A Vision for the Future

Introduction

Long have the questions been asked why the Knighthood of Gareth accepts only humans into its ranks. This discourse raising the possibility to change is between myself as the proposer, and Aenarion dePayens as the objector.

The premise of the contents is that long ago, the Knighthood of Serpantol was founded to protect the barbarian settlements from other races, but things have moved on since then, specifically the threat being upon racial grounds no longer. It continues that the very virtuous nature of Knighthood, that it is good, lawful, moral, disciplined, virtuous and a meritocracy organization dedicated to the protection of the good and the innocent, that the such a premise about racial membership has become an anachronism.

This position is staunchly defended by de Payens to retain the status quo.

Iolius, the Loremaster.

An Enlightened Future

In the days when Algoron was young, humans were scattered throughout the lands as roaming groups of barbarians. There was no civilisation worth speaking of until the leader of the humans Ser’Phan organised our first settlements.

The weak settlements required protection and thus the ‘Knighthood of Serpantol’ was formed to protect this aspiring civilisation. The Knighthood of Gareth has its roots in this old Empire of Serpantol.

Rules were dogmatic and absolute. They had to be as any variation might cause the struggling community to fail. The code was unchallengeable for this very reason.

Let us appreciate that the code which governs Knights was determined subsequent to the ‘Fall from Grace’ where racial difference pitted races against one another with numerous wars occurring between all the races of Algoron. Most races blamed their fall on another group, other races waged wars of conquest upon races they perceived to be weaker in the initial struggles for supremacy in this world. Civil wars were fought, won and lost and the code played its part to ensure the survival of humans on the global stage, and thus was its purpose complete.

I speak of days of yore when our very survival was in question in an ancient and barbaric age where the strongest survived and every human lived from one day to the next. We protected ourselves through the principle of exclusion.

But what of today? What of the future? We live in an age where conflict has escalated from inter-racial to inter-nation. The more culturally evolved a civilisation the more they stray from racial grounds and into nations of statehood. I present to you four premises:

1. That humans have evolved since this very early ‘Age of Nations’.
2. That the pitting of race against race for survival is no longer true.
3. That while we have evolved, our code has not.
4. That our code is not authoritative and can evolve.

That humans have evolved since this very early ‘Age of Nations’.

Since the formation of the initial barbaric settlements, we have become ever-more cultured. We have experienced our establishment in the ‘Foundation of Knighthood’, we have been a focal point of renaissance during the ‘Rise of Knighthood’. With each stride we take deeper into culture and civilisation. We leave behind some of our barbaric ways, our irrelevant customs, our outdated methods and our obsolete thinking. This is not to say that we leave behind all those things that have made us great. We have our base, and we have built upon it in ways of theology, philosophy, economics and social quality of life in iterative improvements.

That the pitting of race against race for survival is no longer true.

Since the early days of survival, races are no longer trying to exterminate one another. Most modern Kingdoms expose tolerance across all races, and the relics from the past who maintain their homogeneousness tend to be quiet and undersubscribed such as Ganth or Nordmaar; the dwarves and elves who had allied in common cause to repel the invading Yinn remain at each others throats for both economic and reasons of age upon age of bad blood, but there is no escalation to others; the threat of dae’Tok was shattered by the comet which bore Malachive’s realisation. For many-an-age, there has been no racially motivated war of extermination or even displacement on Algoron. Today our wars are waged for the ideological reasons of good and evil, chiefly against organisations that are evil or are currently in its sway.

That while we have evolved, our code has not.

Our unassailable code has successfully completed the task which was assigned to it. Barring disaster on the scale of the meteor of dae’Tok, our values and presence are here to stay. It was drawn up by learned men for its day, but much life has changed in the world since it was drafted. It is clear that there has been no challenge to the code, or culture within Gareth to challenge it.

That our code is not authoritative and should evolve.

What has the code done for us recently? When we look at what it has done for us in the past, does it continue to change and protect our way of life as that has changed? What might it be able to do if it were given a chance to evolve? We live in a world today which faces difference challenges to those which faced Ser’Phan and Tesalon Gareth. Clearly we are not at a point yet where we can all down weapons and declare our purpose fulfilled. But what is the best way to spread our message and values so that they are most efficiently understood?

