As a strictly separated culture, Bordevar has grown from is Drummondite Cultural heritage, the Ethos of King Artourious and their martial way of life to become what it is today. Young children grow up in farmsteads hearing the tales of Knightly Valours of Noble Virtue and the path to disgrace that failure can bring. It forms the core of Bordevarian society that all other aspects are built upon.
The Common Folk
To be a common folk (or leyfolk, or lowborn or simply a commoner) is to be born to a family that is not noble. By this understanding, a vast majority of Bordevar is made up of commoners, easily three quarters or more.
Commoners fill all aspects of society, from soldiers to smiths, traders to thieves. They are a varied people who are more closely defined by their Duchy and occupation than anything else. What can be said to be a commonality is that Bordevarian layfolk are patriotic, loyal and devout peoples who care about their homeland, townships and religion in equal measure.
Within Bordevar Commonfolk are protected by a charter signed by King Bordevar known as ‘The Oaken Accord’. The Accord affords many protections and liberties to the common folk but most notably it ensures that the liberty, prosperity and dignity of the Commonfolk would not be infringed by the powerful nobility.
Commonfolk in Bordevar are commonly garbed in working attire, functional and repaired. They are deeply factional and often prone to local rivalries between families and townships. They are hard working people who see great pride in the nation that they rightly believe was built by the sweat of their brow.
Game Design of Common Folk
To get the full Bordevar story, we recommend characters begin as commoners. Not only does this support the story of Bordevar (that being predominantly commonborn) but it also provides the intended story arc to experience the Knightly Valours and Noble Virtues if you so choose.
That being said, there are a number of elements of play within Bordevar exclusively for the Commonfolk, including a number of archetypes (such as Billmonger or Prior) and titles (such as Sheriff).
It is also important to note that the Commonfolk of Bordevar are not without honour. They built this Kingdom and are its heart. While there is a social system of titles (people should be regarded well by social status and be called their titles) the common folk are not a downtrodden serf caste.
Nobility
To be a noble is to either be raised into nobility through completion of the Noble Virtues. The Nobility represents the most skilled, prestigious and favoured of the Bordevarians. They are the companions of the king, the rich, the powerful and the leaders of the Realm. They are clad in fine garb, mighty armour and reside in halls and keeps. To be noble is to be at the forefront of the nation and to be undoubted in your preeminence.
But the world of the nobility is a vipers den. Rivalry between Noble Houses is fierce, often rooted in generations of enmity and coming to blood and betrayal with regularity. To be noble is to be involved in a great competition but also wearing the failings of those around you. A land of no allies and plenty of competitors.
The Noble Virtues
Bordevarian nobility is centred around six virtues. These are seen as the defining traits of what it means to be noble and are elements of a person and a life that must be lived to become and remain a noble. They are:
- Intelligence, a breadth of knowledge and the use of it.
- Power, influence and the strength to use it.
- Guile, wisdom, cunning and the hunger to use it.
- Allegiance, loyalty to the Realm and a willingness to stand by it.
- Faith, dedication to the Spheres and the drive to succeed in your travel.
- Affluence, possession of wealth, personal esteem and good fortune.
Nobles must embody and maintain these powers in their lives in order to prove themselves and to improve the overall standing of the Bordevarian nobility in the eyes of others. Without these virtues, the nobility of Bordevar cannot be said to be the greatest of their skills and the nation will surely crumble. It is in the pursuit of these virtues that Bordevarian nobles gain so much power, wealth and standing, as there is no aspect of Bordevarian nobility that inherently grants these traits to a noble.
The Path to Nobility
To become a noble requires widespread support and dedication to the task, as it is likely one of the greatest possible trials a person can undergo. It is not a task entered into lightly and is likely one that will take years to complete.
Firstly, a candidate for nobility must gather six sponsors. These sponsors must already be Bordevarian Nobles. The six sponsors, along with the candidate, must present themselves to the Duke of the Duchy the character resides within (or a nearby Duke if none is available). Each of the Sponsors must speak to a specific character trait that the candidate has exhibited during the course of their time knowing them ("She always acts with intelligence in her role as aide" "His guile in organising the recent festival is above all others").
