Spiral Order
From SpiralKnights
The Spiral Order is the order that the Knights of the Skylark were a part of at the time of the crash. Every player of Spiral Knights is a member of the Spiral Order, and new players begin the game as recruits to the Order.
Contents
The Spiral Order
Unlike the knights from the past, the Spiral Order does not use medieval technologies. Energy powered Guns and Bombs are popular weapons, and personal force-fields projected from Shields are used widely. Other high tech equipment the Knights use allow them to cloak, create large protective shield bubbles that heal allies and repel enemy attacks, provide instant repairs to armor mid-battle or repelling negative effects such as burning, damage from high voltage and alien bio-toxins, Also included in the Spiral Knights' arsenal are Swords, but unlike simple iron blades, many of these swords have unique Abilities, some of which are designed to deal interesting but deadly effects, such as the cryogenic devices in the Glacius or the sheer concussive weight of the Sudaruska. Some equipment has received widespread modification to enhance their abilities, while few others have been tweaked and fine-tuned by skilled Knights (or tinkered with by a mischievous, mechanically interested Gremlin by the name of Punch) to enhance their performance.
Classes
Knights can choose to use a mix of equipment and strategies to suit their situation, but some take specific roles in the Spiral Order.
Guardians are knights who use heavy equipment to face powerful monsters, and also protect their squad; Recon knights gather intelligence; Strikers are knights who use swords to quickly neutralize their enemies; Technicians are tasked with maintaining equipment and researching their environment; Gunslingers specialize with firearms to attack from a range; Bombers handle explosives that support their squad against multiple enemies; Biotechs research their environment to teach other knights how to safely explore the Clockworks; and merchants craft and trade goods with other knights, helping them to be well equipped.
Recon Knights
Recon Knights are knights tasked with gathering intelligence for the Spiral Order, and when in a party, also gather relevant intel for their squad. Although more complex mechanical work is often left to Tech Knights, Recon Knights can perform basic mechanical tasks such as cracking locks and revitalizing undamaged but abandoned machinery.
Notable Recons:
Guardians
A Guardian acts as the "Tank" of a party. They generally have a high vitality, and equip heavy armor and weaponry in order to keep attacking forces at bay and to weather the brunt of enemy attacks. Some knights take upon themselves the Guardian's Oath, which carries great honor and great responsibility; A Guardian must put other's safety before his own. Knights under this Oath are granted access to some of the most powerful armor the Spiral Order has to offer.
Notable Guardians:
Strikers
Like the noble cavalry, strikers zoom in and attack enemies, having high damage, a Booster, Wolver Gear or a Swiftstrike Buckle. However, they sacrifice health, being a Glass Cannon. Echo, a Hero, is a example.
Tech Knights
Although they are often not as proficient in weapon usage, these scientists can design and utilize a vast array of devices and machinery as well as provide well needed research on various alien subjects found on Cradle.
Technicians
Combat-orientated Technicians are Knights who have experience in various mechanical duties, as well as the quick thinking and bravery required to put them into practice in combat situations. Technicians excel in rapidly dismantling machines, even ones that are hostile, and performing various other mechanical duties such as repairing armor and disabling locks in the heat of battle.
Other Technicians may lack the speed and brawn of combat-orientated Technicians, but they make up with it in hardiness and determination to solve any problem. They tinker for hours on end, collecting data even during brutal environments such as the high risk camps in Wolver Dens and the unforgiving cold of the core. They build and repair machines, and are often in charge of any construction work that occurs in Haven.
During the Alpha Squad's expedition through Gloaming Wildwoods, Technician Rulen set up devices called Beast Bells that were essential in the defeat of the Snarbolax
Geo Knights
Geo Knights take mineral samples to study their use in Clockworks formation and their affinity with monster types. Wegner is a notable member.
Biotechs
Biotechs are like biologists. They study creatures in the Clockworks, researching each of their attacks, patterns, instincts and nature. This allows Expedition teams to get accustomed to the enemies that they face. The current Chief is Hahn.
