Black Knight Helmet

It's hard not to look at Black Knight armour and marvel. The Black Knights on Ashenfall have completely different origins from those on the mainland. They have no direct connection to the Kinshra, and are instead an evolution of the Shadow Knights. Two connected but ultimately different factions, yet they converge on similar armours. I suppose that's chaos for you. Stare at it long enough and you spot patterns.

The Black Knights, or Shadow Knights as they were originally known, began life as bodyguards for the Rasmodel family. The Rasmodels were nobility on the mainland and retained that air of nobility on Ashenfall. They were invaluable to the Children of Shadows, as they could move in higher circles, and higher circles were where the seeds of chaos are best sown.

The Children of Shadows made the mistake of seeing the Rasmodels as peacocks, preening and insufferable. As time passed, the Rasmodels exerted their influence over the Shadows. They moved into positions of leadership. Every pie had a Rasmodel finger in it, and suddenly the Children and the Rasmodels were synonymous.

That influence came with demands. The Rasmodels wanted protection. Their scheming in Temple Woods and Bramblemead would lead to the odd fallout, and having bodyguards leant them legitimacy as well as protection. Some of the Children were assigned to the Rasmodel, and a different kind of seed was sown.