Rider

Riders are a necessity, to guard against the dangers that we spellwriters brought upon ourselves before we knew our craft.  They have an honourable profession just like us.  I don't want to hear another word said against them in the halls, students.  Understood?

Qualifications

Riders must undergo a strict training process. In order to enter this training, they must have shown no spellwriting ability since birth, and must also have exceptional physical health. Generally, a pretest of an obstacle course is given to prospective entrants, with a passing time of 3 minutes.
The training process itself takes 5 years. Most Riders enter it around the age of 10, although it is not unknown for entrants to be as old as 25. As well as covering the weapons of a Rider's trade (their sword, their mirror, their steed, and their seeing-glass), the training instructs them on the history of the Rifts, how they were brought about, and also instructs them on the common law of Mythia, the extent to which Riders are allowed to bend it in the execution of their duties, and when they have the power to enforce rules and regulations. At the end of the training, Riders have extensive knowledge of Mythia's history and legal workings, and of how to control Riftbeasts.

Requirements

Riders may not have any spellwriting ability, due to their proximity to Rifts. They must have excellent vision and hearing, and a good sense of smell is also desirable. They must have excellent physical health, and should be at least 15 by the time they enter active service.

Appointment

After completing their training, a Rider is inaugurated by the ruler of their area - this can be a king or queen, a minor lord or lady, or even a town steward. This ceremony is typically attended by the Rider's close family and friends and their mentors from the training process. The ceremony is short, lasting no more than two hours, and in it the Rider must recite the Code, before being acknowledged by the official. They are then added to an existing rider troop, typically based in their area - occasionally, when a troop is short on members they are assigned to one further away. If no troop is currently extant in their area, Riders are given the option of joining another one or beginning their own in said area.

Duties

Riders are supposed to adhere to the Code, a set of moral regulations instituted in Mythia when the Riders were first formed. The Code is shown below in full.
THE CODE A Rider shall uphold the standards of Mythia. They shall not fall to bribery, nor to blackmail or other trickery, for doing such is the mark of an unfit being. They shall not look away when there is danger; they shall not commune with criminals and wrongdoers; their every moment shall be spent ensuring that the lives of the people are safe. They shall not drink, nor consume the Poet's Herb, nor chew the Firedrug, for if they do they put the lives of others at risk. When asked for help they shall provide it, when their fellows are downhearted they shall try to lift their spirits, and even if they themselves feel they cannot go on they must, for the land of Mythia depends upon their efforts. Let the Rider uphold the code, and they shall have success.

Responsibilities

Riders are responsible predominantly for monitoring the various Rifts in Mythia. There are 16 known Rifts, and at present 16 Rider troops. Riders patrol the edges of the Rifts, ensuring that the dangerous beasts that make their homes near them are kept away from the towns and cities of Mythia. When necessary, they engage in combat with the Riftbeasts, and are expected to give their lives if needed to prevent these beasts doing harm to the citizens of the land. Additionally, they pass through towns on their patrols and should it be requested of them they are expected to assist the populace and/or local leader in keeping the peace or dealing with any threats that the populace is not equipped to deal with themselves.

Benefits

Being a Rider grants a certain prestige, but only within the communities outside of the literary critics and spellwriters. Additionally, Riders are forced to retire at the age of 55, and when this occurs they are given ample housing and a large pension. These benefits are also granted to Riders that are withdrawn from active service due to injury. Riders typically have access to the finest healers in the land, and they are often granted a bed and a hot meal in any town or city.
Although the Code is intended to prevent the use of their position to gain political power, Riders do also have the ability to consult with officials and to improve their standing in this way.

Accoutrements & Equipment

Riders are, unsurprisingly, given a horse during their training. This is generally from a reputable stable and of fine ancestry. Additionally, they are provided with a sword edged with silver and enchanted with a Riftwrit, a mirror, and a seeing-glass. Riders are typically not provided with armour due to the nature of their usual enemies - in times of war or other similar conflict they can be equipped as would a typical horseman.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

If a Rider is suspected to have broken the Code, they can be taken off active duty while the matter is investigated, usually by a Rider from another troop and a soldier or sheriff. If they are proven to have broken the Code, they are called upon by the most senior member of their troop, removed summarily from the ranks of the Riders and stripped of all rights and privileges of the Rider rank. Often they are also imprisoned or otherwise punished. In particularly serious cases they can face the gallows.

History

Riders first came about when the existence of the Rifts was understood. Farmers and knights alike banded together to protect the lands of Mythia from the beings unleashed by them. As this movement grew in force, the nobles of Mythia realised that if they did not incorporate the group in some way the Riftguards, as they were then known, would become a potential threat to their kingdoms and fiefs. A charter was drawn up by King Klaus, recognising the existence of what he then for the first time called the Riders and placing them as a semi-independent group under the control of the de facto monarch of Mythia. This charter included the first appearance of the Code. It was ratified by all nobles and a majority of the Riftguards, and the first 5 Rider troops were formed. As more Rifts were discovered, more Rider troops were created until the 16 that are present today had arisen.

Type

Civic, Military, Commissioned

Length of Term

Maximum 40 years

Related Military Formations

• Spellslinger Coterie