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Knights
What's a knight?
Knights are the protectors of Shadow Star and the Unity. Sworn to protect, they take up swords, bows, and a variety of other weapons in order to face both external and internal threats to the safety of the Shadowstarian citizens. Some can be found at the front lines of battle, some among the halls of the palace, and some within the shadowed alleys of the slums, but all have a common goal: to serve and protect.
A Knight's Oath and Code of Honor
When a Knight is first inducted into the guild as a page or apprentice, he is sworn in by a master of that faction and made to repeat the oath of honor. Pages from prominent families or of noticeable talent may be sworn in by the Guildmaster himself. The oath is reaffirmed when a page or apprentice graduates to a squire or journeyman position, and again upon successfully completing the test of mastery.
The oath and code have recently come under criticism by some more liberal members of the guild, who claim it is too vague a standard to hold anyone to.
This my pledge and oath of honor,
never shall I betray my solemn position,
my comrades in arms,
my people who place trust in me,
or myself.*
Always shall I uphold the Knight's code of conduct.
With the Goddess Irotana's blessing
let me be granted courage
to never falter in my word.
(The original oath also included the lines 'Chaos take me/should I fail in this task.', but after a string of Chaosian spies discovered in the ranks, it was decided it would be best to remove that particular part.)
The Thirteen Laws of the Virtuous Man, As Outlined in the Knight's Code of Conduct
1. Never desert a comrade in need, in danger or in trouble.
2. One's oath is one's sacred pledge. Pledge sparingly, for it must be of iron.
3. Speak no ill of another for all truth may not be known.
4. Never disparage yourself or minimize your strength or power.
5. Be honest with all - and demand the same.
6. In all things, moderation.
7. Accept responsibility for your actions, always.
8. Respect the Laws of the Gods, humankind and nature.
9. Your self-determinism and your honor are more important than your immediate life.
10. Don’t desire to be liked or admired.
11. Be your own advisor, keep your own counsel and select your own decisions.
12. Never fear to hurt another in a just cause.
13. Be true to your own goals.
1. Never desert a comrade in need, in danger or in trouble.
2. One's oath is one's sacred pledge. Pledge sparingly, for it must be of iron.
3. Speak no ill of another for all truth may not be known.
4. Never disparage yourself or minimize your strength or power.
5. Be honest with all - and demand the same.
6. In all things, moderation.
7. Accept responsibility for your actions, always.
8. Respect the Laws of the Gods, humankind and nature.
9. Your self-determinism and your honor are more important than your immediate life.
10. Don’t desire to be liked or admired.
11. Be your own advisor, keep your own counsel and select your own decisions.
12. Never fear to hurt another in a just cause.
13. Be true to your own goals.
Factions
Within the Knight's Guild are several divisions based on specializations and other factors. The three main factions that make up the bulk of the guild are the knights, soldiers, and guards, while the Archers and Patrollers are somewhat separated from the main part of the guild. While there is some degree of cooperation in the guild (particularly with the "big three" and the archers; particularly not with the "big three" and the patrollers), individuals overlapping factions are unheard of; either you're one or the other. Individuals may occasionally switch from one faction to another, but this is rare.
Archers
Those skilled with a bow, sling, or other missile weapon - usually a longbow. Most archers worthy of the name begin their training at childhood, and can fire several arrows in a minute with deadly accuracy when fully trained. They're divided into fifty-person groups, called asams, and each asam is lead by a missilemaster. The archers are much less picky, class-wise, about who is an archer; anyone with decent talent with the bow may become an apprentice. Archers are on good terms with the knight and soldier factions and often run joint missions with them. Their somewhat separated nature from the bulk of knight/soldier/guard grouping is signified by their leader, the Bowmaster.
Knights
Knights are the calvary of the Shadowstarian army and are what most people associate with the Knight's Guild: the armored fighters on horseback. Besides being versed in fighting, they are also well-learned in law and often act as judges or mediators among the common people. They are also master tacticians. Knights usually only work in groups in war planning or as the Council; many lead evamuits or muits. They make up most of the Council of Knights and the Guildmaster is often (but not always) drawn from their ranks. Becoming a knight is difficult, and becoming a master one is even more difficult (though not as difficult as a Ctsu-Klarn or Maugh-Klarn.) Knights often come from the upper-class families, though some use elevated status from excellent performance in battle to jump-start a knight career. They are usually trained in swordplay, jousting, and use of the spear. They look to the guildmaster for leadership.
Soldiers
The foot soldiers of Shadowstar and the bulk of the Shadowstarian army. A soldier's only concern is the war on Chaos and are rarely involved with internal matters. They are often considered the 'lower-class knights'. Many who become master soldiers then go on to work through the Knight ranks. Some bonded pairs join the soldier ranks after having a taste of fighting through their bond training. Soldiers are trained in most any weapon imaginable, including their bodies. They look to the guildmaster for leadership.