I, Sehvelarious Iolius move that the best way that we have on reaching a common understanding with those on Algoron who are cultured enough to listen and comprehend is to drop our selective criteria for entry by means of race. Our order ought to be open to all races that are of a lawful and good alignment. As I have shown above, there is no reason to remain a human-only organization on grounds of risk to humanity. There are few persuasive arguments that we ought to remain solely human for no sake other than tradition. There is ample opportunity to allow our code to evolve to meet the needs to today’s society. An enlightened organization such as ourselves ought not to be held back by ancient rules which were required at the time, but that purpose is now obsolete.

The more races which have access to our value and virtue based meritocracy the more we shall win the battle of hearts and minds on the way how we, a leader in the civilized world ought to help it progress – a beacon of light and culture for all folk who gravitate towards Good.

What are the arguments against changing it? The Old Guard will tell you that it has worked well for us, and it has in our past, but our future? That it has always been that way, which is not a compelling argument not to challenge it. That if we dropped this requirement to join our order, what would be next? I would tell them that anything which does not constitute part of our core virtue and value based meritocracy should be challengeable. Why should we change it? Because if we don’t that which we cherish will become a relic of the past.

There are certain virtues and values which we adhere to, not because we are human but because we hold a common belief system. This does not change, we still follow the ways of Austinian, Nadrik, Siccara and are part of the parthenon of light. We adhere to our virtues and values because they are far more a part of us than our humanity. Elements outside of humanity share those same values. Are we brave enough to send a message to them that we who were rigid are willing to break our mould for our collective enlightened future?

The next related pieces in this series, ‘Knights of the Spur’ and ‘A Proposal for Serpantol’ will follow shortly.

Iolius, the Loremaster

An Enlightened Future - The response

From the dawn of the Human race, Knighthood, in one form or another has been a guiding and protecting force for the weak and innocent. In the beginning, we were used to protect humanity from the depravities of other races.

In glorious Serpantol, where the foundations for our life were built, we were the rock the human race built itself on.

Our code was strong, absolute, disciplined. Its strength granted a surety that allowed our race to bolster itself into the flourishing species we are today. Its rigidness was humanities keystone. Its purpose ongoing.

Yet how does that ancient and steadfast code suit us today? I present to you four premises:

1. That humans have evolved since this very early ‘Age of Nations’.
2. That the pitting of race against race for survival is no longer true.
3. That as we have evolved, so has our code.
4. That our code is authoritative and does evolve.

That humans have evolved since this very early ‘Age of Nations’.

It is unarguable that humanity is no longer the barbaric and wandering race of yore. The life our race led is gone, the racial strife over and in its place stand magnificent nations that embrace all comers. Our people are enlightened in the cities where education flourishes and our outlying townships, villagers and farms no longer fear persecution along racial lines. All of which leads to,

That the pitting of race against race for survival is no longer true.

With the exception of Thaxanos and Shalonesti and occasional flare ups on Icewall between Nordmaar and Ganth, wars along racial lines are no longer fought. With dae'Tok gone it seems unlikely the encamped Yaeni invaders who have lived in our lands, mostly peacefully, for generations are no longer a unified threat. No, our world is no longer torn by war along racial lines, merely religious ones.

That as we have evolved, so has our code.

It is true that times have changed, humanity has grown. Yet even through this the core principle of our code, the founding reasons for it, still exist. Yes, the danger may be different but it is danger none the less. So our code has undergone some changes. In days of yore it was acceptable for Knighthood to do anything possible to defend humanity. As we grew more enlightened, more educated, we came to realise that this was not the true path to righteousness and good. Internal wars fractured the clan and Valor eventually splintered off. Still our code evolves. More and more have we restricted ourselves according to the tenets and will of our gods as we strive to meet threats to the weak and innocent, as always, in the best and most honourable manner.

That our code is authoritative and does evolve when needed.

