Church of the Red Knight

Holy strategist is the name by which a cleric of the Red Knight is known, and it is an apt title indeed. By devoting themselves to mastering military tactics and strategy, these militant clerics hone their minds and bodies into the deadliest weapons in Faerun. So impressive is their reputation that armies outnumber¬ing their foes three to one have been known to sur¬render upon learning that a holy strategist leads the opposing force.
The holy strategists’ devotion to discipline and a structured, military lifestyle makes them popular with priests of Torm and Tyr, and clerics of the Red Knight often cooperate with priests of Valkur to jointly over¬see naval battles. Most holy strategists harbor a certain distaste for clerics of Garagos and almost universally despise Cyricists. They get along well with most other characters who demonstrate an understanding of (or at least a healthy respect for) the use of tactics. Although they are closely allied, priests of the Red Knight and priests of Tempus often find themselves at odds, since many of the Lord of Battle's followers disdain planning, preferring to simply rush into battle.

The Clergy

The clergy of the Red Knight was also known as the Red Fellowship, and consisted of clerics, crusaders, monks and specialty priests styled as "holy strategists".[1] Members of the Red Fellowship serve in militaries across Faerûn, often as elite commanders, quartermasters and instructors in war colleges.[5] Most paladins of the faith were members of the Order of the Red Falcon.
The clerics of the faith often penned tomes on military strategy. One such book, Master Tactician, was used as a teaching tool, both in the art of war and the Red Knight's secret magic.[5][7] Holy clerics of the Red Knight could gauge the strengths and weaknesses of their enemies using the analyze opponent spell.[8]
Regardless of class, priests of the Red Knight were regimented into a hierarchy with corresponding titles. In ascending order of rank these were:[2]

Page

Squire

Knight

Knight Quartermaster

Knight Commander

Knight Captain

Lord Knight

Lord Knight Commandant

Lord Knight of the Red Standard

Collectively, the clerics of the Red Knight are referred to as the Red Fellowship. Many members serve as high-ranking commanders in armies throughout Faerun, often personally leading elite “special forces" units. Others who are not directly in the employ of the church serve as instructors at military academies or as quartermasters in charge of keeping the troops on the front line fed and supplied.
As befits the clergy of such a militant goddess, holy strategists are ranked in a rigid hierarchy. Their titles of rank are almost always based on character level, but extraordinary events can earn a holy strate¬gist a promotion or demotion that is not in accordance with level.
The titles used by the Red Fellowship are, in ascend¬ing order: Page (ist-2nd level), Squire <3rd-4th level), Knight (5th-6th level), Knight Quartermaster (7th-8th level), Knight Commander (gth-ioth level), Knight Captain (nth-i2th level), Lord Knight (igth-i^th level), Lord Knight Commandant (i5th-i6th level), and Lord Knight of the Red Standard (17th level and higher). Recently, as the clergy of the Red Knight has grown in size, the practice of preceding this title with a relative ranking has fallen out of favor. Not surprisingly, many holy strategists also have military ranks bestowed by whatever armies they serve in.

Affiliated Orders

Most paladins who serve the Red Knight are members of the Order of the Red Falcon. Although small in number, the knights of this order are master soldiers who have triumphed against overwhelming odds on numerous occasions.
The Order of the Red Falcon is based at the Citadel of Strategic Militancy, but many of its members travel throughout Faerun, serving in various armies to teach military history and to keep abreast of any new or intriguing battle tactics. Paladins of the Order of the Red Falcon may freely multiclass as fighters or as clerics of the Red Knight.

Vestments

For ceremonial functions, a holy strategist wears a suit of half-plate or full plate enameled in a blood-red hue. Over this armor, she wears a snow-white tabard embroidered with the Red Knight’s holy symbol. For less formal occasions, holy strategists wear flowing robes of red accented with white. The shade of red depends on the individual’s rank, ranging from almost black at lower ranks to brilliant crimson at higher ones. Unlike Tempuran priests, holy strategists are not forbidden to cover their faces with their helms, so they often wear ornate, full-face helmets when they wish to convey a grand impression.
A holy strategist’s holy symbol is usu¬ally carved from some type of semiprecious red gem¬stone, but it is treated as a silver holy symbol for the purpose of determining price, weight, and hit points.
Adventuring holy strategists are expected to wear the highest-quality armor they can afford, although their regular armor is not usually red-enameled. The Red Fellowship does not expect its members to keep their armor spotless at all times, but almost all holy strategists do so anyway, as a point of pride. In the field, a holy strategist is expected to carry a banner or shield marked with an easily recognizable symbol (often the Red Knight’s holy symbol, but just as frequently a per¬sonal coat of arms or insignia) to serve as a rallying point for her allies. Despite this requirement, however, holy strategists are not prohibited from removing or concealing their symbols should doing so provide some tactical advantage.

