In the first line of sets, King Mathias suddenly disappeared while his Obviously Evil adviser, Vladek, takes the throne in his absence. Four heroic knights - Sir Jayko the Quick, Sir Santis the Strong, Sir Rascus the Agile, and Sir Danju the Wise - investigate the king's disappearance and discover Vladek's true intentions to Take Over The Kingdom with Black Magic. Dodging Vladek's Brainwashed and Crazy Mooks along the way, the four knights go on a journey into the mysterious Moorlands to find the legendary Heart of the Golden Shield, which is their only chance against Vladek's Black Magic.
In the second line, Lord Vladek escapes to the neighboring kingdom Ankoria, which he takes over by force and begins amassing his army there. To stop Lord Vladek's inevitable attack on Morcia, King Mathias plans his own siege on Ankoria, and sends the four knights to infiltrate Vladek's Dark Fortress so they can lower the drawbridge and let the heroic army inside. However, Vladek has been collecting pieces of the Golden Shield to forge the Vladmask, which grants him unspeakable power...
In the third and final line, many years have passed since Vladek's defeat, and Jayko is now the wise and experienced King of Morcia. With all the fragments of the legendary Golden Shield in his possession, King Jayko recruits two younger knights, Sir Kentis and Sir Aldric, in a journey to find a blacksmith in the Mistlands who can reforge the shield. However, Lord Vladek recruits the Rogue Knights and also sets out on a quest to find the blacksmith so he can use the Golden Shield for himself.
A video game adaptation of the first line was released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004.
Among Adult Fans of LEGO, Knights' Kingdom 2 was largely derided and criticized, especially for the colorful armor the knights wore in the 2004 wave of sets and the BIONICLE-esque action figures released alongside the more conventional System-based playsets. However, the line does have its fans who appreciate its in-depth storyline, explored in far greater detail than any other LEGO Castle line.
Knights' Kingdom contains examples of:
- All Just a Dream: The LEGO Minifigures bio for the Sleepyhead (Series 6) suggests that the entire Knights' Kingdom line was All Just a Dream. However, this is later contradicted by the bio for the Evil Knight (Series 7), who once served under Lord Vladek as a Shadow Knight. Most likely, while the Sleepyhead did dream about Knights' Kingdom, it wasn't Just a Dream.
- All There in the Manual: The Book of Morcia on the Knights' Kingdom website provided a ton of information and backstory on Morcia. Unfortunately, now that the Knights' Kingdom minisite was taken down and the backup on the Wayback Machine doesn't have text, all that information is lost forever.
- Ancient Artifact: The Golden Shield is an ancient, mystical artifact forged in the days of Morcia's first king, Orlan.
- Animal Motifs: Morcia itself has the emblem of a lion, and each province of the kingdom is represented by a different Animal Motif, choosing from hawk, bear, monkey, wolf, ox, and horse. Lord Vladek's emblem is the scorpion, which is also worn on the chestplate of his Shadow Knights. The Rogue Knights feature Abhorrent Reptile Animal Motifs such as dragons and snakes.
- Art Evolution: The early sets were very colorful, which warranted a lot of criticism of the line. Later sets tone down the color scheme and settle for something more realistic, diluting the characters' armor with metallic colors. The last wave of sets, especially 8813 Battle at the Pass, seemed closest in art style to the classic LEGO Castle sets.
- Badass in Distress: Sir Danju, who is a very capable and experienced knight, gets captured by the Shadow Knights and held prisoner in the Scorpion Prison Cave.
- Battering Ram: Vladek's Siege Engine and the King's Siege Tower both feature Battering Rams. The Rogue Knights also used one during the Battle at the Pass.
- Big Bad: Lord Vladek is the main villain. In the backstory, Morcia was under the domain of an evil sorcerer, before it was united under King Orlan, who defeated him. The now-defunct website also stated that this same sorcerer is able to speak to Vladek, and influence him, through the Book of Morcia, though he never appears himself in any of the storylines.
- Black Magic: Lord Vladek practices this, using it to make him more powerful than any other knight of Morcia, as well as brainwashing knights into Shadow Knights.
