Author Topic: Organization Thread  (Read 1477 times)

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Mister_Sinister

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« Last Edit: June 21, 2010, 04:24:14 AM by Mister_Sinister »

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Sohala

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Re: Organization Thread
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2010, 12:04:26 AM »
"You think I'm talking about breaking the rules?"
"No I'm just trying to figure out how far you want them bent."
[spoiler]
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Nick

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Re: Organization Thread
« Reply #2 on: June 19, 2010, 12:25:45 AM »
Disciples of Legend
[spoiler]All available information from Complete Champion[/spoiler]

Steelscale Knights (Ruby Knight Vindicator adaptation)Children of the Golden Flame (Jade Phoenix Mage adaptation)
[spoiler](Mechanically the same until further notice)

In a world where the Gods hold sway, what is free will and destiny?

The most powerful yet mortal creatures of the Protectorate, the dragons have thought about this question most of their lives. All that power in their elemental cores yet moved like pawns, this thought did not sit well with many, particular with a gold dragon by the name of Xol.

The biggest, oldest and wisest of all gold dragons in the Protectorate, Xol loves mortality and has no fear of death, yet in his single lifetime, he saw the coming and going of lesser mortals, striving and searching for meaning in their lives. Some have risen to greatness only to be brought low. What is the point in that? It seems that destiny is out to screw around with whatever efforts that mere mortals have made in their insignificant lifetime. This perhaps cannot go on.

Rising from his centuries of langour, the first of the gold dragons approached the lesser mortals who have the courage to stand before this hulking monstrosity who even in a sitting position, blotted out the sun. These mortals, acknowledged by Xol for their bravery, are instructed by Xol in magic, the first time such a powerful force is introduced to the world which the Protectorate held absolute power.

With this, Xol reckoned, he could share the power of the dragons to the people, and with all the martial ability born from lifetimes of strive and struggle, the lesser mortals could gain some moment of peace. Xol is aware too, that the Gods of the Protectorate are upset about the dragon's decision to introduce magic into the primitive worlds without their permission. Yet, Destiny would smile and reassure the Gods that while unprecedented, there is nothing to worry about.

Centuries later, the lives of the lesser mortals, bolstered by magic, began to improve by leaps and bounds. Xol remained amongst the mortals aiding in whatever endeavor he could. Yet a gift given too soon proved to have tragic consequences. Once again, war and strive erupted, this time with far more devastation than mere swords and arrows could manage. Continents rupture and crack and whole mountains crumble into pebbles and dust.

Confronting Destiny after barely escaping with his life, Xol demanded an explaination from the personification of the mysterious world-moving force and was only greeted by a concerted attack by the Gods, tearing the gold dragon apart, as Destiny read out Xol's fate as one of futile effort and struggle, for the Gods do not approve, the Gods will remove.

Cursing the Gods in his dying breath, Xol's Essence exploded into 300 fragments, each borne on the 300 smallest and most brilliant of his scales leaving his will to fight against the tyranny of predestination. The scales fade away from physical matter and transformed into brilliant soul shards and infused itself into worthy mortals, empowering them as Children of the Golden Flame, masters of both martial and magic power, each living lives of epic dreams that Xol hopes will inspire people to greatness. And perhaps, when the people have finally seen through the hypocrisy of Destiny would they finally be willing to redeem their free will and live lives of self-purpose and determination.[/spoiler]
« Last Edit: June 19, 2010, 04:56:31 AM by Nick »
"You'll still be living in caves."
"Hell I don't mind that."
[spoiler][/spoiler]
befriend (v.): to use mecha-class beam weaponry to inflict grievous bodily harm on a target in the process of proving the validity of your belief system.

