Where do we come from?

[BZenwrath]

Hello all, I came across a post in the archives by Weiss when he was leader of the Imp Knights years ago. I have taken what he said describing the idea of the imperial knights and morphed it a little in an effort to help explain to those who are new or unfamiliar with the Imperial Knight's origin/structure/idea. I realize that some of this may not apply as heavily as it once did but I thought it was a little gem that some might find useful. So without further ado, Weiss's post with minor edits...

1. 
   What exactly is an Imperial Knight?
   
   
   An Imperial Knight is a person who serves the Emperor, on the basis the Emperor is with the light side. If the Emperor were to fall to the dark side, it is up to the Imperial Knights to either bring the Emperor back to the light or remove him from power.
   
   With the last dynasy Imperial Emperor deceased, killed by Darth Aevum and Darth Judicar, the Imperial Knights are without an Emperor to lead them, but not without a goal. With no Emperor, the position of Knight-Commander becomes the highest rank. First was Iona Peller, who had been the Knight-Commander. After her death, Bellatrix La Rouge became the new Knight-Commander. While we cannot serve the Emperor, both because our true Imperial family is gone and the new Emperors are Sith, we are by duty tasked with either bringing the Emperor to the light, or to eliminate the dark sided Emperor from power; due to our new resolve after the Sith takeover, the latter has been chosen. This is why Iona Peller had focused on trying to take out Darth Judicar during the Battle of Lehon.​
   
   
   [*]Do the Imperial Knights use the Light Side of the Force?
   
   
   In technicality, not necessarily. The Imperial Knights do not use the Dark Side of the Force, but are not necessarily confined to the Light Side of the Force (yes, there is a grey-zone). The Imperial Knights are fine with using emotions when using the Force, as they saw it as a tool, but did not permit members to use the Force out of anger or selfishness.
   ​
   
   [*]Imperial Knight use emotions? What are you smoking?
   
   
   Like I will be stressing next, we are not the Jedi. Mental discipline is driven heavily by the Imperial Knights, but that does not mean being emotionless, but rather have control over one's emotions, as to prevent members from falling to the Dark Side. I repeat, the Imperial Knights work to control their emotions, not bottle it up and eradicate it like the Jedi do.
   
   Another reason for the harsh mental discipline was to allow for unquestionable obedience to the Emperor. Since the Imperial Knights must carry out the Emperor's will regardless of what it is, including sacrificing innocent lives, they have been nicknamed "Grey Jedi"; however, that too does not make them Jedi.
   
   Some may misunderstand what will be said about the usage of emotions and actual displays of sadness. Emotions are to be mastered, but that doesn't mean one can't use them. For instance, Rorick(my imp knight character) shows emotion on a regular basis. Granted, he's been away from the order for a long time, but that makes no difference. Emotions are part of life, Knights strive to control them; using them when appropriate but putting the reigns on them when their needed to serve.​
   
   [*]Imperial Knights aren't Jedi?
   
   
   Imperial Knights are not Jedi. Early origins of the Imperial Knights are unknown, but heavily implied of Jedi origin. Yes, they have Jedi background, and thus have some traditions and some philosophies of the Jedi. Note the usage of "some" and the absence of "all". We are likely descendants organizationally of the Jedi, but do not forget that some of the Sith of old, and the Dark Jedi of the Bogan, originated from the Jedi too.
   
   Still, we do have different methods. While the Jedi are all about harmony and protection of life, the Imperial Knights are more about serving their Emperor and crushing the Dark Side when confronted. In general, the Imperial Knights are a noble order of force users but can be seen as heartless in some cases. The Jedi may be more inclined to show mercy to Dark adepts or be willing to let a Dark adept escape in order to save civilians. The Imperial Knights would be less inclined to save the civilians and would instead continue to go after the Dark adept.
   
   Please note that to some people, ICly, there's not much difference between Jedi, Sith, Imperial Knights, Matukai, Zal Shey, Bogan, Ospion Guardians, etc. All they see are people who use the Force. It's the reasoning for the terms "Grey Jedi" and "Dark Jedi". Not that specifically the Grey Jedi and Dark Jedi use these terms for themselves, but are used by others, who don't really understand or care about the difference between the groups. Since the Jedi are the most widely known, they're of course compared to the most. Say, for example, it was the Sith instead who were more common. Possibly, instead of Grey Jedi and Dark Jedi, it would be Grey Sith and Light Sith. Who knows. However, please realize that while there are similarities between the Jedi and Imperial Knights we are not the same thing.​
   
   
   [*]So Dark Side and Anger is bad. But wait, haven't some people used those?
   
