Knight's Code

## Code of Chivalry

"*To serve the Liege Lord in valor and faith"*"*To protect the weak and defenseless"*"*To give aid to widows and orphans'*"*To refrain from the giving of offense"*"*To live by honor and to fight for glory"*"*To despise monetary reward"*"*To fight for the welfare of all"*"*To obey those placed in authority"*"*To guard the honor of fellow Lions"*"*To avoid unfairness and deceit"*"*To persevere in battle until the end"*"*To respect the honor of men, women, and children alike"*"*Never to refuse a challenge from an equal"*"*Never to turn your back upon a foe"*

## The Chivalric Virtues

*"Justice"*

*A Knight must show this Virtue in any situation that they are put in. They must judge every situation with righteousness, justness, and moral rightness. To be just is to be lawful, to be lawful is to follow moral principles of your fellow man. A Knight would be obligated to administer deserved punishment and/or reward of any persons within his County.*

*Examples:*

*I) A woman is surrounded in an alleyway by three soldiers of the Alliance. She is crying out for their mercy but they continue to prod her with their knives lightly, unclothing her. A Knight of justice would aid the woman and fight the men off of her if he must. He would then administer justice upon them either through their capture or through their pain. An eye for an eye.*

*II) The Count and his heir have been murdered. Several claimants announce their claim to the throne of the County. A Knight of justice would simply support the most rightful claim by law regardless of the claimant's charisma and strength and would under no circumstances accept bribery in any case.*

*"Valor"*

*Valor is the act of bravery, heroism, or boldness. A Knight with this Virtue will never give up, never retreat, and never surrender. They will fight with unrelenting vigor on the battlefield, and once given a mission they will not cease until it is completed.*

*Examples:*

*I) While returning from a mission the Count sends word to your platoon informing you that the County's Marshal has been kidnapped by enemy forces. They are moving the Marshal to a ship where he will be sent off to a prison in their capital. A valorous knight would show no hesitation in volunteering on a near suicide mission to save the Marshal.*

*"Honor"
A Knight must show this Virtue in all aspects of his like, by showing the utmost respect to all, no matter their background, even when facing a foe on the battlefield a true Knight will show Honor. In addition a Knight must never break a sworn Oath or Vow, even when it clashes with his own values or morale compass.*

*Examples:*

*I) A neighboring Lord visits the County of Goldcoast, during his stay he constantly insults the lands, and it's people, attempting to degrade them at every chance. A honorable Knight will show this man the respect he deserves, he would never make any threats, physical, or verbal. He would never make an attempt to insult the Lord.*

*II) Your platoon of Knights launching an assault on a bandit camp in the County, these men are charged with killing over a dozen farmers, and stealing their cattle. During the battle a man you are facing off with trips over an item on the ground, letting go of the weapon in his hand, and falling to the ground. An honorable Knight would allow the man to gain his footing and retake his weapon before engaging him once again.*

*III) The Lord of Goldcoast starts a political faction in the Kingdom, gaining some backing by the Nobles of the realm. After the King of Stormwind demands the faction is ended and it's cause dropped the Lord of Goldcoast claims independence from the Kingdom and declares war on Stormwind. An honorable knight will not break the Oath to his liege-lord, and will fight for him in this upcoming war.*

*"Charity"*

*A Knight must show this Virtue in all aspects of his life by performing generous acts to aid the poor, ill, or helpless. Additionally, a Knight, if given a monetary reward, would immediately return that reward to the people that need it the most.*

*Examples:*

*I) You are walking on the cobblestone streets of Stormwind City when a hideous and wretched old man asks for spare coin so that he may purchase bread for himself. A charitable knight would go above and beyond for the old man so that he has food to eat and may sometimes even offer the man a job under him within the legion.*

*"Diligence"*

*A Knight must handle every situation in his life with this Virtue. A careful and cautious knight is a successful and living knight. A Knight must always have persistent effort to accomplish any task that is undertaken by himself or the Knighthood.*

*Examples:*

*I) The Lions of Goldcoast are on a task in a far away land. One of the Lions was recently slain in a battle earlier that day. A diligent knight would tread carefully but always show persistence in completing the task at hand without fear.*