Knightly vows
Till my dying breath shall I endeavor to protect the Kingdom, to keep it untainted by evil, to destroy those that would threaten its sovereignty.— Excerpt from the Knight's Troth
In addition to their lifelong Troth each knight must, over the course of their lives, swear
knightly vows to pledge their efforts to some cause or another. Typically, vows can be fulfilled or abandoned, but some rare vows are taken for life and fulfilled only upon death.
Fulfilling a vow brings honor to oneself, but a new vow must always be taken afterwards. Making daring, challening, selfless or otherwise sound vows can be an honor in itself. Should a vow be failed or abandoned, however, the knight must suffer disgrace and redeem themselves by completing a new vow.
There are a certain set of vows that a knight can take. They are divided into
personal vows and
offered vows. As the naming suggests, offered vows cannot be sworn without the opportunity being first offered to you by some authority. Most of these are considered to be completed at some pre-determined point, and afterwards a new vow is to be sworn. Some vows can be lifelong, and abandoning them can thus be a dishonorable thing to do.
Offered vows
- Vow of Rule: Sworn by princes and princesses when they inherit the Summer Throne. Offered by the retiring monarch or by the Council of the Round Table in a monarch's absence.
- Vow of Serfdom: Sworn by governors of fiefdoms when they come into the ownership of their lands. Offered by their liege.
- Vow of Family: Sworn by nobles when they are permitted to stay at home in service of their family, essentialy freeing them of the honorbound obligation to make a name for themselves and prove their worth as a knight. Offered by a relative. Used for various purposes, e.g. to preserve the honor of nobles with disabilities that make them unable to enter the society at large independently, or by nobles that wish to devote their years to taking care of their old relatives.
- Vow of Protection: Sworn by nobles that enter military service, usually by being admitted into a military academy as a cadet. Offered by the military academy in question.
- Vow of Knowledge: Sworn by nobles that enter the Royal University of Caernarfon as freshmen or any of the colleges of magic in the realm as novices. Offered by the academic institution in question.
- Vow of Piety: Sworn by nobles that enter the service of a religious organization such as a temple or monastery in order to become a cleric or a paladin. Offered by the organization in question.
- Vow of Fealty: Sworn when a knight dedicates their life to the service of another noble, e.g. as a bodyguard, castellan or advisor. Offered by the noble that is to be served by the other noble. Knights that swear this vow are known as landed knights.
- Vow of Tutelage: Sworn by a noble when they enter the tutelage of a senior noble, i.e. as a squire, apprentice or ward. Offered by the tutor.
- Vow of the Kingsguard: Sworn when a knight is admitted into the prestigious order of the Kingsguard. Offered by the reigning monarch. Taken for life; cannot be abandoned.
- Vow of Chivalry: Sworn when a knight is admitted into any of the several knightly orders of Caraegwyn other than the Kingsguard. Offered by the head of the knightly order in question.
Personal vows
- Vow of Errantry: Sworn by knights that wish to travel the realm in search of knightly errands or quests, proving themselves through honorable deeds. Knights that swear this vow are known as errant knights.
- Vow of Service: Sworn by knights that wish to pledge themselves into the service of any party that is not another noble such as a commercial enterprise.
- Vow of Endeavor: Sworn by knights that wish to declare their devotion to accomplising some specific task such as slaying a terrible monster or apprehending a wanted criminal.
- Vow of Ardor: Sworn by knights that wish to devote their lives to the direct and personal service of a deity, i.e. without entering the service of a religious organization. Cannot be abandoned without exceptionally great dishonor.
Life without vows
Knights without vows are known as
hedge knights, and they are beholden only to themselves and to the Troth. This is considered a dishonorable and miserable life by most of Caraegweni nobility.
Knightly virtues
When the clarion call is sounded I will ride and fight in the name of liege and land.— Excerpt from the Knight's Troth
Perhaps the most central philosophy of the Code of Chivalry are the Twelve Knightly Virtues -- lofty ideals of personal characteristics that describe the exemplary knight in shining armor.
As an ancient tradition, the Kingsguard -- the most prestigious knightly order in the Summer Kingdom -- names each of its eight members a paragon of some particular knightly virtue.
The twelve knightly virtues are:
- Duty: A knight is always filled with a sense of obligation, for the service to his or her liege is the driving force of their very existence.
