Knight-errant
Knights-Errant
Knights-errant often travel the land together, helping each other to triumph in their tests. Such bands travel the land to wherever they are most needed, seeking out opportunities for heroism. Groups of knights-errant are often accompanied by loyal yeomen; faithful house retainers or childhood friends. The yeomen handle everyday responsibilities allowing the Knights to concentrate on less worldly matters. It is not unusual for yeomen to declare themselves Knights-errant but they often prefer to adventure by themselves or with others from similar humble upbringings.
The easiest way to pass a Test of Mettle is to petition the noble house you were raised in and pass the challenges they set you. It is a much more challenging to petition another noble house, particularly one with which you have little existing connections. But the most ambitious Knight-errants seek the ultimate prize – achievements so glorious that they are recognized by all the noble houses – and for a prestigious noble house to approach them and offer a Test of Mettle. Such achivements are rare, but a Knight Errant who is invited into a house rather than petitioning one is seen as being worthy indeed.
The travails of a Knight-errant are not just difficult, they can also be expensive. Most Dawn nobles have a fairly cursory disdain for money, it tends to get in the way of a glorious ambition, but no-one can completely ignore the realities of mundane life. To facilitate their quests, many Knights-errant or groups of knights, take a patron, a wealthy noble who can financially support their heroic lifestyle. Patrons can be useful, but often come with strings attached, even if just a requirement to serve the patron when called.
Questing Knights
Questing knights are knights-errant who continue to pursue an adventurous lifestyle, seeking greater glory for themselves and their houses. They travel far and wide from the homelands of Dawn, spreading tales of their glory across the whole Empire, no matter how unworthy the locals - a quest isn't just a monster to kill or a people to free from barbarian tyranny, after all, but a long and arduous journey to get there first.
The questing knight's idea of the quest is that of being the first ray of sunlight to touch a place as the sunrise comes. They go wherever there is darkness, and they make sure that the only shadows they cast are at their fronts. If they come to a place where there is a wicked magistrate abusing his power, or a monster snatching children away, or an innocent young fellow is about to be forced into a marriage he doesn't want, then it is their right and duty to bring the light to that place. Knights sent on a quest who ignore evil or danger that they meet along the way are little better than mercenaries paid coin for their work.
When they reach their goal - when it is time to fulfil their quest - their faithful troubadour must be on-hand to document every blow struck, and no doubt to insert a few in-between. How is anyone to remember them without a witty, catchy and wonderfully embellished song to tell their tale?
Many questing knights believe that their methods are entirely up to them, and as a result, the Imperial bureaucracy often finds itself at odds with questing knights whose actions, while morally upstanding (and, no doubt, heroic), may contravene Imperial Law. Many a questing knight who has made a tough decision in the field has, upon his return, found legal challenge brought against him - and it is said (in Dawn, and generally in public) that no Cardinal of Virtue has ever refused to speak on behalf of a questing knight in the courts.
Creating Knights-Errant and Questing Knights
Knights-Errant and Questing Knights are intended to allow players to play a group of Dawnish Knights and War-Witches (accompanied by a Troubadour, naturally) whose principal game focus is combat. Players can choose to create a Knight group rather than playing a Noble House if they wish to play characters who don't all come from the same Noble House or the same region of Dawn, and especially if they wish to play Dawnish characters with first-hand knowledge of the Empire outside their homeland. A Knight group should often be willing to accept new members if their deeds are sufficiently glorious, so before you create your own, check to see if other groups of Knights-Errant or Questing Knights in the system will have you first. Of course, you might rather be in competition with them for the most glorious deeds, so you may wish to act apart from them after all. Either way can make just as much game.
Individual Knights-Errant are seeking glory for the sake of passing their Test of Mettle, or in some cases, for the sake of attracting the attention of the best Noble Houses to join, so you may define as little or as much family history as you wish in creating your character. As well as this, depending on how much time your group has spent travelling and fighting together, they may know each other as well or as little as you like.
Sometimes individual Knights may leave a group. In the case of Knights-Errant, this tends to be when they pass their Test of Mettle, to go join the Noble House in question; in the case of Questing Knights, it tends to be a retirement of sorts, or else because their House or the needs of the nation or Empire call them to serve elsewhere. There is rarely an oath of mutual loyalty or any kind of service to one another, and composition of Questing Groups can be quite fluid.
A Knight Group should probably have at least one War-Witch with them, both to protect them from and inform them about the magical dangers they may face on the way. With Dawn's close ties to the Eternal Realm of Summer, it is not unlikely that someone may be needed to advise on, and deal with, the Eternals of Summer from time to time. This character should be of the same status as the rest of the group, either striving to become a Noble (if part of a group of Knights-Errant) or already a Noble (if part of a group of Questing Knights).
The yeomen Retainers with a Knight group should probably be loyal Squires, and although not armed and armoured as well as their Nobles, should still be able to hold their own in a battle. These are not groups with baggage-trains. They're also going to have to compromise a bit more personal honour than many Dawnish retainers, given the amount of fights their Nobles should end up in - someone's going to perform all that distasteful looting, after all, and someone's going to need to sell it on to pay for dinner. Someone's also going to need to patch up the Nobles' armour, and sometimes the Nobles themselves. Remember that playing a servant-type character in Empire isn't the same as in other games - these kinds of retainers should be pragmatic and unashamed about their role in Dawnish society, and many wouldn't even particularly want the responsibilities that Noble status brings.
There's also playing a Troubadour, who is the group's yeoman historian, inspiration, entertainment, and guardian of Virtue. Boldness and loud pronouncements are encouraged; so are songs, historical and historically-influenced.
Playing Knights-Errant and Questing Knights
The role of Knight bands within Dawn is an important one - they can both defend the nation at home and earn significant political capital by dealing with problems elsewhere in the Empire. Such influence as they have should be used loudly and obviously - after all, the whispering rumour-mongering and back-alley dealing of other nations is not for the Dawnish. Your greatest assets are the martial punch you pack and your Virtuous reputation - so remember to maintain both. The respect that other Dawnish groups have for you should be entirely dependent on your achievements (and how well you present them), so you're going to have to keep up a steady stream of glories to (have your Troubadour) brag about.
Knights-Errant want to pass their Tests of Mettle, or else want to be presented with one by a desirable Noble House - so be prepared to leave the group when that comes up, or else to rejoin it as a Questing Knight and risk the ire of your would-be sponsors. Questing Knights are all-but sworn to die in the course of their Quests, and few retire without very good reason, so they are less likely to leave the group.
Money will likely be a concern for your group unless you are bankrolled by a Noble patron. Be prepared to have to look glorious on a(n IC) shoestring.