Magic Of Krynn
Knights of Solamnia
Knights of Takhisis
The orders of sorcery were created by the three gods of magic,
Solinari, Lunitari and Nuitari, back during the Age of Dreams. During the All Saints' War, the three gods of magic walked upon the face of Krynn, searching for mortal followers. Each god chose one follower and bestowed upon them the keys to the Lost Citadel, where the followers were taught the three fundamental principles of magic on
Krynn:
All wizards are brothers in their Order and all Orders are brothers in power.
The Towers of High Sorcery are held in common amongst the orders and no sorcery shall be used there in anger against other wizards.
The world may bring brother against brother and Order against Order, but such is the way of the universe.
The followers were returned to Krynn where they founded the Orders of High Sorcery. Solinari, god of benevolent magic, founded the Order of the White Robes. These mages act to promote good. Lunitari, goddess of neutral magic, founded the Order of the Red Robes. Red robes, like myself, try to balance the forces of good and evil, so neither one becomes more powerful than the other. Nuitari, god of black magic, founded the Order of the Black Robes. Black Robed wizards usually act to further their own ends, but will not jeopardize the future of magic to do so.
The centers of magic on Krynn are two Towers of High Sorcery. There is a Tower in Palanthas, and one in Wayreth Forest. Both towers are protected by magical defenses, making them impenetrable to those who are not invited. The Tower in Palanthas is surrounded by high walls, but that is not the true defense. Inside the walls is a grove of trees, known as the Shoikan Grove, which is enchanted by an overwhelmingly powerful fear spell. The Tower of Wayreth is surrounded by a magical field which allows it to appear anywhere within 500 miles of its original location.
Originally there were five Towers upon Krynn. There was a Tower in Daltigoth, which supposedly caused sleep. The Tower in Istar was surrounded by a forget spell. There was also a Tower in the Ruins, whose defense was to create intense feelings of passion. These towers no longer
exist.
Spell casting is a complex art form, one which requires as much practice as any other sort of art. To use spells, a magic user must memorize the spell. The spell, which may be composed of words, gestures and material components, remains in the caster's memory until it is used, at which point it is lost from the caster's memory until it is
rememorized. Since spells must constantly be rememorized, wizards keep spell books. The more spells you know, the more books you have to keep those spells. Some great wizards had entire libraries of spells which they knew, but did not necessarily have memorized.
In case you haven't noticed the moons overhead during your travels on Krynn, you will discover that there are three moons. A
red, a white and a black moon. These are the gods of magic in their celestial forms. The phases of each moon strengthen or weaken the followers of that particular order. Say Nuitari is low in the sky--a new moon. The Black Robes are at their weakest during that time. At the same time, Solinari might be full, so the White Robes are at their peak. A rare occurrence is the Night of the Eye, a night when the moons are full and align to form a white eye with a red iris and a black pupil, when all magic is at its peak.
The Orders of High Sorcery are governed by a Conclave of Wizards. Each order sends seven wizards to sit as it's representatives to the Conclave. One of these representatives also serves as the Master of the order. This honor is determined differently, depending upon which order you are referring to. In any event, the Master serves a life-long term in their position. From the twenty-one delegates, one is selected to serve as the Master of the Conclave. This position is an election, whose ballots are cast by every wizard on Krynn, through a consensus spell.
If a person wishes to join an Order of High Sorcery, they usually begin at a young age, studying under an
arch mage, who is generally approved by the Conclave. When a pupil is deemed ready, usually about age 25 in humans (or in AD&D game terms, level 3-5), he or she ventures to a Tower of High sorcery to take the Test of High Sorcery. The Test is incredibly hard, and is never undertaken by a person not completely devoted to magic, since failure means death. Each Test is different, customized for each apprentice by the Conclave itself to measure each individual's strengths and weaknesses. The Test is designed to separate the wheat from the chaff; in other words to take those who will use magic responsibly and admit them to the order, while leaving undesirables out. Through their actions during the test, each apprentice pledges allegiance to an Order of High Sorcery.
Now, not every magic-user on Krynn must take the test. Assuming the magicks this person uses are relatively weak, the person will be allowed to live in peace. Colored fire and simple cantrips to make rags dust tables for you, like this, majikus adilere venito parit, are not a problem for the Conclave. However, once you begin to master difficult and dangerous spells, you become a liability. You are considered a Renegade Mage, and will be hunted down by the Conclave. Either the renegade will join an order, be destroyed or be banished from Krynn forever.
