(01-24-2017, 07:15 PM)Caspar Wrote:(01-24-2017, 06:59 PM)Valence Wrote: Personally I don't believe the Dark Arts as used by the dark knights are really to be found anywhere else since it took them centuries to actually discover those arts...Where does it say precisely how long ago or how they discovered it?
Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:In the year 960 of the Sixth Astral Era, a commoner by the name of Tryphaniel the Unshod was granted knighthood for acts of valour upon the battlefield. A young man with an unwavering sense of justice, Tyrphaniel’s desire to champion the cause of the lowborn was undiluted by his entrance into the privileged world of the nobility. It was this same moral fortitude that bid him trail after clergyman after witnessing the robed figure drag a squirming child from the alleys of the Brume. The knight’s suspicions were confirmed when he entered the secluded domicile of the priest only to find him committing unspeakable acts upon th ebody of the abducted waif. Noticing his unexpected visitor, the clergyman attempted to explain away his vile actions as a form of “exorcismâ€, but the incensed Tryphaniel drew his sword without hesitation, and answered the babbled excuses with a single, fatal blow.
Rather than praise his heroism, however, the knight’s peers condemned him for slaying a holy member of the church. He was forced to defend his life in a trial by combat, but though he survived, it was decreed that he would be stripped of his knighthood. Unflinching in the face of accusations that he had fallen to darkness, Tryphaniel roared that he would gladly surrender a title that required him to turn a blind eye to a child’s suffering. He cast aside his crested shield - the symbol of his station - and continued his crusade for the commonfolk with no thought or fear for what others held taboo. His righteous deeds inspired some courageous few to embrace the path of the forbidden, and thus the legacy of the dark knight was born.
Encyclopedia Eorzea Wrote:Though known for their disdain for shields, the fighting style of the earliest dark knights was nevertheless built upon mundane swordplay, and it was not until several centuries later that one of their order first unlocked the secrets of the dark arts.
Essentially, for about a 300~ish time frame the Dark Knights of Ishgard were mundane vigilantes keeping the wicked among Ishgard's Temple Knights and Halonic Church accountable. Centuries later, they learned to channel deep-seated emotions into a pseudo-aetherial fuel source for the dark arts.
While I don't think it impossible for dark knights to exist or have existed in other parts of the world, based on what we know they did not and if they did they became known by other names local to the region of their birth. Warriors of Abalathia wielding their Inner Beast. Shinobi of Hingashi liberating ancient Doma from a cruel king's rule. Bards across the realm fueling their songs with raw emotion.
Could a vigilante with a big sword exist in other parts of the world, yes. Could warriors of other nations use emotions to tap into a deep wellspring of power, yes. Would these other examples be called "dark knights" outside of Ishgard, most likely not no.
Full lore compilations on what we know about the Dark Knights below:
-Dark Knight Lore
-Encyclopedia Eorzea on Dark Knights
