Knight of the Inner Circle

*"To me, brave knights! Together we shall purge the land of this threat to the Empire!"*

## Advanced

(Core) Within each knightly order there are those who rise to the top, the best of the best. They have proven themselves valiant and loyal time and time again and for that they are brought into the inner circle of the order. They command Knights in the field, represent the order at court, and make the important decisions. They are some of the greatest warriors the Old World has to offer and many of them have been entrusted with dangerous secrets about the foundations of their group. Each one of them aspires to become the Grand Master of his order. That is the pinnacle of knighthood.

### Secondary Profile

**Skills:** Academic Knowledge (Genealogy/Heraldry or Religion), Academic Knowledge (Strategy/Tactics), Animal Training, Charm, Command, Common Knowledge (any three), Dodge Blow, Perception, Read/Write, Ride, Secret Language (Battle Tongue), Secret Signs (Scout or Templar), Speak Language (Breton, Estalian, Kislevian, or Tilean)

**Talents:** Etiquette, Lightning Parry, Seasoned Traveller, Specialist Weapon Group (Fencing), Specialist Weapon Group (Parrying), Stout-hearted, Strike to Injure, Strike to Stun

**Trappings:** Buckler or Main Gauche, Rapier or Foil, Heavy Armour (Best Craftsmenship Full Plate Armour), Religious Symbol, 50 gc

### **Career Exits**

Captain, Champion, Noble Lord, Witch Hunter

## The Secret Histories of Knightly Orders

Many knightly orders have a mythology regarding their founding and the famous (or infamous) deeds that occurred throughout their history. Knights of the Inner Circle regard it as their responsibility to become familiar with these tales, and also to keep them secret.

These histories are usually somewhat more fanciful than the official versions. For example, everyone with any interest in the Order of the Blazing Sun knows that a pivotal episode in its formation was an earthquake that caused a statue of Myrmidia to fall upon the Black Guard of Wasr the Cruel at the Battle of Magritta. Knights of the Inner Circle, however, are taught that the Order has an older heritage. Forebears of the Knights fought as a bodyguard to Ottokar, a ruler in antiquity forgotten by all but classics scholars and playwrights. He boasted he had met the goddess and she had fallen in love with him. The stories have it that there was no earthquake during the battle, but that one of the knightly captains had thrown off his helmet in a moment of desperation and kissed the foot of the goddess. He beseeched her for aid, and she promptly toppled over and crushed his enemies.

Why knightly orders are so secretive about their histories is also a secret. If an unkind commentator learned of them he might claim that the reticence was due to the fact that anyone with a serious interest in history would find these yarns laughable. Still, most knightly orders persist in handing down such stories.

## The Grand Master

The most senior of the Knights of the Inner Circle, and the nominal heads of each of the knightly orders, are the grand masters. The grand masters are some of the most well-known military men of the Empire, admired by the aristocracy (to whom they invariably belong) and common people alike.

The grand master is expected to be a paragon of knighthood, and as such must display both great physical prowess and knowledge on subjects such as history and warfare.

In times of war the grand masters regularly take to the field of battle alongside their knights, inspiring them with the same sort of awe the knights themselves inspire in the common soldiery.