Silver Gauntlet
The restless dead plague many parts of Kytheria and for many different reasons. The Silver Gauntlet, one of the few world-wide organizations on Kytheria, stands dedicated to their eradication. Whether mrog or shambling corpses or vampires, Silver Gauntlet warriors stand ready to dispatch them, and receive extensive training in how to do so. Legends persist of these noble knights foolishly rushing into danger with hidebound tactics and improper equipment (a stereotype that sadly has basis in history, as some commanders are less flexible than others), but for the most part these fighters are clever and creative while also wielding their blades as capably as any other knight.
Recruits are drawn from chapter houses around the world, and there is almost always at least one such house in any major city. More rural regions tend to grant old castles to the order as a base of operations, fixing the idea in most minds that the Silver Gauntlet is staffed by recluses living in dilapidated old buildings. Unlike some knightly orders the Silver Gauntlet has no issue with members starting families or conducting their affairs normally if they're nobles, particularly since they can more effectively fight undead with greater resources at their disposal (and a greater stake in the game). Most of the more active members find this impractical however, as hunting the undead can easily become a full time occupation, and nominal members who do little to further the order's objectives can (and do) lose their status.
Structure
The ruling body rarely sees the need to convene, since the order's goals are straightforward enough, but when the council does meet it draws all current knights-commander (around forty currently) to decide on matters. Each knight-commander overseas 100-200 knights in their area, with roughly seven thousand knights around the world. Knights-commander alert individual knights of threats in their area and assign assistance as deemed necessary. The order prefers knights-errant as members so they have the flexibility to assist others without having to worry about their lands; second sons and daughters often consider this route as a result.
Each chapter under a knight-commander is given broad leeway in how they conduct themselves and their mission. Some chapters maintain rigid organization and discipline, while others leave knights to their own devices except in times of emergency. Most fall somewhere between these extremes, meeting once a month or so to discuss business and troubleshoot.
Public Agenda
The Silver Gauntlet exists to fight and destroy undead, plain and simple. They're extremely straightforward and have no ulterior motive.
Assets
Individual knights are expected to rely on their own assets for the most part, since even a knight-errant typically has a suit of armor and their own weaponry. Knights-commander are chosen not just for their leadership ability but also for their largesse; affluent nobles often finance expeditions against pockets of undead when they appear.
History
The Order has existed for just over a thousand years, making it the longest running human organization still active today. It was founded after a handful of knights-errant defended a small hamlet against shambling corpses and the vile necromancer controlling them. After half the knights died, the survivors began studying the undead in earnest, first pilfering the necromander's tomes and then seeking elsewhere, that they could provide a more formidable defense against the undead. Since then, the order has grown to its current size, and has several keeps and libraries of its own.
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