Our code, our keystone, guides our lives. When necessary it will change but it never shifts far from the strength and authority that has alway underpinned Knighthood's success. Yes, the source of our challenges today are different from in the past, but they are challenges none the less and we require what we always have. Strength and surety. The rock of our code is stronger even than the walls of Gareth Keep. Castle's may be destroyed but ideology can not, so long as people hold true.

The more we change, the more we weaken the foundation of our purpose, the more we dilute ourselves and move away from the traditions of the past, the more we risk failure and damnation. Nowadays it is not just the human race which looks to us for protection, it is all races, all good aligned followers of the Pantheon of Light. From the meanest Yaeni to the richest human, all those who share worship of our gods, require us to be here and to be strong. Our keystone must needs remain in place to ensure -our- strength so that we can protect, as we always have. The consequences of failure are now higher than ever.

Our traditions are sacred; built on hundreds of years of service. Our lifestyles are holy, divinely guided. We are the crusade that smashed the all race evil of Malice. We were the bulwark that the Yaeni crashed upon, slowing their invasion as we allowed humanity to escape. We are the rock, the stone walls that outlasted the all race Eclipse and the all race Pirates.

We are knighthood.

Aenarion dePayens

Justice of Nadrik

Colonel of the Crown

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Sehvelarious: To Knighthood be true

Wed Jun 3 08:33:53 2015

To: kiery jyrin esian knighthood kyri scorn imm

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From the History, "Long ago, Humans were lost and helpless. Ser'Pahn,

the barbarian leader, organized first human settlements. His General,

Tesalon Gareth founded the Knighthood of Serpantol to protect the human

settlements."

The Empire of Serpantol was born from the military might of Knighthood which

civilised Algoron, and drove out the evil races who threatened the humankind

of Serpantol.

That was until they met the Yinn Empire of dae'Tok. The Yinn threatened

humankind's very existence. And in Knighthood's ultimate test they failed.

Serpantol destroyed, Gareth Keep sacked. This is the last time in history

that humankind was threatened.

Knighthood returned. With Serpantol gone they pledged themselves to protect

Althainia - to redeem their failure at Serpantol. The Yinn pulled back,

never to threaten humankind again. There was no further need for racial

defence, battles were now being fought along different lines as the gods

brought their war to Algoron - a battle between good and evil.

Knighthood needed a new purpose.

What it chose was the way of virtue and of good. Of morals and ethics, to

uphold the law, to protect the good and the weak. Austinian gave his

blessing.

From this point, Knighthood dispensed with their human origins, as they

protected good multi-racial Althainia against evil. Their oath, "Noble

Deeds, Death before dishonor" reflects their purpose, not their origin.

But tradition held and although Knighthood's purpose had changed, their

membership had not. The Sentinal of Austinian, Thrakhath came to Knighthood

and showed the traditionalists how humans did not have a monopoly on

knightly virtue or of good. The argument was won.

This is now what needs to change to reflect the purpose of Knighthood. A

knighthood made up of not from the race which they had spawned, but the

ideals that every knight holds dear. A knighthood that has no prejudice of

race. A knighthood who practice what they preach.

A knighthood which is true to itself.

Sehvelarious Iolius, the Loremaster

Knights of the Spur

My Lords and Ladies of Gareth Keep, hear my proposal for a new order aligned to Gareth Keep.

While certain restrictions beyond our control keep us from bringing aboard like-minded individuals, let this not impede our gathering of those who follow our ways of virtue and values, by the path of merit rather than racial selection. I offer to you, the Order of the Spur.

Requirements:

Aspirants must be treated no differently than from our established orders of the Crown, Lance and Shield, and must adhere to the restrictions imposed by those orders.

Additionally the Aspirant must:

Gain the approval of the Lord or Lady to which they owe their primary fealty, whether be it the Lord of Justice, or the Empress of Althainia. This will remain their primary fealty.

Seek out either a General or member of the Crown in which to pledge their interest, as that order combines the fortitude of the Lance, and the wisdom of the Shield required to guide this new venture away from failure, and the associated risks.

