Knights of the Realm

The Knights of the Realm are a coalition of beings, generally human, from the Cymru habitat in the Aether System. They can be found throughout the sector, offering assistance and fighting in various conflicts deemed righteous. Knights also protect the Astral Harbor from inside and outside threats, and have the largest fleet of spike drive capable ships in the Sector.

## Oath

*"This is the oath I, [Name], take as a Knight of the Realm. I will seek no glory and place character above personal fortune. I will speak the truth at all times, cherish humility, and uphold justice and fairness to all. I will give mercy to those who seek mercy, and defense to those who cannot defend themselves. I will preserve to the end any enterprise begun, never refuse a challenge of an equal, and never turn my back on a foe. I eschew inequity, deceit, and treason, and will follow my authority so long as they preserve dignity. I will live my life with courtesy and honor from this day forward."*

The oath is taken after many years of training and at least one year of apprenticeship to an existing Knight. To take the oath, one symbolically cuts ties with existing families, governments, or factions to swear to the Knights of the Realm.

## Structure and Training

The Knights are governed by a triumvirate named for the founders of the creed. When a member dies or steps down from office, the next most powerful knight is elected to one of the triumvirate by all existing knights. The incoming knight relinquishes their name and takes instead the name of the open seat. The seats on the triumvirate are the Arthur, the Launcelot, and the Gwenhwyfar.

Knighthood begins with an application to Cymru and the triumvirate. Upon acceptance, the knightly hopefuls, called Squires, train under the instruction of other knights. Traditional education includes melee weapon combat, ranged weapon combat, shipboard combat, mechanized combat, basic astrobiology, coding, and engineering, ship navigation, ship piloting, and ethics. After successful completion of education, Squires will apprentice under a fully realized Knight for at least one Cymru year, after which they may undergo the Trial to become a Knight.

The Trial is held every year at Cymru, and combines all education and experience needed by a Knight to test upcoming apprentices. The exact nature of the Trial varies by year and by governance of the triumvirate.

The Knights of the Realm have always been open to those of any Kingdom, creed, or gender; however, historically admission had been closed to those of other species. After a reform in 3109, the Knights now accept applications from other sentient species in the sector.

## Technology

### Spike Drive Ships

The Knights posses the largest fleet of spike drive capable ships in the sector. These are often loaned to various merchant or transport fleets, but are always piloted and maintained by the Knights themselves. All ships have a common nomenclature which identifies a spike drive ship as belonging to Cymru: [noun][weaponry]. Well-known ships are listed below.

* StarBlade
* GloryHammer
* AtomicScythe
* LaserCutlass
* ThunderSpear

### Weaponry

Upon knighting, each Knight is given a set of personal arms; light powered armor, a laser pistol, and a fold-able metal sword known as the Bond.

The Bond folds into a sword forged specifically for the wielder. It generally stores as a compact tablet. The Bond also includes a connection to the Squire's home habitat Merlin AI and various scanners. Loss of a Bond is considered as severe as loss of a knight themselves.

## History

The Knights were founded by a group of three humans after contact in the Aether System was reestablished with the outside world. The three rebuilt the Cymru habitat and recruited people from the warring kingdoms to their purposes. With the help of a fugitive psionic from the inner system named Merlin, the group managed to bring a temporary peace to the Kingdoms of the Aether System. In their honor, the current triumvirate is always named.

Each Arthur, Launcelot, and Gwenhwyfar is interred in the center of Cymru as ashes. However, the psionic Merlin attempted to preserve himself in a non-sentient AI at the core of the habitat. The Merlin AI is implemented in all knightly technology from his death onward.

A legendary retelling of this period in Aether System history is preserved through the Arthurian Cycles.