Knights

1. REDIRECT Generally speaking, knights are warriors sworn to protect various interests, be they nations, kings, city-states, the Holy Church or the public-at-large. Knights differ from private or national armies in that they serve the interests of their code, their order, and/or their holy vows above all else, while other such military organizations serve either their paymaster or their kingdom.

## Training

All orders of knighthood bear the same basic system of training, with few exceptions. First, a young candidate is chosen by a knight sponsor and becomes a page. The page later advances to a squire after further training. Later, they become a full-fledged knight. Some orders dispense with the page step altogether.

### Page

#### Selection

At about the age of 6 or 7, a candidate for knighthood is chosen by a sponsor and becomes a page. Typically, the knight is paid a sum of money for this honor. Some orders refuse such ransoms or choose a certain number of orphans as pages as a preventative measure against abuse of the system, namely by using the ransom as a bribe or as a means to limit membership by income level; however, the ransom is one of the main reasons that many knighted orders are the exclusive province of royalty.

#### Knight Tutor

The instructor for a page is known as a knight tutor. This is usually a knight, but in the absence of a knight the instruction can be given by a lord or the house's man-at-arms. The latter situation is more common because, in the absence of a knight, the man-at-arms is considered a knight pro tempore who can, if necessary, even act as the hopeful candidate's parrain. Of course, without a knighted order's confirmation of the candidate's knighthood, they remain a knight bachelor.

#### Instruction

A page's instruction is largely comprised of memorizing the basic tenets of the knight's code; familiarization with the history and customs of the kingdoms, orders and houses of Impworld; basic reading, writing, tracking and mathematical skills; and training with dogs and horses. Some basic combat skills with wooden swords and training with a bow or quarterstaff are also introduced at the latter stages of the page's training.

#### Setting

The page receives this training at his father's home, his lord's holdings or at his sponsor's side, depending on the orders' preferences. The older orders, such as the Arturan knights, have special schools for pages.

### Squire

A page graduates to squire at about the age of 15 or 16.

#### Instruction

At this stage, he receives further training in matters of strategy, chivalry and history; in weapons mastery and equestrian proficiency; and generally does all of the drudge work assigned to him. He may also train falcons at this stage.

#### Setting

A squire attends his master in all matters, in war or peacetime. His master may be either his knight sponsor, a knight appointed by his sponsor in his stead, or a knight who has volunteered for the task. The latter includes a man-at-arms acting as a knight pro tempore.

#### Knighthood

The typical term for squirehood lasts 5 years. The knight who be-knights a squire is called his parrain. A lord or ruler of a higher rank may serve as a parrain; however, typically, the parrain is the knight sponsor or the man-at-arms acting as knight pro tempore.

A squire does not become a knight until he receives an accolade, a light salute from the sword he is to wield as a knight, from his parrain.