Steel Plague ranks and hierarchy

The ranks and hierarchy of the Steel Plague are similar to how they operated before the death of Rhombus, however there are several noticeable differences. For example paladins are typically organized into units called lances and conrois, the rank of squire is required before becoming a paladin, and combat support roles are sometimes given to knights.
==The Chain that Binds==
The Chain that Binds is a strict hierarchy followed by all members of the Steel Plague. It forces instructions to flow in a top-down fashion with members only being allowed to receive orders from their direct superior. While it gives supreme control to the Council of Elders at the top of the Chain and maintains loyalty within its ranks, this approach has been known to create a frustrating bureaucracy of instructions as the faction expands. The Chain That Binds is heavily enforced with the punishments of lashings, demotion, and up to expulsion from its ranks.
==Ranks==
===Initiates===
Initiates are young members who have yet to choose a branch. New initiates are those either born into the Steel Plague or infants and adolescents taken from vassal settlements. They are given a well-rounded education, including indoctrination into the Steel Plague’s beliefs, before being given the option to become a knight or scribe. Senior initiates can become initiate scribes and knights, a temporary rank given to allow them the chance to get hands-on experience with the two branches before officially choosing one.
===Scribes===
Scribes carry out the Steel Plague’s goals of knowledge preservation and reclamation. Their tasks include examining technology recovered from the wasteland, research into the post-War world (including mutations and fauna), and preserving all collected knowledge. They have also been tasked with implementing lost knowledge and techniques back into the Steel Plague when they are rediscovered.
* Head Scribe: The most senior scribe, they are tasked with assigning duties to all other scribes and overseeing the efforts of the branch as a whole.
* Senior scribe: Reporting directly to the head scribe they lead individual projects and have authority over those assigned to their team.
* Journeyman Scribe: Journeymen fulfill the main duties of the scribe branch, including everything from cataloging data to research on new equipment, and even analyzing post-apocalyptic plants.
* Apprentice scribe: New scribes are known as apprentices and must learn directly under a journeyman or senior scribe before becoming a journeyman themselves. They are given hands-on experience into the various duties and responsibilities of a scribe before being promoted.
* Initiate scribe: An initiate who has shown a keen interest in becoming a full scribe. They are given lessons and hand-on experience into the life of a scribe before they choose to become a full member or not.
===Knights===
Knights are the mechanics, engineers, and craftsmen of the Steel Plague. They ensure that the equipment of paladins are in perfect condition, manage the group’s supplies, and keep the faction’s facilities maintained. Recently under the Steel Plague they have been given the additional duties of maintaining the faction’s small fleet of motorized vehicles. While not used as soldiers, the faction's expansion and greater militarization has led knights to be given increasing field duties to support paladins. They are sometimes used as field mechanics, scouts, security, and external patrols in lieu of paladins when required.
* Head knight: The highest rank of knight, the head knight is responsible for assigning and organizing the duties of all those under their authority.
* Senior knight: A knight with many years of experience. They are assigned specific tasks by a head knight with a team of journeymen and apprentices under their authority.
* Journeyman knight: Journeyman knights are the rank and file of this branch, responsible for repair and maintenance duties.
* Apprentice knight: Those recently inducted into the ranks of the knights are given the title of apprentice. Apprentices work under more superior knights to gain the experience required to become a full knight.
* Initiate knight: Those initiates who are interested in going down the path of the knights can request this role. Not considered a true member of this branch, initiate knights learn the basics of knighthood before deciding on their future roles.
===Paladins===
Paladins are the best soldiers the Steel Plague has to offer, their members are pulled from especially talented knights who served as squires to a current paladin. They are typically organized into a conroi of 10 paladins led by a senior paladin, but this may be split into a lance of 5 paladins when a full conroi is not required for a mission. The banner of 30 soldiers or 3 conrois has seldom been used, with one example being for the Massacre of Shady Sands. Larger units like the guard of 5 banners exist on paper but have never been used in practice. A conroi is the most commonly deployed formation of the Steel Plague and are often named after their first senior paladin, for example Conroi Pendragon and Conroi Talus.
* Head paladin: The commander of all paladins, also responsible for overseeing their operations and training them in combat skills.
* Senior paladin: Senior paladins lead lances and conrois on missions into the wasteland and are well-respected within the Steel Plague. When not in the field they assist the head paladin with training tasks and perform high-level administrative duties.
* Paladin: The standard soldier of the Steel Plague. They are equipped with the group’s best weapons, power armor, and training.
* Junior paladin: A member only recently graduated from being a squire and inducted into the ranks of the paladins. They must take part in several missions to the satisfaction of their conroi's senior paladin before being granted the full rank of paladin, which could include patrols, security duties, and technology recovery operations before becoming a full paladin.
* Squire: Not fully within the paladin branch of the Steel Plague, a squire is an additional rank that can be requested by a current knight. While they have no age restrictions, squires are typically young apprentice or journeyman knights who wish to become a paladin. A squire is assigned to a paladin who has requested one and is responsible for following them into the wasteland to perform field repairs, emergency first aid, as well as carry out light guard and reconnaissance duties. Squires are also expected to maintain their paladin's equipment and do paperwork as well as other chores while they’re being mentored. If a paladin is confident in the abilities of their squire they can advocate for their induction into the branch as a junior paladin.
===Elders===
Elders of the Steel Plague are the highest ranks of the faction, responsible for determining the overall direction the faction and creating orders to be passed down the Chain that Binds. They are organized into the Council of Elders, four elders and a high elder. Jeremy Maxson, the current high elder and descendant of the Brotherhood's founder, breaks all stalemates that occur between the other elders. This has not occurred in some time, leaving Jeremy as more of a figurehead within the Steel Plague.
Any head of the paladin, knight, or scribe branches can be nominated for a position on the council when a seat is open, typically due to the death or retirement of a current elder. The increasing militarism of the Steel Plague has meant that elders are typically elected from head paladins or knights. Head scribes being elevated to the position is not unheard of but is extremely rare.
==Notes==
* An extra special thanks to trashgarbage666 for the basis of Paladin military formations featured on this page!
Category:Brotherhood of Steel