Dakarian Knightly Orders

A knight of the Kingdom of Dakar is a non-hereditary military title that does not ennoble the blood. The origins of knighthood can be traced back to various honors and titles used by the dwarves of Stoneheart Hold to honor military prowess.

As the number of knights grew they gathered in Knightly Orders of like-minded individuals. Most of these knightly orders formed around a single purpose or goal. With the growing strength of the temple_of_light the crown granted the church the right to form its own knightly orders, but could not grant knighthood. Instead the church uses the honorific Brother-Knight for a commoner who preforms military service for the gods.

When a person is knighted they are granted the title Knight of the Realm. The title does not make them members of the gentry nor does it pass down to their progeny. Knighthood is an honorary title granted to someone to recognize their military capacity. Knight ranks as one of the lower titles of honor, but even if a knight gains a higher rank or nobility they will often continue to use knight honorific. The common nomenclature for a knight is either Sir or Knight, unless they also have a noble rank.

This ranking of knight is just above that of a Knight of the Realm, which is a landless knight. A Landed Knight, or Ritter, is a knighthood that has hereditary lands attached to the knighthood. These lands can either be granting during the knighting, possessed before the knighting, or granted after the ceremony. In all three cases a Landed Knight is not a member of the gentry, but the title becomes attached to the lands and can be inherited.

As only males in the kingdom can have the rank of knight, should a woman hold the hereditary lands she is granted the use of the honorific Dame.

This honorific is only used within the Temple of Light to recognize those within their ranks that have performed a great military service for the gods, but have not been recognized by the crown with a knighthood.

While a knight does not have to belong to a specific Chivalric Order, most knights join an order that closely match their own goals.

A Crown Order are those overseen by the Dakarian Throne and/or its current monarch. Most of these order have a Knight-Commander who is a member of the Royal Court.

A Religious Order are those orders overseen by the Temple of Light. Most of these orders are overseen by a Bishop that is not a member of the order. They will be the only member of the order allowed to use the honorific Bishop, even if other members are granted this title.

The smallest and newest orders are the Secular Orders. These orders have been loosely formed outside of crown and church authority and thus rarely recognized. Most of its members are not actually Knights of the Realm, but instead simply ape the organization of a true Knightly Order.

A Knight of the Crown is an order of knights dedicated to the protection of the throne above all else. Many believe that this means a Knight of the Crown always protects the current King or Queen, which is untrue. A true Knight of the Crown protects the sanctity of the throne itself from enemies both outside and internal - even if that threat is the current monarch.

The Order of White is dedicated to Byrne, the crown above all. Their motto is Strength, Justice, and Order Above All. Dedicated to the defense of the nobility and their right to rule through the wisdom of the gods.

The knights_arcana were founded by Hellstrom Darkmaster of phoenix_force under a decree issued by King Reiner IV. Dedicated to the preservation of magic and those who practice it within the kingdom. Many priests have called them apostates and heretics for practicing magic outside of the bounds of the temple. The decree cannot be revoked unless Hellstrom himself is accused of heresy or he dies. Queen Aurora I has not accused them of any heresy and uses them heavily in the War of the Sun.

The order_of_himmel was started by Baron Himmel for the sole purpose of fighting Xian and freeing the slaves held by the xianese. Baron Himmel is a Knight of the Realm and most of the inner circle of the order are knights; although many past their fighting age. The order is not recognized by either the throne or church, but it does not stand in heresy as they stand against the enemies of both crown and gods.