Knighthood

Hear me now

Oh, thou bleak and unbearable world

Thou art base and debauched as can be

And a knight with his banners all bravely unfurled

Now hurls down his gauntlet to thee!

-I Don Quixote

Knights of the Kingdom

Mother Bear, grant me the strength to defend the helpless and the courage to do so at peril of my own life

Father Stag, grant me wisdom to know the truth and the honor to speak it always

Lady Snake, grant me mirth enough to bear up under tragedy and grant that knaves outwit me never

Lord Wolf, let my wroth undo the wicked and call me not to my rest until my duty be done

-A Knight's Oath

When most in the Kingdom speak of knighthood, they are, by default speaking about knights of the Kingdom. Elite warriors, sworn to the king, their liege lord, and a sacred oath. They are the romantic heroes of a thousand-thousand ballads and the idols of children throughout the Kingdom. It should go without saying however, that not everyone who wears the spurs lives up to this heroic ideal.
In theory, anyone can be made a knight, and indeed, many commoners have been raised to the peerage as reward for valiant service and great feats of strength and courage. It is far more common however, for those already of noble blood to be trained from an early age in the ways of riding and fighting, serve under a knight as a squire, and be knighted once their martial studies are complete. In any case, a prospective knight must have at least two sponsors: first, a knight who will stand for them, and second, the lord (at least a baron or viscount) whom the candidate means to serve. The sponsoring knight must vouch for the candidate, attesting to their courage, moral character, and skill at arms. The lord, for their part must administer the oath, forming a covenant with their new vassal. It is traditional for the occasion to be preceded by a vigil and marked by a somber ceremony followed by a banquet. It is also traditional for the sponsoring knight to be either the knight for which the candidate squired or, failing that the most senior knight in service to the lord. None of these are strictly required however, and during wartime, many new knights are made with only the two sponsors present. The only person who may perform a knighting on his own is of course the king himself.

Though they are members of the nobility, the title of knight is not inherited. The oldest son of a knight will not become a knight on occasion of his father's death, though it is, of course common for the children of knights to follow in the footsteps of their parent, knighthood must (in theory at least) always be earned. It is for this reason that many nobles, even those who already possess loftier titles, seek knighthood anyway. It is a title that carries with it a kind of respect that few can deny.
Knights are of course the backbone of their lord's heavy cavalry, but they are much more than that. In war, they are the commanders of the Kingdom's forces, the masters at arms that train their soldiers and the castellans charged with coordinating the defense of the castles and keeps. In times of peace they are charged with protecting the common people from bandits and other threats.

Knights Golauran

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel

"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal"

Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel

Since God is marching on

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Since God is marching on

-Battle Hymn of the Republic

If the Knights Golauran, who serve the Holy Empire are not the most iconic example of knighthood, they are certainly the most numerous. The only sort of knighthood recognized by the Holy Empire, these fanatical warriors are raised from early childhood to know no truth but the Path of the Wheel, no family but the holy order they serve, and no other calling but to fight and die to bring about the turning of the Wheel.

Though an ancient order whose roots reach back to before the founding of the deliberative, the Knights Golauran are inextricably tied to the far more recent history of the Holy Empire, and it has shaped the order dramatically. Owing to a tradition that began after the fall of the Deliberative, the conquered nations and city-states pay a part of their tribute to the empire of which they are a part in unwanted (or if there are not enough of such, simply just unlucky) children. These children, who may be no older than eight years old, are brought to the Argent Keep and stripped of their names. Though some are infants, as soon as they learn to walk, they are put to work in the Keep and taught the Path of the Wheel. The work is back-breaking and the recruits are afforded only meager meals and straw pallets in crowded dormitories. Of the hundreds that are taken every year, perhaps a quarter die before the age of ten, and another quarter are sent away to the mines to toil for the rest of their short lives. Those that do survive are given practice weapons and drilled relentlessly in the use of them. Of these, perhaps half make it to their fourteenth year, where they are fitted out with mail armor of plain, unpolished steel, which they must wear day and night.