Awkward Map

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Re: Organization Thread
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2010, 04:10:23 AM »
Emerald Claw
[spoiler]They are described in the Eberron Campaign Setting.  They are a front for a larger organization called the Blood of Vol.  The Blood of Vol is a religion that believes in self-reliance and solving your own problems.  At least, that's what most of their followers think.  In true cult fashion, the crazy is like an onion where you peel one layer back and reveal an even more ridiculous aspect.  At the head of both organizations is a half-dragon elf lich that had her dragonmarked house destroyed by both dragons and elves alike because of the interbreeding and fear of the power of the dragonmark of Death.

Belthior has spent 10 years as a priest among the ranks of the Emerald Claw, who are a more militant sect of the Blood of Vol.[/spoiler]

Paragnostic Assembly
[spoiler]As described in Complete Champion.  In Eberron they would find many members amongst the mage academies of Wynarn University in Aundair and Morgrave University in Breland as well at the Gnomish Library of Korranberg.  Many expeditions into the ancient ruins of the Goblin lands of Darguun, the Mournlands, and the wilds of Xendrik are undertaken to find lost knowledge that can be shared.

Belthior finds the libraries of the Paragnostic Assembly quite useful in picking up information to use to help the Emerald Claw.  He must do a good job at running his own unit, so he often finds himself researching illegal drugs, undead, and extraplanar creatures.[/spoiler]

Agita

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Re: Organization Thread
« Reply #4 on: June 19, 2010, 01:06:29 PM »
Bharrai's Eternal Army of Ruin
[spoiler]Bharrai's Eternal Army of Ruin is a martial subsect of the church of Bharrai. It is called upon when forests, deserts, and other natural terrains, or even the whole world, are in danger. Alternatively, they act as an intervention force when conflicting armies get too close to an important natural habitat for comfort. The rest of the time, they are a loose organization that is mostly indistinguishable from the rest of the church, and have no bases of their own. When roused to action, hundreds of bears can be seens charging out of the woodwork - many sentient foes just give up right then and there.
There are few foot soldiers among the Eternal Army except for anthropomorphic bears - most others take a four-legged bear form or ride to battle on a bear if they cannot do that. The highest-ranking members often take bear form, then ride a larger bear to battle, and can usually be seen leading from the front. The Army is led by the Mother Superior and the Grand Abbot, who oversee and control each other, but usually work together on decisions. For this reason, they are not allowed to be related by birth or marriage.[/spoiler]
It's all about vision and making reality conform to your vision. By dropping a fucking house on it.

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Mister_Sinister

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Re: Organization Thread
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2010, 01:49:40 AM »
Knightly Orders of the Ages

[spoiler]Knights of the Jungle

Your sword shall strike with all the speed of the cheetah, the strength of the elephant, and the deadliness of the firefly frog.

The jungle is not a nice place. It's full of poisonous bugs, lizards, snakes and frogs, not to mention tropical disease out the wazoo, insane heat and humidity, and trees so thick you can't squeeze past them. If you don't die to one thing, you'll die to another. In order to survive such a hot-house (often, quite literally) of life, you have to be strong, cunning, and very, very resillient.

The jungle is fundamentally not a place for soft, squishy humanoids. However, the Knights of the Jungle believe that those that can exist in such an environment will grow only stronger. The jungle itself is a deadly place, but can be a deadly weapon, too. Its poisons, ground and climate are the weapons and armour of the Knight of Jungle as much as his sword, shield and warhorse (or dinosaur). Additionally, by surviving that place with nothing but what Nature gave them, the Knights of the Jungle prove their worth to Nature, symbolised as the jungle, to fight to protect it from those that would encroach upon it, as well as those who would destroy life. Undead are especially hated by the Knights of the Jungle, as they represent unlife, the very opposite of the jungle, which is life unbound.

A Knight of the Jungle sees nothing wrong with using poison on their blades, creating traps and so forth. While other knights may look down on this as dishonourable, the Knights of the Jungle know that to survive, you must take any and all steps you can. Nature does not forgive the weak or the stupid, and neither do the Knights of the Jungle, both within their ranks and without. At the same time, however, Knights of the Jungle are just as capable of meeting their foes in other environments, for after the jungle, they can survive anywhere.

