Oath of the Weave

The Weave is the lifeblood of Faerun, and I would sacrifice my own life if it meant she would persevere. --Elos Crownsilver, Guardian of the Weave Many deities have worshipers who are paladins, promoting law and good across Faerun with divine might, but those who swear this oath draw additional strength from the Weave itself. They are most often known as Knights of the Weave, but also as swordmages, arcane defenders, or mage knights. Distinct from the worship of Mystra, Azuth, or any other particular god, members of this mystic order are sacred defenders whose faith leads them to cherish the Weave like a fine wine, knowing that its existence enriches all of Faerun. You swore this oath because you love the feel of magic flowing through you, whether in casting a spell, using a magic item, or channeling the raw power of magic. You see dead magic areas as the Weave's missing limbs and wild magic areas as dangerous cancers within the Weave's body. Nothing gives you more joy than seeing the light die in the eyes of an evil spellcaster. The Weave is your friend, your lover, your armor, and your bright shining sword. You drink deeply of the power of the arcane, using that energy to extend its reach, and utterly smash those who would hurt the object of your love. This oath binds one who swears it to spend endless hours practicing their special techniques, combining magic with a paladin's martial mastery and other powers to protect the Weave as well as vulnerable people and places. The Oath of the Weave places you on a path of constant discipline and training. Your blade not only bites with steel and holy wrath, but pulses with fire, lightning, frost, thunder, or sheer eldritch energy. Magical barriers of force swirl around swordmages, protecting them from harm as they defend their allies and unleash magical fury against their foes. Nothing is more important to you than magic's continued existence. You likely worship a god whose portfolio includes magic, knowledge, wisdom, or mysticism—which includes a wide selection of deities, from Mystra, Azuth, Savras, and many elven and gnomish gods to Selune, Isis, Deneir, and others—and serve your deity by guarding temples and questing for lost magical troves. Among those who focus on the protective disciplines of this oath—who often refer to it by the alternate name “the Oath of the Aegis” and prioritize personal loyalty and defense even above the wonders of the Weave itself—gods associated with loyalty and guardianship are favored as well, such as Helm, Torm, or Tyr. Those with darker hearts often revere Shar, regarding their unusual skills as a secret art to be kept hidden from the uninitiated. Knights of the Weave are less likely to wear heavy armor than other paladins, but few eschew armor entirely. Most paladins who swear this oath are influenced by the elven roots of magical swordplay, favoring armor with silver or gold filigree and graceful etching, often worn beneath a colorful tabard. However, some other races are also known to have their own separate, well-developed swordmage traditions. Paladins of the rare genasi race often swear the Oath of the Weave, basing their iconography and practices on the elements. The swordmages of the other-worldly githyanki are also infamous across many planes. Although you study powerful magic, most of what you know relates to enhancing your fighting abilities and your place is in the thick of battle. Your power comes from pure magic, and eventually you develop increased ability to use magic, counter hostile magic, and defeat enemy spellcasters. Over time, you master the mysteries of spellfire—the raw stuff of magic, energy that often manifests as blue flame—which you use for defense and to empower yourself in battle. While not capable of the power and control of a natural born user of spellfire, Knights of the Weave are able to use it to break enemy spells, and later on they master damaging forms of spellfire which they can use to great effect on allies and foes.
Knights of the Mystic Fire Many of those who swear the Oath of the Weave are paladins Of Who an order known as the Knights of the Mystic Fire. Such paladins defenders Of knowledge and arbitrators of the use Of magic. The Mystic Fire Knights regularly ioin priests of Mystra on missions to find and uncover lost stores Of magic. They also Serve as guardians at large temples and at magical workshops, usually providing military leadership to devoted protectors who lack mystical gifts. Many Knights OF the Mystic Fire also choose to dabble in wizardry, and on scholarly as well. They express their love Of mystery and all things arcane in their armor and Shields, inscribing the metal with long lines of runes and placing precious stones in well-crafted sockets, favoring bright shades of blue and silver for tabards and capes, in tribute to their goddess.
Tenets of the Weave
Learning and Lore. Knowledge is the flickering candle at the shore of an ocean of darkness. Keep that light burning, despite the rising tides of time and ignorance. Recover lost artifacts and magical items. Never stop learning. Diligence. Train every day. Just as your blade requires sharpening before every battle, your magical and martial prowess must be honed by relentless practice. Magic is a supreme privilege, and should be approached with caution and respect. Guardianship. Those who use magic for evil ends often prey upon the weak. Whether you've sworn an oath of guardianship or merely wandered into the path of such predation, you know the safety of any ally or innocent in your presence is your personal responsibility. If the choice is between harm coming to you or to the subject of your protection, you take the blow yourself. Unbound Arcana. Magic manifests in countless incarnations. Go forth and seek them all. Learn from the old, and devise the new, but whatever you do, explore magic in all it's myriad wonders.



