Knight of The Green Company
Knights are the armored fist of the Green Company - mounted warriors who lead assaults and protective operations in the field. Dismounted, they serve as heavy infantry combatants capable of wielding various weaponry. Hardened by intense training as squires and stewarded by the code of chivalry, knights combine martial skill with honor and duty. Their already considerable command presence is enhanced through shining raiment and banners displaying the orders coat of arms.
When garrisoned, Company knights oversee fortifications, organizing rotations of the guard—the senior knights school squires in cavalry tactics and weapon mastery, culled from decades of experience. Younger pages are also instructed in letters, etiquette, and obedience until they are ready to serve as squires, sifting their focus into martial skill and leadership.
During campaigns, knights spearhead the cavalry charges. They rout enemies in open battle and besiege bandit camps to root out threats menacing the lands. Knights also escort travelers through wild lands, ever vigilant for ambushes by beasts and brigands. Upon returning from quests, they report to their knight commanders to recount deeds, receive new directives, and rest weary bodies for campaigns ahead.
Though shielded by steel, a knight’s true strength flows from courage, loyalty, and faith in the cause. By devoted example, they compel fellow order members to ever greater boldness against imposing odds. Their cavalry trains relentlessly through mock battles and tourneys until men and mount operate as one. When finally summoned for glorious battle, the Green Company knights stand ready to leave the enemy dead, littering the fields.
The distinction between the knight and a heavily armored mat-at-arms is essentially birth and station. The extra children of noble houses born after a viable heir who stands to inherit neither land nor title are often sent to knightly orders, as they might still represent the family in an honorable way. From as early as the age of seven, they begin their training and, by early adulthood, are skilled warriors ready to represent the order and its interests at home and abroad. In contrast, the man-at-arms is generally a commoner, either conscripted into soldiering or recruited due to demeanor, ability, and physical traits. Thus, regarding placement upon joining the order, background choices will generally be a deciding factor.
Knightly Professional Leadership Roleplay Aspects
Recruitment - Younger offspring of aristocracy are squired to knights beginning in adolescence, studying chivalric norms, and training for a decade before gaining knighthood. Talented common-birth pages may also advance to knighthood through continued service and mentor sponsorship to help with training and equipment.
When a member of the order is promoted to knighthood, they are assigned a page or squire to mentor. If no player characters of such grades are available, the order’s master will create a profile for an NPC squire to serve as a roleplaying element for the knight. The squire may be mentioned in Discord roleplay or as a prop in-game. The page will be eighteen years of age or older, just like the player character’s minimum age.
- The knights lead mounted patrols from within New Magincia into its boundaries in search of threats.
- The entire order is never garrisoned within the chapter holding of New Magincia. Some units are spread throughout the realm, assisting allies or furthering order goals abroad. Those who return are either released for temporary leave or occupy the stronghold as its security force. The commanding knights assume leadership of the walls, organizing the watch and sentries during their assigned shifts.
- Veteran knights oversee the lengthy training of squires in leadership and the martial powers and disciplines required of heavy cavalry and infantry in preparation for knighthood and joining the officer corps.
- They train young pages in hard labor, gallantry, politeness, and literacy until they are ready to serve as squires, changing their emphasis to martial arts and arming.
- Knights continually hone their skills with lance, weapons, and shields through drills and occasionally compete in skill tournaments.
- The Knight Commanders join campaigns with numerous companies of younger knights and their complete retinue of lances, directing the order’s forces on the battlefield as allies require.
- When challenged with bandits, monsters, and renegade sorcerers, knights go on forays to rid the frontier population of such threats.
- They accompany pilgrims, merchants, and peasants through dangerous areas on request or by fate, keeping an eye out for ambushes.
- For local magistrates seeking justice, knights track down fugitives, reclaim stolen goods, and investigate concerns.
- As a gesture of devotion, many pious knights travel to secluded locations for holy affirmations and vow renewals.
- Upon their return after long deployments, knights report to their knight commanders for debriefing, performance evaluations, and new instructions.
Knightly Mentorship Categories
- Chivalry - The study of the chivalric code and the practical application of the Paladin talents conferred by the Book of Chivalry allows knights to harness virtues against specific otherworldly threats.