Knights of the Crimson Rose

Behold the rose; it is beautiful, no? The very symbol of beauty, romance, and passion. But, those who are not careful will find it a vengeful flower, with sharp thorns. So must you be - even in the cruelty of battle, find the beauty; even in the horror of death, find poetry; even in the depths of fear, find music.

Combat is a bad place. A really bad place. People have limbs hacked off, blood is shed in buckets (have you SEEN how much blood comes from a decapitation?!), those fighting get disfigured in ways no-one wants to think about too long - and this is before we chuck in magic, monsters of all sorts, and everything the fantasy world can throw at someone. It's unsurprising that most people find it a place they would rather be as far away from as possible.

However, to a Knight of the Crimson Rose, these things must be dealt with every day, as for any other knight. However, the way they deal with it is to find the beauty in everything - even something as horrific as fighting, mutilation and death. They are contradictory people, speaking of the horrors of warfare and killing in the same breath as describing the beauty of the perfect sword-stroke cleaving through their opponent's neck and the perfection of maiming your opponent's arm tendon so that they can never hold a shield again. Unsurprisingly, many people find them difficult to be around for very long.

At the same time, very few Knights of the Crimson Rose are sadistic or masochistic. They do not believe in enjoying pain, suffering and war, but believe that they are an inevitable part of their life. Thus, in order to survive mentally, they try to find the beauty in it, the need to perfect even the art of killing and death. Many Knights of the Crimson Rose take to poetry, painting or similar pursuits, speaking always of the beauty inherent even in the worst things, and the kernels of goodness in every depravity. On the battlefield, they seek nothing than perfection of each stroke and attack - ending everything in a way that leaves nothing to be desired, perfect, beautiful. A great battle to such a knight is not simply about winning - it is about the joy of cutting down six enemies with one perfectly-angled sword blow, the rapture of decapitating one enemy cleanly, landing no blood on their armour, and the joy of crushing all the hope of their enemies. Resultantly, many Knights of the Crimson Rose toy with their enemies' minds before destroying their bodies, and a fair few opponents openly rout upon seeing a company of the Knights of the Crimson Rose, for they know their reputation for loving their work.

Many claim these knights to be insane, but, as the Grand Master of the Crimson Rose says, to survive a place as insane as the battlefield, one must become just as mad as it is.

Hell Knight

War is Hell. But it is OUR hell!

Fighting is something that puts immense strain on everything humanoids usually hold dear. Families are torn apart, society is warped, and lives, crops and everything else seen as beautiful is destroyed or rendered irrelevant in the face of war. However, during such a time, on the field of battle, the basest human desire to destroy and de-humanise is given free reign, and even encouraged by less scrupulous commanders. It is in this place that Hell truly lies, and the Hell Knights are not far behind.

Seeing all the fruits of peace as ultimately futile and pointless, Hell Knights seek to have war burn forever. However, they seek not simply base destruction, but total eradication of the idea that peace is anything other than a lie to be spat upon. They believe, and seek to instil, the idea that war is the only meaningful thing in existence, and that all other ideas are simply an attempt by the weak to protect them from the predations of the strong. To this end, they seek to bring down all things of art, beauty and peace, and replace them with the fires of war, the only truth in humanity according to them.

Hell Knights have unsurprisingly close links to devils, who encourage them to destroy those who would seek to promote enlightement and move societies away from belligerence and ignorance. However, Hell Knights are nobody's lackeys, as more than one devilish general has discovered. They do not seek power or prestige as much as other knights, instead being willing to propagate their philosophy that war is the one and only truth, and all else is a lie that must be destroyed. Often carrying weapons of flame, and garbed in black armour, Hell Knights are feared even by those they would fight for, as to all others, they seek nothing but war, and would not hesitate to turn their weapons against their former allies should the war end.

The Knights Theurgic

What difference is there between a blade and a spell? Between armour and a magic warding? A horse and a set of magical boots? Nothing but your own ignorance.

