The Knights of Piercing Light
The knights of the piercing light are an independant knightly military order, under the nominal power of the king and churches. However in reality they only respond to the their own hierarchy, with the Knight Mother at the top in the central order fortress of Arin.
The Knights were founded hundreds of years ago, before even the formation of the known kingdoms and lands, it was in an attempt by the people to fight the monsters and survive their destruction. Using Alchemy and magic, the first knight of all the original Grand Mother and her Knight Mothers fought the great beast that preyed upon men and woman in the central lands of the now named kingdom of Temeria and formed the K.P.L. Little by little the order expanded and their numbers grew, hunting down great beasts of the land and expanding, while defending civilization.
Even though not necessary to join the order, the possession of magical abilities are a great bonus and necessity to be a knight. However other members of the order without magical abilities, would be the members such as blacksmiths, stonemasons, cooks and so forth; as such they have not undergone the ritual. To maintain the order, the K.P.L. have been granted the right of conscription within Temeria, and as such the order can “recruit” all children that are noticed to have such capabilities, and will raise them to serve the goal of the order. Children introduced to the order will quickly be given potions to accustom their body to its effects, and to resist venom, fire and other things that may harm them during their training.
The Knights of the Piercing light possess armor and weapons design only known to them and with properties shrouded in secrecy, especially the metal forging of their anti monster weaponry. Currently in the four branches and the central order, a total of eight hundred knights exist with near two thousand trainees.
Organization:
The Knights of Piercing Light is a magical military order, and as such it is no surprise that the vast majority of the Knights are female, at a ratio of 12 to 1 men. The total force of the knights standing at roughly 800 knights, and 2000 trainees. They are split into different Branches:
The Branches
The Central order:
The central order was the first of all the orders of knights, and the one in control of the whole organization under the Knight Mother. The central order has near 38% of all the knights and half the trainees. By being the most powerful of the orders as well as the central command station, the most powerful knights are part of or receive direct orders from it. The central order at the same time has the most land under their jurisdiction of all the branches.
The northern branch:
The northern branch is the knightly order located on the border regions of the Ruined lands. It is known as the most battle hardened and combat oriented branch of the order. Accustomed to fighting with more monsters than any of the other branches. It posses the higher combat experience, even if not all of the knights are as powerful as the ones from the central order; as well it has the second most knights with near 20% of all knights though only 10% of all trainees. The northern order posses observation camps and towers on the inner and outer side of the wall, to keep a warning system for the marscher lords.
The Southern order:
The Southern order keeps control of the border with the Principality and the Kingdom of Trevenor; it is in constant conflict with the witch hunters of the Church of the Everyday man, despite the uneasy alliance. The southern order is the smallest of the branches, yet more experienced in fighting against people and hunter groups, within the anti magic Principality and Valenor. The number of monsters in the southern lands is less, especially for great ones, as such there isn't much activity in the South. They have some 10% of the knights with 10% of all trainees assigned.
The Eastern order:
The eastern order operates in the lost eastern marchers, as well the areas near the border with the empire. The knightly order is not prosecuted in the empire, yet they aren't supported or liked by the authorities, as such they keep to hunting monsters in their territory. Rarely do they go out of it and into other parts of the empire. They possess some 15% of the knights and 15% of the trainees.
The Western order:
The western order operates in the free cities, as well as part of the western territory of the Kingdom of Temeria. With their disorganized government and fractured lands, the western lands can be considered the second most dangerous post; where most monsters inhabit it, even some great ones are observed from time to time. They possess 17% of the knights as well as 15% of the trainees.
Hierarchy
The leader of the Knights of Piercing Light is the Grandmother, the highest member in the order, and always a woman. Despite the heavy number of females, and that the leader of the Order is a woman, the vast majority of the Grand Masters and the Grand Council are men, with 16 of the 24 members of the council, excluding the Grand Mother, being men. As men have a stronger ability with magic, and a better physique and body for the ways of war and fighting, it is not strange that they take many command positions.
The hierarchy goes as follows
Grandmother: the leader of the Order and the final decision maker, she is the head of the order, and the one who resides at Arin. She oversees the education of the new knights, and ensures that the order is well funded, the final decisions are left to her, and as such she often stays close, and in council with the reigning monarch.
The Grand Council: The Grand Council consists of 24 members. Known as the Grand Masters, they are the most senior members of the order, and partake in the Grand Mother’s decisions. The senior four members oversee the orders activity in the outlying branches.
Senior Knights: The senior knights are any member who have proven themselves in battle, and on operations multiple times. They are responsible for leading new operations into hostile territory, and to take on squires for training.
Knights: The knights are the members who have already passed their trials, and gone through the rituals and lived. The knight goes on operations, helps clear out local beasts, and protects the people he is assigned to, so whatever that is commanded by his superiors.
Squire: A squire is a member of the order that has reached puberty, but is not yet old enough to pass his trials. He follows his master around and learns from them through first-hand experience. They are expected to provide for their master, such as setting up tent and cooking, but at the same time be protected, for the master to take time to teach them the essential knowledge. These squires are what makes up many of the trainees at the northern border.
Trainees: The trainees are the youngest members of the order; they are still learning and are not yet prepared to go out on missions. The vast majority of these are found at Arin, safe from the dangers of monsters and the world. When they are ready to become squires, they will be introduced to a senior knight who will take them under their wing, and advance their training.
Becoming a knight
The Training and trials to become a knight are very strenuous and it's not rare a candidate dies during it, even though it's hoped to be avoided. The deadliest of them all is the rite of ascension when a squire’s master deems the squire fit for the rite, the squire is sent to the ruined lands to hunt and survive for a month, bringing back the trophies of his rite. The casualty rate of the trial is very high.