If the Duke is satisfied with the presented sponsors they will recognise the candidate, granting them the title of Candidate. The Duke will then present the Candidate with a trial of each of the virtues, one at a time until all are complete. These trials are used to demonstrate that the Candidates abilities were not simple luck and that they possess the strength to rise to the challenge as is required by the Bordevarian nobility. Like the Sponsors, these trials must be demonstrable from the outset, rather than vague (“Support the Realm during a time of crisis” would be too specific for example). Examples of trials include:
- Intelligence:
- Present a new tome of lore to the Concord and have it accepted into the library of the Shardcircle or that of the Civil Service.
- Act as aide to a Senator for a year. After this time stand before a council and answer questions on the political actions you witnessed during this time, giving your opinions.
- Have a new Potion, Artisan Craft or Ceremony entered into the Concordian Common understanding.
- Power:
- Obtain a Concordian title. Serve in it with distinction.
- Gather about you a household of considerable size for your means, bedecked in your colours and oathed to support you.
- Have a champion in your colours win a notable tournament.
- Guile:
- Present a secret of another Noble or another Concordian Realm to the Duke that they were unaware of and benefits The Kingdom to know.
- Win a notable tournament of chance, detail how you did so to the Duke.
- Correctly predict 2/3rds of the title winners for a Summit. Present your estimations to the Duke prior to the elections.
- Allegiance:
- Provide the Realm with an Artifact that will never tarnish, presenting such an item to the Duke to do with as they will.
- Provide half the resources or currency to the Realm to assist with a notable project.
- Act as diplomat to another Realm of the Concord on behalf of the Duchy for a year, learning their culture, customs, history, strengths and weaknesses. Pen a report upon the year's conclusion for the Duchy.
- Faith:
- Obtain relics of each of the holy sites of The Concord to be presented to the Duchy.
- Withstand six inquisitions, one from each Sphere.
- Obtain the title of High Priest, serve with distinction.
- Affluence:
- Host a tourney, ball or other suitable cultural event. Ensure that your own colours are well represented and that the event is regarded well.
- Obtain a Deed.
- Win a bardic competition, fashion tournament or other similar cultural event against worthy competitors. Either as an entrant or sponsoring an entrant.
Upon completion of their Virtuous Trials of Nobility, a Candidate will be presented to the Duchy in a ceremony where they will receive a token of esteem from their Duke and their house will be named or they will be joined into another noble house if they are bonded by ties of blood or marriage. These ceremonies are normally followed by feasts, tourneys and balls as is befitting the new noble, where it is traditional to give them gifts of esteem in celebration.
Noble Title
During their en-nobling ceremony, a Candidate will be given a title. These vary widely from Baron to Lord to Marquis and stranger ones besides. A Candidate may request a specific title that perhaps has a historic or personal relevance.
Notably these titles are not honorifics (such as “The Strong '' or “The Wolf '') as those are reserved for those that complete the Knightly Valours. These titles also cannot be royal or dukal titles such as Princess, Duchess or Emperor.
Noble Inheritance
Upon completion of the Virtuous Trials of Nobility a Candidate becomes a Noble. None of their children or spouses will become nobles automatically. However Noble Houses are often familial as it is far easier to become a noble with the support of a trusted sponsor, such as a partner or parent.
Noble Failures and Loss of Nobility
Nobles who act against the virtues or fail in support of the virtues to a notable degree can have their nobility removed. To do so, another noble submits an accusation, in writing, to the Dukal Council. The Dukal Council must then meet to decide if the accusation is frivolous or not. If a majority of the Dukal Council agrees that the claim has merit, then one noble member of the Dukal Council volunteers to chair a Regional Noble Council to trial the accused.
