Knightly Orders

The following orders are available to cavaliers and samurai. Each order grants a number of unique abilities. Additionally, each order has a number of edicts which must be adhered to. If these edicts are violated, the cavalier or samurai loses the benefits from his order's challenge ability for 24 hours. A cavalier or samurai can only belong to a single order at a given time and changing his order is a lengthy process, described in the cavalier class.

**Order of the Clear Waters** - Originally devoted to combating the malignant influence of the Nightmare Legion, over the years, members of this order have learned techniques useful against a variety of supernatural foes.

**Order of the Cockatrice** - A cavalier who belongs to this order serves only himself, working to further his own aims and increase his own prestige. Cavaliers of this order tend to be selfish and concerned only with personal goals and objectives.

**Order of the Dragon** - Cavaliers belonging to the order of the dragon dedicate themselves to a group of like-minded individuals, be it a mercenary company or a small band of adventurers. These cavaliers believe in loyalty and friendship, and are willing to lay down their lives to protect their allies.

**Order of the Green** - Cavaliers of the order of the green are dedicated to protecting wild places and creatures, embracing the green Faith in all its glory and terror. These cavaliers believe in preventing perversions to the natural order, through force if necessary.

**Order of the Lion** - A cavalier who belongs to this order has pledged himself to a sovereign; be it a king, queen, or even the local warlord. Cavaliers of this order are stalwart and dedicated to their cause, willing to go any length to ensure the safety of their lord and his domain.

**Order of the Mailed Fist** - Cavaliers belonging to this order have joined a crusade against chaos, adopting a life of ironclad discipline and swearing to thwart disorder by any means. Through intimidation and strength of arms, these severe warriors embody the grim fist of law, pursuing and crushing disorder wherever it festers.

**Order of the Penitent** - Not all knights begin their careers as nobles’ children or as squires. Some start out as thieves, murderers, or cheats, and only after they see the suffering caused by their crimes do they dedicate themselves to honorable service. Cavaliers who follow this order seek to make up for the crimes they’ve committed in the past, and do whatever they can to restore their tainted honor.

**Order of the Seal** - Cavaliers of the order of the seal are a secretive order, each charged with the protection of a specific object (such as a dangerous magic item), place (a lost temple), or secret (that a certain peasant is actually the last descendant of the royal line). Such cavaliers are the defenders of ancient traditions or the servants of rulers with important secrets to hide, sometimes having to search out such secrets in order to properly protect and preserve them.

**Order of the Shield** - Cavaliers who join the order of the shield devote their lives to protecting the common folk, from the simple farmer to the honest craftsman. These cavaliers stand before the tide, protecting the innocent from roving marauders and hungry monsters.

**Order of the Shroud** - Cavaliers of this order seek out and destroy undead and those who harbor or create them. They scour old crypts, graveyards, and battlefields to bring eternal rest.

**Order of the Star** - Cavaliers who join the order of the star dedicate themselves to the protection and service of a faith and its members. Cavaliers belonging to this order tend to follow many of the tenets and guides of the religion that they serve.

**Order of the Sword** - Cavaliers who join the order of the sword dedicate their lives to the code of chivalry, living a life of honor, valor, and fairness. Cavaliers of this order tend to swear service to a lord or a lady. Of all the orders, the order of the sword is perhaps the broadest in terms of its focus and ideals.

**Order of the Tome** - Knowledge is the stepping stone of both truth and power. The members of this order devote themselves to the preservation of knowledge. Most would protect written knowledge at all costs, but there are members that believe there is such thing as knowledge too dangerous to be allowed to exist, and seek to destroy it.

**Ronin/Knight Errant** - While most samurai belong to the order of the Lion, dedicating their considerable skills to the service of a lord, land, and people, some find themselves without a master, either as a result of disgrace or death, or occasionally by choice. Known as ronin, these samurai wander the lands, serving their own code of ideals. While ronin are significantly freer to do as they please, they do not receive the same respect and support that a more dedicated samurai can count on.