Guards
Numbering almost as many as the soldiers, these are the guards to the cities and the castles. They are often hired by civilians as bodyguards or for other duties. Because of the more private sector nature of their job, as well as ease of entering, guards are often looked down upon by the other factions, most signifigantly the knights. The dream position for a guard is as the bodyguard to one of the royals; however, these guards are often selected not on just skill but also the ability to not drive the royal insane.
"It's not that hard to become a personal guard, actually. You just hang around a royal 24/7 and annoy the hell out of them." --Malanya Ara
"It's not that hard to become a personal guard, actually. You just hang around a royal 24/7 and annoy the hell out of them." --Malanya Ara
Patrollers
Technically, they are a faction of the Knight's Guild and share the Guildhall, but largely operate independantly of the main guild itself. It is the shadow guild, a more legal counterpart to the Thieves' Guild, and equal in skill. At any given time there are most likely several rivalries running between members of the two guilds. The Patrollers work through the underworld, investigating shady dealings and less savory crimes. They never reveal their names to their contacts or enemies, just their codenames. Only the most skilled live long enough to claim the title of master. They are led by the Patrolmaster, who is often whatever Patroller has managed to stay in one piece the longest. The Patrol is a relatively recent addition to the guild; its history only goes back about fifty years, about a generation before Ryntan. More on the Patrol can be found here.
Leadership and Organization
The progression from novice to expert progresses based on faction:
Knights, soldiers and guards: Page to Squire to Master
Archers and Patrollers: Apprentice to Journeyman to Master
The ranking and organization in the Knights' Guild goes like this:
Council of Knights (includes Patrolmaster and Bowmaster)
{Knights, Soldiers} Miut (Naciron) / {Archers} Asam (Missilemaster)
{Knights, Soldiers} Evamiut (Ciron)
With the exception of the Patrol, all factions are also organized by sphere; evamiuts will belong to a miut of the appropriate realm, asams are also realm-aligned, and even guards will identify themselves by sphere even though there is no official organization by sphere in that faction.
Council of Knights
The Council in conjunction with the Guildmaster lead the guild and set policy, and often have tasks delegated to them by the Guildmaster. They are a group of seven master Knights. One spot is guaranteed to the Patrolmaster, one to the Bowmaster, and the rest are elected by popular vote from the masters of the other three factions. They are often cirons from the knight faction or unranked masters in elite miuts; nacirons aren't unheard of, but many find it difficult to balance a miut and Council work. There is usually at least one soldier on the Council, and recently a guard surprisingly got the vote as well. These elections are held on an irregular basis (namely, whenever the majority of master Knights are dissatisfied with the Council.)
Guildmaster
The guildmaster directly leads the knights, soldiers, and guards and is responsible for the Knight's Guild as a whole. He or she is the political and ethical base for the Knights, and their skill as fighters is a given. They are chosen by a general guild-wide election, and are checked in power by the Council of Knights. The guildmaster has direct control over all factions in wartime and is responsible, in conjunction with the royals, for war strategy.
Patrolmaster
The leader of the Patrol, the Patrolmaster is usually a veteran Patroller, sometimes an original Dralker. While they do have authority over all Patrollers, the structure of the faction lends to less direct leadership than the other factions. The Patrolmaster is guaranteed a spot on the Council of Knights, and is the only one immune to being voted out.
Bowmaster
The leader of the archers, the Bowmaster is elected from within the archer's faction for his skill, but moreso for his knowledge. He is guaranteed a position on the Council of Knights, but he can be removed by a general election among the archers.
Asam
A fifty-person unit of archers, which tend to be more closely tied within the group than a muit, but not quite as tightly as an evamiut. Asams are the central division for archers; unlike miuts, they do not have smaller divisions. Asams are also divided by sphere and given names and numbers; several share names and numbers with miuts among the soldiers and knights. An asam often works on joint missions with one particular miut; again, usually the one that shares their name and number. The Archer's Guild is much smaller than any of the big three; there's only about fifteen asams.
Missilemaster
The leader of an asam. Like nacirons, a missilemaster wears gold cuffs. They are usually elected from within the asams and may change often.
Miut
The central division for the knights and soldiers. A muit is made of five evamuits and totals a hundred people (this number may vary by unit due to deaths and retirements). Muits are organized by spheres and given names, usually of creatures within that sphere. They also have numbers which indicates the order of their founding. Miuts are often exclusively filled with soldiers or knights, but some miuts are filled with soldiers and led by knights (usually ones that have been pieced together from surviving units in destroyed miuts.) There's about ten miuts per sphere per faction.
Naciron
The leader of a muit. His position is indicated by the gold cuffs he wears. He is typically not placed in any evamiut, and is always a master. Nacirons are often assigned to miuts by their peers or the Council, and tend to be very stable; nacirons losing rank is rare, although some willingly give it up to become CouncilKnights or for other reasons.
