“My knights,” Ariakan said, “will be like the ironwood trees. The strong trunks are impervious to blows, yet the branches sway with the wind. Such trees live forever—they maintain their strength while yielding sufficiently to the ways of the world in order to survive.
“The keys to victory,” Ariakan maintained, “are order, discipline, and vision. Bring order to our followers, and they will accomplish. Discipline them, and they will achieve. Give them the vision, and they will move forward toward a common goal.”
Takhisis was pleased with Ariakan and granted him her blessing.
So began the recruiting. Cautiously, carefully, Ariakan began building the knighthood.
He proclaimed as the foundations of the Knights of Takhisis the Vision, the Blood Oath, and the Code.
The Vision, the Blood Oath, and the Code
The Vision is—in simple terms—a statement of the ultimate goal of the knighthood. For knights of the warrior rank or less (5th level or below), the Vision is embodied in the phrase: “One World Order.” The goal is no less than the total and unquestioned domination of the entire world of Krynn. The Blood Oath and the Code are established to work toward that end.
When knights moving beyond warrior rank have passed the Test of Takhisis (see Tests of Takhisis), part of the ceremony for investment is the Deep Vision—a magical impression on the knight’s mind of the will of Takhisis and the goals of the knighthood. Experienced after four days of fasting and prayer to the Dark Queen, the Vision gives the knight a clear understanding of the goals of the knighthood and the knight’s own place in the grand plan.
The Blood Oath is simple: “Submit or die.” When joining the knighthood, each knight dedicates body and soul utterly to the cause. All thoughts of self are submerged, sublimated. Yet this does not mean that knights may not think for themselves, which brought about the creation of the Code.
The Code is complex in the extreme, yet elegant in its detail. The strict, unyielding exactitude of the Solamnic Knights’ “Oath and Measure” had caused their long fall from the Age of Might, ending in their continuing weakness. Despite the fact that the knights and other forces for good had emerged victorious, they were a long way from bringing peace and order to Ansalon.
Knowing the weaknesses of all mortal creatures, Ariakan crafted a detailed set of laws that relate principally to military situations, but that also can be extended into the lives of each member of the knighthood. Strict adherence to the Code is required, but each case is considered on its own merits, and exceptions can be made.
The Knights of Solamnia hold knightly councils to consider changes or alterations in their Measure. Having sat through many of these council meetings, Ariakan determined them to be a waste of time, spent in endless arguing and bickering over trivial points of law and honor. Ariakan established his Code so that there would be no need to argue fine points. The law was as written. Violations were obvious and dealt with summarily.
However, he did recognize the need to be flexible, as occasion demanded, and so established a means by which an exception to the Code might be considered and either accepted or rejected on its own merits.
Exceptions to the Code are adjudicated by a single knight selected from a chosen few in command positions, The role of adjudicator is generally reserved for knights of 12th level or higher. (Occasionally those of less than 12th level are granted the right, but that would be up to Lord Ariakan. Many of higher rank are not, including most of the Knights of Thorns.) The outward, visible sign of an adjudicator is a scepter, presented to the knight by Lord Ariakan himself.
If the adjudicator decides that the Code has been broken and that no exception to the Code may be permitted, punishment is meted out to the offender. Since a knight who violates the Code is seen to have also violated the Vision and broken the Blood Oath. The punishment is generally death.
Unlike the Solamnic Knights, the Knights of Takhisis are permitted to lie, steal, or commit murder, but only if such acts can be proven to advance the Vision and are not committed for personal gain or through loss of self-control. Thus, Knights of Takhisis do not “rape, pillage, and plunder.” Such acts are seen as adverse to the advancement of the Vision, which is to establish an ordered world, free of chaos.
Execution is carried out by the advocate, if that knight is present, or by the knight’s commander if the advocate is not The knights do not view death as the ultimate end, but rather as advancement to a higher rank. Takhisis is the final judge of a knight’s life, and the knight is rewarded by Her Dark Majesty or punished eternally as she decides. The knight does not fear death, therefore, but could have reason to fear the wrath of the queen in the afterlife. A knight who wishes to appeal the ruling of the adjudicator may do so. Once his soul is dispatched to Takhisis, she will hear the plea.
The Dark Queen has been known to send knights wrongfully judged back to “correct the error.” Such undead knights are known as revenants. (Refer to Monstrous Manual, page 302.) Because of this, all adjudicators will want to be extremely sure of the facts and will order a knight’s execution only after serious prayer and consideration.
Part of the Code deals specifically with the establishment and maintenance of lines of communication and authority. Thus, when an order is given from above, it is quickly dispatched and acted on. But Ariakan knew that the knights probably would find themselves in situations where they would be on their own, cut off from the chain of command. Therefore, major sections of the Code are devoted to acting on the Vision. When communication with the knighthood is severed, individuals who have a clear concept of the Vision will act independently to carry out the will of the knighthood until such time as communication can be reestablished. In this way, order is maintained in times of chaos.