History

The church of the Red Knight was not a distinct entity from the church of Tempus until the end of the Time of Troubles. At that point, a small organization of priests and monks split off from their parent church, apparently encouraged by Tempus himself.[1] For decades afterward, many still believed the Red Knight to merely be an aspect of Tempus[2] and Tempurans only barely tolerated their god's dissemination of power,[1] ensuring the church remained relatively small. The Red Knight's heroics, however, ensured a dedicated following in southwest Faerûn. The faith began to come into its own in 1361 DR, after the Horde War of the previous year.[2]
The mercenary paladin Kendera Steeldice also helped spread the faith in the Old Empires thanks to her aid in Mulhorand's conquest of Unther.[3][4]

Places of Worship

The most important temple of the Red Knight is the Citadel of Strategic Militancy, which is located about 40 miles northeast of the city of Baldur’s Gate. This massive keep was once the home of a minor noble family that served the goddess. During the Time of Troubles, the Red Knight possessed the last scion of that family—Kaitlin Bloodhawk-to serve as her avatar. Although the citadel was destroyed during that period, it was rebuilt later and now serves as the home of the Red War College, a new but already famous school for military officers.
The walls of the Citadel of Strategic Militancy are built of checkered red-and-white marble, and a massive, blood-red dome caps the central keep. The chapel is actually an enormous chessboard, where the priests play out ritualized human chess games during religious ceremonies. The First Lady Knight of the Red Standard, Kaitlin Bloodhawk, governs the citadel-the same woman who served as the Red Knight’s avatar during the Godswar.
Other temples to the Red Knight are somewhat rare, although more are built every year. Each is dominated by a red-and-white chessboard floor, which the atten¬dant priests keep polished to a brilliant gleam. Temples to the Red Knight in dangerous lands are often guarded by stone golems built of red or white marble and sculpted to look like enormous chess pieces. Smaller shrines, however, are common in fortresses and military barracks all across Faerun. Such a shrine might con¬sist of nothing more than a chess set placed in a spe¬cial alcove where supplicants can go to pray for the Lady of Strategy's guidance.

Clergy

Gendered titles like Lord Knight were altered for female incumbents and higher-ranking priests preceded their title with their relative rank within the Knight's faith. So the High Priestess of the faith, High Lady Bloodhawk, would have been titled First Lady Knight of the Red Standard.[2] The practice of numerical ranking was abandoned as the clergy grew, however the rank system itself was maintained. [6].
When not on duty, the priests were known for their love of gaming. They disdained games of chance that would be the purview of Tymora, and instead preferred games of strategy that sharpened their minds and their ability to read an opponent. Lanceboard, chess and go, a game imported from Kara-Tur, were favored and were even included in the Queens Gambit festival.[2]
Holy strategists' interactions with priests of other faiths mostly mirrored their deity's own with other gods. Clerics of the Red Knight were popular with priests of Torm and Tyr, due to their shared devotion to discipline and a structured, military lifestyle and they would often jointly oversee naval battles with priests of Valkur. Most of the clergy harbored a certain distaste for clerics of Garagos and almost universally despised Cyricists. Priests of Tempus and those of the Red Knight often found themselves at odds, since many Tempurans disdained planning, and preferred to rush into battle. However despite this, the two clergies remained closely allied.[6]

