Black Knight

From SWILwiki

Monster name: Black Knight
Dates used: 1986?-current

The Black Knight guards the Oracle, challenging all who wish to approach her to single combat. Those who defeat the Black Knight may proceed to the Oracle to have their questions answered; those who fail must depart in shame.

The Black Knight traditionally makes his own weapons, using a combination of PVC, foam, and black tape; the current set were constructed by David Stifler '08. There is probably a leftover set constructed by Hollis Easter '03 in George.

The most recent and impressive Black Knight has been David Stifler '08, who has brought his own, custom-made armor and weapons from Dagorhir to the role. Offering the Hunter his or her choice of weapons from the rack and choosing a suitable weapon to match, the Black Knight fights in single "ritual" combat (a combat that "doesn't count", so that Hunters do not "die" for losing) and, to be defeated, must be struck on the chest. The Black Knight will go down on his knees and become stationary if his legs are struck and will lose the use of his left arm and offhand weapon or shield if that arm is struck, in reference to the Black Knight scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but all that is needed to kill him is a blow to the ordinary target area on the chest. (All this is explained beforehand by the Black Knight, and the Oracle is instructed to refer all supplicants immediately to the Black Knight to hear the rules in order to minimize confusion.) The Black Knight is observed to always present the image of a skillful fighter but moderate the difficulty of fights to the Hunters' skill level, so that on balance half or more of all supplicants do receive the chance to question the Oracle.

This Black Knight tradition is expected to continue as long as there are enthusiastic freshmen involved in Dagorhir or similar foam-weapon clubs, which, hearteningly, seems like a continuing trend.

Evolution and History

Date of Creation: 1986?
Creator: Alex Weirich?

Chaos' description, from the Panic Book, written fall 1999:

black knight (2, trading off): guards the oracle and fights hunters in single combat.
this can take place with ordinary swords, in which case the black knight must, in monty 
python style, be hit once on each arm and each leg (but still kills with one hit to the 
hunter's armour), or with pvc swords, if anyone has them. in either case, the black knight 
should have some advantage, and should probably be a reasonably good swordfighter as well. 
the black knight often gets swamped with attacks, so it has been suggested that it should 
be possible for some hunters to bypass the black knight by bribing the oracle.

Note to Hunt Wizards and Black Knight: The Black Knight is supposed to fight well, but lose graciously, subtly, and on purpose to anyone who fights well and is respectful (so people can get to the oracle). He is the monster with the most roleplaying ability, as he can construct his challenges and arena to any level of detail he wants. It is vital, however, that he be skilled enough to stage-manage fights to provide maximum drama and excitement for his challengers.

Anecdotes and Lore

• irilyth notes:

Back in my day, Hunters would frequently sneak past the Knight to gain access to the Oracle. It was nearly impossible to beat the Knight in combat, but keeping him occupied while a friend talked to the Oracle was a worthwhile sacrifice (I think death by Black Knight was real too). If the Black Knight saw a Hunter trying to sneak past, they would call out to them to stop and fight like an honorable person, but I don't think the rules actually required the Hunter to comply. The Oracle would only see one person at a time, though, and if the Black Knight caught you standing around waiting for the Oracle, he'd challenge you, and you did have to comply then (well, or he'd just kill you). A Hunter could only challenge the Knight to single combat -- no ganging up with your party.

Illustrious Black Knights of the Past

• 1986-1988? - Alex Weirich
• 1989 - Jacob Mattison
• 1990 - Jason Greenwood
• 1997-1998 - Scott Price
• 1999-2002 - Hollis Easter
• 2003 - Matt Fowles
• 2004-2006 - David Stifler

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