What would we hope to achieve by this? The understanding of our values and virtues transcending races, kingdoms and clans. With this understanding and Gareth as the focal point of real leadership of all that is good it will raise our profile, and catapult the status of Gareth as a world power to a new high. If we are successful in such relationship building, consider this order as a stepping stone to casting aside of our principle of exclusion. A Gareth Keep where anyone who shares our values and virtues will be embraced.

People will tell you that the scheme is doomed, that there is no precedent. But look upon the failed Purists of Eclipse. They were passionate about their desire, to make their evil homogeneous to humanity by the very principle of exclusion which we ourselves currently adhere to. They lost the battle for their purity for Eclipse, but won the war for their own new purist Order of the Shadow at Storm Keep. During our own civil war after the sack of Gareth Keep by dae’Tok, men of Valor splintered from Knighthood. Once they stood alone without their memory melted away in the same fashion as the Eclipsians. Their error was to forsake core values of virtue and values but I charge that they were ahead of their time by transcending race.

Precedent does exist if we are brave enough to try, try and try again.

Sehvelarious Iolius, the Loremaster

Virtues and Enlightenment

A short piece on how the virtues oppose the principle of exclusion of other races from Gareth Keep.

The Eight Virtues

Honesty

Are we being honest with ourselves when we consider that those not of humankind are any less worthy to tread these halls?

Compassion

In allowing others to join and learn both with and from us, we will better their quality of life.

Valour

Not all valour is reserved for the field. To continue the status quo requires none, but challenging the establishment takes great courage.

Justice

It is unjust that there are those of other races that would walk with our values, and yet they are excluded from walking such a path.

Sacrifice

If we take this action wholeheartedly, then we shall sacrifice part of our past which many of us hold dear. But what we lose in tradition we shall gain in the greater common understanding and peace that comes with that.

Honour

There is no honour in exclusion, we who wilfully deny entrance to those who would join us but are refused because of their race.

Spirituality

Our Gods of Light do not use the principle of exclusion amongst their followers who come from many races. Do we aspire to be closer to the divine?

Humility

Are we so proud that we consider we humans are better deserved to be the sole keepers of our values and virtue?

Iolius, the Loremaster

The Eight Virtues - The response

Honesty

Are we being honest with ourselves when we consider that those not of humankind are any less worthy to tread these halls?

Honesty has nothing to do with our tradition. Likewise, worth is not a factor. Knighthood does not exclude other races because they are unworthy. We exclude them simply because tradition states that we are humans gathered together.

Compassion

We are a compassionate organisation. We protect all races. We risk our lives to ensure they all keep theirs. We feed and clothe those in desperate need as we move them on to better places. We listen with compassion to all arguments before we pass judgement. Compassion plays no part in our selection criteria else we would allow beggars from the street to join us, or poor crippled children.

Valour

I fail to see what Valour has to do with allowing a multi-racial approach to recruitment. Yes, all races can and do display valour. This is beyond question. Yes, if this were the only basis on which we recruited then it is likely we would recruit all comers. However, it is not, so we do not.

Justice

For justice to play a part in recruitment the very process must be looked at as an equal opportunity for all. All comers must have some sort of "right" to join for them to be robbed of justice when they are denied. Clearly, we differentiate all candidates on many criteria thus our process is not equal opportunity at all. No one aspirant has the -right- to join. All must earn and failure to earn is not an injustice.

Sacrifice

We offer our lives in sacrifice. We sacrifice our freedom, or health, our safety amongst many other things, for the privilege of serving Knighthood's code. We must not sacrifice this code or else all other sacrifices have been for naught.

Honour

To say that our selection process is dishonourable is to call all Leaders and recruiters of Knighthood in the past, dishonourable. It is to call Tesalon and Croyden, Seal Breingiton and Leumas Circe, amongst many distinguished others, dishonourable. This is clearly not so. This point must be left out of all future arguments so that past heroes of Knighthood are not besmirched by our debate.

