The Shining Blades of the fifth age are one of the successor orders to the old order in Tus. The old order was dissolved following the failed Tus rebellion. The Sworn Order are much more martial minded than their predecesors in the fourth age, with much of their more spiritual cousins belonging to the Pious Order. The Sworn Order was founded with the charge of protecting the royal bloodline of King Holt and serve as an elite portion of the Royal Guard. The Shining Blades are adamant in their charge to defend the royal lineage and prevent the loss of the monarchy again.
The order is independant, not a direct branch of the church or military, and does not take orders from the state or House Holt. At times they are seen as overly zealous and dangerous, having no moral or ethical restrictions regarding their charge to protect the royal family at any cost. They provide their service primarily via funding from the Drakeson Family, but have many annonymous doners. Their colors reflect the city of their founding, Greenville, but the emblem shares many similarities to the emblem of the lost House Halyron of Thessan. This serves as a reminder of the tragedy of a lost royal bloodline.
As the years progressed, The Sworn order didnt stop at simply serving as bodyguards for the royal house. By 150 V They acted as agents and crusaders, constantly rooting out and hunting down threats to the monarchy. All too often did a string of murders get attributed to this group of zealots, something they were not quick to refute. They were more than willing to use fear as a tool to disuade any threat to the Holt family.
After the death of the princes Artenius and Avardus, the Shining Blades began to single-mindedly scour the seas for the pirate presumed to be responsible, Rei Kinketsu. The order used its immense influence to help broker an end to the War of Roaring Canons and began working with Danasian authorities to find the crew of the Saffron Skes. Though they lost many members, the order still considers the crew of the Saffron Skies to be one of the preiminent threats to the kingdom and will not rest until they satify their revenge.
