Order of the Dawnspears

The order of the Dawnspears is one of The Nine Knightly Orders of Telandor. They are an order of Paladins and Knights who aim to offer protection and help to the weak in society by following the tenets of Aratheer, the honored one. They are known to be a strict and diciplined order but ultimately a humble one, as their focus lies on serving the less fortunate.

Structure

Grandmaster of the Order

The Seneschal

Senior Positions

The senior four senior positions within the order are the highest rankings one can obtain as a member of the Dawnspears. They are positions that last for life, or in special circumstances until retirement. The senior positions consist of the heads of particular entities within the order, and are outranked only by the Grandmaster or in domestic matters the Seneschal.

High Marshall

The High-Marshall is responsible for the arms and horses that the order keeps. He commands the smiths and stable-hands and is in charge of developing new weapons and other military tools. He is also responsible for the training of new recruits, and holds a lot of sway during the trials for knighthood and admission to the order. A military position by nature, the High Marshall is often consulted by the Master Commander and Grandmaster before important decisions are made.

Master Commander

The Master Commander is the highest tactical position within the order next to the Grandmaster, and is responsible for all major strategic decisions and planning. He is also responsible for the acceptance of new missions and tasks, but delegates a lot of the smaller decisions to Sergeant Captains and Knights. In the event of an all out war, he will take command of the troops leading them into battle, but his value as a strategist is often more important.

High Mason

The High Mason administrates the masons and governs reparations and construction efforts undertaken by the order. A large part of the Dawnspears work regards helping rural communities who have had problems with raids and pillaging, and though the military efforts that the order can employ are highly valued, their help in rebuilding such communities is often-times more so.

Arch-chaplain

The order works in tight cooperation with the religious organisation of their gods. Most keeps and and holds contain a chapel, and it is the Arch-chaplains duty to administer these chapels, as well as correspond with his brethren of the associated religion. He is also in charge of those within the order that have devoted themselves to medicine and healing, who are often clerics or paladins.

Military Structure

Squires

A squire is the lowest possible role attainable within the military structure of the Dawnspears. They hold no authority within the hierarchy, but are permitted there own weapon and armour. A squire's duties range from protecting and serving knights, to various smaller tasks and missions issued by the Sergeant Captains or knights.

Sergeant Brothers

The Sergeant Brothers are the light infantry of the Dawnspears. They are the scouts, archers and shock-troops of the order, and highly skilled at agile combat in rough terrain. The Sergeant brothers often take on the more specialised tasks of the order, such as finding missing people or retrieving hostages. They are survivalists buy nature, and most fight with light-spears or bows.

Knights

The most elite fighters in the order are the knights, who undergo rigorous tests and initiation rituals to become knights. They wear heavy armour and fight from horseback using lances and on the ground with great-swords. In war-time they are they are the form the cavalry of the order, and must swear their lives to it. Most Knights swear undergo a solitary quest before being deemed worthy of the title and are only then allowed to swear the oath. Because of this, knights are elite soldiers who are used to fending for themselves, and must learn many different skills in relevant to survival in the wilderness. Many knights swear their oaths directly to Aratheer, the honored one, and as such become paladins.

Field Marshall

The Field marshals are in direct subordination to the High Marshall and are responsible for the administration of weapons and armour during wartime, as well as the supply of specialised tools for various missions.

Sergeant Captains

The Sergeant Captains are at the head of each unit of Sergeant brothers, and are in general veteran Sergeant brothers who have shown a keenness toward battlefield tactics and leadership. They are in charge of coordination of the shock troops and their tactics and are of equal rank to Knights Captains in wartime.

Knights Captain

Knights Captains command each unit of cavalry knights during wartime and are veteran knights who have completed their personal quest and served for most of their lives. They are highly skilled fighters and most of them are sworn paladins.

Field Captain

The Field Captain is a temporary role given to a prominent Sergeant Captain or Knight Captain during larger missions that require entire entire battalions to be sent out. They are the commanders of the entire battalion and the highest military position besides the master commander. A field Captain will be chosen based on the needs of the mission, and their duty is to coordinate the entire effort.

Administratorial and Peactime Positions

The Administratorial and Peacetime govern all matters that are not of military nature within the Dawnspears. They are subject to the Seneschal and are charged with upkeep of domestic and provincial matters.

Head Treasurer

The head treasurer is responsible for managing the economic resources of the order, be it monetary or other. He employs the scribes and together they control budgets and finances.

Scribes

' The scribes are employed by the head treasurer, and are responsible for the duties associated with the orders finance, as well as penning letters and other documents.

Masons

The order of the Dawnspears has a prominent force of carpenters and masons who help with the rebuilding of various places fallen on hard times. They are very well liked by outside communities for their unparalleled skill, and are often contracted to do repairs and construction work.

Lay Servants

The lay servants handle the day to day affairs at the keep such as cooking, cleaning and repairs on clothes. They are not strictly members of the order, though it is not unheard of for new recruits to be sent to work with the servants as punishment. Most servants are either locals who work for pay, or priests in training who wish to prove their discipline and piety.

Valour in adversity, Loyalty in service, Prowess in action, Honor above all.

Type

Military, Knightly Order

Deities

• Aratheer, the honored one