- Theology - Lessons on deciphering sacred codices to translate and teach the Eight Virtues, which improve moral character through righteous actions and decisions.
- Cavalry Tactics - Extensive mounted training in horsemanship, lance handling, shield use, and charging maneuvers to overwhelm opponents on the battlefield as heavy cavalry.
- Medicine - Expertise in emergency first aid, wound care, anatomical knowledge, herbal poultices, and basic triage to stabilize injured allies in the field until healers arrive.
- Martial Training - Intense physical conditioning and arm drills with various combat weapons such as swords, axes, maces, and polearms, as well as blocking, dodging, parrying, footwork, attack angles, ripostes, and other essential techniques.
- Heraldry - Recalling the history of all notable heraldry, house crests, origin legends, and proper flag presentation during processions, tournaments, and on the battlefield.
- Leadership - Learn about command concepts and tactical decision-making, such as issuing orders, risk assessment, logistics, camp organization, and other theories that support combat leadership responsibilities.
- Siege warfare, fortification defense, spear wall tactics, skirmishing fighting, and other large-scale battle techniques are covered in detail.
Knightly Treastise & Lore
Knightly Ranks
Knight Commander
The battle-hardened officers who direct the order’s martial forces during large-scale campaigns are known as knight commanders. Having demonstrated their worth by commanding individual lances on operations for decades, these tactical geniuses now coordinate entire battalions across the battlefield under the direction of the grand master, as well as serving as counsel before and during crucial battles.
The senior knight commanders maneuver companies of knights and cavalry to demolish enemy battle lines while bellowing commands over the clatter of steel. They coordinate cavalry charges, flanking assaults, and punishing arrow volleys, pressing every advantage until opposition forces tremble and collapse. The knight leaders think, ride, and fight as one entity alongside their soldiers, their noble example inspiring the battle lines to acts of courage against terrible odds.
When not on the battlefield, these high-ranking officers oversee the entire chivalry contingent. They develop subordinate lances into ever more destructive weapons through intensive training programs and talent management while also evaluating knight officers for readiness to join the high command eventually. The knight commander cadre is vital both on and off the battlefield due to their keen strategic analysis and decisive leadership. Every knight salutes the warriors’ elite, who systematically plan the destruction of many a Britannian foe.
Knight Commander Promotion Requirements
Special: A written treatise on a mentorship category listing
Professional Leadership: 32
Mentorship: 32
Commendations: 128
Knight Captain
Knight captains command the core fighting companies that carry out the order’s military missions. While knight commanders lead entire battalions for major campaigns, knight captains lead at the company level - roughly twenty knights organized into platoons of three to four lances of thirteen-person mixed professions united by the bonds of bloody battle. These frontline officers report to the Knight Commanders, ride at the front of charges, or infiltrate enemy territory on dangerous missions.
Veteran Knight Captains know their riders well, having spent years commanding a lance on perilous journeys and earning unwavering trust to lead in return. These captains inspire their brothers into thunderous charges against reinforced threats with guttural cries and rallying banners hoisted aloft. When the struggle is over, these courageous leaders gather the living and dead, extolling valorous actions while stoically accepting irrevocable losses.
While in garrison, these officers preserve unit integrity to keep skill at arms high and camaraderie strong. Drilling formations regularly, they continue to hone their chivalry through mock battles and battle simulations under the watchful eye of their knight commander. The knight captains of the Green Company are ready to unleash fury wherever the call to action takes them.
Knight Captain Promotion Requirements
Special: A written treatise on a mentorship category listing
Professional Leadership: 16
Mentorship: 16
Commendations: 64
Senior Knight
Senior knights are the grizzled veterans who command the order’s platoon-level lance formations. These brave warriors have won command over their colleagues through years of valorous service, organizing four lances of knights, squires, and other order members on risky missions around the realm. They answer directly to the knight captains.
As senior knights guide their plunging columns to smash bandit hordes and monster lairs before falling back into orderly ranks, seasoned voices yell directions. With steel, sinew, and tactical guile, these professionals turn wild melees to their advantage by coordinating horse charges, wheeling formations, and supporting arrow volleys.
