Chivalric Code

What makes us the Knights of Ashfall, not some mere local army of mustered conscripts, is our strict adherence to the Code of Chivalry, as set forth by Erlion Shadowbane. All those who ride under our banner are expected to live by this code; for even if they are not knights, we are dedicated to the proposition that anyone who can choose, can become worthy of knighthood.

Below, we outline the behaviors and principles we expect in our personnel, and those we deplore:

## The Code

**A knight is sworn to valor.**

* Meet the enemy in battle, without hesitation or fear.

* Seek righteousness, even if hardship must ensue.
* *Do not* flee from battle.

**Virtue begets his strength.**

* Maintain a clear conscience.
* Uphold the Three Virtues: Respect, Tenacity, and Compassion.
* *Do not* blaspheme against good-aligned religious orders, denigrate the servants and adherents, or those entities which may be its Source.

**His heart knows only virtue.**

* Love, truly, without feigning or hypocrisy.
* Abhor evil, and cling to what is good.
* *Do not* do evil, or compel others to violate moral standards.

**His word speaks only truth.**

* Be honest in all utterances; let your "yes" be "yes" and your "no" be "no".
* Speak always to the best of your knowledge, and be willing to admit when you do not know.
* Give honor to those who are to be honored, praise to whom praise is owed.
* *Do not* speak with the intent to deceive; speak truth or keep silence.

**His blade defends the helpless.**

* Fight on behalf of those whose cause is righteous, but cannot fight for themselves.
* Fight for justice, the righting of wrongs, not for gain or vengeance.
* *Do not* wound or slay those who have done no wrong, nor join battle lightly.

**His might upholds the weak.**

* Stand as an exemplar and a rallying point for others; be courageous for them.
* Honor the righteous, and support them against false accusers.
* *Do not* use your strength to lord over others, nor give aid to false accusers.

**His wrath undoes the wicked.**

* Let your anger be righteous indignation, and nothing else.
* Give aid to the victims of the unjust.
* *Do not* permit yourself to be angry over nothing, or over petty offenses.
* *Do not* act upon anger in any way that does not undo wickedness.

**His life's pursuit is peace.**

* Always seek righteous ways to quell disputes.
* Champion the cause of the oppressed to those who can relieve them.
* *Do not* seek to cause strife, but bring peace and tranquility.

## **Disciplinary Action**

The life of a knight is one of honor and accolades, but with those privileges comes the heavy responsibility of being a Protector of the People. We desire to lift up one another to greatness, and to be the "gold standard" by which other knights measure themselves.

To that end, those behaviors that we outline above as unacceptable are against our code, and those knights and aspirants who willfully violate them will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including ejection from our number. While we would sooner resolve all disputes with mediation and correction, if a breach is egregious, or deliberate and persistent, we will not permit that person to continue tarnishing the reputation of the other knights.

Should a Knight of Ashfall be ejected, he or she must wait at least six months before applying for readmission, and, if approved, may be required to serve as a squire again.

## **OOC Section**

((As a guild, we are bound to abide by practical and logical conceptions of laws, and to cooperate with law-enforcement roleplayers insofar as is reasonable. Deliberate defiance of those conceptions of laws without just cause, in-character, will result in expulsion from the guild.

For clarity's sake, the following behaviors are also unacceptable OOC:

* Violations of the Terms of Use set forth by Blizzard;
* Trolling and harassing behaviors on public channels and in local chatter, including disruptive OOC conduct when others are trying to roleplay;
* Repeatedly undermining the efforts of Lawful/Good roleplayers in favor of evil/criminal roleplayers in unnecessary ways; and
* Boasting about violating real-life laws, and/or encouraging others to violate laws.

We additionally wish to encourage our players, while they are logged into the characters that are members of our guild, to be consistent in their character portrayal. Except under limited circumstances, please avoid "one-off" RP scenarios (such as Gilneas RP, high-school/college RP, family RP, etc.) that involve pretending your character is someone else. You can do whatever you like on characters who are not members of the guild, but your Ashfall character should always be the same "person".

While part of our goal in this guild is to encourage our members to reflect on self-improvement and virtue, and to grow as people in all facets of their lives, we will not police your life or conduct beyond the confines of this game. **We categorically reject responsibility for the actions of our members in their own persons and in their private lives.**))

*((This document is inspired by the Old Code from the film "Dragonheart".))*