 

Knights of the Weave in Faerun Most Knights of the Weave come from the ranks of the Guardians of the Weave and/or the church of Mystra. However, a few characters become knights on their own, usually after witnessing some event that reveals the beauty, power, and fragility of magic in the world. In the aftermath of the Spellplague, with their reason for being torn away, this path of knighthood almost ceased to exist. However, with the restoration of the Weave while instability unleashed during the Spellplague still threatens magic itself, in recent years they are more necessary than ever, and their numbers have grown. Still, there are very few Knights of the Weave, no more than two score or so. While they do not have an organized code of conduct, Knights of the Weave recognize each other as kindred spirits working for a common purpose. Regardless of alignment, religion, or country of origin, the knights understand the love and respect that each of them has for magic, and they go out of their way to avoid conflict within their ranks. Many act as the military arm of the Guardians of the Weave, much as various churches have orders of knights focused on protecting their interests with necessary violence. Even those knights not involved with the Guardians respect them, and the Guardians see the knights as their champions. Any knight can teach a qualified person how to begin attuning themselves to the right parts of the Weave. Some potential knights discover the necessary information by accident or research, but most who would become knights meet an existing knight at some point in their travels. A qualified person is one who shows an interest in magic, has at least a rudimentary knowledge of the Weave and its history, and is dedicated enough to swear an oath to protect it with his life. Many aspiring knights swear this oath in front of another knight, but that is not necessary—the Weave itself bears witness to the oath. Training is an informal matter and does not require active tutelage by another knight. The new knight instinctively (or by studying subtle shifts in the pattern of the Weave) understands what sort of meditation, practice, or study is required to progress as a knight. Sometimes this preparation entails fasting for several days near a dead magic area or trying to cast spells on the fringe of a wild magic area. Another knight might train by studying lore on pools of radiance in a Mystran library or meditating on the shore of a sea to recognize how the ebb and fl ow of the tides mirrors the shifting strands of the Weave. In between experiencing these revelations, the knight continues to practice his spellcasting and fi ghting and keeps an ear to the ground for news of things needing his attention. Each knight feels a pull from a slightly different part of the Weave, guiding what spells he develops in his mind and the role he adopts among the knights. Some avenging or crusading knights choose aggressive magic, believing the best defense is a good offense. Others see themselves as protectors and learn metamagic, counterspelling, and ways of repairing damage to fragile parts of the Weave. Yet others try to become personifi cations of magic, using their knowledge to augment their own abilities or even create items that boost them further. Though a wizard might suggest learning a little bit of everything to be ready for all situations, that approach rarely fi ts the typical knight's mentality; most knights focus their magic in a specific area, relying on their physical prowess and versatile to make up for any specific lack of spell knowledge. Since the Order is rare and its members few in number, knuhts are usually more than willing to help each Other in times Of need, by lending a magic item, casting helpful spell, or even ioining a quest for a short rime. The last occurrence is particularly common if two knights have very different and complementary Skill Sets. One thing knights are generous with is knowledge; they keep no secrets from each other when it comes to protecting the Weave. The knights have friendly relations With Churches o} Mystra, and a lesser extent) and Can sometimes get aid (particularly healing magic) from those groups. Knights Of the Weave have o long reach but lock the overt 'o their enemies This means take a more strategic role or use small-scale forays to accomplish their goals. This often leads them to seek adventure. They can't topple the Red Wizards or the Kraken Society on their own, but they know a lot and become very mobile through the use of teleportation magic, making them a great resource for r adventurers os well. On a basis, knights search 'o Weave, lost magic they can discover, lore to learn, and receptive minds to teach about respecting the Weave. Many knights ore loners, but Others excel as leaders. In any case, 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 ony spellcosters in the area for their atten'iveness and honest desire 10 hear a qualified opinion. The knights do not hove ony official ranks, though they rve each other's progress and comment When one Of them a new ability. They any serious rivalries within their organization, since they recognize 'ha' different opinions (like spells of different schools of mogic} ore natural, and while they may oppose each Other at times, these worth fighting example, knights think the rivalries between the various Thoyon wizard factions ore absurd one a waste of time, but ore glad those rivalries keep Red from spending their outside Thay. This is not to say that the knights don" argue, but ey're usually happy to let o matter drop and go their Separate s, expecting to See verbal sparring partner year or more. Paladins of this oath shore much with eldritch knights and wizards who practice the elven tradition o} blodesong. While Secrets o' bladesong are taught 'o elves, members Of many races now learn the techniques of the Knights of 'he Weave, though most adherents of this Oath ore elves, holfelves, Or humans in tradition. Differentiates Weave-sworn paladin from both eldritch knights and bladesingers is their focus on combining spells and steel for the specific purpose of guarding their allies, charges, and as well the Weave