insignia

Description

The High Clerist is the supreme head of the Order of the Sword, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Sword (5 Divisions, about 15.000 knights). He is by tradition the appointed Commander in Chief of the Tower of the High Clerist, which is placed under his care. He is said to be the closest living knight to Paladine, even if he pays homage also to Habbakuk and especially worships Kiri-Jolith, god of holy warfare and patron of the Order of the Sword. A Knight of unbreakable faith and limpid virtue, he is a great warrior but also a figure of shining sanctity, and he is considered, in the Church of Good, to be the "Eighth Prophet". Along with the High Warrior and the High Justice, he is part of the Knightly Table of State Major, and he takes orders only from the Grand Master, title to which, by the Measure, he could ascend by election. His insignia is the Chandelier surmounted by the Ring of High Knight, (an ancient silver ring, embedded with a star sapphire with a Sword engraved on the gem) which he wears as a symbol of rulership over the Order.  Ascension to this title almost always means the resignment of any political or feudal duty: the rulership of family lands is often taken over by a close family member, and the High Clerist maintains only the nominal title of Prince Protector of his former lands (his sons, of course, do not lose their rights)

Often the feudal ruler of a Marquisate, a feudal territory roughly the size of a County, but in strategically sensible borderlands, the Lord Warrior is  overlord of several lesser ranking knights and feudal lords, and when the Army of Sword is gathered he is endowed with the command of a "Division", composed by 5 Battalions (approximately 3.000 knights). His rank insignia is a badge portraying the Chandelier and the symbol of the Knighthood. He is a figure of both military and religious renown, very close to the holy High Clerist and to the god Kiri-Jolith. A Paladin of great virtue and shining courage, the idealisation of a good warrior, whose deeds of heroism and piety are probably sung all over Solamnia.

Often the political ruler of a large County, the Master Clerist is the commander of a “Battalion”, composed by 5 Brigades. Under his livery may serve a dozen other Knights of minor rank, and three to five units of commoner men-at-arms, which he can deploy in battle in support of the 600 knights he commands. He is a model of chivalric virtues, a holy paladin of Kiri-Jolith and a strong warrior whose courage is unshakeable. His insignia of rank is a silver dragon over the Chandelier.

This title is bestowed upon knights of proven valour and virtue, which are often feudal rulers of large Baronies and have a small number of vassals. They retain the title of “Sir” but are more commonly addresses to as “Lord”. When the Army of the Sword is gathered, they respond to the summons of the High Clerist bringing their own vassals and some support troops (usually a unit of archers and one or more of infantry, all commoner men-at-arms which wear their livery) and they command one “Brigade”, composed by 10 Squadrons (about 120 Knights). They are great men of arms, and also pious and holy paladins honoured by peasants and commoners by their virtue and courage. Their insignia is a panoply of the Sword and the symbol of the Knighthood.

This rank is bestowed over feudal lords of Baronies. When the Army of Sword is summoned, they are charged with command of a “Squadron”, composed by 2 Blades. The Squadron takes their own family name while they’re in charge. The insignia of this rank is the Sword entwined with a silver dragon.

Knights of this rank are the leaders of a Blade, the basic unit of the Army of the Sword, composed by other 5 Blade Knights; when they aren’t summoned by the High Clerist, they reside in the town or keep which they rule. Their insignia is a badge portraying a Sword and a book, to symbolize the might in battle driven by the wisdom and holiness of Kiri-Jolith. The Blade Knights under them are usually minor feudatories of Patrice rank that hold small retinues and owe them fealty as vassals. Elders of Sword are very often the leaders of a small Barony.

An Abbot of the Sword is the leader of a small group of Knight Clerists, usually no more than ten, which is called an "Abbey", even if rarely they stay in the same place for more than one month (only in the Age of Might some of them really had an abbatial keep in which they stayed). The symbol of their rank is a mitre combined with a sword: the might of the weapons and the holiness of the faith.

The Knight Clerists are both fierce warriors and pious monks: following the precepts of Kiri-Jolith, they travel the lands, bringing help and healing to poor people and anyone who is suffering. They search incessantly for evil, and when they find it they battle it without quarter. In some cases, they form separate units that aggregate with members of the Order of the Crown, in order to provide them with some healing powers in time of need. The insignia of their rank is a brooch portraying a great helm surmounting a chandelier, which symbolizes the holy spellcasting abilities they are entitled to use from this level on.

Knights of this rank are the members of a Blade, the basic unit of the Army of the Sword, composed by other 4 Blade Knights; when they aren’t summoned by the High Clerist, they reside in the town or keep which they rule, or wander in search of adventure and of evil to smite. Their insignia is a badge portraying two Swords and a great helm. The swords are two to symbolize the readiness to enter battle, and the continuous state of alert which they sustain. They are very often strong veterans that have endured dozens of battles, great or small.

Knights of Swords are fierce paladins that travel the land in search of evil, which they battle mercilessly. They travel alone, or in small groups, and offer a helping hand to those who suffer injustice or violence and cannot defend themselves. They wear their own coat of arms, (which, from this rank on, they can rightfully have, see the description of the Knight of Crown) and hold neither land nor castle: they are holy errand knights in search of adventure and glory.

The Novices are Knights who have successfully completed the Quest to join the Order of the Sword, and have just finished the period of training. They are in search of the knowledge of the ways of the gods, and often travel the land clad in a simple white tunic (with a hint of brown, to declare their worship of the god Kiri-Jolith) and possibly with a medallion of faith of this deity, if a Priest has deemed them worthy. They live in poverty and humility, and the mysticism of the Order, which they are becoming to understand, pervades them of a holy zeal, giving them an outstanding courage and boldness, mitigated only by their piety. The symbol of their rank is a simple sword, portrayed on a badge.

The Order of the Sword is the clerical branch of the Knights of Solamnia: the Knights of the Sword, both strong warriors and holy men devoted to their god Kiri-Jolith and to his father Paladine, are holy crusaders who fight all their life for the gods they pray, and for the people of Solamnia. They live up to the purest ideals of courage, heroism, and self-sacrifice. All their life, they strive to be the embodiment of these ideals, to be the champions of Paladine and Kiri-Jolith.

Vinas Solamnus chose the Sword as the symbol of this Order to remind the Knights that war is a honourable way to defend good against evil, provided the sword is held with courage, goodness and valour. The strength of the Knights of the Sword is the acceptance of the hard but glorious laws of war, the readiness to self-sacrifice, the rigorous and strict codes they must abide to be the recipes of the holy power of their god.

Legends hold that the ancient Silver Sword of the High Clerist, a powerful and holy artifact, was donated to Vinas Solamnus by Kiri-Jolith himself: the people of Solamnia called it "Shining Sanctity", or "Bison's Horn", but it seemed to disappear in the Cataclysm. While the ring of the High Clerist has been passed on up to this time, this holy relic is, at this moment, lost.