Order of the Claw

The Order of the Claw is a martial order of knighthood in the Kingdom of Aētheli. Chapters of the order can be found in all thirteen major territories, and they additionally maintain wayhouses along major travel routes that are often used by merchant caravans as a safe place to stop on the road. They are the primary domestic peacekeeping order of the kingdom, and in their vows of knighthood dedicate themselves to the protection of the poor, weak, and helpless. The Order is often the subject of tales and ballads of honor, with the populace romanticizing their chivalric code.

Composition

Equipment

A standard knight's equipment includes armor of several different types that is used situationally. While most knights maintain a ceremonial set of plate armor for tournaments, in the field a combination of chainmail and lacquered leather is preferred. The typical set of armor for a Knight of the Claw is a padded gambeson covered by a chainmail hauberk, a helmet, and gauntlets or thick leather gloves. Some knights may additionally add greaves of lacquered leather in the field. Plate is considered too heavy and cumbersome for practical combat, but is utilized in tournaments to help prevent injuries during exhibition fighting. Knights of the Claw can be most readily identified as full knights by their shields, which are blazoned with the knight's personal coat of arms. Each unit is in addition given a standard, which bears the arms of the Order of the Claw. Many knights are of noble origin, and therefore their personal arms are derived from the arms of their noble house. However, for the rare hedge knight accepted into the Order of the Claw, shields typically bear the red field and silver sword of the Order without the white chief ordinary and red eagle claws. While in the field, Knights of the Claw will also wear a red tunic over their chainmail, with the silver sword on their chest and the eagle claws on their shoulders. Since the Order of the Claw is a domestic peacekeeping organization, knights often carry means of subduing a prisoner. It is not uncommon to see a Knight of the Claw with a coiled length of rope hanging from the back of their belt, and those stationed closer to townships, cities, or the seats of noble houses may carry manacles on their person.

Weaponry

A sword is the most important weapon for a knight. Swords are only permitted to be wielded by knights and nobility, so the presence of a sword as a weapon is the mark of both status and skill. The most common type of sword carried by the Order of the Claw is an arming sword, a two-edged straight-bladed sword that is wielded one-handed and typically has a pommel on the end of the hilt. Some larger species, such as bison, moose, or bears, wield longswords instead of the standard arming sword. Knights and squires in the Order additionally carry a dagger, a long knife, or throwing knives. As a knight is expected to supply all their own equipment, including their weapons, their secondary equipment will often vary. Knights train with spears but do not carry them in the field. Knights are often accomplished archers, and often carry a bow and quiver in addition to their other weapons.

Vehicles

As a domestic peacekeeping force, the Order of the Claw rarely employs larger vehicles such as siege wagons. Knights are expected to be self-sufficient and travel light, and often journey with only the equipment and weapons they are able to carry on their person. In the case where units are being exchanged at a Wayhouse, and new supplies must be brought in, they may pull handcarts or tow-wagons. In rare cases where a large number of knights must mobilize together, often with soldiers, they may contract with the Wagon-puller's Guild to hire teams of split-hoof shifters for larger supply wagons.

Structure

The highest office in the Order of the Claw is the Knight-Commander, who ultimately answers directly to the crown. Below the Knight-Commander is the rank of general. Generals are often assigned to High Noble houses and are expected to report to and obey the head of that noble house. Each general often has several lieutenants serving beneath him, who he or she has hand-picked from the ranks with the approval of the Knight-Commander. Lieutenants are expected to execute the general's orders and be able to assume command in any case when the general has become incapacitated. The rest of the Order is filled out by those who have earned their full knighthood and the squires currently training beneath them. Outside of the direct military structure, there are adjunct offices that are filled by appointments by the Knight-Commander. The Quartermaster oversees the logistics and support for the Order of the Claw. The Quartermaster holds an equivalent rank of general and is allowed to hand-pick their own lieutenants. The Knight-Secretary is another general-equivalent rank who is responsible for, among other things, keeping abreast of the differing regional laws across the kingdom and ensuring the knights stationed in those regions are well-informed of any changes. Finally, the Order has its own internal justice system, staffed by the Justicars. Justicar is a title given to a knight who has assumed the responsibility for investigating and prosecuting misdeeds within the Order. The High Justicar is the pre-eminent legal scholar and judge among the Order of the Claw, and is the only office not appointed by the Knight-Commander: the previous High Justicar appoints their own successor, which must be confirmed in a majority vote by the other Justicars of the Order. This is intended to separate the Justicar branch from the Knight-Commander and ensure its ability to pursue judgment even against the highest office of their Order, if required.