When you fight, you do so to win. Those who don't rapidly find themselves on the end of something extremely unpleasant. Unsurprisingly, avoiding 'anything goes' combat is something many people seek to do, as at that point, there is no limit to what people will try. This leads most knights to shun magic - but one order seeks actively to embrace it, claiming that combat is nothing but a cerebral exercise, which can be won through planning, good thinking and, of course, magical assistance.

Unlike many orders, who prioritise combat training hightly, the Knights Theurgic see it as an unnecessary dulling of the intellect. Ultimately, it is by fighting smarter, not harder, that the Knights Theurgic triumph, and their upper eschelons possess some of the greatest military minds in existence. They see magic use as a logical extension of this - after all, why waste a company of knights on something a single earthquake will solve? It is strategically unsound to waste resources performing needless actions simply because it would be considered 'cheating', after all.

However, surprisingly, the Knights Theurgic do not resort to magic to win all their battles. This would be overcommital, something cautioned against by every knight of this order. Only a fool believes that every problem can be solved in the same way, and the Knights Theurgic are not fools. Many of them seek to master additional skills in wide-ranging fields, many being philosophers, mages and similar 'cerebral' professions, while many others spend time thinking of new fighting techniques and new strategic methods, always seeking the goal of winning more efficiently and in a less predictable way.

Because of their nature, Knights Theurgic are not as skilled with the sword and lance as their colleagues in other orders. At the same time, however, nobody surprises a Knight Theurgic - they will have a backup plan, involving defeating you in six different ways, with none of them being escape-able, and if you're lucky enough to bust one, they'll know precisely how to make sure you lose anyway. It is almost impossible to outsmart a Knight Theurgic in a battle, who will fight in the exact way that you do not expect, use the weapon you least prepared for, and will understand the minute weaknesses of any fighting method in seconds. Unsurprisingly, Knights Theurgic are often extremely arrogant, seeing many people, even other knights, as idiots for not understanding something seemingly 'simple', which, in reality, is beyond most normal people's comprehension.

The Undying

What is life? What is death? What difference does it make? There is duty, and all else does not matter.

Duty is part and parcel of every knight's life - it's the only way to ensure that people who make a life out of stabbing people in the face don't suddenly decide to start doing it in stupid ways, or in ways that would cripple their superiors. However, the Undying take this far, far further. A knight of this order never truly leaves it - not even in death. Their duty to the order takes them beyond the grave, and ensures that even it does not claim them easily, with their resolve and need to fulfil their orders driving them far beyond where their bodies should go.

Absolute obedience is the catchphrase of the Undying. Every knight in this order knows that he is not merely laying down his life, but his very existence in service. The training of the Undying is designed to strengthen their bodies, but also their resolve, submitting them to tests that would be considered barbaric by many, while binding them in iron-clad strictures of behaviour which place harsh penalties upon even slight detractions. At all times, they are told that their existence is meaningless, except in service to an ideal greater than themselves.

As a result, Undying Knights simply refuse to believe themselves to be dead until they have triumphed. There are tales everywhere of Undying Knights who held a bridge or a pass for days without rest, food or water; who have charged alone into whole banks of archers, before pulling out the arrows they were shot with and stabbing the defenders with them; who have survived dives into lava; who have rent their enemies apart with their teeth after they had lost their arms and legs; and many similar stories. Where legend ends and truth begins is uncertain, but it is a known fact that an Undying Knight will simply refuse to give up when even the most desperate and determined individuals would have. In many cases, death is no release from this, as the Undying keep many necromancers on retainer to return their most skilled warriors to life. It is actually believed that their current Grand Master is over six thousand years old.

The Perfecti

Perfection is unattainable, you say? Well, does it matter? The task matters as much as the goal, and though we may never reach it, just getting close enough to see it, touch it - that would be enough for anyone.

