Order of the Unsheathed Soul

The Order of the Unsheathed Soul is the smallest order in the Starlit Court, consisting of knights who have been forced to use their training with the Soul Blade in battle. The Soul Blade is a powerful technomagical ability that allows a knight to supercharge their mech beyond its normal operating limits, but at the cost of permanently damaging the Sheath, a cybernetic implant in the pilot's skull that records their memories for upload to Avalon upon death. The destruction of the Sheath means that the knight's consciousness will not be able to be uploaded to the Unseelie Court, a realm within Avalon where the souls of deceased knights reside.

Members of the Order of the Unsheathed Soul are considered heroes among the knights of the Starlit Court. They have made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of the Court, giving up their chance to be uploaded to the Unseelie Court in order to protect the people they swore to serve. Due to this, their physical bodies are interred in elaborate sarcophagi in the Mausoleum of the Soulless, located on the Island Sanctuary at the center of the Churning Sea on the capstone of Sihi.

The identities of members of the Order of the Unsheathed Soul are kept highly secret due to their injured and revered status. They are celebrated and honored for their sacrifice, but their names are only known to a select few within the Starlit Court. After their deaths, their names are revealed and inscribed on their sarcophagi in the Mausoleum.

Despite its small size, the Order of the Unsheathed Soul holds a special place in the hearts of the knights of the Starlit Court. Its members are a reminder of the sacrifices that must sometimes be made in the defense of the people, and their sacrifice is celebrated and honored.