Knight

A **knight** is a member of an order or group of warriors. It usually consists of men, although some knightly orders are for women.

## Rabydosverse

In some cultures, people have established knightly orders. It is done either to commemorate an event or

honour a deity.

### Knights by culture

* Marnos
	+ Along the eastern border inhabited by Besotrosk, many knightly orders were founded by fervent individuals. Some of these orders are dedicated to Ullr (the god of hunting), some are dedicated to Thor, but a large number of them are dedicated to Baldr (the god of light) and his family.
	+ The twelve dukes of southern Marnos -- being people of sdachel blood -- control their own knightly orders. These orders have sdachel and ordinary human members.
	+ Marnos already has its own indigenous knightly orders, and they are dedicated to Perkunas, the god of thunder. Some orders were formed by sdachels who grew more proud with their powers, claiming themselves to be children of the Gods. For instance, fire and sun sdachels dedicated their orders to Saule (goddess of the sun) and Gabija (goddess of the hearth).
* Ardesch
* Palguenia/Pelarin
	+ Believed to be the inventor of knighthood.
* Baesorja
* Daleskarnia
	+ Inspired by Baldr's victories against evil, many Norse peoples in the Rinnarverse established knightly orders to honour him, his wife Nanna, and their son Forseti (the god of justice). They tend to focus on courage and purity, and sometimes beauty.
* Heronoja
	+ Heronoja has its own knightly orders, and many of them use the Moon, flowers, trees, stars, or birds as their symbols.
* Vozolaz
	+ Vozonid knights tend to use gryphons, spinels, and other symbols of their gods.
	+ Gauvajut knights tend to invoke lightning to honour their god Tarhunz.
	+ One order of knights from the Sarmelonid Empire, the Celestial Order, form the bodyguard of the Vozonid Emperors.
	+ Another group that considered themselves as knights (though not recognised by the imperial government) was the Obsidian Knights.
* Kikori
	+ Out of their love of horses and zebras, the Kikorins made their own knightly orders.
* Pinoguni
	+ The Pinogunians had their own equivalent of knights known as *saburabi*. These tend to be the personal army of a feudal lord.
* Prisapura
	+ Prisapuran knights are known as *kishatri* or *kshatriya*. The knights of the city of Padrabas are notorious for their arrogance, even though they are skilled jousters.
* Porashon
	+ Emulating the traditions of their allies, some Porasonids formed their own knightly orders, in honour of their gods Shiva, Kali, Ganesha, Murugan, Jambavan, Ravana, and Svarog. Some Porasonids send their sons and daughters to join these orders for a while to learn moral values and chivalry.
* Rabydos
	+ The clown-like, benign Lausorijo who live along the northern mountains venerate Marduk and Naburi as the gods of righteousness, so they formed their own knightly orders to honour these gods.
* Rukania
	+ Since its origins at the Third Age as the confederated monarchy of Oruz, knighthood and its own form of chivalry and discipline are a huge part of Rukanian traditional culture. In fact, this is why Rukania is known as the "Land of Knights", or "Krajina Vetleni"!
	+ Half of the country's people are knights, but they just come from aristocratic families and promoted peasants. Their sons only attend training as a rite of passage just to inherit a huge sum of money when they reach their eighteenth birthday, and then they either waste their money on parties and rich cars, or they give that wealth back to the country by raising people out of poverty as diligent, dedicated citizens like themselves.
	+ Those who spend their birthday wealth for the kingdom's people, *and* those who reject knighthood to raise their own wealth without aristocratic money, are seen as more worthy knights and truer heroes than their aristocratic kin. Such examples of steel will are seen as more stronger than tough muscles and armour.
	+ The Valjads of northern Rukania are an culture of knights with Sevraejan blood.
	+ The modern Bujanski were partly trained under Rukanian knighthoods, leading to "nobleness" becoming a part of modern Bujanski culture.
	+ Oddly for a human nation, Rukanians welcome ethnic Ontemazei to join and study under their knighthoods.
	+ Some knights wander throughout the land, teaching willing students the ways of his order and to be a greater warrior. Such wandering teachers and heroes are known as "vochytelj". They are popularly depicted as playing a lute and having a single tail of hair on their bald heads.
* Sevraeja
	+ Contrary to popular belief, Sevraeja also has its own knighthoods, not including the obvious Valjads. Many of them have a more Zarijanian influence in their chivalry (Mazdajasni?), armour, and art.
	+ The most famous knighthood in Sevraeja is the Order of the Silver Dragon.
	+ The prince who defeated Emperor Alexander was himself a leader of a knighthood.
* Freyrgardians
	+ Two well-known knightly orders in Galactic history were the Order of the Triple Comet and the Order of the Firestorm, fire mutants who rode on flaming steeds and wreaked destruction to the enemies of their civilisation. These orders were dedicated to Heimdall, aiding their allies by burning their foes.

### Knights by alien culture

* Anchanok
	+ The planet-kingdom of Anchanok is a protectorate under the Malendor Supercorporation against invaders. Many of its males join knighthoods to socialise and play games such as jousting. Because the Anchanokke are also hatched with magical powers, their nation is more defensive in light of evil warlords who sought to use them in reckless campaigns.
	+ Anchanokke knights ride on *solpos* (six-legged horses), *eskarajes* (winged sabertooths), *kaagojes* (raptors), and *millundjes* (seahorse-like reptiles).
	+ Some knightly orders on Anchanok include the Brotherhood of the Raven (the king's guards) and the Golden Spades (a sacred band dedicated to Ngamilo, god of wealth).
* Ontemaz (during Konjor rule)
	+ The "Obsidian Knights" were named because they were a military order dedicated to liberating the planet from Konjor rule. Some of them instead wanted to subjugate the planet into Vozonid rule.

## Rinnarverse

In 1992, an American artist designed a variation of the Starpiercer flag with a Byzantine cross. Touched by his creativity, the creators of Kalendrica added knightly orders into their science fiction wargame.

## In various languages

### Knight

* Sarmelonid - katur
* Rukanian - vetelenj, vetlenj

### Squire

In various languages, a student or apprentice of a knight is known as a "squire".

* Rukanian - tromarets (holder of a weapon), serdjuk (a scout, a runner, a messenger, a footman)

## Trivia

* The author is fond of knights and "paladins".
* Knights in medieval Europe took part in a sport known as "jousting".

### Equivalents

* Marnosyn knights - Baltic armour
* Ardeschen knights - Holy Roman Empire
* Palguenian knights - French
* Daleskarnian knights - Norse
* Heronoi knights - Mycenaean Greek
* Vozonid knights - a mix of Hittite and Thai armour
* Rukanian knights - Ukrainian or Kyivan Rus armour, Cossacks
* Kikorin knights - Kikuyu
* Rabydosian Lausorijo knights - Assyrian, Babylonian, Saracen, dwarf