Spirituality

What we do is clearly spiritual and clearly favoured by the divine. Need I remind you that Nadrik Himself only grants his greatest gifts to humans. If it is good enough for Him it is good enough for us.

Humility

We are not better. We are not the most deserved. neither of these points form a point of contention. Our policy of humanity only is based on tradition. Tradition that has served us well. Should we be so bold to suggest that we know better than everyone that has come before us? Are we so arrogant to suggest that we know better than all that have come before us? Which is more hubristic?

All in all, I would go to say that either our virtues support what we are doing or are mostly irrelevant to the argument at hand. Nothing you have said so far, Loremaster has convinced me at all, that we are in the wrong and must change our ways.

Aenarion dePayens

Eight Virtues - The retort

Honesty

My argument is to challenge this tradition. I make the point that being a virtue and valued based meritocracy is better than keeping our traditional principle of exclusion of all other than humanity. To challenge and to change is to grow, tradition can only stagnate.

Compassion

My argument is not to begin to recruit beggars and cripples to join our Order, rather allow similarly skilled races who would gain entrance upon their own merit, which would ripple through those societies and through that compassion, improve their way of life through the addition of our influence.

Valour

As for honesty, my point is to challenge tradition with our increased civilized knowledge. It is not the only case to which we recruit, but if they are worthy and human and worthy and elf they ought to be eligible for our teaching. The valour is our own for being brave enough to take such a proposed decision.

Justice

I am arguing for equal opportunity for all, as that is just. They must be capable and pass the tests whether they be human or otherwise under this proposal.

Sacrifice

I agree with all but the last. Is it the code which is wholly responsible for our advancement thus far, or have the virtues and values that we have in our society been built upon it's foundation superceded it in importance?

Honour

Everything ought to be challengeable. To blindly close our eyes to reason serves not our enlightened culture. However, we are standing on the shoulders of these giants you mention. They have augmented our learning and our next step in the advance is to build upon what they have left to us. If it were not for men such as these, we would not even address such issues.

Spirituality

We are but a subset of followers of the Gods of Light. I put it to you that the reason why the Holy Warrior is available only to humans because only humans are allowed within our halls, although there are more of Nadrik's followers outside our Keep than inside. Does Nadrik wish to keep his other faithful out because he favours humans?

Humility

As with the reply to honour, we are standing on those giant's shoulders. Tradition stands still, reason and learning advance. Overall knowledge increases. We do not know better than those who came before, but we have their knowledge to build on as well as our own to invent.

Iolius, the Loremaster

A Proposal for Serpantol

In an age that none of us is old enough to remember, Serpantol was both the birth place and the jewel in the crown of civilisation. It was here that we established ourselves and rose to great prominence, becoming a thriving empire of culture, commerce and trade – a beacon of light to law and order, and home to the good. A refuge for humans who had been driven from elsewhere in the world, Serpantol boasted protection by the ‘Knighthood of Serpantol’ which held the city and surrounding lands through a network of castles and fortifications. Most of these have been lost to us as in some way, a shroud of mist has descended upon them. What tangibly remains to us is a ruined southern fortress inhabited by evil yinn scavengers, a terrible momento to the destruction that happened there in days of yore. Also present is the ‘Temple of the Serpents Eye’ where monks go to meditate their craft, and the village of Pan-toll where most of the refugees from Serpantol congregated to build upon the destruction of the city.

In the ‘Age of Conquest’, dae’Tok drove Knighthood from Serpantol, utterly destroying human presence there. Serpantol was under the protection of the Knighthood of Gareth, now transferred to Althainia and oaths had been sworn to such an effect have been dishonoured, making a dark stain on the word of Gareth and cause of great resentment in Pan-toll.

That stain, and the mantle of responsibility from forebears rests firmly on our shoulders. We knights who echo such virtues as honor and justice have yet this stain on our conscience. We are obliged to take the action which our honor has demanded for time immeasurable.

Recently we have lead our knights up to reclaim the southern fortress, and sustaining loss, we were able to reclaim the ruins for our own. But our sense of moral purpose has faded with this small battle. Our oath remains unfulfilled.