When you're in a warzone, or even a small battle, you cannot afford to suck, as if you suck, you'll find you have a very short career indeed. As a result, professional warriors spend significant amounts of time ensuring they can be as good as they possibly can, to avoid having their life expectancy cut short (not that it helps much, but anyway). The Perfecti, however, take this one step further, claiming that nothing less than perfection in everything is acceptable. In order to succeed, they say, you must seek to make every motion, every thought, and every attack, absolutely and totally flawless.

The training that would-be Perfecti go through is meticulous beyond belief. Master Perfecti in charge of training are quite literally impossible to please, forcing countless drills because of the error of a single student, and constantly berating those under their training as being slobs, idiots and utterly incompetent time-wasters. A would-be Perfectus needs to master at least four different fighting styles, with meticulity that would shame masters, as well as be proficient in many other areas, such as languages, performance, history and as many pursuits as the Master Perfecti can dream up. For this reason, the majority of the Perfecti are actually Errant Perfecti. Those few who receive the right to be called a Perfecti are smarter than many sages, stronger than many master warriors and more skilled that most veterans. Those who reach Mastery and receive the right to teach others must be greater still, being almost unequalled in everything.

Unsurprisingly, very few survive the gruelling nature of such training, and as a result, the Perfecti are a tiny group. But even a green Errant Perfectus can turn a battle in the favour of his chosen side, while a Master can single-handedly destroy whole armies without breaking a sweat or being challenged. In combat, they perform absolutely everything with utter, inhuman perfection. Even their faces do not show any sign of fear or hesitation as they cut left, right and centre, dropping a foe with every blow, while weaving a web of steel that none can penetrate. It is the worst nightmare of almost any soldier to face a Perfectus, for they will destroy them without even breaking a sweat no matter how hard they try.

It is believed that the Perfecti become less and less mortal as they continue to train, eventually ascending to become divine beings. It is rumoured that any who become the Grand Master of their order totally shed their humanity, becoming akin to outsiders in every way, living forever. Thus, the only way to displace a Grand Master Perfectus would be by single combat - an impossible proposition for all but the most skilled and determined.

Knights of the Skull

Be afraid. Be very afraid. No, more afraid than that.

Fighting is scary. Battles are scary. Heck, just about anything in a war is scary, and there's a good reason for that. It's called self-preservation. However, fear can be overhyped, causing you to lose a battle before it even starts. By letting your fear control you, you lose the ability and confidence to fight, or, in some cases, put up any resistance at all. This is the true art of the Knights of the Skull - to make their enemies lose the battle before it even begins.

A Knight of the Skull knows that, first and foremost, that bravery is not an absence of fear - that is called stupidity. Fear exists to be conquered, or to conquer, and to a Knight of the Skull, losing to your own fears represents defeat by your own weapon, which is seen as a failure of the highest order. To this end, Knights of the Skull seek to conquer their fears, moreso than other knights, and Knights-Errant of this order regularly have their minds violated by telepathy, and are exposed to sights that would unhinge lesser men beyond all hope. Unsurprisingly, many of them are driven insane by these experiences, but this is of no consequence to this order; those who cannot conquer their fears and retain their sanity are not fit to become knights. Those that survive this are taught how to use the fear of others against them to defeat them without even drawing a blade. By the time they are recommended for the Test, Knights-Errant of the Skull can unsettle whole companies of men and terrify many opponents out of their wits.

To facilitate their intimidation abilities, Knights of the Skull often wear the bones of their enemies, as well as elaborate whole-face helmets made from skulls, from which the order derives its name. Each knight seeks to create his own brand of terror, and thus, their appearance can vary widely. However, one thing is consistent - none of these knights even remotely resembles anything like a humanoid being by the time they reach the rank of Knight. They also seek to terrify those that they fight, sapping their resolve and causing them to lose a battle before it even begins. However, a Knight of the Skull does not need these tricks to win, as they are just as capable with weapons of all sorts as their colleagues.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many Knights of the Skull develop, or begin with, abilities relating to telepathy and mental manipulation. Those that possess such abilities often reach Mastery, and are said to be almost impossible to be around, even for those that they mean no harm, due to the palpable aura of fear and revulsion that pervades them. It is also said that the Grand Masters of this order are never seen by anyone they do not intend to kill, for it is said that their mere presence can terrify men to death.