History
Not much is known about the order before the the crash of the Skylark, except that they were an organization who fought against the Morai in Isora.
The local history of the Spiral Order begins when the crew of the Skylark, a space ship, were attempting exploration of the vast unknown. When their ship was scanning the surface of Cradle, the tearium core exploded for unknown reasons, causing the ship to crash land on the surface. The large contingent of knights aboard were able to flee the vessel using escape pods. The damage to the Skylark rendered it unusable and the ship proceeded to crash land on Cradle.
Cradle
Stranded on Cradle, they first made a temporary base in the surface wilderness, now known as the Rescue Camp. Eventually the Spiral Knights found shelter and created a main base of operations at the Stranger home of Haven. The kind Strangers allowed the Spiral Knights to inhabit their humble abode, so long as they did so respectfully.
They soon picked up a large energy reading near the core of the planet, and thought that the energy would be a suitable replacement for their ship's core. They soon found out about the unnatural problem with Cradle, as its underground was populated with biomes, containing fragments of new worlds. Using the Strangers' arcade to explore the strange world, Commander Oslo recruited four knights as the pioneers of the Clockworks expedition. They soon came to be known as the Alpha Squad. However, communications were still down, and there was no uplink as there is presently. Instead, they used recon modules to record their findings.
Alpha squad soon became missing, and even when the Spiral Order finally fixed the uplink, they could not establish any contact with them. Their whereabouts soon became second priority for the Spiral HQ.
During the Knights' stay on the mechanical world, the rescue camp, which was used as a rest stop to debrief new knights, was assaulted by nearby Constructs, killing several. They were led by the Schemer Razwog who was also looking for a mysterious artifact. The power from a nearby abandoned generator now powers the defences to keep knights safe. Razwog was also confronted and later killed by a group of knights, but the artifact wasn't with his body.
In Haven, members of the Spiral Order told their newer knights about their goal to explore the Clockworks and harness the power of The Core to power the Skylark, and also how to craft new equipment, how to protect against attacks from monsters as well as how to use the Arcade, teaching the knights through Missions. Some of these missions involved going to find recon artifacts in parts of the Clockworks, such as Gloaming Wildwoods and the Royal Jelly Palace, or learning about the different worlds within the Clockworks.
Haven under Attack!
However, their actions have caught the attention of the Gremlins, the extremely territorial creatures who maintain the Clockworks. Wanting to get rid of them, Warmaster Seerus (A Crimson Order member) headed Project R, now known as the Roarmulus twins. They would use these colossal Gun Puppies to destroy Haven, which would also devastate the Strangers who took the Spiral Knights in. The knights caught wind of the plan and started sabotaging it, before going into the Ironclaw Munitions factory to destroy it head on.
The King of Ashes
As the knights' expeditions brought them closer to The Core, they found that their path was blocked by a hostile Lord Vanaduke, ruler of the Firestorm Citadel. A squad managed to kill Lord Vanaduke, opening up a path to the Core, and a research base was set up near it. However, the Alpha squad could not be found, but a member of the squad left a recording stating that they were going to enter the Core. Although it was recorded that the Core opened for Alpha Squad, the other knights were unable to access it themselves, nor could they use its energy.
Open ended journey
With the Core still locked, the knights continue to use minerals (which constructs new gates in the Clockworks), so that they can monitor their effect on The Core, and continue to explore the Clockworks. Knowing that the Core would be unlikely to open, the knights began to further settle themselves in Haven, creating guild halls and a Lab.
Operation: Crimson Hammer
Lieutenant Feron's Recon Knights discovered the Grand Arsenal, a development center and storage facility for Warmaster Seerus, a master of munitions within the Gremlins' Crimson Order. Feron lead multiple squads into the Grand Arsenal, but required reinforcements after meeting heavy resistance.