Vestments

For ceremonial functions, holy strategists wore red enameled half or full plate, often complementing them with ornate, full face helmets when they wished to convey a grand impression. Over the plate, a snow white tabard embroidered with the Red Knights holy symbol was worn.[6]
For less formal occasions, flowing robes of red accented were preferred. The shade of red denoted the rank of the wearer - starting at almost black at lower ranks to brilliant crimson at the higher ones.[6]
A holy strategists holy symbol is usually carved from semiprecious red gemstone, but was comparable in most way to silver holy symbols of other faiths.[6]
Adventuring holy strategists were not expected to wear red enameled armor, but simply to wear the highest quality armor they can afford. While not a requirement to keep their armor spotless, almost all did so as a point of pride.
While in the field, strategists were expected to carry a banner or shield with a distinguishing design to serve as a rallying point for their allies. Some chose to simply use the Red Knight's holy symbol for this, but as many others used personal coats of arms or insignias. Despite this requirement, holy strategists were not prohibited from removing or concealing their symbols if it would provide some tactical advantage.[6]
Unlike Tempuran priests, followers of the Red Knight were not forbidden to conceal their faces with their helmets.[6]

Churches

Temples of the Red Knight were dominated with images of chess pieces and the floors were inlaid with a giant lanceboard in white and either black or red and polished to a brilliant gleam by the priests. They were typically guarded by blood red and bone white stone guardians, carved in the shape of various, enormous chess pieces.[6]

The Citadel of Strategic Militancy

Located northeast of Baldur's Gate, the Citadel of Strategic Militancy was a noble estate belonging to the Bloodhawk clan that was pillaged during the Time of Troubles. Rebuilt by the Bloodhawk scion, Lady Kaitlin, she transformed it into a bastion of her faith and home to the Red War College, with miles of surrounding farmland.[8]

The House of Strategy

The House of Strategy was based in Ankhapur. The Red Knight was formerly the patron of Ankhapur's royal family and was that city's state religion for a couple of decades. When Janol Famisso became king, he had the state religion changed to that of Lathander, causing the Red Knight's clergy to suffer a marked loss of influence.[9][10]

Temple of the Red Knight

A small temple in Cimbar, built in 1359.[7]

Notable Clergy

High Lady Kaitlin Tindall Bloodhawk, High Priestess of the Faith and head of The Citadel of Strategic Militancy[2]
Justicale, Hierarch of the House of Strategy in Ankhapur.[10]
Nicos Nathos, War Hero of Chessenta and Author of Master Tactician.[7]
Knight Artula Porolos, Cimbarran Cleric of the Red Knight and self-styled "Red Dragon", theocratic leader of the Border Kingdoms [7]

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Typical offerings on the altar of the Red Knight are coins won in wagering over games of skill (such as lanceboard, a version of chess) but never in games of chance. The greatest possible offer¬ings are new strategy games (board, pieces, and rules) personally devised by the worshiper, pro¬vided they are well designed.
If such an offering is given in a temple, these new games always vanish from the altar, taken by the clergy, of course. If given in private, whether in the open or at a shrine, the worshiper buries the items along with a symbol of the goddess in earth into which a single drop of his or her blood has been spilled. (A crude horse-head chess piece design scratched into a piece of bark or onto a stone will suffice as a symbol, if nothing better can be had.)
It is sinful for the same worshiper to unearth such things and reuse them as offerings, or for other faithful of the Red Knight to knowingly use the offerings of another in their own prayers to the goddess. However, it’s quite acceptable to use the offerings of others in different ways— wagering with them, selling them, or giving them away.
Devout faithful of the Red Knight often have scores of red horse-headed lanceboard pieces
made for them to use as symbols in just such situations. If nonclerical worshipers of the Red Knight are traveling with a priest of the Lady of Strategy and make prayers to the goddess, it is ac¬ceptable for the priest to collect and carry along all such offerings, meaning to turn them over to a temple of the goddess at the first opportunity. If doing this becomes impossible, such sacred goods should be buried.
Typical prayers to the Red Knight are whis¬pered pleas for insight into the thinking of foes and requests for inspiration, both when strategiz- ing. A true follower of the Red Knight believes that all tactical thinking or dreams of battles and battle strategies are bestowed by her. A devout worshiper never takes credit for a brilliant strat¬egy or tactic, believing such inspiration always comes from the goddess.
When a devout follower suffers defeat, over¬looks some stratagem of an opponent, or is outwitted, the follower typically makes an offer¬ing to the goddess by procuring a shard of good quality battle armor, gashing himself or herself with it, and leaving the bloodied metal on the altar with a prayer. The supplicant does not bind the wound or seek healing for it until the prayer is complete. Many worshipers of the Red Knight take good armor from opponents they have per¬sonally felled and shatter it, so as to have a ready supply of such shards for times of failure.
Great victories are celebrated by placing tro¬phies of the defeated foes on an altar of the Red Knight, accompanied by prayer. Such trophies can be weapons, armor, or blood and body parts. If no altar is handy, the prayer may be offered lit¬erally on the body of the fallen, on the battlefield or by the place of death.
Prayers to the Red Knight often begin “O, Lady of Clear Calm,” or “Great Lady of Armor Blood-Red,” and the goddess betimes gives long-worshiping individuals a secret name by which they can call her. This name is imparted in dreams and is different for every individual. These names are not thought to be even echoes of her true name, but rather personal tokens or pet names symbolizing her favor of the individual.
Formal priestly prayers often include the lines “lady whose armor is drenched in blood for us,” and “armor blooded to remind us of our faults and defeats, but eyes bright to make us mindful ever of unquenchable spirit and the battle mastery of fields to come.”