When not riding to war, the Seniors continue to train the fighting forces under their command. They prioritize training to a high degree through grueling drills and battle simulations while bonding their troops with a shared cause and camaraderie.
The Senior Knights have spent years mentoring younger squires, passing on hard lessons to future generations while channeling the unbridled aggression of youth to sensible command. The senior knights are easily recognized and revered by order members and citizens alike, whether on the battlefield, the tourney, or the streets of New Magincia.
Senior Knight Promotion Requirements
Special: A written treatise on a mentorship category listing
Professional Leadership: 8
Mentorship: 8
Commendations: 32
Knight
Knights are the Green Company’s mounted backbone, generally leading a lance of over a dozen warriors on operations around the realm. These cavaliers combine combat prowess with courage, honor, and dedication to the order’s ethos, forged by years of training as squires under the supervision of a senior knight. When garrisoned, knights meticulously prepare their lance for the next deployment, training formations, and fighting repertoire to perfection.
As lances lower into formation during a campaign, knights’ war cries rally their riders. These warriors maneuver following their commander’s barked orders, whether charging headlong to breach opposing ranks or surrounding flanks with arrow support. The knights battle valiantly alongside their fellows, tempering violence by following the chivalric code - providing quarters to worthy adversaries who yield and protect prisoners from excess.
These role models recognize that true success comes not from bloodletting ferocity but from maintaining ideals of compassion and justice even in the face of violence. The knights’ unwavering dedication to noble behavior drives their lances to restrain baser fighting instincts for the larger moral good. Veterans cultivate squires within the lance as ethical successors one day bound for knighthood by such enlightened bearing.
Knight Promotion Requirements
Professional Leadership: 0
Mentorship: 0
Commendations: 16
Squire
Squires are the order’s apprentices, hopefuls wishing to join the mounted ranks through dedication, ability, and force of arms. These proteges, paired with knight mentors, accompany their master’s on campaigns, carrying weapons and armor so knights might ride unhindered into the conflict. When the occasion arises, however, the squire has the means and the will to battle alongside their masters. It is not uncommon for these apprentice knights to line up in skirmish formations with the lance soldiers or even ride into battle closely behind their mentors. Squires long for the day when their superior abilities and chivalric virtues will be honored by spurring and belting.
Squires polish their martial skills in quiet interludes back at the chapter house, under the watchful eyes of seniors. They drill with weapons until they are adept with most of them while reciting the maxims of noble conduct until those tenets become as natural as breathing. Their knights brutally train squires in the techniques of war, not to punish them but to prepare them for the realities of bloody conflict, where a single blunder means death.
Bonds between knight and squire grow stronger due to such serious challenges. When the time comes for the aspirants to kneel in sacred ceremonies and rise to the oath of sworn duty, none will be prouder than the knights who are passing down their legacy to the next generation. Where aged hands can no longer grasp steel or reins, they trust their squires will carry the banners of chivalry onward with honor.
Squire Promotion Requirements
Professional Leadership: 0
Mentorship: 0
Commendations: 8
Page
Pages are often the extra, younger children of nobles, born after an elder sibling who stands to inherit a family’s lands and titles. Granted in youth to the order’s service, these children immerse themselves in genteel airs and chivalry’s intricate ways, hoping to one day bring dignity to their parent’s house through duty, honor, and discipline. They fetch arms, tend horses, serve feasts, and clean knightly quarters, comprehending honor through tireless devotion.
Their broader tutelage accelerates under knights’ spare time - fighting spirit nurtured through martial drill, intellect honed by ethical and academic lessons. Chaplains instruct the core virtues that shall guide future battlefield decisions heavy with consequences. At day close, pages recount their trials and revelations among peers, already envisioning the day they ride to war.
When gangly frames gain hardy forms in their mid-teens, the Master of Squires evaluates each page for readiness - assessing character, skills, and knowledge displayed. Those approved assist squires directly, building bonds that shall strengthen into lifelong fellowship once the spurring day arrives.
While they shall never inherit land or title, these pages gain community, purpose, and the capacity to uphold their family name through service. Through years of dedication, they begin the journey of destinies reshaped anew. And a proud knightly legacy endures.