- Blatant Lies: Basically everything Vladek said during his time as King of Morcia in the 2004 storyline.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Shadow Knights were once heroic knights before being Brainwashed by Vladek's Black Magic.
- The Caligula: King Mallakee was such a terrible ruler that Morcia erupted into Civil War during his reign.
- Call-Back: The last panel of the 2006 storyline comics, with King Jayko bestowing medals upon Sir Kentis and Sir Adric, closely mirrors the last panel of the 2004 storyline comics, in which King Mathias bestowed medals upon Sir Jayko, Sir Danju, Sir Santis, and Sir Rascus. This is emphasized by Danju, Santis, and Rascus standing in the background during the award ceremony.
- Civil War: One took place in Morcia's backstory, during King Mallakee's reign.
- Code of Honour: The knights of Morcia follow and respect such a code. Vladek could care less about it.
- Cool Ship: The knights of Morcia use the Knights' Attack Barge, while the Rogue Knights have the Rogue Knight Battleship.
- Crossover:
- In the November/December 2004 LEGO Magazine, the Castle of Morcia is attacked by a triceratops before being ultimately put down by the Y-34 Vari-Walker, both from the LEGO Creator theme as a result of Time Travel involved with LEGO Alpha Team.
- In LEGO Minifigures Series 7, the Evil Knight is revealed to be a former Shadow Knight. Not only that, but he also served under Basil the Bat Lord and Cedric the Bull, and the latter thereby connects the two Knights' Kingdom lines in canon.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: After fighting their way past Shadow Knights during the entire journey, the four knights are confronted by a single Shadow Knight in the Citadel of Orlan. That poor Shadow Knight did not stand a chance.
- Dismantled MacGuffin: King Orlan's Golden Shield was broken into fragments many years ago and spread across the region. The Heart of the Golden Shield was guarded in the Citadel of Orlan and became the MacGuffin of the 2004 storyline, while Lord Vladek sought out the remaining pieces of the Golden Shield and reforged them into the Vladmask in the 2005 storyline. In the 2006 storyline, King Jayko finally brings the Golden Shield fragments to an ancient blacksmith who, it is implied, is really King Orlan himself to reforge the shield.
- Elderly Immortal:
- The Guardian in the Citadel of Orlan was assigned to the task by King Orlan, and was still very much alive, if rather elderly, during King Mathias's reign.
- Implied to be the case with King Orlan himself, since it is heavily implied that the blacksmith at the Mistlands Tower was actually Orlan.
- The website mentioned that the evil sorcerer who was forced out by Orlan before he united Morcia is able to speak to Vladek through the Book of Morcia, implying he's still alive. Though his body is never seen, though it's unclear if he appears elderly despite having been alive longer than mortally possible.
- Elite Mooks: Several Shadow Knights guarding Vladek's Dark Fortress wore silver-speckled armor.
- Evil Sorcerer: The villain from Morcia's past, known only as the Sorcerer.
- Faceless Goons: The Shadow Knights, as depicted in the comics, wear face-obscuring helmets. In the sets, however, their faces could be easily seen from under their helms.
- Faux Affably Evil: Lord Vladek, especially in the 2004 storyline, in which he acted as a Villain with Good Publicity and pretended to be reluctant in assuming the throne and honorably holding a grand tournament, all the while underscored by being a cruel ruler actively plotting against the heroes.
- Foreshadowing: Two of the playing cards from the 2004 line suggested that Vladek would recruit Rogue Knights and gargoyles in future years. In 2006's storyline, the Rogue Knights become Vladek's primary Mooks, and he uses Black Magic to animate several gargoyle heads on the Gargoyle Bridge.
- Giant Spider: It's arguable whether or not it's actually canon, but one panel in a LEGO Magazine comic showed the four knights battling a Giant Spidernote in the Desolate Moorlands.
- Good Colors, Evil Colors: The heroes wear colorful armor in shades of blue, red, green, violet, silver, and gold, while the villains wear dark armor in shades of black, dark red, gunmetal, and bronze.
- The Good King: King Orlan, King Mathias, and, later, King Jayko were all good, wise kings of Morcia. According to the former website, every king of Morcia before Vladek, except King Mallakee, ruled with honor. Also justified, as it was specified on the website that after King Mallakee was defeated, the code of honor was changed to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Karzon has a nasty scar over his left eye.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: The Heart of the Golden Shield deflected Vladek's lightning right back at him.
