Knights of Solamnia | DragonLance Saga

The Knights of Solamnia are commonly known as disgraced at best or outlaws and murdered on sight at worst. But this wasn’t always the case, and would drastically change in the War of the Lance. Let's discover the knighthood's history, orders and purpose.
Like, Subscribe & Click The Bell
Become a Member: / @dlsaga
Buy Dragonlance Books: www.drivethrur...
#KnightsOfSolamnia #KnightsOfTheCrown #KnightsOfTheSword #KnightsOfTheRose #TheOathAndTheMeasure #DragonLance #Krynn #HeroesOfTheLance
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about the Knights of Solamnia. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this channel, ring the bell, and you can further help this channel, and pick up Dragonlance Gaming materials, using my affiliate link in the description below. I will have to be succinct as it can be a lengthy discussion, but on my honor, I will strive to do the knighthood justice in this presentation.
When I reflect on the Knights of Solamnia I immediately think of the order’s heroes or the Oath “Est Sularus oth Mithas”, or My Honor is My Life, but that is just a small part of what makes up the order. Let’s explore the Knighthood through the Ages of Krynn for a full measure on which to judge them by.
It all starts in the Age of Dreams with a conflict between the Ergothian Emperor and a rebellion in the northeastern reaches of his empire. In the spirit of brevity, the emperor sent his commander, Vinas Solamnus, to crush the rebellion, but when Vinas arrived he judged the rebellion justified and not only switched alliances, but lead the raid on Daltigoth that would be later known as the War of Ice Tears. The capital fell to the rebellion within two months, and the citizens sued their emperor for peace and won their freedom. They declared Vinas Solamnus their king and named their newly won land Solamnia after him.
Vinus was an honorable man, and was not foolish enough to think all others would be the same. In 1775 PC he decided to go on a Quest of Honor in order to discover how he could maintain unity in his united kingdoms of Solamnia. After weeks of searching he found himself in the wilds of the Sancrist Isle. He came upon a glade featuring a black granite stone in its center. Upon that stone, Vinus supplicated himself to the gods' wisdom. Three deities appeared before him: Paladine. the god of balance, justice, and defense; Kiri-Jolith, the god of just warfare; and Habbakuk, god of good nature, loyalty, and the elements. They gave him the outline for a knighthood which would serve to inspire and defend the citizens of Solamnia. The knighthood would consist of three separate orders to balance each other. Each order would reflect one of these three gods ideals. As a final blessing the gods transformed the stone into a pillar of translucent white crystal which would sanctify the glade and seal the unity of the gods to uphold the knighthood as long as they walked in honor and worthiness.
The Knighthood would become known for developing men into true heroes. One of which is Bedal Brightblade who single handedly stood between fierce desert nomads and a pass into Solamnia and fought them to a standstill. He held that pass as guardian until reinforcements arrived. Another is Huma Dragonbane, who with the aid of a Silver Dragon managed to slay the Queen of Darkness, banishing her to the Abyss with the Dragonlance, and ending the third dragon war.
The Age of Might would prove to be a defining moment for the Knights of Solamnia. Up until the Cataclysm, the Knights were the greatest order of Chivalry in the history of Krynn. After the cataclysm, they were blamed for the loss and devastation. Though as an order, they were not responsible, but there were knights who had an opportunity to change the course of history, preventing the cataclysm from ever taking place. One such knight was Lord Soth of Dargaard Keep, a Knight of the Rose. Lord Soth was warned by his mistress about the Cataclysm, and when he started toward Istar to stop it he crossed a troop of elven clerics who threatened to reveal the truth of his murdered wife and his illegal wedding to his mistress. Rather than face his own shame, he turned back and the fiery mountain crashed down on Krynn. Not all knights had such shame or lived as corrupt lives, but rather tried to leverage the catastrophe to expand their land holdings. Combined, these acts turned the citizens against the order and their fate was sealed. Knights were murdered, their homes were invaded and families slain or forced into exile. The Knights who remained were forced to live in secret. And some would leave their homeland and settle on Sancrist Isle...