The Knights of East Lake

 
This is a lore post and a sequel to my post on The Red Iron Horde.  You can check that out for more context. 

To catch you up quickly: 

 The Red Iron Horde is composed of thinking machines from a bygone age of technological wizardry. When that time reached a cataclysmic end (as they tend to) its machine servants became a semi nomadic army, scavenging the bad lands for metals and other materials needed to maintain themselves. They're very fanatical about it and travelers along the edge of Red Iron territory will often divest themselves of any metal before setting out.  

The Red Iron Horde posed an existential threat to the southern kingdoms. Flesh and blood soldiers couldn't hope to win in a war of attrition with self repairing machines. It was this reality that lead to the creation of...

 The Knights of East Lake

The knights are a martial order dedicated to containing The Red Iron Horde and other remnants of the old world. 

 They're also all undead. 

They're not this big though - just a sketch I had lying around

Just as the machines of the horde pick over the battlefield for scraps to refresh their numbers the Knights of East Lake are able to resurrect their fallen soldiers. This has helped them create a bulwark between the machines and the softer, living lands to the south. 

The knights operate independently of the various kingdoms and stay out of any disputes between them. However it isn't uncommon to see silent, visored members of the order in southern cities or encounter masked attache's from Fort East Lake in southern courts. 

Of course the most common form the order's presence takes in most places is the local branch of The East Lake Trust. 

The East Lake Trust 

In addition to being vigilant guardians of the realm, The Knights of East Lake are the region's predominant financial institution. 

Via The East Lake Trust, nobles, merchants, and common folk have ready access to cheap loans. The terms are very reasonable with every point of interest payable with a commitment of time, to be served in the East Lake legions upon the borrower's death.  

In this way the southern kingdoms have ready access to capital and the Knights maintain a steady flow of new recruits. 

Account manager's understand how to negotiate loan conditions with tact and often have a rotation of masks somewhere in their office, allowing them to select a visage that will put clients most at ease. 
As they will tell you, the prospect of a decade or two facing the Red Iron Horde needn't put you off making a sizeable investment in your future. In most cases, the degree of consciousness required to serve on the front lines is minimal and the Knights of East lake are nothing if not frugal in their use of animating essences.

 Families of account holders can be reassured that The Knights of East Lake are appropriately reverential of their loved ones remains and would never do anything to jeopardise the immortal soul of any recruit. It is precisely for this reason that they maintain a strict monopoly on all means of reanimation in the southern kingdoms - a monopoly they defend by hunting down any unscrupulous freelancers with extreme prejudice.

Keeping Things Dry

The East Lake, High Marshall's take a very dim view of any unregulated messing with the veil. Of particular concern for them is the possibility of any contagious forms of un-death. Vampirism and ghouldom are abominations that must be stamped out whenever they're encountered. 

The problem, as the High Marshall's see it, is all the messy, fleshy-ness of these conditions. Mortal flesh is full of corrupting appetites and humors. Conditions that achieve a sort of organic immortality are volatile and dangerous. To better carry out their long service in a state of selfless, rational, duty the knights aspire to a level of asceticism they casually refer to as 'bone dry'. Often new recruits will be described as 'needing to dry out a bit'. Inversely if a Knight starts describing things in terms of being 'damp' it indicates disapproval and should they start using words like 'sodden' or 'saturated' there's a chance someone is about to be executed as a heretic.  

                                                                                                               

 Ok, there's my second ever lore post. 

I feel I need to acknowledge 'this amazing post' by Arnold K here as it was something that got me thinking about 'mechanised undeath'. Arnold's descriptions in that post are really great and if you liked this at all chances are you'll love The Runied City of Braxa.