- In the Hood: In his only image, the villainous Sorcerer is seen wearing a hood.
- Jousting Lance: Knights wield these in the Grand Tournament during the jousts, naturally.
- Keeping the Enemy Close: King Mathias knows that Vladek is a dangerous, brooding, scheming fellow who would usurp the throne if given the chance. So, he appoints Vladek to the position of his personal adviser so he can always keep an eye on Vladek and make sure he's not up to no good. Unfortunately, this backfires, since Vladek doesn't remain content being the king's adviser.
- Knightly Sword and Shield: Each of the main characters is well-armed with a sword and shield to protect them, whether from enemy attacks or traps in the Citadel of Orlan.
- La Résistance: Jayko, Danju, Santis, and Rascus in the 2004 storyline, as they set out to stop Vladek's takeover of Morcia after he has already assumed the throne as The Usurper.
- Legacy Character: Inverted; Lord Vladek was revealed to be the ancestor of Evil Ogel.
- Magic Knight: Lord Vladek is as skilled with the sword as he is with Black Magic.
- Man in the Iron Mask: After usurping the throne, Lord Vladek had King Mathias locked up in the Castle of Morcia's dungeons.
- Meaningful Name: According to the now-defunct website, knights can have names that are derived from the provinces they come from to show their respect for their home, while others who have names which are not derived from their original provinces do not show the same respect. Examples are Danju, from the province of Aledan, Jayko, from the province of Talonjay, Santis, from the province of Orkosan, and Rascus, from the province of Banteras. Vladek, whose name is not derived from a province, does not show this respect, foreshadowing his evil nature.
- Medieval European Fantasy: Like other LEGO Castle themes, Knights' Kingdom features castles and knights inspired by the medieval European era, with a dose of fantasy elements such as magic and giant monsters.
- Mentors: Sir Danju, who trained nearly all the heroic knights in the line, including Jayko. Santis in particular has great respect for him, and at one point in the 2004 storyline, tells Jayko the latter is not the first rookie he has trained, or the first he's thought to have a "spark of greatness", implying that Danju was also a mentor to him.
- Mooks: Vladek's minions are Shadow Knights in 2004 and 2005; Rogue Knights in 2006.
- Mordor: The kingdom of Ankoria, following Vladek's takeover.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: It seems every villain has one.
- Ancient Dead Languages: Dracus seems to be a variation of "Draco".
- Foreign Language Names: King Mallakee.
- K Names: Vladek and Karzon.
- Notorious Killers: "Vladek" sounds like a cross between Vlad the Impaler and Dalek.
- Titles: Lord Vladek.
- Xtreme Kool Letterz: Karzon.
- Obviously Evil: Lord Vladek and his Shadow Knights dress in red and black. Vladek's original armour also has spikes.
- Orcus on His Throne:
- While the four knights were off searching for the Heart of the Golden Shield, Vladek spent most of time sitting on his throne in the Castle of Morcia.
- A better example of this trope would probably be the 2005 storyline, especially since the Morcian army had to bring the fight to Vladek's Dark Fortress in Ankoria. Aside from taunting Sir Danju at the Scorpion Prison Cave and forging the Vladmask from pieces of the Golden Shield, Vladek really did not do much outside his fortress.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Sir Rascus, who is often referred to as the Joker due to his tendency to make quips and play pranks.
- Recycled Title: This line uses the same name as a previous LEGO Castle line, although neither are related by sets or storyline. Lampshaded in a LEGO Brickmaster article."Before Knights' Kingdom, there was... Knights' Kingdom?"
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Lord Vladek and his Shadow Knights hardly hide the fact that they're evil, due to dressing in all black and red.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent:
- A giant snake was one of the guardians of the Citadel of Orlan. Downplayed, since it's just a Threshold Guardian and not outright evil.
- Dracus and Karzon's Animal Motifs are a dragon and a snake, respectively.
