Expanding Iomandra: The Knights of Ardyn

One of the great things about Iomandra is that much of the canvas it gives us a DMs for world building is left with just enough blank spaces where it doesn’t feel like the world is fully fleshed out for you. The fan-made campaign document based off of Chris Perkin’s Dungeon Master Experience column in the 4e era digital WOTC Dragon magazine is a great launch point for a campaign, but a lot of things lack heavy detailing. Which is exactly what makes it a great campaign setting–you need to make it your own. 

As I’ve been working on the details of my campaign, who the main NPCs are and what factions are likely to come into play, I’ve had to do a bit of fleshing out. One of the main factions I knew I’d need to work on are The Knights of Ardyn, a group opposed to the empire in power in the world. Here’s how the campaign document describes them:

THE KNIGHTS OF ARDYN

Ardyn is a silver dragon that seeks to destroy the Dragovar dynasty. She has nothing against dragonborn, but she believes wholeheartedly that the Dragovar bloodline and the Grand Viziers have forsaken Bahamut and become corrupt beyond salvation. Ardyn seeks to depose the tyrannical monarchy, and this desire makes her very popular with enemies of the royal bloodline.

She is served by scores of loyal knights from all walks of life. These Knights of Ardyn are always on the lookout for others who share their aims, but for the moment there are too few of them to challenge the Dragovar openly. The Dragovar want to crush Ardyn’s knighthood but cannot act against Ardyn directly because she’s a true dragon. Her knights, however, are fair game.

Ardynrise

Ardynrise is the name of Ardyn’s secret refuge. Here she meets with her knights to plot the downfall of the Dragovar dynasty. The location of Ardynrise is the most closely guarded secret of the knighthood, and getting there is difficult to say the least. High-ranking knights carry a magical talisman that enables Ardyn to summon them when she seeks their counsel; this is the only way by which a knight may enter her secret refuge.

This is a fantastic launch point for this faction, and would suffice if I never planned to use them beyond passing mentions, but since they’ll play a big part of my Divine Emperor campaign, I need to flesh them out. This is what I’ve come up with for The Knights of Ardyn and their sacred location Ardynrise:

 

The Knights of Ardyn

Oathbound. Scattered. Awakened.

Long before the Emperor declared himself divine—there were whispers in the shadows of the Dragovar Empire. Whispers of a dragon who remembered Bahamut’s ancient truth, and of mortals who still knelt to justice rather than thrones.

That dragon was Ardyn, a silver wyrm said to have once soared among the Platinum Guard—a legendary order from an age now scrubbed from official records. While other dragons distanced themselves from the worries of short-lived mortals and vanished into their hoards and island domains, Ardyn watched the world burn beneath the weight of the Dragovar’s greed. Her fury reserved for a bloodline that now dares to call itself divine.

She formed her order in secret. The Knights of Ardyn were never a formal army, nor were they bound by geography, race, or creed. They were men and women, elves and tieflings, dragonborn and dwarves—any who saw what the Empire had become and could not bear it. They took oaths not of loyalty to her, but of resistance to tyranny, and of devotion to the ancient values of Bahamut: honor, justice, mercy, and truth.

The first knights were outlaws. Assassins. Defectors. Disgraced paladins. Haunted seers. Each was tested not by combat, but by conviction. Ardyn herself would appear—rarely, mysteriously, never the same way twice—to mark them with her blessing.

Over time, the Order spread like smoke through the cracks of the Empire. Secret safehouses. Coded messages in tavern songs. Hidden shrines bearing the silver flame. They are hunted constantly, but they do not fall easily.

Each knight carries a talisman, a shard of enchanted silver crystal that glows only when Ardyn calls them to her refuge—Ardynrise, an island hidden beyond natural reach. The talisman opens the path, though few ever live to see it.

Now, with the Emperor declaring himself a god, the Order stands at a crossroads. Some fear they are too few. Others say this is the moment they were born for.

And Ardyn? She has not said whether she believes the Emperor’s claim of divinity.

