The servant of a mage named Andre Darter, Dire Knight, also known as the Fallen Knight, is the corrupted spirit of a knight who long ago had his name struck from the pages of history. His spirit was summoned by Andre to serve him in the War for the Crown, although Washu has implied that any control he has over the spirit is only superficial and transient; she has also confirmed that, when Andre inevitably loses control of Dire Knight, he will almost assuredly be the first killed in the resulting rampage.