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Knightly Codex of the Realms

Knightly Codex of the Realms, 1011


The noblest of goals is to be better men and women than we are today. In pursuit of this goal, many choose to walk the path of knighthood. It is our intent to see the knightly orders come together so they might better themselves and the people who swear to uphold their beliefs. Let the Round Table be a place where Knights Commander can collaborate and make their respective orders greater through their cooperation. Let knighthood be an ideal, and more than the sum of the people who call themselves knight.

Article the First, upon Knighthood as a Tiered Progression


Many young adventurers have great potential, but they lack the experience to find the best ways to foster that potential into something greater. Many experienced adventurers wish to give even more of themselves, but they lack a clear path of progress. Knighthoods are many and varied in their scope, but certain conventions exist among them.

Therefore, we propose the following list as both a progression for young adventures seeking knighthood and a template by which other knightly orders and those who wish to create new orders may choose to define themselves.
  • The National Knighthood is dedicated to the protection of its nation, safeguarding the interests of its nation’s members and striving to exemplify the values held dear by its nation.
  • The International Knighthood is dedicated to a set of noble ideals and some aspect of the overall welfare of the Realms while striving to serve the community as a whole.
  • The Knights of the Eternal Flame dedicate themselves to the preservation and continuance of the Realms as a community while striving to make that community greater.
  • The Knights of the Realms dedicate themselves to the custodianship of the entire Realms and all aspects thereof while striving to better themselves and become the paragons the community deserves.

    Article the Second, upon the Heraldry of Knighthood


    Both as a matter of tradition and as a necessity of identification on the field, a knightly order must have armorial bearings, commonly named as heraldry, unique to its station. Those who achieve knighthood, therefore, have earned the right to wear the bearings of their order as well claim knightly bearings of their own.

    By tradition and necessity, we delineate the following heraldic rules on knightly armorial bearings:
  • While the armorial bearings of national knightly orders often borrow from the bearings of their respective nations, the knightly blazon must in some way differ from that of its parent nation. This can be achieved by simple means, such as a change in tincture of field or charge, or by more complex means as desired by the order.
  • National knights may claim as their own the bearings of their order modified by a mark of difference. Common marks of difference include the label, crescent, and fleur-de-lys along with ordinaries and sub-ordinaries. Other marks of difference might be subtle changes to the field or charge that are unique to that knight.
  • Knights of international orders may claim as their own an individual blazon of their choice and bear it upon their arms in conjunction with the blazon of their order by division of field, such as per fess, per pale, per bend, per chevron, or per cross.
  • Knights of the Eternal Flame have earned the right to claim their personal blazon and bear that blazon alone upon their arms and belt.
  • Knights of the Realms may retain their previous blazon, but as their service is to all, they have no further need for individual arms.

    These guidelines for heraldry can be found in the Appendix of Heraldic Conventions at the conclusion of this document.

    Lists of the codified knightly bearings are updated annually in the Appendix of Heraldry at the conclusion of this document.

    Article the Third, upon the Duties and Organization of the Round Table


    Upon its inception, the Round Table shall consist of all Knights of the Realms who wish to participate and the Knight Commander of the Knights of the Eternal Flame. Meetings will occur twice each year – once at the Black and White Masquerade Ball and once at the Feast of Chimeron. Publication of the Knightly Codex and its annual appendices shall occur at the Feast of the Leviathan.

    Meetings of the Round Table shall be moderated by the Knight Commander of the Knights of the Realms or another Knight of the Realms as appointed by the Knight Commander. When the round table convenes, it provides the knights commander of its constituent orders with a venue to:
  • Share plans for improving their respective knightly orders
  • Discuss among peers the dilemmas faced by their knightly orders
  • Meet in a forum where they can draw upon the collective experience of many of the most respected knights in the Realms

    A list of current active members of the Round Table at the time of the publishing of this document appears in the Appendix of Round Table Members at the conclusion of this document.

    Article the Fourth, upon the Codification of Knighthood and Acceptance into the Round Table


    It is the hope of the Round Table that its ranks will grow as the collective knightly orders of the Realms seek to unify their voice and make personal improvement a focus of their aims. To this end, the Round Table shall use part of each meeting to review the Codifications of Knighthood of orders who wish to join their ranks. Upon unanimous approval by the Round Table, the Knight Commander of the approved order shall be invited to join in all future meetings of the Round Table to sit, as an equal, with the other knights and gain the benefits of one another’s collaboration and wisdom.

    There are expectations that must be met by any order seeking approval by the Round Table and acceptance of its Knight Commander to sit there as a peer. All petitioning knightly orders must have a code by which its knights live, or a charter through which the order exists. The order must have a Knight Commander or a clear leader of a similar nature. The order as a whole must consent to seeking approval by the Round Table, and it must have a readiness to improve beyond its current station. If the knightly order can demonstrate these, then it is welcome to petition for Codification of Knighthood.

    As the aim of the Round Table is to facilitate growth in its constituent orders, no knightly order shall be accepted immediately upon petitioning for approval by the Round Table. Upon its initial petition to the Round Table, the Knight Commander will be presented with a shield blank along with suggestions for improvement within his or her knightly order. Before the order can be accepted it must, at the very least, petition one more time, returning with the gifted shield now bearing the order’s heraldic markings. Only once this has occurred may the knightly order’s Codification of Knighthood be fully considered for approval.

    As knights must excel and be the pillars of our community, approval of an order’s Codification of Knighthood must be unanimous by the Round Table. As the Round Table is designed to be a place of growth, any member of the Round Table who blocks entry of a knightly order must also provide constructive feedback on how that knightly order can improve. This ensures that while some knightly orders may need to grow more than others to join the round table, all orders are assured that approval is a real possibility when sought with an earnest desire to better themselves.

    Article the Fifth, upon the Amending of this Document


    It is the intent of its creators that the Codex of Knighthood be a living document that can improve and grow, much as they expect the knightly orders who sit at the Round Table to do the same. It is also the intent of its creators that the Codex of Knighthood be resistant to change and the seasonal drift of opinion that is rife within our culture. To this end, the Articles of the Knightly Codex may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the members of the Round Table sitting at a given meeting. Abstentions are not possible, and any attempts at abstention shall be counted as a vote against change.

    To preserve the history of this document, all amendments shall not alter the original text of this document, but instead be added to the end as a record of change.

    The appendices included at the end of the annual publishing of the Codex of Knighthood are not a formal part of this document, and as such may be changed as needed by those who organize its publication.
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    Created by Cecil (Matt Brenner) at 01-10-11 08:23 PM
    Last Modified by Cecil (Matt Brenner) at 01-10-11 08:25 PM