Toyhouse

Knights

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Introduction

In the early days of Dormere, knights were soldiers who protected the kingdom from all threats, and were trained from a young age. As centuries passed, the role of knights became more modern and ethical, until they became what they are today. In the modern age, knights are split into three separate categories that aid the kingdom’s citizens in different ways, and training has become safer and only available to older teens and adults.

In order to become a knight, one must attend a knight academy after graduating from public school and go through 3 years of training (1 year a page, 2 years a squire). It is, however, possible to reduce academy fees and training time by joining a page program when young. Anyone between the ages of 12-18 can join a page program, which is a mix between cub scouts and JROTC. These programs teach basic fundamentals that can be applied to any of the three classes of knights, like leadership, survival, laws, types of fables, defense, etc. After 3-5 years (depends on the program and the age of the page) of dedicated work and attendance, a page can graduate and enroll into a knight academy to further their training if desired.

After learning fundamentals as a page, knight academy students become squires and are able to choose one of the three knight classes to train further in. While general defense and strategy is taught in all three, each knight class has its own specific courses that refine and teach skills that are particularly needed in that career field. In the second year of being a squire, they are given the option to learn out on the field, shadowing a seasoned knight of the class of their choosing and acting as an “assistant”. This typically consists of filing and filling out paperwork, doing small tasks to help the knight as they work, etc. After graduating, squires do not immediately become knights and must take a test and meet the requirements before having a knighting ceremony in which they are officially knighted by a noble of Dormere (Typically non-royal family nobility to be exact, it's very rare to be knighted by high ranking nobility like a princess or a king. )

Types of Knights

As mentioned earlier, knights are separated into three branches, each having its own functions and role to fill in the kingdom.

Law Knights

Law knights are essentially the equivalent of police in Dormere, as their main job is to make sure that laws are being followed and enforce them when they're not. They solve cases and are in charge of public safety and order, often found patrolling cities in order to prevent any type of crime. Law knights also provide basic first-aid to take care of any hurt victims while the paramedics arrive.

This class of knight is paid full wages by the government (pay depending on rank) and can be called in case of emergency just like police. During federal/royal emergencies, law knights are often called in to help with whatever the situation is, as nobles often find law knights more effective and responsible.

Questing Knights

The main job of a questing knight is to hunt down and slay invasive and destructive monsters (also known as beast-level fables) based on the sightings and complaints of citizens. But they can be hired for many other jobs, other possible quests being:

Retrieving lost items, or artifacts for a museum that are in a dangerous area
Gather magical resources that are dangerous to get (monster by-products mostly, but plants and gems as well) often for local-run magic supply stores
Provide temporary protection for a citizen who feels unsafe
Locate those lost in the wild
Putting out fires (like firefighters)
Escort those passing through monster-heavy areas

Questing Knights are screened and paid a low base wage by the government. They actually receive the majority of their income from quests, quest rewards varying between clients. They are typically hired by common citizens, but can also be hired by nobles (but rarely are, as most nobles see them as rowdy and unprofessional).

Military Knights

Military Knights are essentially Dozemanian military, and function as such with little to no deviations. They provide national security and are paid by the government based on their rank.

Guilds & Guild Posts

During dire emergencies or general situations that a single knight can’t handle, a group of knights- referred to as a guild- can be called in. Guilds only consist of questing knights and law knights, and while they can contain both, guilds are typically made up of only one class of knight. They are not randomly generated groups, as knights are capable of choosing their own guild members and creating groups of 5-15 knights. Guilds can have their own appointed leader, but are ultimately overseen by the regulator of the guild post that the guild belongs to.

Guild posts are essentially office buildings that provide workspace and a few resources for guilds. They contain training grounds, meeting rooms, weapon holds, etc., as well as providing a place for concerned citizens to seek help from a guild. Cities tend to have many guild posts with a certain amount of guilds assigned to each, that way each individual guild gets their own meeting room and training ground.

Questing Knight Ranks & Resources

Ranks are not hierarchical titles for questing knights, but instead are a way to measure a knight’s capability and dictate what types of jobs they can or cannot take based on community evaluation. It helps the system run as smoothly as possible and makes sure citizens are receiving the help they need.

S Rank (or “Sun Rank”): The highest rank, and has no restriction on jobs. They come highly recommended for extremely serious or dangerous situations and are often the only questing knights nobles will hire.

B Rank: These questing knights can do pretty much any type of job, but cannot dabble in noble affairs or any super high-risk jobs (those that affect whole cities or the whole kingdom), and a few other restrictions that vary from knight to knight. They do not have any time restrictions on jobs.

O Rank: This rank contains questing knights who only undertake one type of job, whether it be by their own preference or due to results of their community evaluation. They mostly consist of knights who put out fires, that way there are always knights available to do so in case of an emergency. These knights are considered experts in whatever task they specialize in.

Questing knights often have to travel across the kingdom for their jobs, trekking the wilderness for days, sometimes even weeks! Because of this, the kingdom has several refuges scattered throughout the kingdom’s wilds. Refuges are large buildings that serve as a place for questing knights to replenish their resources and provide overnight room and board as well. Most refuge supplies are often donated by the public and non-federal organizations and not regulated very well, which causes a lot of usable stock to get mixed in with random junk and objects. These buildings are managed by a refuge keeper whose job is to keep it tidy, provide help, and verify the knighthood of those who wish to enter (though particularly kind refuge keepers may turn a blind eye).