Knights of the Chronal Sphere

You have lost this battle ten times already. Do I really need to make it an eleventh?

In a stressful situation, anyone will make mistakes. Part of any combat training, but especially that of a knight, is how to avoid mistakes if possible, but also how to mitigate the mistakes that you've already made to stop them totally ruining the battle for you. However, the Knights of the Chronal Sphere believe that this is not enough, insisting that the best way to deal with mistakes is to make it so they never happened, by reversing, altering, or otherwise playing with time to ensure that they succeed and their enemies fail.

Members of the Order of the Chronal Sphere believe that time manipulation is the key to winning any battle. To this end, their training is highly theoretical, designed to teach them about time and how it can be manipulated. Almost all Knights of the Chronal Sphere possess some manner of supernatural abilities to facilitate their distortion of time, both on and off the field of battle, but unlike most users of the supernatural, they typically do not gain other abilities. However, the roteness and simplified nature of what they have to learn allows even those of relatively limited cerebral capacity. At the same time, however, Knights of the Chronal Sphere are expected to train in martial techniques as much as any other knight, with additional focus given to taking advantage of their temporal manipulative abilities.

Unsurprisingly, the Order of the Chronal Sphere are viewed as extremely unconventional by almost everyone, including other knights, who often view their unique methods of fighting as cheating. However, the Knights of the Chronal Sphere insist on making their tampering with the time stream to be invisible to those that they affect. To an outside observer, it simply appears that the knight knows what you will do before you do it, and reacts accordingly, even using information he could not possibly possess at the time. While certainly impressive, a trained viewer can see the slight shift in the world every time a knight such as this alters time in his favour. Additionally, Knights of the Chronal Sphere often appear to move faster than they should, sometimes by a very great and noticeable degree. While others may decry this style as being nothing more than magical wiles, every knight of this order knows that, were it that simple, everyone would do it too.

The Watchers of Klovis

Knowledge may be power, but information is victory.

On the field of battle, or even in the smallest skirmish, information is highly important. So highly, in fact, that people regularly have to risk their lives to obtain even the tiniest bit of useful information, and fighting forces everywhere have to be extremely careful to avoid letting even the most minor detail slip, because the person who has more information will have more guidance to how they should prepare, and thus means that their plan can be far more ironclad than their opponents, with more ability to plan for the plan going wrong. The Watchers of Klovis believe this very strongly, seeing information and its control as being vital to the success of any fight, big or small, and thus try to have as much information about everything as possible.

While calling them scholars would be inaccurate, the Watchers of Klovis certainly exhibit many of their traits, seeing knowledge and information as more valuable than gold and lives, frequently using information as bargaining chips between each other. At the same time, however, they are extremely skilled spies and informants, having been trained in persuasion, intimidation and stealth, as well as various methods of information-gathering and its use. While their training resembles than of spies or assassins more than knights on many occasions, which frequently causes the order to be accused of being dishonourable and disrespectful of everything it is to be a knight, the Watchers know that it's ultimately the accusers that will look like weak knights when their Master will lose the Duel of Equals because his opponent knew that he favoured his left hand. Additionally, in wartime, many commanders, and indeed, even other knightly orders, often use them as a source of information and intelligence, as the order is at times more effective than the finest spies.

While they do train in the methods of the assassin and the quiet kill, the Watchers are still knights, and can fight on the field of battle, where their presence is just as well-received as any other order. In direct combat, you can trust a Watcher to know precisely where to strike any given opponent to inflict the most damage, the single weak point in even the greatest warrior's style, and every bit of information there is to be had about demons. To this end, a Watcher's combat style tends to be very fluid, focusing on adaptability and circumstances more than drills and practice, and, unlike most knights, Watchers see no purpose in sticking to any manner of rules when fighting, leading to many other knightly orders accusing them of cheating. This is also not entirely true - the Watchers are not without honour, they simply understand that on occasion, it must be discarded in light of conflicting information.
[/spoiler]

The Structure of the Knightly Orders

[spoiler]Although they vary widely by philosophy, and frequently name these ranks differently, the knightly orders nearly always ascribe to a structure very similar to the one described here.