Evamiut
The subdivision of a miut, there are five of these within a miut. They are made up of twenty men, usually who have been raised, trained, and schooled together. Their integration is second to none and their teamwork is excellent. They have numbers within the miut, but unlike the miut numbers, which indicate when a miut was founded, the numbers of an evamiut indicate how well the miut performs in comparision to the others. These evaluations are done by an outside naciron once a year.
Ciron
The leader of an evamiut. His position is indicated by silver cuffs. He is usually chosen as a page to lead his evamiut and is picked by a senior ciron or the naciron. Cirons almost never change within an evamiut; the few changes of leadership that do occur are most often due to the death of a ciron or a rise in rank to naciron or Councilknight.
Masters
Even after passing the final hurdle within their faction, masters have more to learn and farther to go. Masters no longer need to train things like fighting skills or guild knowledge (though practice is a given), but instead begin hands-on training in leadership and politics. They also study the practices and knowledge of the other factions; some masters, often soldiers or guards, at this point may return to pagehood to gain a second mastery, usually as a knight. Any master is eligible for a seat on the Council of Knights or even the rank of Guildmaster, and their are high positions for masters in any faction; the Patrolmaster opens in the Patrol, the Bowmaster is available for the Archers, cirons may become naicrons, and guards all aspire to become bodyguards for the royal council.
Squires and Journeymen
The entry to the next level of Knighthood is marked by a short and informal ceremony, in which the pledges reaffirm the Code. Pages become squires and apprentices become journeymen. In this stage of their training, their fighting skills are honed (as well as other basic skills needed) and they are pumped with the detail of work within their guild. Guards and Patrollers gain some degree of independance from their masters at this stage, performing missions and jobs on their own. Archers are trusted with more responsibility within their asam, and are gradually integrated into the ranks of their former mentors as a peer. Young evamiuts are given more independance and are sent on (usually) their first missions. For a new ciron, their training becomes even more intense as they are groomed for leadership roles, especially among the knights.
The final judgement from this stage to the prestigious master is made by masters within that faction; evamiuts are judged by a general consensus of master-rank evamiuts within and outside their miut. A squire, journeyman, or evamiut who fails the test cannot reapply for mastery for two years, although in times of scarcity this may be cut short. The test varies between factions; Patrollers may be sent on a difficult mission, whereas Knights have a standardized test consisting of a written test on law, a strategy question, and a mock duel, and of course the approval of their superior. This time of honing skills and focusing on average lasts for anywhere from ten to thirty years. Again, Patrollers get the short end of the scale. In fact, intelligent, gifted Patrollers may shave up to half the time off their teaching; the life of a Patroller is hard, fast, and often burns out quickly. Most Patrollers are still within the prime of their adulthood. On the other hand, the intense study of law and perfectionist honing of skills lengthens the time especially for Knights; most masters are well into middle age.
Pages and Apprentices
Upon entering the guild and swearing affirmation to the Knight's Code, a pledge is declared a page if within the big three guilds, and an apprentice if within the archers or Patrol. Guard pages and Patrol apprentices, due to the lack of organization in those factions, are assigned to a single master, and will often run missions and jobs together. Page knights and soldiers are sometimes trained en masse if there is a large number inducted at once, but more often they are assigned into existing miuts. Apprentice archers are usually inducted into existing asams and adopted by several masters, or lacking masters, senior journeymen. A rare page knight and soldier may be inducted in this way as well; sometimes new recruits are "adopted" by master knights and soldiers.
Pages and apprentices are first launched into the basics of fighting, trained on whatever weapon(s) are appropriate, and also taught the organization, history and structure of the Knight's Guild and their particular faction. Young evamiuts are often restricted to training only and are rarely sent on missions unless there is a scarcity of fighting men.
There is no set test for a page or apprentice to be promoted to the next level; the judgement usually comes from their superiors. Young evamiuts are sometimes judged at once by a panel of masters. This process usually takes five to eight years; it tends to be on the shorter side for Patrollers and guards, average for archers, and on the high side for knights and soldiers. A pledge who switches factions who has taken a few years of training in another Knight faction or has ranks in another faction may trim one or two years off this time, but not much as the training tends to differ greatly between factions outside basic fighting skills and generic Guild history.
Pages and apprentices are first launched into the basics of fighting, trained on whatever weapon(s) are appropriate, and also taught the organization, history and structure of the Knight's Guild and their particular faction. Young evamiuts are often restricted to training only and are rarely sent on missions unless there is a scarcity of fighting men.
There is no set test for a page or apprentice to be promoted to the next level; the judgement usually comes from their superiors. Young evamiuts are sometimes judged at once by a panel of masters. This process usually takes five to eight years; it tends to be on the shorter side for Patrollers and guards, average for archers, and on the high side for knights and soldiers. A pledge who switches factions who has taken a few years of training in another Knight faction or has ranks in another faction may trim one or two years off this time, but not much as the training tends to differ greatly between factions outside basic fighting skills and generic Guild history.
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