Knights of the Nine (Faction)

The Knights of the Nine are a religious faction located in Cyrodiil. The order plays a significant role in the DLC named after the faction itself.

History
When Pelinal Whitestrake gathered the Relics of the Crusader, he struck down Umaril the Unfeathered, the Ayleid tyrant and sorcerer-king. Although physically Umaril was defeated, his spirit survived. He bound himself to his mistress, Daedra Lord Meridia and was cast adrift upon the waters of Oblivion. Umaril's allies sought vengeance for the death of their leader, and eventually killed Pelinal, as his curses unto all who bore passage from Old Ehlnofey drove the remaining Ayleid kings wild with rage. After Pelinal was killed, his Relics were scattered all over Cyrodiil.

Thus, the Knights of the Nine were formed, as men who only followed the Eight and the One, or the Nine Divines. As time progressed, all the Knights managed to recover all the Relics of the Crusader. However, as the war of the Red Diamond approached, the Knights fell back in with the whims of man, taking their weapons and armor into the war.

The first artifact recovered was the Cuirass of the Crusader, the only part of the armor that would be recovered by the Knights of the Nine in whole.

When Sir Berich slew Sir Caius, a chain of events occurred that would rend the Knights apart. Sir Berich took the Sword of the Crusader and the Greaves of the Crusader into war, and he never returned. He would later turn to evil, causing his wraith to haunt his tomb in Underpall Cave, slaying any unwanted visitors seeking the Relics, with the same Sword that became corrupted by Lord Berich Vlindrel's curse. Sir Henrik took the Shield of the Crusader into Fort Bulwark, a massive fort made especially to protect the Shield from those who would misuse it. He died protecting it from invaders. The Mace of the Crusader, however, was never recovered. Sir Ralvas constantly tried to obtain them, but he could not. Without being able to "walk in the faith," he tried many, many times, never able to cross the chasm that separated him and the Mace. He went for days, refusing all food and drink. He died soon after. Sir Casimir also fell from on high; when he slew a beggar in the Chapel of Chorrol in cold blood. The Gauntlets of the Crusader he wielded fell from his hands; heavy with the sin he had committed. Then he was blasted with a curse that affected him and all his lineage with the loss of stamina, including Kellen. The rest of the Knights, Sir Gregory, Sir Casimir, and Sir Torolf, all went into war, to die there.

Sir Amiel, in all of this, was the last one to fall. He tried to keep the Knights together. He and Sir Casimir were the ones to return the bodies to the Priory of the Nine. Then, in one last attempt to try to obtain the last Relic that had not been recovered, he set off. Old and weak, he managed to get very close, but died within sight of the Helm of the Crusader. His bones still sit in the cavern, undisturbed.

Such was the Fall of the Knights of the Nine.

Founding
The Knights were founded by Sir Amiel Lannus in 3E 111, following his heroic turn in the War of the Isle, with the high purpose of recovering the Crusader's Relics, the weapons and armor of Pelinal Whitestrake which had been lost for thousands of years. They were born out of the sense of optimism and ambition that characterized the first century of the Third Era. Tamriel was united and at peace for the first time in centuries. It was believed that nothing was impossible.

Growth and expansion
The fame of the Knights was established early on when Sir Amiel led them against the Wyrm of Elynglenn to recover the Cuirass of the Crusader, which had not been seen since the First Era. Soon, the greatest knights of the day were lining up to join the new order, and the Priory of the Nine in the West Weald of Cyrodiil became a magnet for the great and good. The Knights were the toast of the Empire. When Berich Vlindrel joined the Order, the scion of one of the great noble families of Colovia, it was clear that the Knights of the Nine had become the Empire's most prestigious knightly order. In relatively short order, the Knights reclaimed three more relics, and their fame soared to new heights with each one. No one doubted that they would eventually succeed in their quest to recover all eight relics.

War of the Red Diamond
Sadly, this early promise of the Knights did not survive the ravages of the War of the Red Diamond, which tore apart the Empire beginning in 3E 121. At first it, seems that Sir Amiel was able to keep his knights out of the war. But the very success of the knights undermined this, as many of the knights came from important families from across the Empire which were lining up on either side of the bloody civil war. Sir Berich was apparently the first to leave the Order to join the war on the side of Cephorus I, carrying the sword and greaves of the Crusader into battle with him. Many other knights seem to have left the Order shortly after this, some joining the war on one side or the other.