- Courage: A knight must have the strength of heart necessary to undertake tasks which are difficult, painful, tedious or unglamorous, and to overcome their personal fears.
- Justice: A knight holds themself to the highest standard and knows that bending the law weakens the very fabric of society.
- Mercy: A knight exercises mercy in their dealings with others, creating a sense of peace rather than engendering hostility.
- Generosity: Sharing what’s valuable in life means not just giving away material goods, but also time, attention, wisdom and energy.
- Integrity: A knight is always faithful to their promises, no matter how big or small they may be.
- Nobility: Nobility conveys the importance of upholding one’s convictions at all times, especially when no one else is watching.
- Resolve: Hope is present every day in a knight’s outlook and demeanor, shielding them from harm and inspiring those around them.
- Wisdom: A wise knight applies their knowledge and takes creative and courageous action to solve problems, create opportunities, and increase the well-being of all.
- Patience: A knight must possess the patience required to perservere in the face of delay, tolerate provocation without responding in anger and exhibit forbearance when under strain.
- Audacity: At times a knight must be willing to take risks and to accept the sacrifices involved.
- Ferocity: In the face of greatest adversity, fierceness and righteous wrath can be the most powerful of allies as long as they are tempered with discipline.
Knightly titles
Service is our privilege. Honor is the reward. Chivalry is all. My life for the realm.— Excerpt from the Knight's Troth
Liege lords have the authority to bestow
knightly titles upon the members of their vassal houses. These are honorifics that function as a reward for some single great deed or perhaps a lifetime of chivalry. Knightly titles are meant to be unique in the sense that only one living person can carry the same title at any time.
Most knightly titles are personally chosen for the knight in question to represent their personal accomplishments. The final decision is made by their liege but the choice might be influenced by other nobles or, perhaps, by some unofficial moniker the knight already bears, given to them by the common folk who witnessed the heroic deed in question.
Personal titles can be such as the following:
- Adamant: Given to Serah Marian Thorne of the Kingsguard after the Battle of Wolfwood for displaying bravery and valor in the face of defeat.
- Flamebane: Given to Serah Anne Ravencrest for her efforts during the Fire of Norhall in which she lead the emergency efforts and continuously sacrificed her well-being to save others.
- Duskbringer: Given to Arl Gahaeris Aodhain for bringing a swift and grim end to a bandit problem with a night time ambush.
There are some traditional titles that are used repeatedly in the nation's history, such as that of the
White Knight. These traditional titles are well-established in Caraegweni culture and even the lowliest peasant knows for what deeds they are awarded for. Such famous titles are the following:
- White Knight: Awarded rarely and only to the most shiny examples of chivalric virtue; the White Knight is well-loved by his liege, his peers and his subjects; adheres to each virtue of the Code of Chivalry; and boasts a long list of heroic accomplishments.
- Black Knight: The only knightly title that is not a reward but a punishment, the Black Knight is the absolute opposite of the White Knight, an evil and irredeemable villain that threatens the very realm. Rarely named, Black Knights automatically become enemies of the entire nation, being hunted by any knights wanting to perform a great deed by slaying or capturing the Black Knight.
- Green Knight: Awarded for performing mighty deeds in defense of the common folk against unforeseen but nonetheless terrible threats, often in the form of invasions by monsters, wild fey, undead, or some other such inhuman foe.
- Blood of the Gryphon: Given to scions of House Griffin that have been chosen to wield the fabled Gryphonheart Blade.
- Silver Hawk: Given by the arl of House Blackwood to a member of their family in recognition of greatness. Many other noble houses view this title as petty self aggrandizing, but any Blackwood would tell you that the mere existence of the title puts tremendous pressure on members of the family to constantly strive to prove themselves by over accomplish in all aspects of their lives.
- Lion of the East: Given to knights from Estregales for "exceptional deeds that demonstrate the virtuosity of one's noble heart." One of the rarest and most prestigious knightly titles despite being so broadly defined.
- Red Swan: A grim title that harkens to the ancient Caraegweni omen of war, the bloodspattered Red Swan, thought to appear when sent by the goddess Alar to warn the nation of coming strife. Given to great war heroes that have personally participated in numerous battles.
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Author's Notes
Bullet Points: The Article. Shout out to Chivalry Today for their article on the Seven Knightly Virtues which I shamelessly made use of.