Grand Master

At the top of a knightly order sits the Grand Master, a venerable knight, veteran of many battles, and often widely respected for his achievements both on the field of battle and off it. It is common for this position to be held by only a single knight, although some orders believe a council of such individuals to be better. Regardless, the position of a Grand Master is nearly always for life, but at the same time, any knight that can defeat a Grand Master can become one. While an incredibly daunting task for many, it ensures that Grand Masters must keep their skills sharp, thus ensuring that the order receives strong and effective leadership.

Grand Masters rarely take to war, but when they do, they are a potent symbol of the order's power on the battlefield. If a Grand Master becomes involved, it is likely that the very survival of the order is at stake, and even the lowliest Man-At-Arms will fight all the harder if they know that their Grand Masters are among them.

Master

After a certain time in any order, a knight becomes eligible for Mastery, which is typically a test of great difficulty, even compared to the Test of Knighthood. Each order possesses different test, but they all share one thing in common: those who fail usually don't survive. As a result, the number of Masters is small, but they gain one of the greatest privileges of being in an order: the right to teach those would would join it.

Because of this, Masters tend to be highly individualistic, frequently broadly interpreting (or re-interpreting) the philosophy and methods of their orders in a way that would not be permitted to ordinary knights. However, the Test of Mastery is designed to indicate that the candidate is following the philosophy and methods of the order, and has not waivered from them. Thus, those that truly would muddy the teachings of the order are weeded out in the most final way possible, leaving only the best examples to pass on the teachings of the order to the next generation of knights, tempered with experience outside the fortresses of the order to lead the order to greater heights.

Usually, there is a small number of Masters, not exceeding twenty, unless the order in question is extremely large. It is the opinion of all order members (including Masters themselves) that a smaller number of better Masters is significantly better than a larger number of inferior Masters. Additionally, when two orders run afoul of each other, it is traditional to attempt to settle the problem by the Duel of Equals, which is nearly always dealt to by Masters. There is no greater honour for a Master than defeating the Master of another order in single combat.

Knight

Those Knights-Errant deemed sufficiently well-trained and well-versed in the wisdom of the order are typically recommended by the Master in charge of their training for the Test of Knighthood. These tests only take place a few times each year, during occasions deemed important to the order's history. The Test is highly specific to the order in question, but is usually not fatal, although those that fail will frequently be scarred, either physically or mentally, and it is considered greatly disrespectful to one's Master to fail a Test, leading to much derision of Knights-Errant who fail. However, those that pass this Test gain the right to be called Knights, and become proper members of the order.

The majority of the order proper is comprised of knights, with some exceptions. These are capable warriors, serving the order in whatever capacity the order sees fit. At the same time, knights are expected to continue to maintain the highest standards, not to fail to practice their weapons and other skills which the order deems important, as well as to uphold the tenets of their order. Those that fail at this can have their knighthood stripped from them - a fate which every knight dreads, as Masters are loath to recommend such 'backsliders' to the Test. Due to this, there is significant competition among individual knights, which is encouraged by their orders to ensure that all remain skilled and vigilant.

When an order marches to war, knights usually form the majority of its fighting troops, with assistance provided by the Men-At-Arms. A single knight is normally chosen to lead the expedition (or defence, as the case may be) from his peers, though in particularly large and significant conflicts, a Master or even a Grand Master may lead. The number of knights in the field and back at the order's fortresses is split roughly halfway, unless circumstances dictate otherwise.

Each knight receives certain privileges from his order, depending on the nature of the order that he joined. This often includes, but is not limited to, the right to live in their own rooms, rather than the order barracks, the right to servants, access to the order's best weapons and training manuals, and quite frequently a continent of Men-At-Arms under his command. However, there are multiple other benefits across orders, such as access to magical libraries, great items of power, or even a form of training unavailable to Knights-Errant, as well as many others.