The Knights of Solamnia arose in the Age of Dreams, about three millennia
before the War of the Lance. The order was founded the commander of the
Ergothian Palace Guard, Vinas Solamnus. Sent by his Emperor to quell a
rebellion in northeastern Ergoth, Vinas saw instead that the rebellion was
justified.
Motto and laws
For over 15 centuries, the knights have lived by two codes: the Oath and
the Measure. The Oath is simply "Est Sularus oth Mithas," which means "My ;Honor is My Life."
Obedience to the spirit of these laws is the chief goal of knighthood.
During the War of the Lance, the Solamnic Knights forgot the spirit of the
Measure and clung to the unfeeling letter of the law. In time and at great
cost, the knights learned that honor lies in the heart of each knight, not
in a set of dusty books.
The Measure
Loyalty and obedience epitomize the Knights of the Crown.
Loyalty is unquestioning faithfulness to the cause of a higher power.
Knights of the Crown view loyalty as a tribute to be justly and
voluntarily rendered. The Order of the Crown is loyal to the order's
founding god, Habbakuk, to those who suffer under evil's weight, and to
rulers who, by decree of the Knightly Council, deserve the knights'
loyalty and protection. Only rulers who follow the tenets of Good are
deserving- politics never sway this decision. The list of approved
rulers is called the List of Loyalty.
Obedience is the practical manifestation of loyalty. A Knight of the
Crown must unquestioningly obey those on the List of Loyalty.;
The specific responsibilities of this order include tithing income,
aiding any knight who requires aid and service to the nations on the
List of Loyalty.
The Measure
Knights of the Sword act as warriors for the gods of Good, upholding the
purest ideals of heroism and courage.
Heroism is self-sacrificial fight for the cause of Good. Heroic deeds
include strengthening the weak, enriching the poor, freeing the
enslaved, exonerating the falsely accused, championing the defenseless
and aiding fellow knights in need.
Courage is readiness to die honorably in the fight for Good. Courageous
acts include facing Evil fearlessly, defending the honor of the
knighthood, defending the honor of a fellow knight and protecting the
defenseless and weak.
A Knight of the Sword must surrender all personal wealth to the knightly
coffers ( save what is needed for upkeep ), pay homage to Kiri-Jolith
and the gods of Good each day, eagerly engage evil opponents in combat ( not retreating regardless of the enemies strength ), protect the weak
and defenseless and forswear use of knightly powers for unrighteous
reasons.
The Measure
The Order of the Rose embraces honor guided by justice and wisdom.
Honor is allegiance to one's oath to defend the cause of Good. Honorable
deeds include sacrificing oneself for the sake of others, refusing to
surrender to or ally with an evil foe, defending the knighthood until
death, protecting the lives of fellow knights and living true to the
Oath in all matters.
Justice is the heart of the Measure and the soul of a Rose Knight
to render to everyone- creature, person or god- his or her due. Just acts
include aiding those that are less fortunate, donating all wealth to
the knightly coffers ( except what is needed for personal or parochial upkeep )
, worshipping and obeying Paladine and the gods of Good,
fighting injustice with courage and commitment and seeing that no life
is wasted or sacrificed in vain.
Wisdom is the prudent use of one's abilities and resources to uphold
honor and render justice.
Ariankan, son of the powerful Dragon Highlord Ariakas and-so it is
rumored-the sea goddess Zeboim was the first knight at the origin of the
Knights of Takhisis. During the War of the Lance, Ariakan was captured
by the Knights of Solamnia and kept prisoner for more than six years.
The reason why he had been kept prisoner and not executed for so long
is that he demonstrated a lot of courage that the knights took on
consideration. He refused to surrender even when there was no hope of
getting away. He fought bravely and skillfully and killed four knights
of Solamnia before being forcibly subdued. Ariakan used his six years to
learn more about the Knights, to know their strong and weak points. He
finally succeeded to convince them that he had changed and so, thinking
he was of no more danger they released him. The biggest mistake they had
ever done. Ariakan submitted his plans to his Dark Mistress and then
began to recruit in secret young teen that would be trained to become
the Knights of Takhisis.
As with the Knights of Solamnia, any who would enter into the Knights of
Takhisis must begin as a Petitioner 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. At this level,
knights may choose entry into either Skull or Thorn, or remain with the
Lilies. The Knights of the Lily are the 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.
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 a loyalty by renewing their spell on a daily basis, in a manner
similar to the other clerics.
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 by all members of the Conclave. Unlike the wizards of
the conclave, the Gray Robe Knights, as they are known, work with dark
priest-Knights of the Skull- in maintaining order both in conquered lands
and their own territories. The Thorns Knights are of a special type. They
may not wear armor while casting spells, and reduce their weapon
proficiencies to those available to wizards.