Knights of the Round Table.
| “ | The king established all his knights...and charged them never to do outrage, nor murder, and always to flee treason. Also, by no mean to be cruel, but to give mercy unto him that asked mercy, upon pain of forfeiture of their worship and lordship of King Arthur for evermore; ... Unto this were all the knights sworn of the Table Round, both old and young. And every year were they sworn at the high feast of Pentecost. | „ |
| ~ Sir Thomas Mallory |
The Knights of the Round Table, or the Order, were characters in the legends about King Arthur.
Description[]
They were the best knights in King Arthur's kingdom, and lived in King Arthur's castle, Camelot. The Knights were formed as a response to the growing werewolf and vampire infestation spreading around the world. They were also revealed to be an offshoot of the Hellsing Organization with Abraham Van Helsing himself rumored to be a descendant of one of the knights.
They also were involved in the suppression of other supernatural threats of Celtic origin such as malevolent fairies and would often even make dealings with gods of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Based in London, they are tasked with defending the city and the British Isles from monsters, as well as other potential threats.
History[]
Arthur's Knights[]
Formed in secrecy during the Middle Ages under the guise of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table, 'The Order' as they are more commonly known was formed as a way for humanity to fight back against the rise of vampire and lycanthrope plague, though the vampires posed a far greater threat as they emerged during Morgan Le Fay's ascension into a vampire and amassed a legion of these fiends to take Arthur down.
They have helped bring hope to a populace often devastated by the infestation. However, despite The Order's best efforts, Arthur soon realized that the fight against the lycans and Nosferatu was a losing battle. It was not until the era of the Industrial Revolution began that the tides were beginning to turn. Technological advancement leap forward far quicker with the supernatural threat than it otherwise would have, and with the new and more effective methods now available of waging war, communicating and otherwise staying one step ahead of the monsters.
Dismantlement[]
The Knights soon discovered that the vampires have been organized and moving about beneath the Order's notice, whilst also fighting back against the lycanthropes that have infested Europe. It was later revealed to be the organizing of Absalom's resurrection. During that time as well, the Order was in league with the House of Romanov, whom founded the Order of the Silver Cross, as the two groups aided in the war against the growing lycanthropic threat that was spreading across Europe.
Through the Industrial Revolution, the Round Table traded the weaponry they were able to build with the Romanovs to fight the lycans. This also marks in a matter of technicality the first time that the Hellsing Organization and the Order of the Silver Cross worked together but this was mainly through the cooperation between Abraham Van Helsing and Vitali Romanov. In Van Helsing's case he was more of a descendant of one of the Knights of the Round Table and was more of a freelancer than him being truly a member of the Round Table.
Unfortunately, the Knights of the Round Table was dismantled due to the machinations of the Scarlet Brood, with these vampires killing all but one of the members of the Round Table alongside the Order of the Silver Cross itself. Though after the Scarlet Brood's presumed defeat by Van Helsing and Vitali Romanov and later the defeat of Dracula himself, Abraham decided to bring back the Round Table and rechristen it as the Hellsing Organization.
Overview[]
The Knights of the Round Table formed King Arthur’s council for the ruling of Britain and most of Europe. They were bound by a code of behavior known as the Pentecostal Oath. In a time of chivalry and fellowship, the Round Table provided a physical basis around which the Knights could rule in a true and just manner, protecting the people of Britain from threats to their new rights and the fragile society created by Arthur and his Knights.
The Round Table itself is first mentioned in Wace’s "Roman de Brut" (1155). There is some dispute over whether the table was created by Arthur or his father Uther Pendragon, but what is certain is that the Round Table ensured that no Knight would be given precedence over another, and that the voice of each Knight could be heard equally. Moreover, the formation of the Round Table remains with the Hellsing Organization as the Convention of Twelve, a society made up of individuals of political and economic prominence, nobles, and military leaders, all loyal to the English crown.
Knights were expected to undertake dangerous quests and fight for their country in battle, all the time displaying the highest qualities of behavior. It is perhaps not surprising that The Order, if it existed, would be based on these same principles. In order to become a Knight of the Round Table, a knight had to prove he was chivalrous (polite) enough. In the legend, the knights swore a Code of Chivalry, which is much like an oath is today. This meant that they promised to uphold the rules given to them once they became a Knight of the Round Table.
Code of Chivalry[]
- To never do outrage nor murder (not to assault or murder anybody).
- Always to flee treason (do not commit treason, a crime against your country or king).
- To by no means be cruel but to give mercy unto him who asks for mercy (Do not be mean. Grant mercy to those who ask, even in combat.)
- To always do ladies, gentlewomen and widows succor ('succor' is an old word for help; this means that the knight must promise to help women if they need it. Note that this does not necessarily include peasantry.)
- To never force ladies, gentlewomen or widows (never 'harm' women. Note that this does not necessarily include peasantry.)
- Not to take up battles in wrongful quarrels for love or worldly goods (do not even join in fights over anything less than God or country.)