Knightly Orders

The tradition of knighthood dates back to the Kingdom of the Sword, and possibly to time immemorial, before the Great Crossing. Traditionally, the sword has been the sole fount of honor, though in times lacking the sword, various kings and religious figures have conferred the honor of knighthood.

There are seven major knightly orders in the Realms of Man, most of which span across realms, heedless to national boundary.

• Knights of the Rose (Brinn, elves, etc)
• Knights in Sable (Order of the Nightshade, commonly thought a "nobleman's order", but has its roots in an elite elven tradition)
• Knights of the Dawn (King John's army)
• Knights of the Dark Sun (darkness, elfy)

Notes:

• At any given time, there are 12 Knights of the Round. Successors are meant to be chosen by the King of the Sword, as best to meet the needs of the Realm. In modern practice, the seats are apportioned to the various regions of Man (three to the Ascadian Isles, three to the Crownlands of the West, three to the heartlands of Tirr, and three to the Umberlands and the Outer Marches). The Potentate uses his ability to name successors as a tool to gain political capital. It is vital that appointees are men of the higest honor and worth, naturally, but it is equally vital in these times to ensure such appointments honor the right holders of true power.
• "Knights of the Round" is a name derived from the traditional meeting place of the knights in antiquity: the Round of Théor, future site of the Great Sept of Hyderos in Tirnor. In the time before the building of Ulden Caer, the Round was the spiritual center of the realm, seen as a holy place, a place where men stood bare before the gods. A "round" in Auld Tirrish is a mound, generally sacred, studded with standing stones.