This noble council must have at least 2/3rds of the available nobles to be considered reasonable, although any number of nobles may attend and then waive their right to vote, allowing them to leave. During this council, the accused will be allowed to speak in defence of themselves, as well as the accuser, and anyone else the chair of the council deems appropriate. When both parties have spoken and the chair is satisfied, a recess will be called to deliberate. When the chair calls the council back in session a vote will be held to either condemn the noble (removing their nobility) or release the noble (retaining their noble virtue). The voting must be conducted in written format, with particular weighting as follows:
- Nobles of the Region, 1 Vote
- Dukes of the Region, 3 Votes
If the vote called for Condemn, the Dukal Council will declaire their noble title revoked, if the once-noble is now ineligable for any positions, they must rescind them. This must also be given to the Civil Service, in writing, with signatures of all members of the Dukal Council.
Alternatively, the Monarch of Bordevar can strip a noble of their virtues at any time, as can the Concordian Throne, but only if there is not a Monarch of Bordevar.
However, unlike Knights, nobles can regain lost titles, as the nobles and Dukal houses of Bordevar understand that nobility is a game of shadows and whispers, one's esteem may rise and fall over time.
Dukes and Duchesses
On behalf of the Crown, Dukes and Duchessess oversee vast swathes of land and nobility within a certain area known as a Duchy. Dukes and Duchesses are of immense importance to the social functions of the nobles and act as the 'high nobility' within a region, overseeing disputes, providing Virtue trials and other such formatilities.
For more information, please see the Dukes and Duchesses page.
Game Design of Nobility
The path to nobility is designed to be one that emulates the pursuit of excellence and deeply woven mixture of loyalty and politics in the highest levels of Bordevar, without necessarily being a combat pursuit. The Nobles of Bordevar should be highly regarded both internally and externally due to the skill and quality. With this in mind the trials have to be notable as simply prescribing importance to a character or position seldom works well or retains in-character consistency.
Importantly, the Virtuous Trials should have some give and take. While they should certainly be challenging undertakings they should never be punitive. Requiring a character with no divine lore to become a high-priest or asking a non-combatant fight is not appropriate. Dukal characters should work with their Candidates to learn their character's role and what they want to be, assigning trials as appropriate.
Finally, removal of Noble Title should come as a culmination of story and never without the discussion between the player and the ST Team, prior to coming to fruition.
Knighthood
To be a Knight is to be recognised as a martial protector of the realm, a warrior of skill, honour and loyalty. Knights form the elite of Bordevars army, the protectors of their most important nobility and the heroes of their tales. As such Knights are a deeply loyal and selective group within Bordevar, driving each other to greater heights and standing shoulder to shoulder until the very end.
Knights can come from any background, be it Commoner or Noble, but they must be Bordevarian. Recognition of Knights from other nations (such as Drummond) is contentious at best and it is not uncommon to see Knights of Bordevar in competition with other elite warriors from other nations in order to prove that the Knightly Valours are truly superior.
The Knightly Valours
The Knightly Valours are the six traits required in a Knight of Bordevar. They are aspects of their life that will grow, be tested and must never be found wanting. Young children recite the Valours with toy swords in hand, old warriors die with them on their lips. The extent to which the Knights of Bordevar live by the valours has even drawn the attention of the Church on the odd occasion, owing to its intensity. The Knightly Valours are as such:
- Strength, skill at arms, physical endurance, combat experience and knowledge.
- Courage, bravery in the face of death, honesty and ambition within the world.
- Servitude, dedication to the crown, support of the social order and protection of your country folk.
- Will, mental fortitude, worldly knowledge and endurance in times of hardship.
- Vigilance, A suspicious mind, a sense for danger and a hatred for traitors.
- Loyalty, dedication to your fellow Knights, Support of the Nobility and trustworthiness.
Knights must embody these Valours within their lives, bearing and actions. It is these adherence to these Valours that push Bordevarian Knights to be the great protectors that they are, without them, they are nothing but heavily armoured warriors bedecked with too much pride. Friendly wagers or prompts between knights using the Valours as justifications are common, “It would embody the Valour of Strength for you to enter this tourney with me.” or “A truly loyal Knight would carry me home from the Tavern.” and so on. Such is the extent to which it is a part of the personal culture.
