In the winter of 1408, the Holy Roman Emperor created an elite society of nobleman who were charged with spreading the message of Christianity in the face of the growing Turkish threat, a practice often referred to as "carrying the cross." They were known as the Order of the Dragon.
This society of noblemen was moderately effective in Europe for a quarter of a century; before it lost funding and broke up into several sects across Europe. These noblemen eventually faded into obscurity.
During his tumultuous reign, King Vlad Dracul created the new Order of the Dragon. However, this version consisted of 30 trained assassins instead of frivolous nobleman, who were far more interested in furthering themselves than defending the faith.
After his great victory against the traitor Basarab, Vlad Dracul was inducted into the new Order of the Dragon with only two others as witnesses.
Many questioned why Dracul had to be inducted into his own creation. Why was the induction shrouded in secrecy? To this day, there is no clear record of what happened.
(Music is "The Money Train", The Assassination of Jesse James OST)