© Bruce Huffman

The knights in and of themselves are men of honor and peace.
They defend that honor and peace using all their skills by what ever means necessary.
How did they start you ask? This is their story . . .

It began with the Mystic Maidens - a group of women with various gifts and talents used freely for the good of all mankind - in the age of magic and romance. But alas, all was not peaceful back then.

Some of the Maidens had suitors who were Knights and, as an act of honor, these Knights lived outside the Maidens' Castle Mystique and came to their aid when needed.

There soon came a time when more and more Knights joined the cause of service to others. The people of the countryside called them Knights Knoble because of their chivalrous actions and deeds in the land around them. For one of these knoble deeds of honor, a wealthy land owner gifted a Knight a large section of land just off the main road between Castle Mystique and the nearby Briarwood, a dark forest with many perils. The Knight accepted this gift on behalf of all the Knights Knoble and began to build a flame tower as a beacon in the night, to remind all who saw it that they were brethren, part of the brotherhood of man. By this light, hope grew and peace began to spread across the land.

But the Knights wanted more. Tthey wanted a place to learn and share ideas. A place to educate and enlighten.

One of the first additions was a great hall - a place of meeting. A place where all points of view could be freely expressed and discussed. It was also a place of treaties. Many festivities were celebrated there. After that came a kitchen capable of feeding huge armies. In gratitude of service to the blacksmith, next came a forge, replacing the one that had been outside the tower. This forge was way ahead of its time with may strange things incorporated, like a windmill used to power an automated billows, and some grinding stones and polishers, one of its biggest advancements. Next came the stables, connecting the tower to the forge. A gate was installed between the great hall and the forge, closing the castle court yard and finishing the first floor. And with this addition, Castle Illumine was born, forming a base upon which to build more.

The first thing built on the second floor was a library, then some smaller meeting rooms, and finally quaters for the Knights with bathing rooms and internal water. Knowing that a third floor would be required in time, the Knights added a shell which served to support the battlements that were raised with two addtional towers. Including the windmill, Castle Illumine now had four towers in all. Three had flame at night and the fourth used a system of mirrors to reflect light in all directions from the forge fire that constantly burned. Another of the inovations in the forge was it's chiminy, on top of which sat the mirrors.

The mirrors themselves were highly polished steel that shone brightly in the tiniest of light. Eventually, they were incorporated into all the towers which glowed like stars in the night, illuminating the darkness and seen for miles around. Castle Illumine became a ray of hope for all!