The Knightly Journey
Becoming a Knight is the dream of thousands of Bordevarians, young and old. Many train for years at elite schools for this exact purpose, whereas others can fall into the path through accidental heroism.
To begin, a would-be-knight (known for now as a Page) must find their first Mentor. A Mentor is a Knight who has witnessed a specific moment where the Page has demonstrated one of the Knightly Valours. Often a Knight will approach that individual and offer to take them on as a Page upon witnessing the act, but you will also see individuals become Pages-In-Waiting, where they journey with a knight hoping that a circumstance will present itself where they can demonstrate a Knightly Valour.
Upon obtaining a mentor, the Page must obtain five more, each willing to speak to their performance of an act in support of each of the Knightly Valours. These six knights are known as a Mentorship Council for the Page.
At this point, each of the Mentors will set for the Page a challenge, known as a Valourous Challenge. Unlike the Trials of Noble Virtue, all of these challenges are given at once and it is the duty of the Page to pursue them in the order they see fit. Mentors are encouraged to train the Page to be capable of their Challenges but are not to assist them with the challenge itself. Example challenges include:
- Strength:
- Win The Golden Knight at a Tournament
- Slay a notable threat assaulting the land.
- Act as Field Marshall in a victorious battle.
- Courage:
- Travel to a far away nation and return with good esteem and a trophy.
- Lead a dangerous minor conflux and be victorious.
- Request a Challenge from an Arcadian Herald.
- Servitude:
- Act as Champion for a noble in a tournament, be victorious.
- Act as executioner for The Concord or the Crown.
- Submit to a questioning of loyalty by a Duke or Duchess.
- Will:
- Undergo a Trial of Will where you perform strenuous physical acts and circumstances before being made to recall knowledge.
- Complete a written test on the history of the Realm, and achieve high marks.
- Complete a test of magic prowess against the best of the Shardcircle. Be regarded well.
- Vigilance:
- Act as bodyguard for a notable Bordevarian until they release you.
- Track down a notable criminal or traitor to the Realm of The Concord.
- Suffer the interrogation of a Concordian Spymaster after ascertaining their identity, and not be found wanting.
- Loyalty:
- Surrender all your secrets to your Knightly Mentor and Duke in a test of Loyalty.
- Enter a strategic conflux unarmed with the sole purpose of retrieving the fallen.
- Act as a final confidant to a dying knight, acting as pallbearer, leading their funeral and heeding their final words.
Unlike the Trials of Noble Virtue, the Valourous Challenges are often (but not always) single events that are either failure or success as opposed to long term trials or acts of honour. Should a Page fail to complete a challenge, their mentor may set them another, however after two failures the page must seek out a new mentor for that virtue. To fail too many pages is to be seen as a poor Knight acting against the Valours of Loyalty and Will.
Once a page has completed two challenges, they become known as a Squire. Once they have completed four, they become known as an Errant. Once they have completed all of their challenges, a private ceremony is held. The six mentors and a priest of the Errants choosing will gather in a private place of great import. There they will speak the following words:
“I [Name] as your mentor of [valour] have seen you act and known your soul. I find you worthy of the mantle of Knighthood within the Kingdom of Bordevar. Long may you serve the crown, follow the valours and honour yourself. So say I.”
With all of the mentors spoken the priest will bless the Errant and present them with their titles. A Knight carries two titles, Ser (or Sir as the knight would wish it) as recognition of their position and an honorific specific to them. Honorifics are single words preceded by ‘the’ such as ‘The Strong’ ‘The Brave’ ‘The Dragon’ or ‘The Eagleheart’.This honorific is chosen by the mentors in private. From this point on, the Errant becomes a Knight.
After this it is common for a small celebration to occur to present the new Knight to the people of Bordevar. Perhaps an evening at the tavern, a feast at a church, or even a tourney for a particularly notable Errant. What is tradition is that each mentor provides the new Knight with a token of good will to remember them by, perhaps a sword, piece of armour, a book or a fine bottle of liquor.