But her talismans are glowing again. And when they glow, it means war is coming.

Ardynrise – The Island of Defiance

Hidden far from any sea-lane, Ardynrise is her sanctuary—a cloaked island refuge suspended between the material world and the Ethereal Plane. Cloaked in ancient dragon-magic and consecrated in Bahamut’s name, the island cannot be found or mapped, accessible only through the magical talismans borne by her chosen knights.

Ardynrise is more than a secret base—it is a holy place. A bastion of resistance. The last embers of an ancient flame.

Key Locations on Ardynrise

• The Argent Hall: A domed citadel of white stone and silver-veined marble, nestled between sky-piercing cliffs. Here Ardyn holds counsel in her draconic form, coiling around the central brazier where the Flame of Vows burns. The hall’s architecture shifts subtly, shaped by Ardyn’s will.
• The Mirrorwood: As before, a haunted forest of silver-barked trees. Their mirrored leaves reflect alternate fates and endless possibilities. Ardyn sends knights here to meditate or confront truths before they are sent on sacred missions.
• The Skystairs: A spiraling cliff path that rises above the clouds to an ancient draconic shrine. Knights ascend these stairs to receive Ardyn’s blessing or be anointed into her order. If they falter or doubt, the sky itself may cast them down.
• The Wyrmforge: A forge blessed by Bahamut’s tears, where armor and weapons are crafted from mythril, adamantium, and the scales of fallen dragons.
• The Chapel of Silence: A ruinous sanctum where knights mourn the fallen. Here lie the ashes of martyrs whose names are too dangerous to speak aloud. The Dragovar curse these names—uttering them aloud can invite ill fortune or divine wrath.

Reaching Ardynrise is no simple feat—and that’s by design. The island is magically hidden, fiercely protected, and deliberately cut off from the world except for those chosen by Ardyn herself.

Every true Knight of Ardyn is gifted a Talisman of the Silver Heart—a sliver of enchanted crystal that looks inert until the moment Ardyn calls. When it glows, the knight feels a pull—an aching in their soul, like a song they’ve always known, just out of reach. It only glows when Ardyn opens the way.

Knights must sail from a specific, secret harbor known only to those marked by Ardyn. The harbor changes locations periodically to avoid discovery by the Dragovar, but it’s always somewhere remote—an uncharted cove, a reef-filled inlet, or beneath the ruins of forgotten shrines.

Once at sea, the ship must pass through what sailors call “The Shroud”—a swirling bank of silver mist that no normal vessel can survive. Winds die, compasses spin, and the stars vanish. But the talisman pulses brighter, guiding the ship forward. The crew hears whispers in the fog—some say Ardyn’s voice, others the voices of fallen knights.

Without a talisman aboard, the Shroud becomes endless. Many Dragovar ships have tried to follow and were never seen again. Beyond the Shroud lies a brilliant rift in the sea, a glistening silver whirlpool that must be sailed straight into.

The whirlpool empties out in a calm, silverlit bay surrounded by jagged cliffs and crystalline towers. Ardynrise is lush, otherworldly, and steeped in ancient magic. Silver-winged birds cry overhead, and the stars above do not match any known sky. It is a place out of time, protected by Ardyn’s will.

No maps lead to Ardynrise. No spell can scry it. No army can invade it. Only those called may ever set foot upon its shores.

“The sea stills as the ship breaks the surface—no wind, no sound but the soft lapping of silver-lit water. Jagged cliffs rise around you, towering and sharp, their peaks crowned with glassy spires that shimmer faintly. The sky above is wrong—alien stars drift lazily across it, constellations no sailor has ever named. Silver-winged birds glide overhead, crying once before vanishing into the mist. Onshore, pale trees sway without wind, and a white-stone citadel glows faintly at the island’s heart, its arches and domes shifting like they’re breathing. Welcome to Ardynrise”

I think that’s enough to give this faction a solid story for my game. Next, I’ll flesh out some specific Knights, including some npcs whom the heroes met earlier in the campaign on their starting island of Kheth. 

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