I, Sehvelarious Iolius the Loremaster, propose that these lands be rebuilt, to which we have two options open to us.

dae’Tok, recently destroyed by a meteor from the heavens, is weak. Yinn now regard the ruins of Serpantol as their home. Perhaps they even inhabit the city of Serpantol which remains hidden to us, but that is merely speculation.

Our first virtuous channel ought to be to rise up against our prejudice and contact the leaders of what remains of that mighty civilisation who have since abided in those lands since any of us can remember. We know that not all yinn are evil, our own Sir Tegyr Vey has shown us that true merit lies within ourselves, rather than our race. Lord Thrakhath has shown nobility on the field time and again so simply being a yinn does not preclude that all yinn are evil.

The question is what of their leadership? Is it evil?

If they are not, we ought to initiate discourse, to see if we can put aside our ancient differences and rebuild the land that we have both known as home together in partnership. I speak of locating the centre of the Empire and rebuilding it to its former glory, a monument to both yinn and human and about what we can achieve when we work together. Both reaping the benefits and rewards which such an arrangement would bring. Inhabitants of Pan-toll returning to the homes of their ancestors, together with refugees from dae’Tok, now made homeless by the self-realisation of Malachive.

Is dae’Tok socially and culturally advanced enough to consider such an arrangement? Let us hope that this is the case.

If regrettably they are irrevocably evil, there is no reasoning with them and there is no other recourse, then the reconquest of those lands must be our path. It requires no great leap in civilization from our part, only to perform what we have spent long years perfecting – the art of warfare. Our values remain the same, and the oath that was broken must be fulfilled upon our honor.

Conclusion

This set of papers suggests that we are at a crossroads. The two paths open to us are to either:

remain the same and do what we have done since the dawn of human civilisation or;

affect a change to our Order applying all we have learned during that time.

There is little argument for no change. In fact, most conservatives would rather lapse that way without consideration for reasons of traditionalism.

But see what we have learned over the many years of our civilization. Long ago we had a renaissance in virtue, and we continue to learn to build upon our fine foundation. We can turn the Knighthood of Althainia into an order which no longer operates with such ancient principles of exclusion, and make peace with dae’Tok over Serpantol if they are in a similar state which would facilitate such a harmonious venture.

Our what we have learned from our values, virtues and ethics leads us in this direction.

Quo vadis Gareth Keep?

A Proposal for The Order of the Shield Knights of Siccara

As all active members of the officer corps of the Shield were on duty, discussion of the direction of the Shield was discussed within the Temple of Nadrik. Present were General Bolter, High Clerist Salinor, Captain Mladen and myself the Loremaster.

If the Generals of the Crown and Lance wish to commission such a report, it shall be done.

This is working paper taking what was discussed at this time and add to it my annotations of what has been found historically, proposed for the Shield in the past and our present needs.

It was proposed that the Shield be broken up into Survival, Lore and Clergy. It is my firm belief that until the membership of the Shield swells we cannot afford to specialise too deeply in these troubled times, though certainly there is a case for a Master of each. Only when we have sufficient members will we have the luxury of giving specific roles to the ranks.

As written in the "Foundation of Knighthood", the central concept which the Shield was formed under was that of Wisdom. As the lore from the Dragon Vale notes, the Shield was based of "Wisdom, Scholarship, Knowledge, Magic". This fits with what is suggested, with wisdom being paramount, scholarship held in lore, knowledge being part of lore and of knowledge of fighting held by the Weaponsmaster of the Lance. Magic is a curiosity, though we have never had many mages about the Keep, though one can imagine by the single-bloody-mindedness of those warriors of the Lance might have no place for those who follow the scholarly pursuit of magic.

From the time of Lord Rheidyr, assassins were found a niche within the Keep. In the time of the "Rise of Knighthood", Hugh the Hand's band of cloak-and-dagger shadows kept the Keep well informed in intelligence, subterfuge, reconnaissance and politics. The politics has since been passed to the Crown, but in today's dark days there is a real need to be addressed for the other three areas which are vital to protect armies in the field.

