Warrior lodges dedicated to the three pillars of fealty to the crown, martial excellence, and upholding the knightly valours, Knightly Orders are as synonymous with the Kingless Kingdom as their noble houses. Militarily powerful, personally skilled, and romantically framed, these Knightly Orders champion the realm, defend its borders, and serve both its nobility and the empty crown. But their history is older than the Kingdom itself.
The Drummond of two hundred years ago is one that would be hard to recognise. While the Bordevarian dynasty had ruled for more than five generations, they had spent every single year of that reign at war with some part of their holdings or another. It was an empire that had not yet embraced the truth of the Divine Spheres, that held within it a dozen ethnicities and cultures that had histories longer than any Kingdom. It had a propensity and skill with the crafting of weapons and armour, but struggled to apply these same breakthroughs to agriculture or commerce. It was a massive realm, riven with bloodshed, festooned with debt, and armed to the teeth.
It is in this time and place that the concept of a ‘Knight’ arose.
For many minor Lords, Barons, and even hard-done by Dukes, maintaining a permanent force of trained and equipped warriors was painfully expensive. But the quality of arms and armour available to those with money to spend, let alone enchanted equipment and warriors, made it a necessity for any noble house to maintain at least one professional warrior within their household. Ideally, these warriors would be of the house’s bloodline to ensure loyalty, but frequently most houses did not have the good fortune to have a member who was in the prime of their life, martially skilled (both in training and predelection), and not overburdened with the matters of maintaining the house. As such, these professional fighters often had to come from outside of the household.
But where exactly should these warriors come from? While there were certainly mercenary armies and companies spread across Drummond like so many lice, this was not the pursuit of officers or captains, but rather champions, fighters, and defenders. Tourneys were the answer to this question. Any noble with the money to hold a blood sport tournament would do so, and then offer employment as a part of the reward for any fighter skilled enough to win. These warriors would then go on to train their replacements, while often marrying into the household due to proximity and a desire to keep these employed killers loyal.
But the whims of the Spheres are not always kind and Noble houses within Drummond could be entirely destroyed if fate befell them poorly. Often, when these tragedies occurred, the only survivors were mercenary and powerful enough to kill their way through such misfortune: the household's professional warriors. When such defeats occurred, it often left handfuls of powerfully equipped, deadly skilled, and chaotically untethered cadres of warriors wandering the countryside; the first Knightly Orders.
Over time these Orders grew in fame, size, and power. It became in vogue and strategically intelligent to recruit your families personal guards, or bloody right hands, from the most well known and regarded Orders in the land. As such these orders heightened their training, sought out whatever magics could grant them an edge, and championed themselves at whatever tournaments, wars, or peasant rebellion crackdowns were to be found, all in the name of marketing. The relationship became reciprocal, with Noble houses sending their scions to study with these professional war-souls in the same way they would send them to study arithmetic or theology. In time the greatest of these orders were as powerful as the greatest houses, but of far more single-minded nature. Their business, their creed, and their existence, was fighting, killing, and dying. Everything else was just profit and power.
Over time, controlling these warriors became an issue for the orders themselves. Each had its own traditions, its own oaths, and bindings to keep their members in line. But in general they combined rewards of all kinds, a militaristic pseudo-culture, and extortions to some sort of faith. It is from these pressures that the image of the Bordevarian Knight so well known can be seen.
Such was the nature of these professional warriors when Artourious Bordevar fled his homeland with his fleet of companions, a considerable number of which were Knights, Artourious himself being Knightly trained in his youth. But as was the nature of all things the young King brought with him over the Explorers Sea, it would not remain the same. Drawing from this close cohort of Knightly companions, Artourious and his allies instilled within this new Knightly bloodline the concept of fealty as sacred above all else. While Knights would still have their duty to their charges, their comrades, and their valours, they would also have a duty to remain loyal to the crown and Kingdom, regardless of other duties. It is from this tradition that the concept of the valours emerges, notably the valour of servitude.
The young king also noted that having wandering groups of warriors with little to do save for improving their skill and competing was not ideal for the security of the realm. Artourious foresaw a future where the Knightly Orders of the Kingdom formed an elite, loyal, and powerful executive force of the crown. To facilitate this, he had the earliest Knightly Orders of this fledgling kingdom pursue a cause, commonly known as a ‘Charge’. This charge was often a concept (such as the protection of the Kingdoms borders, the loyalty of the Kingdoms Nobles, or the strength of its arms), and guided the Knightly order towards a particular series of goals that aids the crown. But above all charges, these Knightly Orders retained their dedication to martial skill, upholding and championing the valours, supporting the crown, and loyalty to their comrades.
