The Red Knight

Calm and logical in demeanor, the Red Knight displays a great wealth of compassion, though she is unafraid to send her worshipers to their deaths when necessary to secure the object of a plan. She rarely raises her voice and is said to love a good joke and have a throaty laugh. She dislikes flighty behavior, and looks unfavorably upon those who switch alliances often or capriciously.

Clergy and Temples

The church of the Red Knight, known as the Red Fellowship, is an offshoot of a monastic order within the hierarchy of the Church of Tempus that concentrated on planning and strategy and has only emerged from the shadow of the temple of Tempus in recent times. Members of the Red Fellowship serve in armies throughout Abios, often as high-ranking commanders of elite squads. Others are well-respected instructors in war colleges. A few are quartermasters skilled at obtaining and managing supplies or establishing and maintaining supply lines over hostile territory. Quite a few clerics of the Red Knight have authored tomes on military strategy. When not on duty, clerics of the Red Fellowship are known for their love of gaming. Although they avoid games of chance that require the smile of Lady Luck more than the brilliance of the Red Knight, clerics of the faith strive to constantly improve their skills in abstract games of all sorts to further challenge their development of parallel lines of thought and new stratagems and to sharpen their ability to read an opponent's intentions.

Clerics of the Red Knight pray for their spells at night before going to sleep, preparing for the day to come. In addition to observing the holy days and important ceremonies of the church of Tempus, the clergy of the Red Knight honor two important holy days.

The Retreat is an annual even held every Midwinter’s Day. During this solemn ceremony, the clergy of the Red Knight assemble for a day-long retrospective on the previous years campaigns. Strategies are discussed, battles are analyzed, and the accumulated lore is integrated into the church’s teachings. The Queen's Gambit is celebrated on the first day of Miaxis. During this festival, the clergy of the Red Knights unwind with a day of feasting and gamesmanship. Day-long tournaments of chess (also known as Lanceboard) are held, with the tournament victors receiving recognition, titles of merit, promotions, and, sometimes, a precious gift from the temple armory. Many clerics multiclass as fighters or monks.

Dogma

War is won by those with the best planning, strategy, and tactics, regardless of the apparent odds. Any fool can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with fortune's aid. Only a master strategist can ensure lasting victory. War is a series of battles. Losing a battle does not necessarily indicate the war is lost. Seek out your opponent's weaknesses and recognize your own; avoid an opponent’s strengths and play to your own. Only by focusing one's own strengths on the opponent's vulnerabilities can triumph be ensured. In times of war prepare for peace; in times of peace prepare for war. Seek out your enemy's enemies as allies, and be prepared to compromise. Life is an endless series of skirmishes with occasional outbreaks of war. Be ready---and have a contingency plan.

— Teachings of the Red Knight

History and Relationships

The Red Knight was elevated to divine status by Tempus as a natural counterbalance to Garagos. She loyally serves her patron, whom she regards as a father figure, and seeks to undermine both Garagos and Cyric. She works closely to Torm, who holds a similar disposition, and sees Valkur the Mighty as her best ally in naval combat, even if he is somewhat unreliable. The Red Knight keeps her true name secret from all but the Lord of Battles, as she realizes that if any being, mortal or divine, were to gain any measure of control over her, they would be privy to all the plots and stratagems of rulers throughout Abios and the deities throughout the planes.

She is known to have good relations with Tyr, god of Justice.

Divine Classification

Demigod

Species

Human

Honorary & Occupational Titles

• Lady of Strategy
• Grandmaster of the Lanceboard

Gender

Female

Symbol

Red knight chess piece with stars for eyes

Alignment

Lawful Neutral

Portfolio

Strategy, planning, tactics

Domains

Destruction, Law, Nobility, Planning, Protection, War

Home

Warrior's Rest

Favored Weapon

"Checkmate" (longsword)

Cleric Alignments

LG, LN, LE

Worshipers

Generals, tacticians, paladins, warriors, gamesters, monks, strategists