Knight of the Flying Hunt

“Yes, the glass armor and the pegasus are impressive; but it’s what I do with them that keeps Nimbral safe from the likes of you.”

—Baltir Merivolst, Knight Commander

Fireside tales of noble knights astride graceful winged horses, wearing armor of glass, have enchanted listeners across Faerûn for years. All who hear of such breathtaking imagery are fascinated with thoughts of donning their own suit of magic armor, climbing atop a snowy white pegasus, and taking to the skies in defense of goodness. The tories are a pale imitation of the true glory of the Knights of the Flying Hunt. Defenders of Nimbral, protectors of the island realm’s quiet, simple folk, noble soldiers answering to the powerful but mysterious Nimbral Lords—the Knights of the Flying Hunt epitomize valor and grace in word, deed, and bearing.

Becoming a Knight of the Flying Hunt

Most characters become a Knight of the Flying Hunt after taking at least seven levels in fighter or ranger. A few clerics or paladins manage to master the prerequisites necessary to join the ranks, but they are rare because of their religious affiliations, something that the folk of Nimbral frown upon. Few other core classes obtain the military raining necessary to qualify.

Playing a Knight of the Flying Hunt

You’re all about honor and duty to the people of Nimbral, and you have dedicated your life to defending them from the dangers of the wider world. You are noble and perhaps a bit arrogant, but that’s all right; you’re a member of one of the most elite organizations in all of Faerûn. Your fellow knights are like brothers to you, and you’d give your life to save one, but then you could say the same about a Nimbrese citizen, too.

You serve the Nimbral Lords and respect their commands because you’ve seen the wisdom in their actions time and time again. You support the Nimbral Heralds by enforcing their laws and edicts, and you respect the opinions of those Knights who have been serving for longer than you. They all speak from experience, and you value that experience and in turn pass it on to the newer members.

COMBAT

Your armor and your mount are as much a part of you as your arms and legs. Without them, you feel naked, incomplete. With them, you feel like you own the skies over Nimbral, and that nothing can stop you from defending its forests from monstrous beasts or evil antagonists. With the special talents that come from being a member of this class, you take the fi ght straight to your enemies, relying on your superior riding ability and skill at arms to overwhelm your opponents.

If you face a foe that seems more than a match for you individually, you call in the reinforcements to help you out. With your companions joining in the fi ght, the group will take full advantage of a combination of fl anking attacks and fl yby charges to deal serious pain to enemies. When necessary, you can dismount to engage in hand-to-hand combat with foes, but you prefer the advantages you gain from fi ghting in the saddle.

ADVANCEMENT

Many want to become Knights of the Flying Hunt, but few are permitted the honor. In addition to necessarily being a citizen of Nimbral, you must exhibit a keen sense of military cunning, demonstrating skill at arms as well as battlefi eld tactics. While not strictly required, you are more likely to be chosen to join if you have traveled away from Nimbral for a time, seeing the wider world and learning a bit of its ways. Through this travel, you not only learn what dangers lurk on distant shores that might arrive on your own, but you also determine how you measure up in combat.

You spend your days serving in the Knights, taking your turn at watch and keeping an eye on the entire island realm along with your companions. When you fi rst start out, you learn to trust the guidance and wisdom of the older, more experienced Knights, and your service might be limited to smaller dangers such as eliminating a wild beast that has wandered too far out of the forest. After you get some seasoning of your own, you instinctively know how formidable your enemies can be and are not hesitant to call in reinforcements. You train with your brothers in arms in the skies above your lands, swooping through the mountain peaks and high valleys as you master maneuvers unique to aerial combat. When you are at rest, you enjoy spending time in your own home, which can start out as merely a humble house but should grow in time into a great castle with beholden farms surrounding it.

As you continue to serve with the Knights, your deeds and brave exploits are likely to catch the eyes of the Nimbral Lords, who will eventually grant your armor and weapons extra powers. This is always considered a great honor in addition to a boon to combat, and Knights who have been in service for many years sometimes wear armor with powerful and varied enchantments.

You know that if you serve long and faithfully, the Nimbral Lords will see fi t to grant you similar benefi ts.

RESOURCES

In addition to the obvious equipment you receive upon joining the group—your special armor and your loyal steed—you’ll defi nitely be able to acquire other items as a member of the Knights. An exotic military saddle is not only necessary, but worthwhile. Beyond your gear, being a member of the Knights of the Flying Hunt means you have the support and assistance of all the rest of the members in your endeavors. And, if you are wounded or suffer other mysterious or magical maladies in defense of Nimbral and its folk, healing and restorative magic are available to you at any time without cost.

Knights of the Flying Hunt in the World

“Thank the gods the Knights guard our shores. Otherwise, we would all be slaves at some Calishite pasha’s oasis by now.”
—Felmirgo Lasperk, Nimbrese merchant

The Knights of the Flying Hunt are one of the iconic images of Faerûn. Whether you are running a campaign based on or near Nimbral or not, the mystery and excitement of having such a prestigious group of individuals appear in the midst of your characters’ activities is a unmatched. The Knights can be an unexpected boon in a diffi cult situation anywhere in Faerûn. Conversely, if the characters are becoming tainted in matters they should not—particularly pirating and/or slavery—an appearance by the Knights with a thoughtful warning may be in order. If you choose to steer your campaign in the direction of Nimbral itself, no visit to the island realm would be complete without an encounter with the famed Knights of the Flying Hunt.

