Cavalier

Cavalier Orders

Cavaliers: Mounted horse warriors with a code of honor. The name cavalier comes from the J'miran word Chevalier, and their orders are based on the orders of chivalry established by ancient Moarvik Rycerz, and Ronan orders of knights. A cavalier was considered a chivalrous man. He could be a member of an Order of Chivalry, a member of certain orders of knighthood or a member of the J'miran Legion of Honor.

Order of Wrath (Cavalier Order of Kalrik)

The Order of Wrath

The Order of Wrath is a religious order of cavaliers devoted to the god Kalrik. They exist in various realms but are primarily found in Rona, where their strength has begun to grow. Rona has often gone to war, and with the Knights of Thamor waning in this realm, the Order of Wrath has ascerted its own power. They form an elite military group that often serve their own cause and though they answer the call lords, dukes and King, it is often difficult for these nobles to control them. During war, though, they serve a very important role. They are ministers of the soldiers during and sometimes even lead them into battle. This used to be a position held by the Knights of Thamor, but they have not had the numbers to meet the demand in recent decades. Members of the Order, when not at war, often roam the country performing various duties for their god. The Order of Wrath forbids any women to join and only accepts pure humans as members. The Ronan Church recognizes these knights as having some authority. They have strict rules of behavior and there are ??? ranks within this order:

Grand Master
A life-long commitment, the Grand Master is in charge of the entire Order. Once appointed a Grand Master can only retire from this position if defeated in battle. The Grand Master is considered of equal rank to a Lord-Marshal of the Holy Crown.

Master de Commandery
Master is the title granted to the priest in charge of each commandery (see below). The Master has complete command of his stronghold and command over his stronghold and in the field his men answer directly to him.

Commanders
The Commanders are Temple-Knights who have attained some rank under the Master de Commandery. Each Commander is served by two Temple-Knights, as well as their own retinue. There are six commander titles: Seneschal, Turcoplier, Chaplain, Marshal, Under-Marshal, and Confanonier.

Seneschal
The Seneschal is the devoted agent of the Master, serving as both secretary and sword-arm. The Seneschal administers the lands belonging to the Master. In war, he directs the movement of the men, pack trains, and all other logistics of war.

Captain
Third in line behind the Seneschal, the Captain commands the light cavalry and the Sergeant brothers. The Turcopolier is otherwise identical to all other Commanders.

Chaplain
The Chaplain serves as the spiritual leader within each commandery. He has the power to take confessions and grant absolution. What makes them unique is that they are not answerable to other local clerics or bishops; only to their own authorities within the order or to the High Lord of the Holy Crown.

Marshal
The Marshal is the master-of-arms and horse-master. The priest holding this position often the man with most direct knowledge of what is occurring in the field. The Master usually consults with his Marshall before making any tactical decisions.

Under-Marshal
The Under-Marshal is in charge of procurement, distribution and movement of supplies such as bridles, padding for saddles, food, and barrels of water. In battle he leads the force by holding a flag, called the piebald banner, that rises above all others. This flag helps to keep their force together, creating a rallying point.

Confanonier
The Confanonier is the Orders' Standard Bearer. He is in charge of the Squires and their paymaster, disciplinarian, and overseer. He oversees their work of keeping the knight-priests’ horses and weapons in good order. He does not bear an actual standard in battle, but marches in front of the banner and leads his marching column.

Temple-Knights
A Temple-Knight is a cleric trained for war, particularly as a light cavalryman. A priest must have seen battle to attain this rank, but had to be granted the title by a Marshall or higher ranking member of the Order. They are required to keep their hair cut short and maintain a short cropped beard, meant to indicate their maturity next to less experienced soldiers on the field. Temple-Knights dress in a white tunic with a red ????

Retinue
Each Temple-Knight (including Commanders) is served by his own personal retinue. This usually consists of one Sergeant, one Minister, two acolytes (who serve as squires), two foot soldiers, and one scribe. He is granted four horses and one palfrey (riding horse).

Sergeant
The highest rank a priest can attain without being made a Temple-Knight by a Marshall. The Sergeant is a light cavalry officer and the chief supporting officer for the Temple-Knight. Sergeants are expected to keep their hair short, but cannot grow a beard (though a mustache is common). They dress in a black tunic and a black or brown mantle, often with a red ????.

Commandery:
These formidable strongholds are equal parts church and fortress, and are often built with secret passages and vaults. They also have secret rooms for special rituals of the order. Each is manned by a Master, a Seneschal, a Captain, a Chaplain, a Marshall, an Under-Marshall, a Confanonier, their Temple Knights (usually 14) and their retinues. Thus, not including the Master and six commanders, there would be 14 Temple Knights, 21 Sergeants, 21 Ministers, 42 acolytes, 42 foot-soldiers, and 21 scribes. There would also be a host of other lay-persons working within the stronghold to support them. The Commandery is in itself a castle, and thus it is often surrounded by those services it most often needs (masons, blacksmiths, carpenters, etc…), and thus can be the center of a town.

Lay-Persons:
There are a number of duties within the Commandery that can be performed by lay-persons. These are:
Treasurer (keeps the books), Draper (in charge of clothing, linens, and proper dress attire), Squires (acolytes in service to the order), alter boys, and many other servants (cooks, maids, launders, etc…).

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License