After Nacht Lawrence's death, Tosava's Crown moved to restrict the knightly orders. In 951, that struggle became a defining crisis.

Charles Morgrain brought fifty thousand men to Greyspire. Bismarck submitted in an attempt to preserve lives. Klaus Gierenmald challenged Charles and lost an arm; Charles lost an eye. Kyle's resistance against the Royal Guard ended in a punishment to his dominant wrist, with an appeal for mercy shaping his fate.

The Shield of Valor accepted the new order immediately. The North did not.

House Iceburn's refusal brought an army led by Asher Dreadwolf and John Blackhand. During the night of October 16–17, its castle fell. The family was believed destroyed, and Blackhand became lord of the North.

The Northern Wolves withdrew into the forests as outlaws.

For the Crown, the crisis reduced independent military power. For many knights, it exposed the distance between their founder's ideals and the demands of those who ruled after him.