The five types of knights

As told by Sir Casmir, Grand Marshal of Fumaya.
Many lands require their knights to be able to fight from horseback with a lance and sword, but this is not universal. Elven nations often prefer their knights to be crack shots rather than expert riders. Swynfaredia of course prefers their knights to be sorcerers. Most knights are elite fighters, but they they are not all lance toting cavaliers. Some knights aren't really warriors at all, but they are skilled ministers given an honorary as a knighthood in recognition of their service (though honorary knights rarely get any land to go with their title).
Essentially, if a lord or a high priest thinks someone would be useful as a knight and that person takes the knightly vows, they are knights, no questions asked. Every prince or potentate is free to set whatever knightly requirements they want.

Most nobleman want to have an heir and a spare. They will usually train both the heir and the spare to be able to take over their lordship as a true successor. Few lords bother to train third and fourth sons thusly because the odds of them inheriting are low and they don’t want to breed resentment. Extra sons are often sent to the Nonagon or they are trained as knights (or both if the local Nonagon has holy knightly orders). Sometimes the presumptive heirs also receive knightly and ecclesiastical training but they rarely stay there long.
Most knights are sons of knights. This makes sense. Most farmers are sons of farmers. Most blacksmiths are sons of blacksmiths. A son of a knight that seeks a different vocation than being a knight is likely to face reduced wealth and status relative to his father, but a son of a knight who becomes a knight and then becomes a knight of renown, his wealth and prestige might exceed that of his father.
First born sons of knights tend to get preferential treatment (first born sons seem to get preferential treatment at every social class) but second, third, and seventh sons can still become knights. Among knights, birthright is valued, but merit is valued greater still.
Speaking of merit, some knights are not born to be knights, they are made to be knights. Men-at-arms, militia men and adventurers who distinguish themselves in battle are often given knighthood as a reward. Some highborn knights look down on these ennobled commoners, but only if they are fools.
Smart lords want strong warriors and don’t care if they are highborn or lowborn. Given the high bar of entry for a commoner becoming a knight, it’s a safe bet that common born knights are likely among the best warriors of any knightly retinue even if they are somewhat lacking in courtly manners.
How a man becomes a knight is not as important as what a knight does after becoming a knight. I name five categories, Knights of Honor, Knights of Valor, Knights of Loyalty, Knights of Ambition, and Knights of Patriotism.

Knights of Honor

Most knights pretend to follow chivalric honor codes when it suits their needs, but some knights follow these codes with their whole hearts and souls. Knights of Honor eat, drink, and breathe honor. They believe their unfailing sense of honor will lead them to win in battle and they derive their sense of self-worth from their honor.
Some of these knights believe in chivalry in an abstract sense, but some follow an honor code on behalf of one of the Nine. The latter of which often manifest a bit of theurgist ability. The most pious knights often find their way into holy knightly orders.
Just and pious lords like to promote just and pious knights to positions of authority because they know these knights won’t abuse their position and will represent them well. Sometimes Knights of Honor can be a little bit naïve. In times of war, it is not always best to have a Knight of Honor making tough decisions as they may forgo tactical advantages in the name of honor.
Less honorable lords have a love-hate relationship with these sorts of knights. They can be problematic at times, but an evil lord can still put his Knights of Honor to good use with careful handling. Assuming the despotic lord is a little bit concerned with his public face, he will try to avoid demonstrating the power of his iron fist in front of his Knights of Honor. A tyrannical lord will usually keep his Knights of Honor away from the front lines and use them for public relations: honor guards at festivals, envoys to the Nonagon, anywhere where peaceful diplomacy requires putting a respectable face forward.
A Knight of Honor might turn on a lord that they view utterly lacks honor, but even then turning on one’s lord is a great dishonor. When this happens, the knight in question will usually renounce their lands and titles which is never easy. As long as lord maintains an aura of plausible deniability about his corruption, a Knight of Honor can be placated and kept in line.
Honorable knights have façade of false modesty, but they love accolades and praise. As long as their lords give them these things regularly they will endure any hardship and take on any challenge.