   
   Yes, we've had cases of people using the Dark Side or people using anger. One such idea that considered for a while, but eventually decided to be cancelled, was to have a small group of Imperial Knights who used the Dark Side of the Force: the Dalit. The Dalit were designed with the philosophy of "fight fire with fire".
   
   Anger is frowned upon, but not technically expressly forbidden. Anger was looked down upon because it's a strong and hard to control emotion, thus why most refused to use it, or believe it couldn't even be used without using the Dark Side. While this is indeed the case, I would like to express that I personally do frown upon usage of anger, and would suggest to practitioners of anger to use it less often, or at least do not be dependent on it.​
   
   
   [*]Training?
   
   
   For the most part, the Imperial Knights' training will be similar to the Jedi's and Sith's, with our own special blend.
   
   For those who are already training, I congratulate you on your work, you're awesome people. Knights are strict, but the Marshalls are to be slightly less up tight. (as much as our characters may dislike that) unlike the Jedi and possibly the sith, Marshalls don't really focus on the construction of the saber. It is a tool and while its a tradition not a rule, a knight's saber is almost identical to every other knight's. A simple hilt with a silver blade. This is meant to show unity and also makes it hard to pick one single knight out by their saber.
   
   Another thought, we do not take personal padawans like our jedi cousins in most instances. Our training is conducted as a group and one on one but we are a collective and so we are free to roam and train under any Marshall. We, as Marshalls, are here to not only train ourselves but also members of the rebellion, regardless if they join our ranks or not. If the a rebel troop is a force sensitive and they seek out training, we should train them. Even if they will be no knight, they will still be taught in a similar fashion and hopefully pick up some of our traits.
   
   We focus heavily on martial aptitude and for good reason, we are a more militaristic order, and so our training reflects that. Show loyalty, a bit of patriotism, and share a sense of brotherhood with one another throughout training. By far, the most focused on part of training is probably the most lacking. Control of one's emotions is a top priority of the Knights, showing any sort of anger can be frowned upon and is the way to the dark side. As a Knight trains, he/she must show their ability to control themselves when in the midst of a battle or even in the face of loosing a close friend.​
   
   
   [*]Where's our red armor? I want my red armor!
   
   
   We are currently without a home, Empire, and valid Emperor. We are under not jurisdiction. We do not have the backing of an empire-in-exile. We just have ourselves and the rebels. Thus, a majority of our tactics will be guerrilla warfare. Hit-and-run, small skirmishes, espionage, etc. will be our arsenal.
   
   Thus, we need to blend in if we're to succeed in covert operations. With the exception of ceremonies or possibly while inside the rebel bases, it is recommended that Imperial Knights do not wear their red armor, as to give away their identity. The empire see's the Imp Knights as a crushed and scattered foe, lets keep it that way for the time being. Use this to our advantage and grow within the rebellion while we can. This also means flinging around your lightsabers... I know I'm guilty of that... Basically leave them as your character's last effort, we don't want to give away our affiliation all willy nilly. If you have to use them, maybe act a bit sithish; they are the most well known red sabers in the galaxy so make use of that.​
   
   
   [*]What's our relations with other factions?
   
   
   Well, obviously the Sith Empire is our mortal enemy. While the Hutt Cartel isn't the most honorable, we need them and very likely cannot retake the throne without their help. The Mandalorians are a mixed issue, we haven't dealt a lot with them as a whole. The Jedi are our cousin twice removed... We must and I do mean must work with them in order to achieve the goals of the Imp Knights.
   
   Yes, the Imperial Knights view the Jedi as weak and too pacifistic. However, we are not fools. We realize we cannot win by ourselves, we need help. (hence our joining with the Rebels to form ARES) Thus, the Jedi may occasionally work alongside us; same with the Galactic Alliance. However, this is just my hopes, and nothing has yet to be decided.​
   
   
   [*]But I have more questions....
   
   
   If you have any other questions that have not been addressed here, or you need me to explain what I mean anywhere in this thread, do not hesitate to post here or PM me. I am always happy to listen to my fellow members of the Imperial Knights. One of the most knowledgable people of this topic is Weiss, he is the source of a majority of this information.​

Please note that again, some of this may not apply like it used to. We are no longer Imperial Knights we are Imperial Marshalls, many of our traditions and ideals were have been lost throughout the years of being crushed into oblivion and possibly sacrificed to join the rebellion. I think it's probably one of the coolest things about the Imperial Knights however, despite our short comings we continue to press on for a new empire even when facing utter obliteration. Lets try and contribute to our rebel cause and make our way back to the order we once were.