Due to the lethality and difficulty of the test for Mastery, very few knights ever go above this rank. As a result, knights who have served more than a certain number of years (usually ten, but this varies) are called Veteran Knights, and are frequently deferred to. However, this rank is rarely, if ever, formalised, being more of an honorific, with any benefits gained from it being largely out of respect rather than structure.

Knight-Errant

Those who wish to join a knightly order proper (rather than becoming one of its Men-At-Arms) must begin at this rank. These would-be knights come from all manner of backgrounds; some are the younger and unruly sons of wealthy individuals, others see something in common with the order that they are joining, while others are too poor to have anything to lose. Orders typically hold Trials to determine who joins and who doesn't, but an individual who is wealthy or powerful enough can often use his power or influence to ensure that someone is accepted into this rank without a Trial. Those that go in through a Trial are frequently called 'honest men', while the names thrown at those who get in without a Trial are best not described here.

The life of a Knight-Errant is ultimately one of endless work. It is the opinion of many orders that it is better to be too strict than too lax with Knights-Errant, and many orders submit their Knights-Errant to things that even the most cruel wizard would not demand of his apprentices. Even if they join a (relatively) humane order, 'character building' by the Masters they are assigned to often involves tasks even servants would not find tolerable for long. Additionally, the conditions that Knights-Errant have to live under tend to be rather simple, to the point of discomfort not being uncommon: they tend to have to reside at large communal barracks, eat their meals communally, and possessing very little time that is not spent studying or training. While some orders do give days off, these tend to be rare, and nearby towns learn to dread those days, as Knights-Errant tend to have significant frustrations to vent.

How long one must remain a Knight-Errant is entirely down to their supervising Master, which means that, while some Knights-Errant remain such for a relatively short time, while others spend many years, and a few never ascend at all. This can often cause a lot of bad blood between Knights-Errant, and Masters must keep discipline extremely tight to avoid full-scale brawls breaking out.

Knights-Errant rarely go out to war, except in fairly rare cases, usually involving the order's survival being at stake.

Men-At-Arms

Not everyone has what it takes to be a knight. However, at the same time,the orders do not only require knights, as there are many things, both on and off the battlefield, that knights are unsuited to. This is the job of the Man-At-Arms - part foot soldier, part messenger, part militaman, part everything else. These are the workhorses of the order, typically unseen and unrecognised, but vital all the same.

Becoming a Man-At-Arms is usually fairly simple - orders always need more. The only conditions tend to be having to wear a livery, living in an order fortress and undergoing simple military training. The majority of Men-At-Arms actually never get to see combat at all, being used in rear-eschelon work such as supplies, communication and tending to the steeds of the knights. However, each one knows that there may come a time for them to lay down their lives for the order, even though they are not really a part of it as such.

In terms of training, Men-At-Arms are as good as the average town militia, with some being more skilled, and a rare few being equal to the knights they serve. Those who show particular talent in things martial are sometimes put through a Trial, but this is considered uncommon. However, where they excel tends to be equipment, as Men-At-Arms are frequently much better-equipped than a town militia. Additionally, their discipline, reinforced with simplified order principles, means that they will fight on for much longer than most militias would.

Generally speaking, Men-At-Arms are seen by most of the orders that they serve as being servants, who frequently treat them as such. While they have relatively little respect, belonging to an order, even this indirectly, has substantial benefits: the Men-At-Arms know that their families are safe within a fortress, and they are paid far better than they could doing many other jobs, with reasonably good living conditions. However, even this does not prove enough of an incentive for many, which is why there is a constant need for more Men-At-Arms in every order.[/spoiler]

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Sohala

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Re: Organization Thread
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2010, 03:46:37 AM »
"You think I'm talking about breaking the rules?"
"No I'm just trying to figure out how far you want them bent."
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