DAILY LIFE

The daily life a Knight of the Flying Hunt is divided between obligations to the defense of the island and obligations to his homestead. Every knight is expected to serve on a standard patrol that covers a limited area near his home every other day. (A patrol consists of three to six Knights working one of three time slots—morning, late afternoon, and night.) In addition, a knight is expected to join a larger Hunt consisting of up to forty Knights that sweeps out over the entire island and the coastal waters surrounding it.

When a Knight of the Flying Hunt is not on duty, he is most likely managing his estate. A Knight is expected to establish a dwelling befi tting his station, a structure in keeping with his level of stature among the citizens (and providing them with acceptable protection from forest predators). At low levels, he might have an estate that’s nothing more than a modest manor house, but by the time he reaches senior status, anything less than an impressive walled fortress is considered beneath him. Once he has constructed such an abode, the Knight is often found there, tending to the issues that need his regular attention. Such concerns include providing protection to the tenants who farm the land around his abode, maintaining the physical structures of both his own castle and that of the community based around it, settling disputes between locals, and collecting a portion of their crops for his storerooms. When a Knight is away (either on patrol or for a more extended time on personal matters), he employs a host of assistants and servants to take care of the majority of such matters.

Beyond serving as a defense force for the realm at large and as a protector of his personal demesne, a Knight serves as a peacekeeper and an enforcer of the laws on behalf of the Nimbral Lords as well as the Nimbral Heralds—the mouthpieces of the Nimbral Lords, who deliver warnings and guidance pertaining to Nimbrese laws, issue judgments, and determine the truth of disputes.

NOTABLES

Perhaps one of the boldest and most well known (relatively speaking) Knights of the Flying Hunt is Baltir Merivolst, a Commander Knight who led the expedition to the Nelanther Isles to deal with a horde of pirate ships in the Year of the Shield (1367 DR). Little beyond his name is even rumored to be known beyond Nimbral’s own shores, but within the Summer Land, he is revered as a fearless yet sensible soldier, a true leader of men. His battle prowess is legendary even among the other Knights, and his armor is said to bear more enchantments than that of any other Knight in service. Despite his formidable nature, Baltir often takes newly accepted novices under his proverbial wing to teach them both skills and patience and to coax the very best out of them. He understands that the future security of the Knights as an organization is dependent upon maintaining the high level of quality of training he himself has known during his rise.

ORGANIZATION

The Knights of the Flying Hunt operate in a very informal way, recognizing leadership qualities through action and experience rather than defi nitive rank. The Knights maintain three ranks: Commander, Knight, and novice. Commanders lead patrols and hunts by virtue of experience, but they wield power very much as “fi rst among equals” rather than brook-no-disobedience authority fi gures. Onlookers can immediately identify novices by their nonglowing “practice suits” of armor, but Commanders wear neither special badge nor identifi cation. It is the Nimbral Lords who decide matters of promotion, and they do so by virtue of the enchantments placed upon the Knights’ armor.

As in almost any organization, rivalries exist among the Knights. Certain individuals might simply not get along with others, or one might not enjoy another Knight’s personality or opinions—but seldom does this sort of contention grow into true animosity or confl ict. Once in a while, two neighboring Knights might compete over lands or markets for their farms’ crops, but such confl icts are usually resolved peacefully. More often than not, patrols are arranged so that the antagonists rarely meet. Only occasionally do individual Knights carry their rivalry further than a few choice comments.

NPC REACTIONS

Witnessing a Flying Hunt is such a rare and wondrous event that few people know how to react when they are privileged enough to see one. Most fi nd the experience awe-inspiring and a bit unnerving. Those who have heard the tales of the Knights of Nimbral and recognize the truth in the sight either cheer mightily (if of decent character) or run for cover (if they have reason to believe the Knights are there to visit destruction upon them). Few react with indifference.

The Knights have no true foes, though many Calimshan-based slavers might beg to differ. Because of the unyielding attitudes and staunch defense of the Nimbran coastline against predatory ships, pirates and slavers hold a special animosity toward the Knights and, indeed, all of Nimbral. Regardless of this hatred, wise ship captains steer clear of the Summer Land, because they know how formidable the Knights can be when roused.

KNIGHTS OF THE FLYING HUNT LORE

On mainland Faerûn, characters with Gather Information or Knowledge (nobility and royalty) can research the Knights of the Flying Hunt to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs (some of which is presented as false rumors initially and disproved later).

DC 10: The Knights of the Flying Hunt are pegasus-riding, glass-armor wearing offspring of fell women and hags who dwell on a misty isle far beyond the jungles of Chult.

DC 15: The Knights of the Flying Hunt are noble lords who defend their island realm of Nimbral from all comers; they answer in turn to the strange and mysterious Nimbral Lords, powerful but insane wizards constantly under the sway of illusions.

DC 20: The Knights of the Flying Hunt are actually a peaceful group that protects the folk of Nimbral from pirates and slavers. Folk are welcome to visit Nimbral so long as they are willing to obey the laws of the land. The Nimbrese are descendants of Halruaans who left that country many years ago on skyships.

DC 30: The Knights of the Flying Hunt, led by a fi erce and proud Commander named Baltir Merivolst, attacked and destroyed numerous slaving and pirate ships in the Nelanther isles several years ago in retaliation for incursions into Nimbral’s waters.