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In fantasy literature and role-playing games, a death knight (sometimes referred to as a shadow knight or dread knight) is an undead corruption of a righteous warrior who broke his or her code of honor and embraced evil.

Dungeons & Dragons

In Dungeons and Dragons a death knight is a mighty warrior animated as an undead creature by the gods of death, evil deities, demon lords, or other malevolent entities. Death knights are created by these beings for various purposes, sometimes to lead undead armies. A paladin or lawful good warrior can also become a death knight after being cursed by the gods for committing a particularly evil act or betraying the code of honor they held in life.

Death knights often have a variety of undead servants such as skeleton warriors, liches, and banshees. Death knights often ride nightmares into battle.

A death knight retains its personality from its former life. Some death knights are condemned to remember their downfall through song on any night when the moon is full. Sometimes the chilling melody is sung by musically-inclined servants instead of the death knight itself. Whilst the song is being sung, the death knight will ignore the outside world, unless the song is disturbed, causing the knight to attack with utter ferocity. Death knights still use the code of honor they held in life (never attacking from behind for example) and retain all of their fighting skills. They will never surrender and will only parley if their opponent possesses something they want (such as knowledge of the fate of a former family member).

In Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition, a death knight has a number of powerful spell-like abilities that allow it to kill, paralyze, blind, burn, or cause fear or pain in its foes (the infamous Power Word spells). Death knights usually wield powerful magic swords.

Death Knights in Greyhawk

The first death knight identified by name in a Dungeons and Dragons product was Saint Kargoth, "King of the Death Knights," who first appeared in Scott Bennie's Dragon Magazine article, "Setting Saintly Standards," in 1983. Kargoth appears in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting. Thirteen of Kargoth's fellow and contemprary Knight Protectors of the Great Kingdom joined him in becoming death knights: Lord Monduiz Dephaar, Lady Lorana Kath of Naelex, Prince Myrhal of Rax, Sir Maeril of Naelax, Sir Farian of Lirtham (destroyed 209 CY, but soul now powers the deathblade Astrosus), Lord Andromansis of Garasteth, Sir Oslan Knarren, Sir Rezinar of Haxx, Lord Thyrian of Naelax, Sir Minar Syrric of Darmen, Duke Urkar Grasz of Torquann, Sir Luren the Boar of Torquann, and Lord Khayven of Rax. All were transformed by the power of the demon prince Demogorgon.

Two other death knights of Oerth are known by name, though one bears a pseudonym. The first is Sir Loran of Trollpyre Keep, a former knight of Sunndi. The other's real name is unknown, but he calls himself, and believes himself to be, Kas the Bloody-Handed. Both appear in Die, Vecna, Die! as servants of Vecna. Other death knights also appear in this adventure, but are not identified by name.

Death Knights in Dragonlance

The most famous of all death knights is Lord Soth, from the Dragonlance and Ravenloft campaign settings, who was cursed after he murdered his wife to continue an affair with an elfmaid while at the same time failing to prevent the Cataclysm when he could, under divine orders.

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