Knights of Valor

"Knights of Valor" is a polite euphemism for "Knights of Violence". Some are brave and violent; others are cowardly and violent, but at the end of the day, some knights just like to hurt people. They may or may not revel in great challenges but most of these knights just relish picking on people weaker than they are. The less evil Knights of Valor crave glory. These are the sorts that boast of felling the most foes or taking on the largest and most frightening monsters.
Just and pious lords often don’t trust their Knights of Valor, for good reason. No honorable lord wants his sworn vassals to rape and steal in his name. Unfortunately, a lot of knights fit this mold. Perhaps more than any other category. If a lord discharges all of his most violent knights, he will find he has very few knights left, and the knights he has left might not be the best fighters. I believe the formal codes of chivalry were codified centuries ago specifically to try to keep these knights in line.
Also, it is not always easy to spot a violence loving knight. Most Knights of Valor wear a mask of honor at courtly events and most other knights still maintain an air of bravado that makes them look like Knights of Valor.
Of course tyrannical and corrupt lords rarely have any problem with Knights of Valor. Such knights are good at destroying their lords’ enemies and a lord can be reasonably sure of their loyalty by turning a blind eye to their excesses. As long are allowed to indulge in their excesses regularly, most Knights of Valor will obey their lords’ calls for restraint when the situation calls for it.
A Knight of Valor will turn on his lord when he gets bored or feels he is not being paid enough. A Knight of Valor that betrays his oath is very dangerous. A lot of the most dangerous brigands and cut-throat mercenaries were former Knights of Valor. This is why a lord needs to try to keep their Knights of Valor in line, even if they would prefer to wash their hands of them completely.
The best way to keep a Knight of Valor in line is to always have a powerful enemy to point them at. Preferably an enemy that is far away. If they win, shower them with accolades. If they lose, well the lord doesn’t have to worry about his knight's lack of restraint now does he?

Knights of Loyalty

A Knight of Loyalty will go through the motions of following a code of honor, but really he is loyal to his lord, not to some abstract code of chivalry. A Knight of Loyalty’s identity is enmeshed in his lords. When the lord does well, he does well and vice versa. A Knight of Loyalty loves his lord as he would a father, a brother, or a son. Sometimes there’s a leafer relationship going on behind the scenes or a one-sided infatuation.
All lords value their Knights of Loyalty. Who doesn’t want a powerful warrior that is personally loyal to them? Whether a lord is a just lord or a tyrant lord, a Knight of Loyalty will usually mirror his values even if the lord's values change over time. Obviously, Knights of Loyalty are often the most likely to be promoted to positions of authority. This can be a problem if the lord in question values loyalty over competence. The best Knights of Loyalty will (privately) correct their lord when their lord is acting foolishly, but the worst knights are spineless yes-men who enable their lord’s worst excesses.
It is very difficult for a lord to alienate his knights of loyalty, but it has happened before and a former Knight of Loyalty is a very dangerous opponent. No one can hate you like someone who once loved you and a spurned Knight of Loyalty probably knows a lord’s darkest secrets and hidden weaknesses. There is also the issue that if a Lord has alienated his lord, than that lord has probably alienated all his other knights long before his most loyal bastions turn on him, so most lords are killed or deposed before his Knights of Loyalty turn on him.
Sometimes there are issues if a lord passes away and the old knight does not have the same loyalty to the new heir, especially if the lord in question did not have the best relationship with his heir. Sometimes the new heir might blame the old knight “If you are such a great knight, why did you let my father die?” Wise lords will try to foster good relations between their knights and heirs while they are still alive.

Knights of Ambition

Knights of Ambition desire power and prestige and they view serving as a knight as their best or only way of advancing in station. Knights of ambition are difficult to spot as they are social chameleons. They will loudly crow about the tenets of honor when under public scrutiny, they will seek acts of great valor on the battlefield to gain acclaim (but only when someone is watching), and they will really lick their lord’s boots to appear loyal and trusting.
Knights of Ambition want land and titles, they want gold, they want positions of authority, and they want favorable arranged marriages for their sons and daughters.
Knights of Ambition are often among the least skilled at arms or if they are skilled, they are probably less courageous than most. On the plus side, they can make excellent seneschals and advisors, and diplomats. Whether a lord is a just lord or a tyrant lord, Knights of Ambition bear watching. A lord would be wise to channel these knights’ ambition towards valuable ends, but lords should be wary giving these knights too much autonomy lest they make backroom deals or embezzlements at their lord’s expense.
A wise lord gives these knights positions of authority and responsibility that also face a lot of public scrutiny. That way the lord can benefit from their ambition and political skill and be reasonably protected against betrayals.