Training

Much of the training in the Order of the Claw is conducted one-on-one or individually. When a squire is first accepted into the Order, they are paired with a full knight. Squires refer to their training knights as "knight-master," an indication of the power dynamic between a knight and their squire. A squire is expected to obey all commands from their knight-master unquestioningly. They are taught to care for their knight-master's armor and weapons as well as their own. Their knight-master teaches them how to read trail signs, how to properly stock a Wayhouse, and other common duties of Knights of the Claw. A squire also begins to learn swordsmanship from their knight-master at this time. The process of becoming a full knight is known as "earning the shield." To earn their shield, a squire must travel back to Dragonhearth to be assessed at the Order's headquarters. There they will undergo a series of trials, which consist of obstacle courses, one-on-one duels, and melee fighting. The testing can last several days and is overseen by high-ranking knights resident in the capital and often the Knight-Commander himself. If a squire passes these trials, they are knighted by the Knight-Commander in a formal ceremony, at which point they can assume the duties of full knighthood. Knights often train against one another in friendly duels, but since the Order of the Claw is most often found ranging, it is also necessary for every knight to know individual sword forms, drills which keep the body's muscles trained and reflexes sharp even if there is no opponent to duel against. Knights train with their squires, with other knights, and in emergency situations may keep their skills sharp by training commoners in spear and knife work. Although most squires will eventually earn their shield, there are a rare few who are either unable to train to the necessary skill level with a sword. Failing to earn one's shield does not mean automatic ejection from the Order of the Claw, as these "career squires" often find their place in the Quartermaster or Knight-Secretary's office. An even rarer subset of squires choose not to earn their shield at all, believing their place is beside their knight-master, to serve and protect them. These rare lifetime partnerships are often the subject of romantic ballads, with the squire and knight-master portrayed as chivalric heroes whose bond of friendship - or even love, in some cases - can never be broken.

Logistics

Recruitment

Prospective knights often come from noble families, as they are expected to provide their own entry-level equipment. This typically is not the full kit of a knight, but often consists of a helmet and leather gambeson, as well as a weapon such as a long knife, bow, or crossbow. Hopefuls to the Order of the Claw must first present themselves at the Order's main headquarters in the capital city of Dragonhearth. If they are unable to travel to Dragonhearth on their own, they may present themselves at a regional recruiting station or Wayhouse and hope to travel with the knights stationed there back to Dragonhearth. At the headquarters of the Order of the Claw, hopeful squires demonstrate their ability in the training yards. If they are passable with the weapon they have brought with them, they will be paired with a full knight and enter training. Ostensibly, all species are accepted in the Order of the Claw. In practice, recruitment favors larger shifter species with a slant toward predatory species. There is also a slight bias toward diurnal species over nocturnal species, due to the difficulty of integrating nocturnal species into a diurnal company. This means that while in theory a rabbit, a bat, and a bobcat can all be accepted into the Order as squires, the rabbit and the bat may be subtly discouraged or even told they do not meet the requirements.

History

The first decade after the founding of the Kingdom of Aētheli, as the Royal House of Goldfire began consolidating their rule over the vast amount of territory they had conquered, was a violent and difficult one as problems immediately began to arise with criminal activity. Not all beast shifters easily accepted rule of law over the kingdom, and outlier groups continued to practice what they saw as the "might makes right" way of life they had led as simple beasts. As the laws of the kingdom were codified into the Book of Gold, King Llyn Goldfire the newly-made High Noble houses additionally began to enact regional decrees and laws within their own governed territories. The Dragonknights had already been loosely organized shortly after the kingdom's founding, with many positions in the ranks of that order given to loyal knights who had fought alongside King Llyn in the War of the Gift. Shortly afterward, the Knights of the Flame were organized as a non-dragon martial order meant to serve as the kingdom's long patrol, supplementing border defenses. This left keeping the peace domestically in the hands of the Dragonknights, whose numbers were far too few to effectively spread out across the kingdom. Individual High Noble houses maintained standing companies of soldiers, but often when these units mobilized in pursuit of reported bandits and other criminals, they were not able to find the perpetrator. Thus, the Order of the Claw was founded in YK12 as a domestic peacekeeping order who would range throughout the kingdom and maintain order on the kingdom's trade roads.