"To control magic is to control the world!"---Thumar Hashlaive, Wizard/Nethermancer adept, on one of his many mad rants in his younger days.
The Honorable Knight
The following treatise was provided to the Order of the White Rhino by Kaderin the
Humble. He is a high ranking spirit knight in the Soul Searchers organization who makes
a great effort to help outsiders understand the way of the spirit knights. It might be
helpful to read the article on the Soul Searchers. Look for it in “The Culturally Deprived”
column soon.
---Grethador Oplikur, scribe for the Order of the White Rhino.
On Becoming a Spirit Knight
Becoming a spirit knight can be a difficult task. One must be pure of heart and must be
willing to sacrifice everything in order to help others. If one is not willing to do this, it is a
sure sign that this isn’t the discipline for you. Often a spirit knight will look for qualities
such as kindness, loyalty, honesty, valor, and a number of other traits. If a knight finds
these qualities in someone, they are a likely candidate to become a spirit knight adept. If
the recruiter is part of the Soul Searchers, he can sponsor the candidate. The candidate is
brought to our headquarters in Throal to undertake training by his sponsor. upon
becoming a spirit knight, the candidate is an official member of the organization. Knights
who are not part of the Soul Searchers will recruit people who have these qualities and
teach them the art of our discipline on his own.
Many people’s view of knights are men dressed in full plate armour, riding off to do battle.
This is a large misconception of the spirit knight discipline. From the beginning of
training, the majority of the work a spirit knight under goes is helping those who cannot
help themselves. Indeed, some of this requires the knight to do battle but the majority of it
is doing simple deeds.
A Discourse on a Knight’s Duty
Spirit knight adepts are a dying breed. We once roamed the countryside, helping the
citizens of Barsaive with their problems. We were accepted with open arms where ever
we went. Yet, now, in this troubled time, people are more suspicious than ever. The
horror’s stole the trustful spirit’s that once was found in all of us. To further our
problems, spirit knight adepts numbers have dwindled greatly, our former glory forgotten.
However, a spirit knight has never forgotten. We have never forgotten our duty we have
towards our world. You may think it is foolish that a person would dedicate his life to
assisting people who show no gratitude or thanks for our services, but you are mistaken
terribly. A spirit knight does not help people to earn reward. This is because it is our duty
to help. Think of a spirit knight as a father and the world’s inhabitants are his children.
Would you help your son and expect that he show you gratitude by emptying his
coffers?
here, in the Soul Searchers, we have created a edict of duties that a knight of this
organization must adhere to. Every knight who joins must memorize this edict and must
always abide by them. The edict is taken directly from the very first spirit knight’s own
words.
1. All Spirit Knights will strive for equality. No man should suffer from
inequality.
2. The weak and poor shall be defended.
3. Everyone deserves a fair trial.
4. Respect and courtesy must be displayed at all times, even to our greatest
enemies.
5. Slavery must be abolished at any cost and the perpetrators punished
accordingly.
6. Spirit knights must destroy the horrors and all of their abominations whenever
one is encountered.
7. It is a spirit knight’s duty to follow and uphold the laws of the governing
power.
8. A spirit knight must interject on any witnessed cruelty or altercation that is
considered to be unlawful or evil.
9. A spirit knight must provide his services whenever possible to anyone who
asks for them, so long as the request is not unlawful or evil.
On Those Who Would Corrupt the Discipline
Spirit knights are rare in Barsaive and, luckily, those who follow a corrupt version of the
discipline are even more rare. These spirit knights have taken the edict that all spirit
knights follow and have made a mockery of it. They care little for helping anyone but
themselves. They may help people with their problems but these knights demand
restitution. They don’t tell the people that they are working for a fee until they have
completed the task. Those who cannot pay their often outrageous demands generally are
treated with extreme prejudice. These knights use an extensive list of powerful and
corrupt talents which pure knights do not have access to. Once a knight has turned over
to this degradation, there is rarely a chance for redemption. There are rare cases where
corrupt knights have redeemed themselves but these are only myths and stories and I have
not witnessed such an occurrence.
Spirit knights deal with these corrupt knights as they come. We have little choice other
than to incarcerate them. We are even sometimes forced to destroy these knights if there
is little hope for imprisonment.
Of Those Races That can and Cannot Become Spirit Knights
Some of the races of Barsaive find it very difficult to become Spirit Knights. By no means
do we spirit knights prevent these races from becoming one of us. Orks and trolls are the
two races that cannot become spirit knights. Trolls racial honor often conflicts with a
Spirit Knight’s honor, which makes it very difficult for a troll to maintain the delicate
balance that allows the magic that fuels a spirit knight adept. Orks gahad will often make
an ork react in such away that disrupts the magic of the spirit knight. Their gahad is
requires the ork to react to certain things which often conflicts with the spirit knight’s
personal vision.
The most surprising race to become spirit knights are Obsidiman. Many people would not
believe me when I say that obsidiman make up much of the spirit knight’s ranks. however,
it’s true. The obsidiman is the only race that has unlimited patience. Patience is a trait
that helps a spirit knight conduct himself. Some of the duties of a spirit knight require
great patience.
The Passions Most Closely Linked to the Spirit Knight
Mynbruje is easily the most closely linked passion there is to the spirit knight discipline,
although Garlen, Floranuus, and even Lochost to some extent, also are important to this
discipline. Mynbruje’s ideals of justice, compassion, empathy, and truth are all concrete
traits of a spirit knight. Because spirit knights wish to heal the world from the corruption
that has occurred, Garlen is important. Floranuus is important because of his optimism.
Lochost belief in freedom is a virtue that all spirit knights respect.
Spirit knights shun the mad passions, and it is even rare for the corrupt knights to pay
homage to these passions. Chorrolis’ ideals are not well respected by spirit knights. Spirit
knights strive for equality and Chorrolis’ ideals consist of wealth and jealousy. The spirit
knight’s do not like the fact that Chorrolis shares an ideal of jealousy with the mad
passion, Raggok.
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