The Knights of the Holy Orders are warriors who have devoted their hearts and souls to one of the True Gods of Minarra. They are the sword arm of many Minarran faiths, sworn to uphold their deity's ideals and their personal alignments. Though called "Knights," they hold no binding allegiance to any authority save their faith. Conscience and belief, rather than the strictures of civil authority, define a Knight's behavior.

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Reader's Note: to learn more about the religious terms marked in red, please click the "Religious Primer" button above.
To learn more about the True Gods, please click either the button above or the links at the end of this page.

     A Knight of the Holy Orders must have the following minimum ability scores: Strength 12, Constitution 10, Wisdom 13, and Charisma 11. If the Knight has both Strength and Wisdom scores of 16 or better, he gains a 10% bonus to all experience earned.

     All Knights must give their allegiance to but one True God, and bind themselves as strongly as any cleric to the tenets of their faith. If a Knight falls from grace (by changing alignment or committing acts contrary to faith), and this change is willful and voluntary, he is stripped of his special abilities; the DM, in the guise of the deity, determines whether or not the Knight is past redemption. If the character is worth saving, the deity will assign the wayward Knight a quest to purify his soul (an option always given to those who commit offensive acts while magically influenced.) The Knight gains no experience during the period where he is not in good standing with his deity. If the Knight is judged to be beyond redemption, he becomes a fighter condemned to advance on the Knight's experience table for the rest of his adventuring career.

     Single-classed fighters (and only fighters) may, at any time after achieving 5th level, take up a career as a Knight if they can find a church that will sponsor them. Before anointing can take place, a Knight's Candidate must willfully undertake and successfully complete a holy quest assigned by the Order. A Knight entering an Order in such a manner does so at the lowest x.p. value possible for a Knight one level lower than his old fighter class (hit points are retained). Example: a 7th-level fighter with 70,000 x.p.s becomes a 6th-level Knight of Serenyi with only 34,000 x.p.s. Such warriors lose their weapon specialization if possessed. Knights may never be multi- or dual-classed.

     Though Knights can wield any weapon and wear any armor, they are required to devote one weapon proficiency slot to the weapon of their deity at 1st level. If joining an Order later in their career, Knights sacrifice their next slot due them in exchange for gaining immediate knowledge of the deity's weapon, if it is not known already.

     All Knighthoods possess a unique dress code, which vary as per the will of the Power in question. For example, a Knight of Illovia requires the wearing of a gold cloak in all seasons, while a Knight of Phyrrus must blacken all clothing and accouterments whenever possible. Violation of this dress code is a minor affront to the deity, punishable at the DM's discretion.

     There is one uniform code which all Knights, regardless of faith, are bound to follow: the wearing of the elésah (pronounced el-a-sah), the traditional mark of Minarra's religious Knighthoods. An elésah is a loop of colored cloth, some 3 to 5 feet in circumference (depending on the size of the wearer), dyed in a color or colors unique to the Knight's faith. The elésah is draped evenly across the chest and back, and held in place by clips pinned to the shoulders. An elésah also has a small holy symbol, located at the center of the chest.

     The elésah is awarded upon a Knight's consecration, and is held in the highest regard by the Knight. Knights will take considerable pains to protect this boon from theft, corruption, or damage (save in combat), and its abuse by others will not be tolerated! Carelessness with this sacred object is a major offense against the deity, requiring an atonement (per the spell) at the very least. Further, a Knight stripped of his elésah will be incapable of casting or recovering any spells whatsoever until it is recovered or, in the case of its corruption or destruction, replaced.

     For those lay fighters seeking ordination later in their careers, the mark of sponsorship is called the ilin. Identical in color to the elésah of the Order, the ilin is a strip of cloth some two feet in length, and is held in place by a single clasp or pin bearing the deity's symbol. The ilin is draped over the right shoulder of those seeking to serve to the House of Light, the left shoulder the House of Darkness, and draped evenly behind the neck and down the chest for all other Candidates.

A Knight of the Holy Orders possesses the following benefits:

     A Knight wielding his deity's favored weapon shall do so at +1 to hit and +1 damage.

     A Knight is granted a saving throw bonus of +1 to a single specific attack form upon attaining 3rd level (or one level of service for a later convert) in accordance with his deity's sphere of influence. Example: a Knight of Phyrrus may gain a +1 bonus to all illusion or phantasmal magicks. The nature of this bonus is determined by the DM.

     A Knight is granted a unique power by his deity upon attaining 5th level (or two levels for a later convert). This power will have direct bearing on the deity's sphere of influence. Example: a Knight of Arzamark may be granted the power to hear any lie for what it is. The exact nature of this power is determined by the DM.

     A Knight can employ priest spells upon attaining 7th level (or two levels for a later convert). As the clerics of Minarra are free to employ spells of any and all spheres, the Knighthoods can likewise do so. (This is a feature unique to Minarran clergy. It stems from an invocation from Daskaandolon, the Lord of Chaos, intended to prevent the emergence of clerical spheres so prevalent in other campaign worlds). Knights do not gain bonus spells for high Wisdom scores.

     A Knight is graced by his Power at 7th level with the ability to speak, read, and write the sacred language of Istari. However, he lacks the spiritual grace needed to employ clerical spell scrolls, even though they are written in the sacred tongue.

     A Knight may construct a stronghold upon attaining 9th level. Upon completion of the keep, however, the stronghold shall be deemed the property of the church, whereby the Knight will act as its custodian and protector. Such a keep must house a small chapel and a priest to maintain it.

The following strictures apply to Knights of the Holy Orders:

     A Knight can never turn or command undead.

     A Knight cannot attract followers, but he can employ hirelings and gain henchmen up to the limits of his Charisma score. It is common for the henchmen of Knights to be devout followers of the Knight's deity.

     A Knight must tithe to his church 10% of all treasure taken. Treasure in this context includes coin, gems, art works, jewelry, and magic items, and other valuables. It must be paid at the earliest opportunity.

     A Knight can never possess more than 10 magic items. These 10 items include one suit of armor, one shield, and eight other items of the Knight's choosing. A Knight can use only those magic items permitted to warriors. All excess must be surrendered to his church as above.

     A Knight cannot associate with beings of diametrically opposed alignment unless it is clear that to do so will further the cause of the Knight's faith or promote the views of his alignment. Such association must end at the earliest opportunity.

     A Knight is bound to obey the commands of the Head of Order, as well as those of the Knights' Commander. This individual is a cleric of no less than 9th level, carefully chosen for his piety and leadership abilities. He is empowered to command all the Knights of his Order, regardless of relative experience level. Though not all faiths have clerics that fill this post, openly defying their commands is sufficient cause for severing a Knight from his Order--as a result, no wise Knight will take the will of his Commander lightly. (Some Knighthoods have a more elaborate command structure, especially among lawful religions.)

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