Knights of Patriotism

Knights of Patriotism love their homeland and their people. They are loyal to their individual lord and the code of honor as much as it serves the land, but we—I mean they hold no illusions that lords and codes of honor are infallible. They will pursue their ambition to advance themselves but not at the cost of the safety of the realm. Glory and titles only have value when they serve the greater good.
Knights of Patriotism are pragmatic. Honor has its place and a wise knight maintains his public honor, but doesn’t boast too loudly about. Knights of Patriotism never besmirch their honor for petty ends but they realize that sometimes harsh actions are necessary, quietly and subtly. Do you want to talk about how well you did, all things considered? If only our opponents fought fairly, we would have won! Hah.
Wise knights are honorable enough that don’t fall into cruelty and cowardice, but they realize that there is no honor in losing though retreating in order to fight another day is acceptable. Knights of Patriotism do whatever it takes to win, but they don’t go beyond this.
A just lord can let his love of honor prevent him from taking harsh but necessary actions for the greater good of his people. A selfish lord is even worse, and will bleed his land and people die for his own pleasure and paranoia. A dark lord will mask his selfishness under a thin veneer of “harsh but necessary” but he is lying.
A wise lord avoids both failings and listens well to the counsel of his Knights of Patriotism.

Knights Maid to Fit

A male knight goes by "Sir" and a female knights goes by "Dame" though I hear a few lady knights prefer to go by "Sir".
Some lands forbid women from serving knights, some lands encourage it (especially Elven lands or those with Elven influence. Fumaya, like many other lands in Scarterra, neither encourages or forbids it. Really, if a man or woman is capable of serving as a knight, there is lord somewhere who can put a knight to good use that is probably not too picky
In Fumaya we do not want our women to be helpless damsels if caught alone, so many are taught are taught at least the basics of handling blades and crossbows. A few women find they have real talent for martial affairs and they may or may not desire to become knights.
Unfortunately for the lady knights, even if they are accepted as knights, they are probably honorary knights, so they rarely receive a piece of land to go with their knighthood and rely entirely on their lord giving them a stipend to pay basic expenses, not that landless male knights are that rare.

Many highborn male knights are often spare sons. Many lady knights are often spare daughters. Usually first and second born daughters get the best marriage proposals and the best access to courtly positions such as steward, feudal or chancellor. First born daughters tend to have bigger dowries than second and third born daughters too. No matter what a mortal has between their legs, birth order often matters a lot.
Whether it's fair or not, a third or later born can jump in line if she is exceptionally beautiful or exceptionally intelligent, but not all girls are born so blessed, especially if her older sisters also happen to be better looking and smarter.
Some highborn maidens with few offers of prestigious marriages and who are shut out of respectable administrative courtly position opt to make their fortunes with a set of knight's spurs rather than take a second tier position or marriage.

A lot of the best female warriors are the daughters of knights. In a lot of cases, all a knight knows is how to fight, so this is what he teaches his sons and his daughters. A lot of female knight's are daddy's girls who are following in their father's footsteps.

As hard as it is for a common man to be knighted, it is even more difficult for a common woman to be knighted. If you meet one, treat her with great respect. She had to overcome a lot of barriers to earn her title, so she probably fights like a warrior of legend.

Whatever their origins, a disproportionately high number of Dames end up serving holy orders rather than secular lords. Most holy knightly order require an oath of celibacy and more than a few Dames seek knighthood as a way of escaping an unwanted arranged marriage. Taking a holy vow is a way to stay a spinster this while still being considered respectable. A few men also choose this route to avoid unwanted marriages, but I digress.


Some lords prefer to have lady knights to guard their wives, daughters and sisters. Rumors of leafer knights notwithstanding, more than a few knights are paranoid about illicit affairs between male knights and maiden ladies. These starstruck romances are pretty popular in troubador tales, so they do occur in real life...or so I heard.
Other lords like to use their lady knights as ambassadors to foreign dignitaries or as mouthpieces to the common folk viewing their lady knights hoping their female knights will provide a softer face for missions of peace. This sometimes backfires. A lot of lady knights have to deal with being considered softer and weak by their male counterparts, so they compensate with extra bravado, so these Dames often put their foot in their mouth frequently during courtly events.
A lot of ladies who rule a land outright instead of ruling in her husband's name choose a Dame as her personal champion and advisor preferring trust the greater sisterhood rather than trust a man's sense of honor.
In my opinion, a wise lord (or lady) should treat his Sirs and Ladies the same and look at their individual traits when assigning his knights duties.
A lady knight is just as likely to be a Knight of Honor, Knight of Valor, Knight of Loyalty, Knight of Ambition, or a Knight of Patriotism as a man is.