Knights of the Invictus Order / KIO

The Knights of the Invictus Order were formed in the 15th century in northern Italy, then the small state of Milan, by an individual who is recorded as The White Knight. The name, supposedly, was intended to instill a sense of goodwill in people as well as to protect the identity of the man who took that title. Their original purpose was to protect travelers and pilgrims on the roads. Knights could occasionally be seen riding on horses with full armor and shields alongside of caravans. The Knights were not officially recognized by any government and proudly declared their independence on the flyers that they posted about. More often than not, their work took them into foreign countries, which caused trouble, at times, with local law. Although their intentions were just and reasonable, most people began to fear them after rumors of their merciless interventions and tales of people facing brutal punishments for petty crimes began to spread. Most of these rumors were erroneous, but information did not travel well back then and facts were quickly distorted. Eventually, they were openly rejected as being the same kind of bandits that they were trying to stop and were even excommunicated by the Catholic Church in Rome (despite the fact that no one knew the identities of any of the members).
p. This turn of events led the White Knight to reconsider how the Order operated. All of the advertisements and pamphlets that had previously been distributed were stopped and the Knights themselves shed the armor and shields that they had been flaunting and exchanged them for for cloaks and lighter, leather made jerkins underneath. Their strategy changed from open raids to quiet information gathering and stealthy night-time work. The number of deaths and injuries caused by their work more than halved. At the same time highwaymen and looters in the areas where they worked began to become less common. After about fifty years, the Order had become an almost invisible force that was only talked about in thieves’ dens and back alleys. It is not clear when the original man who called himself the White Knight died or simply passed on the title, but, sometime in the 1520’s, the Order began a sudden expansion into western Europe, Asia and even Africa that seemed to be the result of new leadership.
p. Records of what actions the Order took are almost nonexistent between 1619 and 1841, however, it is clear that, by the time the American Civil War started in 1861, the Knights had thoroughly cast their net across the entire globe and were upholding their namesake of Invictus (Unconquered). It was also during this time frame that the title of White Knight changed roles. Instead of the title being granted upon becoming head of the organization, the title of White Knight was instead used for the highest ranking member of the Active Intervention Division (A.I.D). The leadership (now a nine person counsel) would use the title of Knight Regent.
p. Although the original purpose of the Order was to actively prevent crime (and that was still a concern), their real strength had become information. One Knight’s report (Most of which is blacked out) suggests that she was able to collect a wealth of information on an American intelligence unit during the Cold War (although it is unlikely that any of that information ever left the hands of the Order). The Knights did not involve outside parties in any operations or share any of the the information they gathered at any time. The Order was never openly involved in any public incident and managed to keep essentially all knowledge of their existence secret until the year 2107. In March of that year, a young Initiate got into an altercation with a group that was part of a rebel militia in Brazil. The Initiate had stepped in to prevent the beating of a seventy-two year old woman and her grandson that had started when the boy (who was the son of a known reporter who opposed the rebel faction) threw a stone at the rebels. After attempting (very successfully for a one on five fight) to stop the men from attacking the pair, the Initiate was incarcerated by the government police. Upon searching the inexperienced man, a small data drive and a badge were discovered that revealed the young man’s affiliation and led the police to a listening post that had been set up in the attic of a three story house. Although it was fairly simple for the Order to cut ties with the unfortunate prisoner, and thus avoid any further loss, word of the discovery reached more dangerous ears in Europe, Asia and the US. It was now known to certain intelligence groups that there was an, apparently, independent organization that had operatives, in as remote a location as southern Brazil, that was capable of moving without any one knowing it and in possession (as was discovered on the data drive) of very volatile information on some of the most closely guarded political figures on the planet.
p. The Order found, after this point, that more and more operations had to be halted prematurely to avoid detection. Slowly, a ring was being closed in on the Order by almost every international power. In 2113, Emergency Directive 0201 was issued. Under this Directive, all missions below level 3 priority were halted indefinitely and any agents below the rank of Knighthood were to go dark and stay on standby until contacted again. The Knights of the Invictus Order were going to disappear. The hierarchy of the Order, and thus the organization itself, stayed alive in the shadows for another four centuries without a single incident to force them out. Eventually, during the 26th century, with the growing expansion of humanity into the stars, the Order underwent a massive change. With the last four hundred years of silence, the Knights had been forgotten by just about the entire human race. Now they were moving again. As colonization began in new systems, the Knights were already putting down roots. Emergency Directive 0201 was removed from affect in 2605 and the Order immediately began gaining positions in just about every colony world that popped up. However, their numbers were far reduced from what they had been in the 22nd century before the shutdown. Now, more than ever, information was the prey. With so few active Knights capable of intervention or prevention, the Order was unable to create any sort of front-line vanguard with the ability to use essential force and the formation of the UEE further hindered any attempts to enforce. But, in a digital age, there are many options.
p. At present, the Order is not much more expanded than it was in the 27th century; but we are growing. Our hands are few but they reach far. The times have changed, but the common man is still preyed upon by the same beasts that were plaguing our brethren of old. We are not predators. Never will you see a Knight using his strength for foul purposes. Nevertheless, we are strong.

— The Crimson Knight