Knight of the Weave

“I once saw a Knight of the Weave teleport alone into a Cult of the Dragon stronghold. When we arrived an hour later, the cultists were nothing but spellfire-burned ash, and the knight was already halfway across Faerûn investigating rumors of a Shadow Mage. I’ve never seen one of our paladins do anything like that.”

—Toromil the Brightflame, arcane devotee of Mystra

Knights of the Weave have a long reach but lack the overt power to destroy their enemies outright. This means they must take a more strategic role or use small-scale forays to accomplish their goals. This makes them perfect for adventuring parties, either as PCs, cohorts, or potential employers. They can’t topple the Zhentarim or the Red Wizards on their own, but they know a lot and (at higher levels) are very mobile through the use of teleportation magic, making them a great resource for explaining the back story of an adventure, pointing the PCs in the right direction, or showing up just when the PCs need them most. Their focus on combat and arcane spells make them similar to a paladin but without the religious trappings, and their ability to cast spells in armor is an intriguing choice for a player wanting to play a battle mage (and is willing to sacrifice versatility and higher-level spells for the fun of getting their hands dirty).

DAILY LIFE

On a day-to-day basis a knight is searching for threats to the Weave, lost magic he can discover, lore to learn, and receptive minds to teach about respecting the Weave. Many knights are loners and are often mistaken for paladins (which can be confusing when one insists he can’t cure diseases but can break curses) and engage in paladinlike ctivities when they sense the Weave wants them to do so. Knights can be leaders, but most of them lead by example rather than by giving orders. They respect considerate spellcasters, and knights in leadership positions tend to quickly earn the loyalty of any spellcasters in the area for their attentiveness and honest desire to hear a qualified opinion.

ORGANIZATION

The knights have no official leader, but the most experienced knight alive today is Janos the Lichbreaker, mentor to at least three other knights. He is greatly respected for his knowledge, power, and ability to teach others about their path. Janos is very concerned about the Shadow Weave, and in particular the activities of the residents of Shade. He spends most of his time in the lands near Anauroch, digging for news of their activities and hoping against hope that none of the shades are planning to revive ancient Netherese spellcasting secrets that might damage or disrupt the Weave in some way. He doesn’t force his agenda on others but welcomes help when it is offered, and usually at least one knight assists him at any particular time.

The knights do not have any official ranks, though they observe each other’s progress and comment when one of them demonstrates a new ability. Fast metamagic, spellfi re, heavier armor, and teleporting are benchmarks of the knighthood, and the knights are developing an informal series of nicknames (often subtly humorous) that can eventually become a series of recognized titles if the knighthood grows large enough to merit such distinctions. For example, a knight seen rapidly casting spells silently might earn the nickname “Spellwhisper,” and someday “Spellwhisper” could become be a title in the organization, especially if the original Spellwhisper makes a good name for himself among the others.

An unusual friendly rivalry exists between the paladins of magic (serving Azuth and Mystra) and the knights. Some of the paladins are slightly offended that the knights focus on the Weave rather than the goddess and make a point of demonstrating their advantages compared to the knights (such as being able to smite evil). The knights respond by pointing out that they acknowledge Mystra’s ties to the Weave—they are the one and the same, after all—but they focus on the part they can touch; they then show off their own power with a dazzling display of powerful magic and spellfire, a feat no paladin can match.

The knights don’t have any serious rivalries within their organization, since they recognize that different opinions (like spells of different schools of magic) are natural, and while they may oppose each other at times, these differences are not worth fighting about. For example, the knights think the rivalries between the various Thayan wizard factions are absurd and a waste of time, but are glad those rivalries keep the Red Wizards from spending all their efforts outside Thay. This is not to say that the knights don’t argue, but they’re usually happy to let a matter drop and go their separate ways, expecting not to see their verbal sparring partner for a year or more.