Dawn children

Despite - or perhaps because of - the warlike nature of life in Dawn, the children of yeomen and nobles alike are sheltered, indulged and encouraged to make the very most of their childhood. They are not expected to undertake apprenticeships or work for their parents until they are of age, but instead are allowed a great deal of freedom to play. It is a parent's responsibility to educate their children to a reasonable standard, and most can read, write, perform arithmetic and understand imperial and national history by adulthood.

Play, however, is not unstructured, and children are encouraged to participate in games which develop skills they make need later in life. Particularly popular amongst the noble houses are games of war, where children learn how to correctly handle weapons, fight individually and in groups and learn to command troops in miniature. Minstrels often teach such things, using the tales of great heroes to inspire and structure the games.

Pages

Children born into or adopted into noble houses are often given positions of responsibilty as pages. A page acts as an attendant to a noble, accompanying her to important meetings and social events, and is expected to be obedient to and respectful toward this mentor. The page is not a servant, however, and is not routinely given menial tasks - the intention is that the page should gain the character traits, knowledge and abilities that will prepare him for the Test of Mettle and for life as a noble. Tasks might include carrying messages, serving drinks at meetings, escorting spouses on shopping trips, or assisting with other day to day tasks of a noble court. At the end of a task, the Page will often be asked what they have heard or learned during it, as this not only gives the Noble a second pair of ears and eyes, but helps the Page to understand what they have witnessed.

Pages who serve knights are called squires. In addition to the usual duties of a page, a squire carries and maintains her mentor's arms and armour (as much as their statue permits), helps the knight gird herself for battle, and accompanies the knight to tactical briefings and battle planning sessions. Even the generals of the Nation are often accompanied by their squire, who must be thoughtful, discreet and willing to learn.

Often older and trusted squires gain their first experience of command in their mentor's service - traditionally, a senior squire is given "command" and responsibility for defending the national camp at festivals when the Knights and Nobles sally out to do battle. They are supported and advised by senior retainers, knights and yeomen, but the duty is taken very seriously, and tales exist of squires who have won their spurs by valiantly defending the camp from unexpected attack.

Often a page is chosen from the mentor's House, but stories exist of children from the yeomanry who have impressed the Nobility enough to take them into their service. Such an offer is a high honour, but does not guarantee adoption into the noble house until the page passes his Test of Mettle in the usual way. While most pages are assigned by their elders, some enthusiastic youths approach a noble who impresses them and offers to serve as their Page without waiting to be asked.

Things every child should know

• A challenge lost makes you a better opponent next time - do not be afraid of failing, as long as you learn from it
• Follow your heart but use your head. - be true to yourself but make sure you think things through and ask the advice of those who can help
• Learn from heroes, do not copy them - Heroes past and present have much to respect, but make sure you know how and why they accomplished their great deeds, not just that they did.
• There is no honour in letting someone win - Giving away your victory dishonours both you and your opponent. Once the glory fades, they will not thank you.
• Be proud of your achievements, however small - A small deed done today may lead to a greater one tomorrow
• Know what your name means - Who are you named after? Be ready to tell anyone who asks a story about them