Backgrounds: Knights of an Oath

You are a knight who has sworn by an oath to achieve a certain goal. The nature of this goal depends on who you serve, but in your eyes it is without question a vital and honorable endeavor. Huldain has a wide variety of knightly infantry, all of which have a similar outlook concerning their actions and responsibilities.

Though the term "knight" conjures ideas of mounted, heavily armored warriors of noble blood, most knightly infantry in Huldain don't restrict their membership to such individuals. The goals and philosophies of the infantry are more important than the gear and fighting style of its members, and so most of these infantries aren't limited to fighting types, but are open to all sorts of folk who are willing to battle and die for the infantry's cause.

The "Knightly Infantries of Huldain" section below details several of the infantries that are active at present and is designed to help inform your decision about which group you owe allegiance to.

###### Skill Proficiencies

Persuasion, plus one from among Arcana, History, Nature, and Religion, as appropriate for your order

###### Tool Proficiencies

One type of gaming set or musical instrument

###### Equipment

One set of traveler's clothes, a signet, banner or seal representing your place or rank in the order, and a pouch containing 10 gp

### Feature: Knightly Infantries of Huldain

Many who rightfully call themselves "knight" earn that title as part of an order in service to a deity, such as the Knights of Aestas. Other knightly orders serve a government, royal family, or are the elite military of a feudal state, such as the Knights of the Norfvician Army. Other knighthoods are secular and non-governmental organizations of warriors who follow a particular philosophy, or consider themselves a kind of extended family, similar to an order of monks. Although there are organizations, such as the Night Knights, that use the trappings of knighthood without necessarily being warriors, most folk of Huldain who hear the word "knight" think of a mounted warrior in armor beholden to a code. Below are a few knightly organizations.

***Knights of Aestas.*** The Knights of Aestas began as a fad of romantically minded sons and daughters of rich families in Kygan. On a lark, they took the god, Aestas as their mascot and went on various adventures for fun. The reality of the dangers they faced eventually sank in, as did Aestas' tenets. Over time the small group grew and spread, gaining a following in places as far as Sidre. The Knights of Aestas are chivalric adventurers who follow romantic ideals: life is to be relished and lived with laughter, quests should be taken on a dare, impossible dreams should be pursued for the sheer wonder of their completion, and everyone should be praised for their strengths and comforted in their weaknesses.

***Knights of Tonkin.*** Long ago, the Knights of Tonkin were a famous order of knights, even Peyton, one of Huldain's famous adventurers, joined them at one point. The order took its name to honor the great city, just as the new Knights of Tonkin do today. The Knights of Tonkin fell into ruins at the same time as the city itself, however their leader survived. Years later, he has decided to reform the group with the primary goal of building alliances and friendship between the civilized races of the world and goodly people in order to combat evil. The Knights of Tonkin once again ride the roads of Huldain, and they've begun to spread to the lands beyond. Their members, each accepted by Alfred Osburh himself, are above all valiant and honest.

***Knights of the Norfvician Army.*** The Knights of the Norfvician Army was formed by edict of the demigod Nicholas Klaus in Norfvice a century ago. Nicholas Klaus' ethos is to protect Norfvice from threats abroad, and the demigod created the knights for this reason. By the decree of Nicholas Klaus, the Knights of the Norfvician Army took it upon themselves to protect the rulers of Norfvice and maintain order in the country. Since then they have grown to be the largest knighthood in Huldain.

### Feature: Knightly Regard

You receive shelter and succor from members of your knightly order and those who are sympathetic to its aims. If your order is a religious one, you can gain aid from temples and other religious communities of your deity. Knights of civic orders can get help from the community – whether a lone settlement or a great nation that they serve, and knights of philosophical orders can find help from those they have aided in pursuit of their ideals, and those who share those ideals.

This help comes in the form of shelter and meals, and healing when appropriate, as well as occasionally risky assistance, such as a band of local citizens rallying to aid a sorely pressed knight in a fight, or those who support the order helping to smuggle a knight out of town when he or she is being hunted unjustly.

### Suggested Characteristics

Use the tables for the soldier background as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity.

Your bond almost always involves the order to which you belong (or at least key members of it), and it is highly unusual for a knight's ideal not to reflect the agenda, sentiment, or philosophy of one's order.

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