Even within the bounds of orders as given, the knights have broad discretion as to how these orders are carried out. As long as a knight’s actions do not violate the Vision, the standing orders of their knighthood, or the specific orders that they have been given, a knight is free to act.
The Code is divided into several basic precepts, which guide the three major orders of knighthood:
The Lily: Independence breeds chaos. Submit and be strong.
The Skulk: Death is patient. It flows both from without and from within. Be vigilant in all and skeptical of all.
The Thorn: One who follows the heart finds it will bleed. Feel nothing but victory.
These divisions of the Code lead to the natural specialization of the knights and help to define the duties of the knights in the new world that they propose to create.
Organization of the Knights
The Order of Battle for the Knights of Takhisis is as follows:
Division Complement Officers, Numbers (Level)
Talon 9 Knights of various types 1 (6th), 1 (3rd)
Wing 5 Talons (45 knights) 1 (7th), 3 (6th)
Compgroup 7 Wings (350 knights) 1 (8th), 3 (7th)
Shield 5 Companies (1,575)+support 1 (10th), 3 (9th)
Quadron 4 Battalions (6,300)+support 1 (12th), 3 (11th)
Army 7 Regiments (44,100)+support 1 (14th)
Knights are primarily organized at the Compgroup level, each Compgroup consisting of approximately 350 persons. While individual Compgroups may have different organizations, the following chart is typical.
Note that Wings composed primarily of Knights of the Skull work side-by-side with ranks of Lily Knights and Thorn Knight sorcerers. It is this organizational cooperation that makes the knighthood such a deadly and efficient fighting force.
Knights of the lily
As with the Knights of Solamnia, any who would enter into the Knights of Takhisis must begin as a Petitioner (1st level) in the Order of the Lily. All Knights of Takhisis remain under the Order of the Lily until they attain the rank of Warrior and are ready to advance to Novice (from 5th level to 6th level). At this level, knights may choose entry into either Skull or Thorn, or remain with the Lilies.
The Knights of the Lily are th
e military might of the knighthood and the center of political power as well. The Order of the Skull and the Order of the Thorn are separate, with their own particular skills and areas of responsibility. While it may look to an outsider as if the Knights of the Lily are the dominant force in the knighthood, all three orders provide necessary functions and are considered equal in power and authority, differing only in jurisdiction and function.
Knights of the Lily Levels
Tests of Takhisis
For all orders, continuation past the rank of Warrior (5th level) requires that the knight pass of a test of loyalty. Just as the wizards on Krynn must pass the dread Test of the Towers of High Sorcery, so, too, must all the Knights of the Lily pass a similar test in order to advance. Failure in this test results in death. There has never been a case where a failed knight has survived. Even if a knight manages to escape, the members of all three orders use their powers to track the knight down.
The test for the Knights of the Lily generally centers around the three themes of Vision, Order, and Obedience. The test is every bit as difficult as the Test in the Tower of High Sorcery. Typical problems posed are: Will the knight sacrifice whatever is necessary—power, fortune, a loved companion, life itself—in order to fulfill the Vision? Will order and obedience win out over sentiment and the heart? Will the knight obey an order at the sacrifice of the knight’s own life or the lives of kin or loved ones?
As in the tower, the test may be an illusion, though the tested knights truly believe that what they are undergoing is real. Or, in some instances, the knights may be sent on missions or quests designed to prove their worthiness. The test is dangerous and often cruel in the extreme, but those who pass are as strong as steel forged in the fires of Neraka.
The nature of the test is determined by the knight’s advocate—the one person who knows the knight best. The advocate understands and appreciates the fact that a knight must be strong in order to fulfill the Vision. There can be no weak links in the chain. Therefore, the test is never made easy for the supplicant. Quite the contrary, no advocate wants to be known as the sponsor of a weak and ineffective knight, and, therefore, the test is designed to be as difficult as possible.
Knights who pass the test are free to choose the order they wish to enter. Often this is the order of their advocate, but this need not strictly be the case. The ascension of the knight into the next order takes place in a solemn ceremony at the knighthood’s headquarters, in the hidden northern fortress known as Storm’s Keep.
The knight is kept in seclusion in the Temple of Takhisis, fasting and praying, for four days prior to the ceremony. At the end of this period, during which the knight receives the Deep Vision, the knight is blessed by dark clerics and sent forth. The knight comes before the rank and file of knights (all those currently in residence), including Lord Ariakan himself. The Procession of Knights is enacted. The knight is formally presented by his advocate. The advancement in rank is bestowed upon the knight by Lord Ariakan, and the knight is officially accepted into the order of choice.
The knight then undergoes a period of training of about six months. This grueling instruction generally takes place in Storm’s Keep, but occasionally extends into other regions if the training specifically requires. Only after this training is the knight considered a full member of the order.
Knights of the Skull
These Knights form the clerical order of the knighthood. They practice the healing arts and are also in charge of both external intelligence and internal security.
Skull Knights work their art by stealth and subtlety rather than by force, leaving that to the other two orders.
