To Carry Honor
There are many ways in which a knight may choose to display their hard-earned honors. Some bear them proudly as medals upon their breastplate, polished to a gleaming shine, a testament to their valor. Others enshrine their triumphs within the grand halls of their ancestral estates, where banners, trophies, and gilded plaques tell the tale of their deeds to those who walk among the relics of glory.
Yet for the Knight Errant, who treads the winding roads of destiny with no fixed home, such honors are burdens too great to carry. Ever questing, ever seeking, they leave behind the weight of medals and trophies, storing them in trusted vaults or forsaking them altogether. Instead, they become the living record of their own legend, inscribing their victories upon their very skin. Scars earned in battle speak of the trials they have endured, while intricate tattoos and brands mark great deeds in ink and fire, transforming their flesh into a chronicle of service to the realm.
Thus, whether through steel and cloth, stone and parchment, or the very canvas of their being, knights ensure that their legacy will not be forgotten. For in the end, it is not merely the recognition of a kingdom that matters, but the indelible proof that they stood, they fought, and they prevailed.
Sir Beringer's Service
- The red lion on a white shield is a honor given to those that have shown courage in battle. This is the first honor awarded to Beringer.
- A red and black cross on a white field is awarded to those that have suffered multiple wounds in a single action. Sometimes depicted with a dark maiden it symbolizes having been passed over by death Beringer earned this honor on his second action at he age of 15. While on patrol along the eastern border his company was met by a band of orks and in the battle Beringer took an arrow to the leg and and axe in the shoulder.
- An armored or black hand over an ivory field is awarded to those that have taken a high ranking hostage. Beringer was hesitant at first to get this tattoo but at the celebration following his capture of Elizaveta Golitsyn a barrel of ale was all it took to convince him. Elizaveta laughed the first time she saw it.
- A white dove on a blue field is awarded to those that have served with great merit in peacetimes. Beringer earned this award during the year of non-aggression set in motion by his capture of Elizaveta.
- When a warrior personally defends his sworn lord in battle they are awarded a quartered shield in the lords house colors. After a band of orks poured into House Amadis' lands, Count Amadis along with his sons rode out to hunt them down. In the following action Beringer blocked multiple arrows, a spear and two axes aimed at the Count.
- A bleeding or bandaged fist is awarded to those that have suffered the loss of limb in battle. In the first charge at Golitsyn's Gate a war slave armed with a large axe killed Beringer's war horse and took half of his left foot. The same axe split Beringer's shield and took two of his fingers. If not for a fast acting cleric near by Beringer would have been forced to fall back or bleed out.
- For those that have survived near mortal wounds a crow perched on a shield or helm is awarded. This symbolizes that death is patient and waiting. Beringer bears this mark with grief and shame the constant reminder of what victory at Golitsyn's Gate cost him. Those that carry this mark are often seen as missing a piece of themselves. Some would say that Elizaveta took a piece of Beringer with her when she died.
- A bronze disk or star is awarded to those that have displayed exemplary service. Beringer's actions in breaking the enemy lines at Golitsyn's Gate earned him a bronze disk.
- When a warrior gains his knighthood he is awarded a crest of the liege that knights him. At the conclusion of the Golitsyn War Beringer earned his knighthood, Duke Allaric personally awarded Beringer the honor.
- Three houses surrounded by a wall or shield is awarded to those that have taken part in the defense of the border from foreign invaders. This was Beringer's first award he earned after traveling west. He earned it when he and a company of adventurers fought of a horde of Quazak that threatened the western frontier.
- Most service members track their length of service with one diagonal stripe for every two years. Beringer has a shield crest with 5 service stripes between his shoulder blades. soon it will be time for a sixth stripe.
- A crest of a burning fortress or temple is awarded to those that have sacked an enemy fortress or temple. Beringer has three of these each in a different style. One for Golitsyn's Gate, the Hextorite temple on the western border and the Yuan-Ti temple underground. He's debated adding one for the Urdlin cult but doesn't feel like he did enough in that action to bear the award.
- A up thrust lance is awarded to those who have taken first place in the joust tournament. Beringer’s includes a griffon feather.
- A shield bearing the heraldry of the defended city is awarded to those who have successfully defended the city from an enemy attack.
- A wind rose set on a shield is awarded to those that have earned the Protector of the Border title. The wind rose will point in the direction of the border that they have guarded. Beringer has one for both the east and west border. Part of him wonders if he can earn north and south someday.
To Carry Grief
The burden of honor is often balanced by grief, Beringer bears the weight of many lost friends and battle brothers.
- The tattoo on Beringer's right pectoral depicts The First Toast to the Dead a Dominion custom of honoring the fallen. This commemorates Elizaveta and honors her loss. It sits next to the scar that she left on his heart.
- Set on Beringer's left pectoral are three roses growing out of a tome listing many of those who died in the Golitsyn war, Countess Anna first amonst them.
A Brothers Bond
- Beringer has earned the honor to call Thranduil Stormarrow pack brother. To mark this Thranduil tattooed the mark of his clan in magic ink on Beringer's forearm.
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