The Knights of the Raven Order were considered heroes, once. They were respected and admired throughout the kingdom of Garrote for their bravery, intelligence, and skill in warfare; many times had they been able to repel the unwelcome invasions of undead hordes, or the vanguard of the neighbouring kingdoms seeking to claim new territories. Those times, however, have long passed; the Kingdom of Garrote eventually outgrew its warring days, and a great peace settled upon the lands. It was to be an age of peace, harmony, and happiness for the people under the rule of the King, and it seemed as if the hardest days would be left behind forever.
Things never go the way that people expect.
The Knights of the Raven Order quickly found themselves out of a job protecting the Kingdom; since there were no more threats, many saw the Knights as obsolete, useless relics of the past. The King kept the Order alive by keeping them as royal guards, but the Knights were no more content with this new position as the populace who saw them as a waste of resources. Despite the people of Garrote calling for the dissolution of the Knights of the Raven Order, the King still kept them, and soon, began relying on the highest ranking members for advice on how to run the kingdom. To those who knew the King, this puzzled them, for this was not the King that they had remembered - they recalled a strong and independent King, not one to rely on the guidance or advice of others...
Every day, the King seemed to become more and more reliant on the Knights of the Raven Order, and as a result, more and more authoritarian - under the pretense of having to maintain a watchful vigilance during a time of peace. It was not long before the head of the Order, Vandour Focault, was named the King's Chancellor; in the months after, the once idyllic Kingdom became a nightmare - fear kept the populace from revolting, and any attempt to question the authorities was met with "justice" (often in the form of a severe beating or disappearance). The King seemed to remain blissfully unaware that his dream had turned into a nightmare, and continued to rely on the advice of his new Chancellor.
The nobles wouldn't stand for this, however - not out of a sense of good, or for helping the Kingdom, no...the nobles realized that if one of them managed to overthrow the King, then they would all have more power. The nobles called for a secret meeting to create a plot to kill the King, and his Raven Knights. Nothing, however, escaped the entrenched intelligence network of the Raven Order, however, and a plan was created to destroy the final threat to the Kingdom of the Raven Knights in one fell swoop...
The strongest of the Knights were to make a pact with a powerful Demon for profane powers, such that they would be able to obliterate the nobles and remind any who would dare rebel against the King what would happen to them. Auguste Guillarde was supposed to be a part of this contingent, a group still known today as the Helltouched Emissaries. Infused with unholy powers, the Knights reaped a swath of destruction through the meeting grounds, and killed not only the nobles gathered there, but their families and servants as well. The palace that the meeting was to have been held in became the new headquarters of the Helltouched Emissaries, and the Knights of the Raven Order were finally free to go on the conquests that they so desired.
Auguste Guillarde had been reluctant, at best, when he heard the King's orders to make the infernal pact, but when he learned that it was to "save the King," he felt like he had no choice but to comply. He had been raised during the Kingdom's period of wars, and did not wish to see the "peace" disappear so soon - little did he realize that Vandour Focault, his mentor and leader, was really behind the kingdom's turmoil. Auguste made the pact with the demon, and joined the slaughter the noble's meeting; although he carried through his orders, he began to question the validity of the King's authority. Auguste began to spy on the King using his newfound powers, and was shocked to discover that Vandour Focault had been controlling the King through magic since the warring ended. Auguste attempted to explain the truth to the other Knights, but they seemed happy that they would have a chance to fight and cover themselves in blood once again - be it a foe's, or an innocent's.
Auguste soon realized that he would be marked for death for his rebellious outcry, and decided to leave to find a way to expose the traitorous Order, and to atone for his actions. Auguste tried time and time again to sabotage the war efforts of the Raven Knights, but found his magics and his attacks were useless on the other Helltouched - as theirs were on him. He realized that he would not be able to fight fire with fire, and sought a way to cleanse himself of the demon's taint. He travelled the lands and came upon Holy Ground; it was here that he was able to cast off the demon's power, and with the help of those who lived on it, Auguste began the journey of redemption.
Auguste now travels the roads, far from his home Kingdom of Garrote, in order to continue his training so that he may one day come back and overthrow the tyranny that he helped to create...