T here was a merry spellslinger,
a knight , a peregriner :
they have a gilded mare
to wander with, and had in her
a load of yellow oranges
and porridge for his provender;
he perfumed her with marjoram
and cardamom and lavender.
He called the winds of Harris
with Ifnia in to carry him
across the lands corridor
that lay between to tarry him.
He traveled all in loneliness
where stonily the sands on
the laughing queens sea
goes merrily for ever on.
He journeyed then through meadow-lands
to Shadow-land that dreary lay,
and under hill and over hill
went roving still a weary way.
He sat and sang a melody,
his errantry a-tarrying;
he begged a pretty fey
that fluttered by to marry him.
She scorned him and she scoffed at him,
she laughed at him unpitying;
so long he studied wizardry
and chivalry and smithying.
He wove a song sorrowfully
to call her in; to follow her
he fought beasts of air and wing
and made wings of feather and hair.
He called her in bewilderment
with magic of fire and life;
He made her soft pavilions
of lilies, and a bridal bed
of flowers and of thistle-down
to nestle down and rest her in;
and silver chains he dressed her in.
He threaded gems and necklaces,
but hatefully she squandered them
and fell to bitter quarrelling;
then sorrowing he wandered on,
and there he left her scornfully.
He passed the meadows
where large grows the fauna,
where countless silver springs are,
and mountains are of old souls.
He took to war and foraying,
a harrying beyond the sea,
and roaming over Sands
and Kings and Deep.
He made a shield and helm
of Wood and of Mithril,
a sword he made of Glass,
and terrible his rivalry
with elven-knights of Räehal
and Faerie, with paladins
that golden-haired and shining-eyed
came riding by and challenged him.
Of silver was his armor,
his scabbard of chalcedony;
his spear was hewn of ebony.
and went and fought the beasts
of the wastes, and vanquished them.
He battled with the giants,
the rift folk, and traitors,
and won the princess affection;
and running home on southern seas
in ship of metal and magic
with Aether for a sail,
he sat and sang,
and burnished up his panoply.
He waited for a little while
and found there naught but blowing grass.
there was no waiting love for him
he took, and turned, and coming home with
silver strand, to memory
his name came, and errand.
So now he must depart again
and start again his mare,
for ever still a spellslinger,
a knight, a peregriner.
THere goes the knight-mage
on his erantry.
The order of the Knights Magi has a tradition among the young squires it takes on in its ranks. Upon hitting their fourth year of training in the arcane arts of whatever knight master they are sworn to. The young knights must then leave their home and set out on their erantry, similar to how traditional knights of the realm do, but the difference is that a knight-magi must complete certain tasks before they are admitted to the prestigious ranks. They are armed only with a war wand with a few charges a blade and armor and a few days rations and coin.
They are expected to earn room and board by doing tasks for noble and Villeins alike, no deed is too small or too large for a knight magi. In fact, it is said that a knight mage cannot turn down any task given to them unless it would lead to certain death or harm another in some unjust cause.
A young knight mage must complete four tasks at least on their errantry.
They must defeat a monster of some kind, whether it be the great manticore or a giant looking to make them a snack, this defeat does not have to be physical as the knight mage's mind is one of its greatest weapons.
The second task is a knight mage must make a fair maiden or sir fall in love with them, this is important as knight magi are expected to be able to soothe any situation and win over hearts and minds.
The third task of a knight mage is to travel to a far away land and learn its customs and how it world works in this realm or the next.
The final task a knight mage must be, is to beat an opponent who is unjust or cruel without the use of magic, this is to prove the knight can handle themselves in all situations.
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