For many members of Knightly Orders, to be a member is the only true form of Knighthood. They see those Knights who are members of noble houses as traitors to the concept of fealty, and those ‘Hedge Knights’ who have no house nor order as little better than peasant mercenaries. In return Household Knights often see Ordered Knights as close-minded near-facists, while Hedge-Knights often see them as violent dangers.
The final note is the origin of the term ‘Knight’. Thankfully, this is not much of a mystery. The term originates from a love poem, written in 109BE by the noble bard; Lady Orienne Brandt. The piece, titled ‘My Knight By Night’ was the first instance of the term ‘Night Warrior’ being shortened to simply ‘Knight’, a choice which became common parlance. The piece is commonly performed in a wide variety of forms, including spoken poetry, song, and even whole plays. Often presented as a forlorn love story, it has also been shown as a celebration of martial duty, and even rarer still as a tale of horror and violence. The original is as follows:
| The torches gutter, wind-blown and thin,
The shutters creak, the dusk slips in. Within these walls of silk and gold, Lie fears too sharp and secrets cold.
Oblivious to these plotted schemes. They trust the doors, the guard, the hound But death heeds neither oak nor sound. Yet still I sleep. My breath is slow.
Clad not in lace nor courtly white But steel and dusk and oathbound might. He bears no crest, he seeks no fame, His sword carries his master's name.
That he has killed to stay my death. When first he came, he bowed so low A wolf made meek for noble show. But in his gaze I saw the flame That knows too well the killer's game.
He speaks in truths, not courtly leaf. He is the shadow we pretend We do not sire, nor call a friend. |
But none would rise should villains call. 'Tis he who waits in armoured stance, To bleed for us, should the knives advance. He is the Night our house has tamed,
Without his step upon the stair, Our halls would choke without world to care. He is my sin, unspoke, unwept
A noble lady must not crave The hand that digs the noble's grave. And yet when sleep my soul does seize, I wish that he might grant me peace
And lay his blade across the floor. He is my Night, my dusk, my dread. The reason I am not yet dead.
The steel that turns all bones to dust. So call him Knight if you must lie. Say it with wine and lullaby. But know: if dawn breaks soft and light It does so on the back of Night. |
Creating a Knightly Order
Out of Character
When you’re pulling together your Knightly Order there are three important decisions to make that will affect not only the tone of the group, but also how it plays in-character. They are Tradition, Charge, and Structure. These decisions are needed and will form part of the Bands submission.
Tradition
Broadly speaking, Knightly Orders occupy one of three traditions that can be thought of as similar to a characters ‘class’ in a role-playing game. They don’t fully limit the organisation, but provide guidance to their role in the world and their reputation. They are as follows:
Sword Orders are stoic, practical, and disciplined. They believe in military effectiveness, logistical strength, and the strength of unity. These are the defenders of roads, forts, and peoples. Their halls echo with drills, not sermons. Sword orders prioritise practical skill, wear little heraldry, and are often very large, becoming minor armies in their own right.
Glorious Orders are paragons of personal excellence. They pursue chivalric perfection, display grandeur at tourneys, and maintain the honour and reputation of Bordevar through feats of valour. These are the masters of the duel, glamorous knights who are as much celebrities as they are killers. It is in them that Bordevar finds its champions and its heroes.
Faith Orders are driven by the Divine Spheres. They hunt heretics, tend to the faithful, and act as warriors for piety and spiritual defence. Their ranks often include monks, exorcists, and inquisitors in support of the armoured warriors that form their core cadre. Faith Orders often focus on combat against the malign forces of the world such as the undead, the monstrous, or the corruptive, rather than the more mundane threats to the Kingdom.
Your orders Tradition forms the foundation of the concept, but there is a lot of flexibility in the concept. A Sword Order could be a regal knightly officer corps dedicated to supporting the realms armies, or its could be a hard-bitten squadron of grizzled veterans. A glorious order could be regal tourney knights who prove their skill on the list, or heroic champions seeking out enemy leaders on the field of battle. A faith order could be militant paladins who crush those they call heretics, or righteous defenders of pilgrims and priests whose shield is as important as their sword.
Charge
Your Knightly Order’s charge is a single challenge, goal, or focus that defines the order and provides guidance in all they do. It should be summarisable in a single sentence and be included within the Band’s Oath.
Examples include:
“We ensure that the nobles of the Realm and their houses remain dedicated to the cause of the crown, and dispense punishment to those of power who would become traitors.”
“We protect the holy places of Bordevar and their faithful who would travel to them.”
“We protect the Borders of the realm and train to reclaim what was once True Bordevar.”
