The Schwanenritter were an order of knights from Khaenri'ah prior to the fall of the Eclipse Dynasty and the cataclysm. They were presumably led by Knight Marshal Anfortas, who claimed the position of Marshal Regent after King Irmin was left "indisposed" to deal with the cataclysm.
Notably, the Schwanenritter fought against the Abyssal monsters that attacked Khaenri'ah when the cataclysm struck, and continued to do so after bringing Khaenri'ahn citizens aboveground to Sumeru. As a result, the sage Nagarjuna and his followers, who would later become the Order of Skeptics, called them "heroes of Dahri."
Overview[]
We Schwanenritters have fought to the last one.
—Knight Marshal Anfortas, Cryptic Message in Sumeru
King Irmin used knowledge from "beyond the skies" to create machines which could defy this world's laws. This knowledge, which was very likely forbidden knowledge, eventually culminated in an onslaught of dark beasts which ravaged Khaenri'ah. Around this time, Irmin was left incapable of ruling, so Anfortas declared himself Regent and took Irmin's place at the Regnum Concilium Ultimum.[1]
The Schwanenritter made the decision to leave Khaenri'ah and evacuate able-bodied survivors aboveground,[2] using Mechanical Wardens — likely referring to the three Ruin Golems now found throughout Sumeru — to resist the beasts. Hadura, then a Garrison Commander, sent orders to one of their proving grounds to activate all self-defense systems before continuing with the evacuation, as the workshop was not suitable for the Mechanical Wardens' large-scale attacks.[3]
In Sumeru[]
After emerging from the Girdle of the Sands, the Schwanenritter and the Khaenri'ahn survivors that followed them made their way eastwards to Dharma Forest. One Ruin Golem was lost at the Desert of Hadramaveth, where an unattributed Schwanenritter died of what was presumably disease;[4] this may align with the description of Hildric's manner of death, which was multiple-organ failure.[5]
The Ruin Golem in the Valley of Dahri experienced an inherent mechanical design defect while in the desert and became unstable. Without the proper replacement parts or the ability to manufacture more, the Schwanenritter could only salvage parts and keep the weapons systems functional for their continued fight. The golem continued to degrade, until eventually its smart boot systems became inoperable and its mobility was greatly hindered. It was abandoned in the desert to await eventual retrieval. Parts were salvaged to assist in the continued operation of the final Ruin Golem on Devantaka Mountain.[6] Around the Valley of Dahri area, Hadura — now a Knight Commander — led a successful operation against the dark beasts which earned them the epithet "Sentinel of the Golden Hall," bestowed by Anfortas.[7]
The Schwanenritter's final Ruin Golem made it to Devantaka Mountain. Nagarjuna led a Sumeru Akademiya Darshan to fight alongside the Schwanenritter, and acknowledged them as "heroes of Dahri" despite the ill reputation Khaenri'ahns had earned as a result of the cataclysm.[8] At some point, Ynghildr went missing in a fight against the "Onslaught of Dark Beasts," with only her signet ring and a second unknown personal item recovered. This left only Hadura and Anfortas remaining.[5]
For unknown reasons and in unknown circumstance, Hadura "betrayed" the other Schwanenritter, sabotaging and destroying "a machine." Anfortas carried out Hadura's execution and lost his left eye in the ensuing fight, but still gave Hadura a knight's funeral since they were the last remaining member besides himself. With the Schwanenritter down to the last man, Anfortas continued to fight alone until his own presumed death.[9]
Legacy[]
Unbeknownst to Anfortas, Ynghildr did not perish in the fight against the beasts of the Abyss, but was instead corrupted and became a Shadowy Husk. She returned to the fallen Golem, where she remained guarding the control module of the semi-operational ruin golem until the Traveler defeats her during the World Quest Vimana Agama: Jazari's Chapter in Series Vimana Agama. When Jazari learns of their encounter, he dismisses the idea that a Khaenri'ahn could have lived for such a long time.
Hadura's relatives presumably followed Nagarjuna back to the Girdle of the Sands and became members of the Order of Skeptics. Klingsor, a member of the Order hundreds of years ago, called Hadura his ancestor.[10]
Known Members[]
Leadership[]
| Icon | Name | Title |
|---|---|---|
|
Anfortas | Knight Marshal, Marshal Regent (temporarily) |
Knights[]
| Icon | Name | Title |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Hadura | Sentinel of the Golden Hall[5] |
|
|
Hildric | Beard-Father[5] |
|
Ynghildr | Damsel of the Dale,[5] Sword of a Lost Homeland[11] |
Trivia[]
Etymology[]
- Like most Khaenri'ahn names, "Schwanenritter" and the names of its members are of Germanic or Nordic origin:
- Schwanenritter is German for "Swan Knights."
- The Swan Knight is a medieval tale about a knight who rides in a swan-drawn boat and assists a damsel in distress, provided that she does not ask him his name. The most well-known depiction of the Swan Knight is through Lohengrin, from the Arthurian epic Parzifal written by the German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach.
- Schwanenritter is German for "Swan Knights."
Notes[]
- ↑ Presumed ranking officer of the detachment deployed to Sumeru.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Schwanenritter | German: Swan Knight |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 白鹄骑士 Báihú Qíshì | White Swan Knight |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 白鵠騎士 Báihú Qíshì | |
| Japanese | 白鵠騎士 Byakukoku Kishi[!][!] | White Swan Knight[※][※] |
| Korean | 백조백조 기사기사 Baekjo Gisa | Swan Knight |
| Spanish | (CaballeroCaballero/ | White Swan Knight (M/F)Knight (M/F) |
| French | Schwanenritter | — |
| Russian | Рыцарь Лебедя Rytsar' Lebedya | Swan Knight |
| Thai | Schwanenritter | — |
| Vietnamese | Kỵ SĩKỵ Sĩ Thiên NgaThiên Nga | Swan Knight |
| German | (SchwanenritterSchwanenritter/ | Swan Knight (M/F)Swan Knight (M/F) |
| Indonesian | Schwanenritter | — |
| Portuguese | (CavaleiroCavaleiro/ | |
| Turkish | Schwanenritter | — |
| Italian | Schwanenritter | — |
Change History[]
References[]
- ↑ Interactable: Barely-Legible Bulletin
- ↑ Interactable: Ancient Journal
- ↑ Interactable: Soiled Orders
- ↑ Interactable: An Abandoned Letter
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Interactables: Mysterious Chronicles
- ↑ Interactable: Akademiya Investigation Team's Interim Report
- ↑ World Quest: Afratu's Dilemma (optional interactable Old Orders)
Old Orders: ...Knight Commander Hadura, who has successfully led the operation to stall the beasts, is hereby conferred the title of "Sentinel of the Golden Hall"... - ↑ World Quest, Khvarena of Good and Evil, Part 4: The Hymn of Tir Yazad
- ↑ Sumeru Hidden Exploration Objective, Unordered: Cryptic Message in Sumeru
- ↑ Interactable: Records of Unknown Attribution (I)
- ↑ World Quest, Vimana Agama, Part 3: Vimana Agama: Jazari's Chapter
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