Knighting

Although nearly all the cultures of Morgrave recognize their best fighters and tacticians, the Lustrians have created a distinct social rank for theirs. Begun in a time of dire straits for the nation, it has continued on as a tradition, conferring prestige, honor, and tangible benefits to the the Lustrians with the greatest achievement in the military field.

History

There have been many wars between Lustria and Qemt'Or throughout history. Qemt'Or is a large empire with great swaths of arable land to feed its massive population. It also has a military history going back to its founding in the murky edges of history, when Mandaru conquered the city of Bushaad and drove enough Orcish tribes together to form a nation. This legacy of expansionism and martial dominance never left the Lustrians only neighbors, and the Qemti pushed into Lustria many times with the purpose of conquering them. Lustria has ceded many chunks of land to its larger nation, and has rarely recovered them, but the horse-riding Orcs are rarely able to push far into Lustria's hilly and mountainous terrain, partially because of generally poor logistics and partially because the Lustrians have the advantage against cavalry in the hills.
About 200 years ago, Lustria was in grave danger of actually losing the war. The Qemti had filled their ranks with non-horse auxiliary units from the lands they had conquered, and the Qemti had a strong presence in the south of their lands, which was traditionally one of the least-populated areas of Qemt'Or. With a strong supply line to boot, the Orc-led empire was pushing far into Lustria. It was in this protracted war that Lustrian leaders arose to change the direction of the battle. Shoring up morale, fighting like hell for their nation, and creating ingenious tactical maneuvers set these few soldiers apart from the rest. After the war was ended (which resulted in Lustria ceding territory to Qemt'Or, nonetheless) these leaders were given a new rank, the rank of knight. Something like a noble military commander.

Benefits

Besides being held in high prestige by their countrymen, knights are privileged with  certain tangible benefits. Having very little arable land to grow crops, horses are scarce in Lustria. The maximum number of horses in the country is restricted by law, because all the food grown is needed for the kith living there, not for horses. Every knight is guaranteed at least one horse under Lustrian law, further augmenting their prestige and making them stand out from the crowd. Every knight is also given a place on a council that advises the twelve in military matters. Although technically equal advisors to all twelve, they generally end up working nearly exclusively with the High Priest of Ares. Finally, the knights are given a plot of land in the countryside and a stipend to live on.