“We support the realm by training great champions, travelling to distant lands to display Bordevarian might and culture, inspiring others to support our great Kingdom.”
Structure
An inheritance from the dangerous Knightly Orders of Drummond, every Bordevarian Knightly Order has a pseudo-militaristic structure. This system of ranks and propriety gives Knightly Orders their air of proficiency and skill, while also honouring the valours through their adherence to protocol and tradition.
Your Knightly Order’s structure is simply its system of ranks and how they sit around each other. Your order should ideally have at least ranks that occupy the following roles:
Grand Master - The leader of the Order (see Leadership in a Knightly Order)
Full Member (Knight, Brother/Sister, Paladin etc) - A member of the band who is a full Knight.
Supporting Member (Supporter, Servant, Squire, etc) - A member of the band who is not a full Knight (see Non-Knights in Knightly Orders).
But your Order may have all manner of ranks, all manner of titles, and all manner of forms of address and salutes. These titles and actions are what can bring an order to life in play and form important grounding-moments to keep your experience in-character.
Other Factors
The amount of detail you could go into is endless, but a few final decisions you may wish to consider are:
How does your Knightly Order feel about Knights who are members of Noble Houses? What about free Knights untethered to a House or an Order? How does your Order feel about acting as mentors to aspirants who have no intention of joining the order?
How intensely does your Knightly Order acknowledge its fealty and service to the Crown? Particularly when there is no King.
What secrets or shames does your Knightly Order hold?
Finally, like with all Bordevarian player groups you should consider your heraldry and colours. As battlefield warriors and tourney champions, Knightly Orders favour bold colours and simple sigils that are visible in the chaos of combat.
In Character
In many ways, Knightly Orders are informal fraternities that form when they wish to with no true oversight. In the past they would present themselves to the crown or perhaps even receive a charge directly from the crown to raise a Knightly Order but such times are long past.
Commonly, a Knightly Order forms when at least three Knights band together under a single Charge and Agree to a single Structure. Often this occurs out of some trial such as a military campaign, monstrous hunt, or notable tournament. Over ale, oaths of camaraderie, and prayer, the Order is formed.
Joining a Knightly Order
Knightly Orders are close-knit organisations by function and tradition. Generally the process of joining an Order depends on the intended role of the new member.
Those who would join an order as supporters, rather than Knights themselves often find the process easy. Provided the Order has the need and the ability to support these supporters, it often requires little more than a Knight or another Supporter to vouch for you and then to be approved by the Grand Master. After which point the appropriate oaths can be said and paperwork completed.
For would-be Knights eager to take their valours, it is often the process that they will attempt to find their mentors (ideally all of them) from within the Order itself. Finding these mentors often acts as the filter through which new members join, often becoming first Supporters during their Valours and then full members when they complete them.
For Knights who have already attained their valours who wish to join, there is often a question of loyalty and intent. As such it is tradition for these Knights to undergo some sort of trial set by the Grand Master to determine if their reasons for joining are powerful enough to see them through the dangers ahead, but also to ensure that their personality and cause would be a good fit for the Order as a whole. Completion of this trial, which varies from Order to Order, Grand Master to Grand Master, precedes any joining to the Order as a whole.
Leadership in a Knightly Order
All Knightly Orders are led by a ‘Grand Master’. In the world of Bordevarian hierarchy, a Grand Master is seen as equal to a Master of a House, regardless of whether or not the Grand Master has completed their noble virtues (although most have). It should go without saying that all Grand Masters are knights who have completed their valours and are beyond reproach on their support of those valours.
Grand Masters exert more power over their Order than a Master of the House does over a Noble House. They are a mixture of head-of-house, military commander, cultural leader, and champion. Within the Order, their word is law and their judgement final. Some Grand Masters rule with an iron fist, while others seek out the guidance of a council of their members. It varies from Order to Order.
Knightly Orders often keep tomes that catalogue the names, deeds, and descriptions of the Grand Masters going back to their first foundings. Such artifacts are often of great value and importance to the Order, comparable to their Banners or notable weapons.
Important Notes
Non-Knights in Knightly Orders
Knightly Orders are defined by their Knights, but their story is given character, texture, and complexity by their non-Knightly supporters. They allow the band to be diverse in its characters, stories, and function. But it is important to ensure that they do not overwhelm the feel and play of the band. It is good practice that a Knightly Order not let the number of non-Knightly members be greater than their Knights, otherwise the overall feel and purpose of the band may become muddy and lost. This is not a hard and fast rule, particularly when it comes to aspirants in the process of taking their valours, but a good rule of thumb is that a Knightly Order should attempt to maintain at least three Knights at all times, while also attempting to ensure at least equal Knights to non-Knights.