- Scary Scorpions: The Animal Motif of Lord Vladek and his Shadow Knights. One of Vladek's siege catapults is modeled after a scorpion, and a giant scorpion guards the Scorpion Prison Cave. However, in an interview, Lord Vladek claimed that scorpions are actually misunderstood creatures who save stranded sailors at sea.
- Sheathe Your Sword: When confronted by the Guardian in the Citadel of Orlan, Jayko's first instinct is to battle, but the other knights stop him from making this fatal error. Instead, Danju speaks to the Guardian and humbly asks for the Heart of the Golden Shield. This passes the final test and convinces the Guardian of the knights' virtue.
- Shock and Awe: Lightning swords are used in competition during tournaments, but it is against the code to use them in actual battle... not that Vladek's Shadow Knights would care about that.
- The Siege:
- In the non-canon scene depicted in Vladek's Attack Kit, the knights of Morcia defend Talonjay from Vladek's Siege Wagon.
- Later, the valiant knights tried unsuccessfully to hold off the rogue knights in the Battle at the Pass.
- Siege Engines: Plenty from both the heroes and the villains, especially in the 2005 storyline.
- Sliding Scale of Gender Inequality:
- The Knights' Kingdom line is Level 1. There's not even a canon queennote or princess in Morcia.
- In-universe, it's supposedly Level 5; under the rule of King Mathias, women can become knights if they choose. Under the short-lived rule of King Mallakee, however, he banned women from becoming knights, enforcing Level 3. An Ask Danju
response discusses this, as well as the lack of female knights in the storyline.Danju: In Morcia, both men and women once competed equally for the honor of becoming knights, but that changed during the unhappy rule of King Mallakee. Although King Mathias again allows women to train for knighthood, very few have taken up the lance so far. Perhaps with enthusiasm like yours, more women of Morcia will choose to join our proud ranks.
- The Smart Guy: Being the Mentor of the group, Sir Danju approaches situations with great wisdom.
- Spikes of Villainy: Vladek's original suit of armor bore spikes.
- Storming the Castle: The climax of the 2005 storyline, in which the Morcian army lays siege on Vladek's Dark Fortress.
- Straw Misogynist: The Book of Morcia goes out of its way to mention that King Mallakee banned women from becoming knights. This is obviously meant to contrast with King Mathias, who believed in gender equality, and provide another reason as to why Mallakee was an unpopular king.
- Super-Reflexes: Sir Rascus's greatest ability is his agility.
- Super-Speed: Sir Jayko's ability is his quick speed, though downplayed in the 2006 storyline where it's no longer his defining trait.
- Super-Strength: Sir Santis's ability is his incredible strength.
- Supervillain Lair: Vladek's Dark Fortress serves as his lair during the 2005 storyline.
- Time Skip: Although the 2005 storyline apparently takes place shortly after the 2004 storyline, the 2006 storyline takes place an untold number of years later, as it features Jayko (the youngest member of the original cast) as a much older king leading the next generation of knights on an adventure.
- Time Traveler's Dinosaur: In the LEGO Magazine November/December 2004 crossover comic between LEGO Alpha Team, LEGO Designer, LEGO World City, Knights' Kingdom, and Star Wars, the Prehistoric Creatures from LEGO Designer appear in the other themes as the result of time portals created by Evil Ogel's tampering with time. In the case of Knights' Kingdom, this results in a triceratops appearing near the Castle of Morcia, and its stampeding somehow causes the castle to revert from red back to blue.
- Tin Tyrant: Lord Vladek wears his armor all the time, whether he's battling the heroes or delivering a speech.
- Toyless Toyline Character: The sorcerer and King Mallakee, although these are justified examples since both characters exist only in Knights' Kingdom's backstory.
- The Usurper: Lord Vladek, in the 2004 storyline, usurps the throne from the rightful King Mathias.
- Villain with Good Publicity: In the 2004 storyline, as far as the average Morcian knew, Vladek was the humble adviser of King Mathias who reluctantly took the throne after the latter's sudden disappearance and, as is per the code, is willingly holding a Grand Tournament to determine the ultimate fate of the crown. In actuality, Vladek was responsible for Mathias's disappearance and was planning on using Black Magic to cheat his way to the top of the Grant Tournament.