End of the order
The end of the Order was as ignominious as its beginning was glorious. Following the victory of Cephorus in 3E 127, Berich Vlindrel became an important figure on the winning side. It seems likely that he was behind the Imperial decree which officially dissolved the Knights of the Nine in 3E 131, although in truth this was little more than a formality. Despite Sir Amiel's best efforts, the Order never recovered from the bitterness of the civil war. Sir Amiel often made reference to the "dissolution of the order" in his journal, and frequently blamed himself for the collapse of the order in his entries.

Reorganization
In 3E 433, Umaril the Unfeathered returned and began desecrating the Chapels of the Nine. The Hero of Kvatch met a Prophet outside Anvil's Chapel of Dibella. Believing him to be the next crusader, the Prophet sent the hero off to visit the wayshrines of the Nine Divines. The Hero managed to collect all eight Relics of the Crusader and lead the Knights against Umaril, defeating him in both the Ayleid Ruin of Garlas Malatar and his Oblivion plane, destroying him for good.

Priory of the Nine
The Priory of the Nine in southern West Weald is the base of operations for the Knights. The Priory has a main building, a stable, and a chapel. There is also a small garden and an archery area on the grounds. Once the Crusader's relics are obtained, they do not need to be repaired by hand. Simply place the relics on the armor rack in the basement and they will be restored to full strength.

Quests
The Knights of the Nine quest line involves several quests. The quest line generally follows this order. However, in order to complete "The Path of the Righteous," the quest "Nature's Fury" must first be completed to obtain the Boots of the Crusader.
 * Pilgrimage
 * The Shrine of the Crusader
 * Priory of the Nine
 * Nature's Fury
 * The Path of the Righteous
 * Stendarr's Mercy
 * Wisdom of the Ages
 * The Faithful Squire
 * The Sword of the Crusader
 * The Blessing of Talos
 * Umaril the Unfeathered

New members
These people must be accepted into the Knights of the Nine before they become members.
 * Areldur – From the Chapel of Stendarr in Chorrol
 * Avita Vesnia – From the Altar to Kynareth in the Great Forest
 * Brellin – Joins the Knights' cause near the finale of the quest
 * Carodus – From The Great Chapel of Zenithar in Leyawiin
 * Geimund – From Skyrim and brother of Gukimir
 * Gukimir – From Skyrim and brother of Geimund
 * Lathon – Squire of Sir Roderic; returns the Greaves and the location of the Sword.
 * Sir Thedret – Prisoner of Conjurers in Fort Bulwark
 * Sergius Turranius – A smith who repairs weapons and armor in the basement of the Priory of the Nine.
 * Knight of the Nine – Generic unit that replaces any of the knights that die.

Preexisting members
After they have been defeated, their graves can be prayed at for a blessing from each of the Nine Divines.
 * Sir Amiel Lannus
 * Sir Berich – Does not have a grave. He must be defeated in the quest The Sword of the Crusader.
 * Sir Caius
 * Sir Casimir
 * Sir Gregory
 * Sir Henrik
 * Sir Juncan
 * Sir Ralvas
 * Sir Torolf

Expulsion
There is no expulsion from the Knights of the Nine but if infamy increases to a value of two the Relics of the Crusader can no longer be used. This message will display:
 * You are unable to equip the holy armor. Walk the Pilgrim's Way to repent of your sins and once again seek the favor of the gods.

To regain the privilege to wear the armor, one must walk the Pilgrim's Way again. When the Way has been completed, the infamy is reduced to 0 and the Crusader's relics can be wielded again.
 * On the PC version, it is possible to open the console and type "setpcinfamy 0" to instantly zero out the infamy level and wear the armor of the crusader.
 * If the Gray Cowl of Nocturnal is equipped while wearing Relics of the Crusader, the infamy will instantly raise to 100, plus any other infamy added while wearing the mask, and all holy armor pieces will be instantly unequipped. However, unequipping the Gray Cowl will remedy the problem because the player character and the Gray Fox are separate identities.

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