Knights of the Skull are dedicated solely to Takhisis, to the exclusion of all other gods and goddesses (including other dark deities). Her Dark Majesty rewards such loyalty by renewing their spells on a daily basis, in a manner similar to other clerics. This is unlike the Knights of Solamnia, who must fast and pray to attain their spells.
Although it is well known that the sea goddess Zeboim favors the knighthood (in honor of her son, Ariakan), the Skull Knights do not pray to her. Ariakan sets aside one day a year in honor to his mother. It is considered a matter of courtesy for all knights to ask the goddess Zeboim’s blessing during a sea voyage.
Knights of the Skull may advance through the ranks as high as 14th level before they must vie for a position among the lord knights. (See Order of Lords).
Knights of the Skull Levels
Knights of the Skull Priest Spells per Level
Knights of the Thorn
Knights of the Thorn are an order of wizards. They operate completely outside the Towers of High Sorcery on Ansalon, refuse to swear any allegiance to any of the three robes, including black, and are therefore considered renegade wizards by all members of the conclave.
Unlike the wizards of the conclave, the Gray Robe Knights, as they are known, work with dark priests—Knights of the Skull—in maintaining order both in conquered lands and their own home territories. The Thorn Knights are of a special type. They may not wear armor while casting spells, and reduce their weapon proficiencies to those available to wizards (they may still use weapons they have been proficient in earlier, such as swords). Their THAC0 is either as a wizard or 5th-level fighter, whichever is better.
Knights of the Thorn Levels
Knights of the Thorn Wizard Spells per Level
Thorn Knights and the Moons of Krynn
The sorcerer Knights of the Thorn have their own schools of magic. They wear gray or black robes and have no relationship to the Black Robes of the Towers of High Sorcery.
Unlike the orders of the towers, the knights draw on the power of all three of Krynn’s moons as the source of their magic, rather than from one moon. This grants a far more powerful magical edge to Thorn Knights. Just how they have accomplished this feat remains unknown to the conclave. It is not surprising that the robed wizards of Ansalon are extremely disturbed by the appearance of this new and powerful order of sorcery in the world. They view it as a distinct threat to themselves, and wizards of all robes are exerting all their efforts to both study it and eradicate it.
Moon Phase Effects
Saving throw adjustments apply to all required saving throws.
Additional spells may be of any level that the wizard is capable of casting.
Effective level refers to the level of the sorcerer for purposes of determining spell ranges and powers. Only a knight of at least 8th level who has an intelligence of 15 or greater gains this benefit from the moons.
Utilize the system detailed in the Wizard Group section of the Tales of the Lance boxed set for determining the location of the moons and tracking their movement.
Order of Lords
In all classes of the knighthood, once characters have reached 14th level they have the opportunity to enter into the Order of Lords. There are a limited number of lord positions, and in order for a character to rise a level, a vacancy must already exist within the order the candidate wishes to enter. Such a vacancy may be created. Advancement through formal challenge and knightly combat is not only permissible but encouraged.
While each of the Orders of Lords are equivalent in rank, there is considerable variation in the power and nature of the ranks depending upon the order to which the knight belongs. Thorn Knights, for example, continue to advance as wizards, using the Thorn Knights tables for experience points and hit dice. All prohibitions for the order still apply.
The assignment and mission of a lord knight need not be constrained to those of his own order, however. Indeed, it is common for a lord knight sorcerer to be placed in command of a legion of Knights of the Lily, or to find a clerical lord knight in command of a unit comprising the Order of the Thorn.
Lord Ariakan realized that, since most large military units of the Knights of Takhisis comprise elements of all three orders of knighthood, it was conceivable that lord knights might well favor their own order over the others. Ariakan took care to see that this
did not happen. Those who have risen to such high levels in the ranks have been indoctrinated in the concept of “Power through Diversity,” that a wise leader uses all of the assets available to ensure victory. Indeed, it is a point of honor among the Knights of Takhisis that no favoritism is shown, and the accusation of such impropriety is a challenge to one’s honor that never goes unanswered.
When a vacancy in the upper ranks of the knighthood comes about as the result of attrition (such as a lord knight dying of natural causes or being killed in battle, outside single combat), all applicants must present themselves before a lord knight tribunal. The tribunal is made up of a majority of knights in that particular order. It is entirely up to the discretion of the reviewing tribunal to determine the criteria under which the position shall be won. Typically such criteria will consist of elimination tournaments or particularly hazardous ventures.
Those who wish to force a vacancy in the knighthood may challenge a lord knight in that position to single combat. In this latter case, victory assures the assumption of the defeated knight’s rank by the victorious knight. A tribunal is not called into session in such an instance.
Assassination is not an option, this being viewed as an act of cowardice.
It is only after assuming a place in the next level of knighthood that characters may advance in hit points and any other abilities. When characters do advance, they use the tables as listed for the order of knighthood through which they rose to their position. In other words, once a character is a Knight of the Thorn, that character remains a Thorn Knight up through 18th level, even though the rank places the character in common with knights of all orders.
Storm’s Keep
The Second Generation Page 45