The Knightly Forms
There are a variety of kinds of knight depending on the social circumstance of the individual.
Knights of common birth are sometimes referred to as Hedgeknights, Banner Knights or Wandering Knights. They are well regarded by the common folk and seen as protectors of the Oaken Accords, although the valours can often draw them away from this duty. The greatest Commoner Knights are champions of the people, the realm and themselves. Common knights will not take any ‘colours’ of their own, often dressing in simple colours such as grey, brown, white or black. Many of them will enter into the service of a noble house and wear that house's colours. Some Common Knights will take heraldry however, a symbol indicative of their nature and used as a signature or present over other colours.
Knights who are nobles are sometimes called Noble Knights, High Knights or Heroic Knights. These are the most elite of Bordevar, those who can complete both the Valorous Challenges and the Trials of Noble Virtue in one life. They are Bordevars steel and Bordevars spirit.
Knights who dedicate themselves to a Sphere are sometimes called Paladins, Serving Knights or Anointed Knights. They live a challenging life, attempting to honour both the Valours and the precepts of their Sphere and are as varied as the Spheres are. They are rare and seldom pursue the Trials of Noble Virtue.
Knightly Removal and Abandonment
A Knight can have their valours removed by the Dukal Council. For this to occur, another Knight must submit, in writing, an accusation to the Dukal Council. The Dukal Council must then meet to decide if the accusation is frivolous or not. If a majority of the Dukal Council agrees that the claim has merit, then one noble member of the Dukal Council will volunteer to chair a Condemning Council. A condemning council must be made up of:
- The Dukal Council Member
- Another Knight
- A title-holding Commoner
- A Priest
- A Ranger
- A Close Companion of the Accused
Once this council is assembled, the Condemnation may begin. Condemnations are not secret affairs, but have smaller voting groups than noble councils for simmilar functions. During the Condemnation, the Dukal Council member interviews the accused, the accuser, and anyone else they deem fit. When both parties have spoken and the chair is satisfied, a recess will be called to deliberate. When the chair calls the council back in session a vote will be held to either condemn the knight (removing their valours) or release the knight (retaining their knightly valour). The voting is conducted in spoken format, with each member declaring their vote. A tied vote results in the Knight retaining their valours.
If the vote called for Condemn, the Dukal Council representative will declaire their knightly valours revoked, if the once-knight is now ineligable for any positions, they must rescind them. This must also be given to the Civil Service, in writing, with signatures of all members of the Condemning Council.
Alternatively, a Knight can forsake their title at any time. Knights who lose their knighthood may never again reclaim it, although they may go on to become nobles. The exception to this is if they are granted royal clemency by the Monarch of Bordevar, or the Throne of The Concord (but only if there is no Monarch of Bordevar). The Monarch of Bordevar or Throne of the Concord (only if there is no Monarch of Bordevar) may also remove a Knight's valours at any time.
Game Design of Knighthood
The image of an armoured knight standing for honour and strength is central to the Bordevarian brief. It draws from a history of Arthurian tales, of knightly trials and the battle between good and evil. Viewed through a Concordian lense we have a tale of servitude towards a realm that may or may not deserve it, towards a people that pulls you in many directions, for what fun is it to belong to a code if it is not tested.
Unfortunately the role of knights is decidedly martial and we would not want to divorce it from this if it would weaken the overall importance. Much like Nobles we feel that it is essential that the path to knighthood be challenging so that characters who achieve it can be seen with the proper regard. However, just like the Noble Virtues, it is essential that Mentors work with their Page/Squire/Errant to create a challenge that drives their play, challenges their skills and is interesting without being vindictive, reducing play or being impossible.
Players who are not martially minded but are seeking a similar experience are encouraged to pursue the Noble Virtues, which are regarded highly and are essential to the function of Bordevar, often in more ways than Knights.
Finally, removal of Knighthood should come as a culmination of story and never without the discussion with the player and the ST Team prior to coming to fruition.