Following the trial, and given that it is a success, a ritual will be undertaken by the Grandmother and the Grand Council. This ritual is deadly, and can often prove fatal, the process a knight’s body undergoes following it is one of extreme pain, often leaving the knight in a coma for the coming week before waking up again. But, when the knight then wakes up, his or her body has vastly changed.
When the knight wakes up, he or she will notice the major changes to their body and their senses. They will suddenly become more aware of what is happening around them, their vision will improve as well as their hearing. Their height will have increased dramatically as their bones and muscles grew during the ritual, and their weight having dramatically increased as well. Due to these vast changes to them, the next 6-12 months following the ritual, the knights will stay at the fortress of Arin, and when the Grand Mother finds them to be adjusted, they will be tested and if approved, go on acting duty for the order.
Equipment
A knight’s equipment is made of what is commonly known as Arin Steel amongst the order, as it is custom made by the blacksmiths at Arin for each knight. It is a process of months, and is ordered as soon as a knight wakes up from their coma. The knight him/herself can chose how heavy the armor they wear is to be, however it is rare to see a knight wearing full plate armor. It makes one too slow and immobile during fighting, and certainly against monsters, while it may work for normal knights on horses, most fighting done in the order is on foot. The choice of weapons is also left up to the knight, anything from a one handed sword with a shield, to two handed swords. Axes, spears, halberds are also used, as well as clubs however only in minor degrees.
Physical appearance
Males:
Described by a royal historian as the Apex Predator, the male knight is a man who has spent his whole life training in both magic and fighting styles. Imbued with the ritual, his fighting powers have been further enhanced as his strength, reflexes, stamina, speed, agility and senses have been improved to superhuman levels. He stands at an average staggering 1.95 meters, (6ft, 4 inches) and weigh 215 lbs. of muscle. They have survived jumps from heights that would have instantly killed regular men, as well as survived punches, and being trapped under pillars which would have either ripped or squashed a normal human being. Several instances have also seen them punch through a chest plate, doing damage similar to that of a full charged hammer to the unfortunate person in their way. However, with all their strength, power and ability, it is important to remember that twelve mangy dogs can kill a lion.
Female:
A female knight, and the knight that one is most common to meet, is larger than the normal male on average, but smaller than her knightly male counterpart, standing at 1.73 meters (5ft, 7 inches) and weighing 135 lbs. While they are not as impressive or feared as their male counterparts, they are a force to be reckoned with. Like their male counterpart, they have received training their entire life, and many end up being as deadly as the beasts they fight. Any person who meets a female knight face to face should consider retreating for the knight will have the upper hand. Their reflexes are better, their strength improved, and while they are not able to cave in a chest plate, they are still able to break the bones in the enemy’s body with ease. Like their male counterparts, they have also been known to survive otherwise extreme or fatal injuries and survived.
However, no matter what for both sexes, you should never underestimate a knight, if they be injured, broken, malnourished, then they are no laughing stock. They will always surprise you, and they are much stronger than they look, even when weakened.
The twelve knightly vows
These are the vows that every trainee take at the start of their training, and every squire before the rite of ascension and once again before the ritual.
I vow to never act out of anger, to never act upon revenge or hatred, and that my motives be not those of destruction.
I vow to always serve the Order and be faithful to my brothers and sisters, I will not keep secrets from them and I will not betray their trust.
I vow to always protect the innocent no matter who they may be, if they be Human, Elven, Orcs, Dwarves or so forth, then I will make no distinction.
I vow to never be motivated by greed or any other worldly desire, I will always act and carry out my duty, no matter where that will lead me.
I vow to never make a distinction upon who I protect, from the highest lord to the lowest peasant, I will serve them all.
I vow that should the day come, then I will gladly and without hesitation lay down my life to save that of others in need.
I vow that I will start no family and that I will live a life of celibacy.
I vow that my life previous to that of joining the order is now nothing but a past memory, my previous family is now no longer anything to me, than any other man in the world, and I will not give them precedence in my duties.
I vow to never take advantage of the generosity of a stranger.
I vow that I will not flee in face of danger, or stand down my arms, in such instances as it would lead to the death or harm, of my friends, innocents and allied.
I vow to never take a needless life.
I vow to never judge people upon their faith.
I vow to finally stand guard at night, to protect all men, women and children, so they might sleep safe at night without fear, and go on about their daily business, knowing that I stand ready to protect them from what lies beyond.
The civil wars have taken their toll on the order, they used to be funded by the crown to stand guard and serve as protectors. But when the crown became disputed and changed hands, the new kings were more eager to affirm their own authority and security, building new castles to protect their own bases of power. Enriching themselves with the kingdom's treasury, granting gifts, titles, lands and revenue to their friends and allies, and as such the resources devoted to the order slowly declined. This has led to several issues, both for the order and for the native population of the kingdom. The order can no longer maintain as many outposts and fortresses as they could a century and a half ago, their numbers have also dwindled, and as such the recruitment, or conscription, of new members has declined. This has led the an increase of free roaming mages, which in turn has also led to an increase of witch hunters. Further upon this the number of monsters have seen a steady increase, and more monsters have crossed the wall to the North, terrorizing the local population, forcing the order to strike deals and alliances with the tribes in the Ruined Lands, both humans, Orcs and whatever else. As such the Grandmother has been forced to partake in a bigger and bigger role within the realms politics, though many see her as a woman who has little to do in the affairs of men. While the order might permit her to rule it, many outside it, including the nobles, Witch Hunters, clergy and so forth, deem it unfit that a woman is to intervene in the affairs of kings and men, and that she has no business telling them what to do.
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