Contrition Knights - the ultimate pains in the hindquarters
The name and concept of the "Contrition Knight" was first developed by Brian Daley and is mentioned in his novel, Jinx on a Terran Inheritance. I loved the concept of sentient beings deciding they are going to atone for big stuff by trying to fix it, and loved the series of books Daley wrote. If you get the chance to read them (they are out of print, but available online), start with Requiem for a Ruler of Worlds. You won't regret it.
Righters of wrongs. Doers of right. Pains in the butt. All of these aphorisms and more (many unprintable) have been applied to the loose organization known as the Contrition Knights.
Structure
Contrition Knights have no formal organization. They will assist each other if in need, and sometimes a group of Contrition Knights will band together to right a particularly major wrong. Contrition Knights in many resemble a loose collection of friends and acquaintances with a shared outlook on life than a true religious order.
Mythology & Lore
Contrition Knights believe they have committed a wrong so awful that they need to atone for it. They can seek atonement for their own past misdeeds in an attempt to make them right, or the greater wrongs caused by their species, government, or organization. Regardless of the wrong, it is the belief of the Contrition Knight that they must take responsibility for it and try to right the wrongs that have been caused, as well as do good deeds to counterbalance the evil done by them or the organization they take responsibility for.
Divine Origins
The Contrition Knights were "founded" by a Myrr of the warrior clan during the Second Breath. Devoted to Larani, this Myrr traveled the space lanes doing good deeds in an attempt to atone for his sins. After a few more spectacular exploits, made even more spectacular when fictionalized through story and song, the romantic image of the Contrition Knight loomed large. From that time until the present day, people looking for absolution or atonement will often seek out the Contrition Knights to join their ranks.
Tenets of Faith
There is no religious text or scripture that Contrition Knights adhere to. When encountering each other, Knights may discuss the nature of contrition and discuss specific actions they have taken, even analyzing their own and the other's actions in relation to atonement. But there is no specific ritual - some Knights are very open about the wrong for which they are atoning, others prefer to keep it private. It is considered bad manners to pry past asking the question, "So, what was your sin?"
If they have any rules at all, it is, "Do what you believe to be good." As you can guess, what this might look like varies from person to person.
Priesthood
A person who wishes to become a Contrition Knight starts by finding a shrine of the ancient Myrr goddess Larani, the redeemer of honor. Such shrines are typically found on Myrr-dominated worlds outside the Myrr Confederation, but secret shrines within the Confederation also exist (Larani is banned by the Confederation).
At the shrine, after fasting and praying for a time, the penitent being confesses to the goddess their misdeed and then swears to atone for it. That oath made, the penitent fastens the weeping mask badge on their chest and rises, a Contrition Knight. For certain individuals, another Contrition Knight might require additional tasks or obstacles be performed before the person is made a Contrition Knight. Often the number of tasks is based on the Knight's belief in the sincerity of the applicant of their desire to atone. The most elaborate set of tasks in recent times was imposed on the Human bounty hunter Sophie Aaron, who was required to secretly enter the Myrr Confederation as a captured slave and fight in the gladiator pits for several months before being permitted the opportunity to murder one of her most hated foes from her history. When she overcame her rage and declined to murder them, Sophie was granted her pin and repatriated beck to Human space.
In the fashion of knights errant, Contrition Knights roam the space lanes trying right both the wrongs they feel responsibility for, as well as the misdeeds that happen in their presence. Their badge, a weeping mask, is worn on the chest as a patch or a pin. Other than the pin, there are no robes or garments of office. Contrition Knights, while penitents of the goddess Larani, otherwise have no clerical authority - they cannot officiate at weddings, or grant absolution, or bless or curse others. They simply try and do what is right. This discommodes everyone else, who see Contrition Knights as undisciplined agitators who upset the status quo.
Political Influence & Intrigue
While Contrition Knights as an organization have no political influence in either the Empire or the Myrr Confederation (where they are effectively outlawed due to their association with Larani), certain Contrition Knights by themselves have amassed a certain level of influence. Perhaps the most noted in recent years is the so-called "Dark Lady", a female Myrr Shepherd who founded and is the leader of the ReBorn faction within the Shepherd Order. As leader of her faction, she teaches by example the way of contrition, and many members of her faction are Contrition Knights as well.
Type
Religious, Holy Order
Deities
Love that the knights are known under many unprintable names :P