Полученные божественные силы

PLACES Of WOILSHjp The most important temple of the Red Knight is the Citadel of Strategic Militancy, which is located about 40 miles northeast of the city of Baldur’s Gate. This massive keep was once the home of a minor noble family that served the goddess. During the Time of Troubles, the Red Knight possessed the last scion of that family—Kaitlin Bloodhawk-to serve as her avatar. Although the citadel was destroyed during that period, it was rebuilt later and now serves as the home of the Red War College, a new but already famous school for military officers. The walls of the Citadel of Strategic Militancy are built of checkered red-and-white marble, and a massive, blood-red dome caps the central keep. The chapel is actually an enormous chessboard, where the priests play out ritualized human chess games during religious ceremonies. The First Lady Knight of the Red Standard, Kaitlin Bloodhawk, governs the citadel-the same woman who served as the Red Knight’s avatar during the Godswar. Other temples to the Red Knight are somewhat rare, although more are built every year. Each is dominated by a red-and-white chessboard floor, which the atten¬dant priests keep polished to a brilliant gleam. Temples to the Red Knight in dangerous lands are often guarded by stone golems built of red or white marble and sculpted to look like enormous chess pieces. Smaller shrines, however, are common in fortresses and military barracks all across Faerun. Such a shrine might con¬sist of nothing more than a chess set placed in a spe¬cial alcove where supplicants can go to pray for the Lady of Strategy's guidance. Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: Will negates Spell Resistance: Yes You gauge the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents in order to gain combat advantages. Upon casting this spell, you learn a number of strengths or weaknesses of each target equal to 1 + one per two caster levels (maximum four per target). You may choose to learn strengths, weaknesses, or some com¬bination thereof that you specify. If a creature has more strengths or weaknesses than you can learn with a single casting, you learn the most powerful ones first. Thus, if a monster can use finger of death at will and has sonic resistance 5, you would learn about Fin¬ger of death first. For example, suppose a 7th-level cleric casts ana¬lyze opponent on a black-armored warrior, choosing to learn one strength and two weaknesses. The war¬rior fails his save, and the DM informs the cleric’s player that the opponent has the ability to drain energy (a strength), is vulnerable to sunlight, and can be repelled by a holy symbol (both weaknesses). The cleric comes to the conclusion that he is facing a vampire and breaks out the wooden stakes. Knight's Move Transmutation (Teleportation) Level: Clr 3 Components: V. S, DF Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: 15 feet/2 levels (see text) Target: You Duration: Instantaneous By accessing the Astral Plane, you can teleport with a limited distance and a circumspect form of movement. You may move up to 15 feet per two levels with this spell, but only in the fashion of a knight chess piece, with two-thirds of the movement in one direction and the rest in a perpendicular direction. For example, at 5th level you could move 20 feet in any one direction, then to feet in a perpendicular direction. At 6th level, you could move 30 feet in one direction, then 15 feet in a perpendicular direction. If you would arrive in a place that is already occu¬pied by a solid body, the spell simply fails. ®

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