Where the Black Knights are Messmer's army, the Fire Knights are his intimates, an order which, in the game's own phrasing, 'answers directly to Messmer'. Their armour, distinguished by red cape and twin golden snakes at the neck, carries the statement of what that allegiance cost. The Fire Knight Armor description gives it twice. First: 'These were the only ones who truly knew Messmer. His flames, like serpents. The painful fate that accompanied his accursed form.' Then, in the altered version: 'Each and every knight hailed from a renowned family of the Erdtree's upper echelons, but were shunned and chased from their homes after pledging allegiance to Messmer as their master.' The game names individuals: Wego, 'elder among the Fire Knights' ; Kood, 'captain of the Fire Knights', whose helm carries the winged serpent, 'a wise friend which keeps the base serpent at bay' ; Salza, 'sage of the Fire Knights' ; Hilde, who 'swings a slender greatsword and casts fire incantations' ; Queelign, who 'devoted his all to the crusade' and whose spirit is that of 'a knight granted relief by the Iris of Grace'.

Their inner life is recorded in flavour text, and it does not resolve into a clean split. The elder Wego, 'gnawed at by loneliness, the old man turned his attention to the spirituality of Messmer's flame, using it in a rite of resurrection. Yet the soulless bodies he brought to life were no comfort to poor Wego.' His disciple Salza 'refused to burn down an old ruin, at the risk of his own life' ; the description does not name that ruin. The same man returns in Rain of Fire, where 'Salza's disdain for barbarism never waned, even as he burned more villages and scorched more land than any other'. Refusal and crusade sit in the same man. Hilde, 'a dear friend to Salza the sage', 'joined those who urged that the specimens be preserved', and Hilde's 'ashes were enshrined as a charm to protect the storehouse'. What the order is said to have held onto is the bond itself: when the flame received from Messmer 'would not find purchase within them, the Fire Knights relied on fire incantations to honor their bond'.

◆ Sources

ArmorFire Knight Armor

Distinguished by its red cape and twin golden snakes which adorn the neck. These were the only ones who truly knew Messmer. His flames, like serpents. The painful fate that accompanied his accursed form.

ArmorFire Knight Armor (Altered)

Each and every knight hailed from a renowned family of the Erdtree's upper echelons, but were shunned and chased from their homes after pledging allegiance to Messmer as their master.

ArmorDeath Mask Helm

Helm of Wego, elder among the Fire Knights. Gnawed at by loneliness, the old man turned his attention to the spirituality of Messmer's flame, using it in a rite of resurrection. Yet the soulless bodies he brought to life were no comfort to poor Wego.

ArmorSalza's Hood

Hood of Salza, sage of the Fire Knights. A disciple of the elder Wego, he refused to burn down an old ruin, at the risk of his own life.