State of the Commonwealth - Orders of Chivalry!
The Knights-Marshal are an Order of Chivalry, charged with the protection of the Edge and its citizens, as well as incursions from the Edge and beyond into Common Space. Founded by the Marshal family of Pembroke, in imitation fo the great knight of Terra Progenitas – William Marshal, the Order has also been given the Lex Marshalis to adjudicate law in Edge Space.
But there are other Chivalric Orders in the Commowealth, many of which share ideals with the Knights- Marshal. Generally, membership in an order other than the Knights-Marshal does not affect ones duties, or membership among the Knights-Marshal. IN practice, there are occasions where a member can be pulled in opposing directions by their oaths. And many who belong to another order prefer to serve the Knights-Marshal as Donati rather than be placed in the difficult position of choosing between them.
Because the Knights-Marshal are technically soldiers of the Commonwealth, these other orders are often referred to as Civilian Orders of Chivalry. By no means an exhaustive list, here are a few of the more widely known Civilian Orders. Of course, individual GMs may easily create their own Orders, even Sub-Orders within the Knights-Marshal if they wish. Certainly there is room for many more. An order of Mech-Harness Knights of Dire seems a natural one, for example.
As might be expected, many of the Civilian Orders originating on Pembroke, Caerlow, or one of the other planets of Pembrokian Humanity. It should also be noted that not all orders get along, or even can. The Order of the Whitan, for example has little contact with the other orders, and is viewed cariously as an enemy, or at least a dangerous animal, but the orders more closely tied to Pembroke.
The Orders:
The Order of the Well, originating on Caerlow. It’s knights are devoted to expanding the sphere of Pembroke, by bringing the other, non-Pembrokian, human worlds within it, as well as settling new worlds and providing ships and supplies to isolated worlds in need. The Order of the Well draws as many explorers as it does squires, and boasts a significant number of non-Pembrokians among is membership, and its vessels are often found on the outer Edge, or preaching the benefits of the Commonwealth to isolated worlds.
The Order of the Grail – this Order, native to Pembroke itself, devotes itself to the discovery of Terra Porgenitas, lost beyond the Well of Stars, if legend holds truth. Grailseekers are often found in libraries, or speaking to sages of isolated worlds, exploring ancient Elohir ruins and relics for some tidbit of information. The Order of the Grail has, in the past, sent more than one advanced void ship off to prove out a claim made in legend. Some have come back with nothing. Others never return.
The Order of the Dragon was born in the war against the Mandragoran, referred to as the Dragon until the Shard intervention provided more complete information. In 391, an early sublight exploratory ship from Caerlow happened upon an asteroid roaming the space of the outer system. The ship send out a warning beacon seconds before its destruction. Pembrokian Humanity braced for invasion, lit the forges of war, raised many young folk to the accolade, or simply to arms. Yet they were unprepared when the attack came. Out of the chaos rose the order of the Dragon, who seemed to have special knowledge of the enemy, and enabled the eventual human victory after three years of destruction. The Dragon now awaits the return of the Mandragoran, or investigates the rumor of it, while preparing for the clash it knows must come.
The Order of the Veil – The Veil refers to the region of space between allied systems of Smarkhan and Timuralan, and that of Weyland, from a safe distance, appears to be shot through with glorious white filaments whose appearance of overwhelming tranquility could not be further from the truth. The Veil is, in truth an interstellar electromagnetic ‘storm’ that has raged for centuries with out cease or ad sign of diminishment. Travel across the Veil is dangerous in the extreme, but legend tells of great power to be found within its gossamer folds, should a ship not be pulled apart in its grip. Not since the exodus of the Weylanders to Gangatyr in the Century Migration has anyone escaped.
The Order of the White Star – The Order of the White Star is devoted to the protection of humanity traveling the stars. Named after the White Star that was the guiding light in the early years of interstellar travel, many think the order is named after the White Star Mercantile and Shipping Company. Among the riches of the Order, because their duties so often involve safeguarding commercial enterprise, they are looked down on to a degree, by more ‘purely chivalric’ orders. The White Stars do not concern themselves with such prejudice, concentrating on the constant threat of attack to their charges as they fare through Commonspace and beyond.
The Order of the Whitan – This Order arose out of the first contact between Pembrokian explorer-knights of the order of the Grail and the human inhabitants of the planet Weyland, to that point unknown to Pembrokian Humanity. Though their mindsets were very different, both branches of mankind claimed lost Terra Progenitas as their point of origin. The Whitan, ‘The Wise’ as they were known on Weyland, no longer fully human, were great heroes, advanced in years, yet undimmed in power due to some mysterious power. They ruled the tribes of Weyland like gods, and saw the benefit of continued contact with the Order of the Grail immediately. Some left Weyland with the Grailseekers, becoming Knights who returned and founded the Order of the Whitan.