The Shield has always been the house of virtue within Gareth. As a counterbalance for the warring Lords of the Lance, it is the Shield which tempers this aggression. Virtue is an extension of Lore and Clergy to prescribe and teach to all knights within Gareth.

According to the texts in the Crown Office, each role as it stands today is as follows:

General Shield : Leader of the Shield, Council to the Crown

Colonel: Supervise Training, Reconnaissance. Services/Confessional/Spiritual Guidance -High Clerist

Captain : Training of Knights, Daily Devotional

Lieutenant : Information Officer, Training of Squires and Pages

In what might be Gareth's Vision as set out by Lord Leumas Circe's translation of "Dur-Veyannh Kharus-Hayl uth Tesalon Gareth" or "The Most Holy Knightly Order of Tesalon Gareth" the Shield has a niche-defined role.

It states that each of Knighthood's patron Gods was given an arm, and that Siccara was the first to choose.

"Most Holy Order of the Shield Knights of Siccara, dedicated to bring healing and protection to the peoples of the Protectorate and the innocents of the world is to stand forever as the bulwark and strength of the Knighthood of Gareth. First of the Knighthoods, and based on the ideals of Healing the Ills of Algoron and Defending the Innocent, Favoured of Siccara, these are the Knights of the Shield."

The Shield Knights of Siccara are outlined as the defensive forces and scouts of Gareth’s Keep. It goes onto say that the Shield was the largest arm because the Keep’s Mission is one of protecting the Innocent more so than the Slaying of evil, which is only done in situations where evil will not be swayed from it’s dark and self serving Course. Knights who gained their spurs would be known as "Defender of the Shield".

It was thought that Shield was Knighthood's lowest rank, and that from here, knights would work their way to the Lance, using the wisdom they had acquired to be a force for their sword arms, then the skill in both would make those chosen few who had the ability in both to progress to the Crown.

Observations

This ought to be specifically focused on three needs which Knighthood has which as shown are not currently fulfilled, that is defence outlines in our early tenants; magic from our lack of mages and history; and intelligence which we have been bereft since the Exodus. Mages have their home in the scholarly Shield, not the testosterone driven Lance, though need to be trained to work effectively in combat with them. Druids, Barbarians and Rangers have the arts which require the need of Intelligence.

Proposal

Clergy, Lore, Defence, Magic and Intelligence be adopted, of which all Wisdom is the paramount driver of influence. I realise that we are not yet populous to fill all of these roles, but this is addressed in the suggestion. To this ends I propose that Intelligence be transferred to the Crown. This gives it a natural conduit into the Crown's political role, though the subterfuge and reconnaissance requirements ought to still be maintained in the shield under the command of the Intelligence post.

Posts

* High Clerist post filled by Salinor Moraen.

Linked to Crown as the leadership requires close interaction with the tenants of virtue to be spread throughout the Keep.

* Loremaster post filled by Sehvelarious Iolius.

Linked to Lance and Crown as knowledge of combat is shared with the Weaponmaster, and knowledge of history and lore to be shared with the Crown for decision making.

* Defence post unfilled.

Linked to Lance as close co-ordination is required with the offensive Lance to link in with the defence of the Shield.

* Magic post unfilled.

Linked to Lance as although scholarship and Lance be not closely held, they are in need of enchanting and the effective mixing of magic in combat which we have long lacked.

* Intelligence post unfilled. - Transferred to Crown.

Linked to Shield as the Lord of Intelligence needs the best field operational subterfuge and reconnaissance knowledge of things in order to inform the Lord Knight.

Since the writing of this, Muse d'Aggrivaine is "Guardian of the Shield". This role is to take care of the Chapel of Fallen Heroes as well as a broader remit over the gallaria and museum.

So with the thought of reform foremost in mind I have the following suggestions.

* Pages be assigned to the Shield upon joining. Officers of the Shield are sure of their indoctrination of the basic premises of Knighthood and virtue.

* Clergy, Lore, Defence and Magic be adopted and ratified.

* Targeted recruitment of those most suitable for leadership posts within the Shield.