. The hideout does not spawn unless you pay an NPC for the map.

· More than likely, you'll get most of your Qualis Gems from . You must capture the NPC in question (Prisoner Management is helpful here), speak to them while they are your prisoner and then you will be given the option to take the gem. More information on unique spawns can be found on the appropriate page.

· Once you have access to , you can participate in the tournaments held early every month. Among the excellent prizes is the chance to win a Qualis Gem.

Usage

There are also numerous things you can do once you've acquired a Qualis Gem or three:

· Once you have neutral relations (0 or better) with the Noldor, you can use one Qualis Gem to open up inventory of Noldor items. His inventory is fixed across all games, and one gem opens up his shop for the entire game.

· You can also use a gem to see what Noldor adventurers are available from Quigfen. Note that you must spend a gem to even see what mercenaries are available; there will always be three options. Not recommended due to the next option unless you really want Noldor before you can access Elacrai.

· One of the NPC's in Elacrai's castle will also hire Noldor adventurers out to you; however, you will get more adventurers, regardless of your choice, for your gem than Quigfen would have given you. These two options are the only way to acquire Noldor troops.

· A Qualis Gem is required for the construction of multiple . More info, as well as requirements for each order, can be found on that page.

· , a Pendorian book merchant, can give you an Elixir of Arkon for a Qualis Gem. The elixir is drunk immediately, and gives a bonus of +2 to strength, agility, and charisma as well as a +20 bonus to all proficiencies permanently. Finneas has unlimited elixirs.

· will trade his map to the Hidden Mines of Al-Aziz for one gem.

Al-Aziz and Rune Weapons

Obtaining rune weapons is an involved process which ultimately requires three Qualis Gems for the best effect. You may not wish to set off until you have all three gems needed.

The first step is to find the other book merchant, Brother Randalf. For a gem, he will trade you a map to the hidden mines of Al-Aziz. Bring some wine when you go. When you reach Al-Aziz, which is undefended, speak to the merchant and you will be able to trade him a second gem for the weapon of your choice. Finally, speak to the old man; you may need to use the wine to persuade him, but he will give you the option of upgrading your rune weapon for a third gem.

· Ruby weapons deal the most damage, and additionally deal piercing damage. This makes taking down enemies like Demonic Magni much, much easier.

· Emerald weapons are balanced. They deal a good amount of damage (though not piercing) but have good speed as well.

· Sapphire weapons are insanely fast - far faster than any other weapons in the game. However, they deal the least damage (although rune weapons deal a lot of damage in the first place).

Companions

Adjacent characters dislike each other; characters with green lines between them like each other.

You are not the only hero in Prophesy of Pendor. Across the lands, you may find characters in taverns who will be willing to aid you...for a price.

Companions are much more expensive in Prophesy of Pendor, often costing between 1000 and 6000 denars to hire; Sir Roland, the most expensive companion, costs 8000 denars. However, in most cases, companions are far more advanced than in Native and come with stronger equipment.

The maximum allowed companions you can have that will not cause any trouble for you is 8. If you have more than 8, even if every single party member gets along, companions will start to leave you no matter what you do. It was never our intention for you to control more than 8 companions at one time, so do not expect a change to this at all.

Maximum Companion Count option #1
Diev-Siggy-Leslie-Kaverra-Lethaldiran-Julia-Alyssa-Alistair
You can add Ansen+Sir Rayne for versatility or Boadice+Frederic for more asskicking power.
Key Points about Option #1
-Do not raid villages,steal from peasants or rob merchants,otherwise Leslie,Diev,Boadice are upset.
-Do not run from battles,or Sir Alistair,Sir Rayne,Frederick are upset.
-Do not fail quests,or Alyssa is upset.
-Do not fail to feed or pay the men,do not get slaughtered or Kaverra,Siggy,LethalD,Julia,Ansen are upset.

Maximum Companion Count option #2
Adonja-Donavan-Kassim-Ediz-Riva-Sara-Roland-Jocelyn
You can add ANY combination of the inner circle to this build.ie,Boadice+Ansen,Frederick+Sir Rayne,Ansen+Sir Rayne etc.
Key Points to Option #2
-Do not raid villages, steal from peasants or rob merchants,otherwise Jocelyn and Roland are upset.
-Do not run from battles,or Donavan,Ediz,Sara are upset.
-Do not fail to feed or pay the men,do not get slaughtered or Adonja,Kassim,Riva are upset.

Maximum Companion Count option #3 (For the not so honorable players)

Alistair-Adonja-Donavan-Kassim-Ediz-Riva-Alyssa-Ansen
The upside to this choice is you get Ansen and Alyssa.
OR
Alistair-Siggy-Donavan-Kassim-Ediz-Riva-Sara-Sir Rayne

The upside to this choice is you get Sigismund and Sir Rayne.
Key points to Option #3
-With the above groups, FEEL FREE TO raid villages, steal from poor miserable peasants, rob merchants and GET AWAY WITH IT.

Maximum Companion Count Option #4 (For the Chivalry Haters)
Roland-Jocelyn-Diev-Sigismund-Leslie-Kaverra-Lethaldiran-Julia-Boadice
Key Points about option #4
-This is probably the most hard core, kick ass warring joint ever.
-Though you lack a medic with this build.
-Feel free to run from battles as much as you like, surrender, pay off bullies and bandits, leave some men behind to cover your escape, and even then everyone is happy!

Maximum Companion Count option #5 (You simply don't like Egalitarians and It's survival of the fittest)
Leslie-Diev-Donavan-Frederick-Jocelyn-Boadice-Ediz
Upon this seven, you can either add;
Alistair + Alyssa or Roland + Sara by choice.
Key points about option #5
-It would appear that Double A's would be a better choice. Unless you're a real big fan of funny moustaches and man-eaters.
-The upside of this build is that you don't have to feed your men any more, or pay them. No companions will object. You can get slaughtered like lambs, and everyone's happy.
-This build is also quite versatile in skills distribution of companions.
-But the downside is it has all the rest of the some packages mentioned already. So, Can't go raiding stuff or surrendering, or failing quests with this group.