Knights of the Iron Circle
The Knights of the Iron Circle is a loose network of nobles and merchants posing as a chivalric order. The members of the order are for the most part are entirely motivated by their own self-interest, but have banded together to quash banditry and other threats to the trade routes of Southern Lamera . They very well could turn this pseudo-knightly order into a fighting force for the betterment of the lives and livelihoods for those in southern Lamera, but choose instead to employ it for their own advantage and personal gain.
Many of the knights come from legitimate noble and wealthy merchant families who view their association with the knighthood as more of a matter of family tradition and convenience rather than a conscious decision. Pledges from families within good standing with the knights and family members either formerly or presently within the knighthood are assuredly sworn in as legacy pledges. For many new recruits, the Knights of the Iron Circle is an introduction into building political connections and statecraft, as well as the corruption and underhanded dealings that come along with it.
Structure
The seven highest ranking knights make up the Platinum Circle, who meet periodically, but never in the same place twice, to chart the direction and activities of those beneath them. These knights have served the Knights of the Iron Circle their entire lives and have family who have done the same in the past.
Beneath them are the Gold Circle, a group of commanders of local chapter houses who enforce the will of the Platinum Circle on a more local basis. Much like the Platinum Circle, many members of the Gold Circle have familial legacies within the knighthood, but there are some exceptions. They wield a great deal of personal power within their local chapter house (so long as it doesn't conflict with the will of the Platinum Circle,) and to many within the order, represent the face of the knighthood.
Below the Gold Circle is the Electrum Circle, the highest rank that most without familial legacies can achieve. Members of the Electrum Circle often hold administrative positions in the chapter houses, such as treasurer, quarter master, or instructor. They often lead squads of knights from the Silver Circle or squires of the Iron Circle on missions and are responsible for collecting membership fees.
The Silver Circle is the first rank in which a member may call themselves a knight. Once a squire from the Iron Circle has proven themselves, they will be tested at their chapter house by a knight of the Gold Circle. If they are found to be loyal to the knighthood, they are knighted in a highly ritualized ceremony and are outfitted with proper equipment of the knighthood.
The Iron Circle is the lowest rank and comprised of those who wish to join the knighthood. They are called "squires" and hold this rank until they are able to prove their loyalty to the knighthood as arbitrarily decided by that chapter house's Gold Circle knight.
Public Agenda
The Knights of the Iron Circle are not a secretive organization by any means, but its members are encouraged to keep its ceremonies and goings-on from the ears of non-members. On the surface, the organization serves to protect mercantile interests throughout southern Lamera, quashing banditry along trade routes and protecting caravans on their way to the north through the Heartlands . Many of its members of course, take this as a time to collect information that might benefit their family's enterprises, manipulating various markets upon finding out a rival's wheat crop will produce less than expected due to bandit raids for example.
The Knights of the Iron Circle are bound by oath, handed down since the order's earliest days, not to undertake activities that might harm the organization or act contrary to the interest of its members. However, in southern Lamera, it is hard to ascertain who's fingers are in which pies.
Assets
Weapons and armor, troops, large quantities of expendable wealth collected through membership fees, horses, and information.
Type
Military, Knightly Order
Training Level
Professional
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Location
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