The Knights of First Landing

The Order and Fellowship of the Knights of First Landing

The Knights-Errant

Motto: “Thus always to tyrants.”

The Gregorian Knights

The Order and Fellowship of the Knights of Gregorios the Great

To be written.

Knights-Errant

Neophyte (Initiate)

Knight-Errant

Lance Leader

Preceptor

Knights-Banneret

Knight-Banneret

Enomotarch

Pentecoster

Lochagos

Strategos

Grand Polemarch

To be written.

Charter of the Order and Fellowship of the Knights of First Landing

All who bear sound heart are welcome within the Order and Fellowship of the Knights of First Landing
We are a votive order bound not by crown nor temple, but by a shared cause: the protection and flourishing of the commonwealth of the brave New World.

Empires rise and fall; laws are written and forgotten.
Where law is absent, we will build it. Where law is corrupt, we will defy it. Where the helpless cry out, we will answer.

We are knights by right of oath, and no one among us shall be bound in servitude save by their own sworn word.
Every knight shall stand as an independent authority, until such time as the Order is called as one.

The Order maintains no singular seat of rule, for the Compact Oath is carried wherever its sworn knights go.
Ranks are few, for merit is proven in deed, not title.

Know this: you will hunger, bleed, and be scorned.
You will find allies among outlaws and adversaries among magistrates.
Yet if you hold to your oath—to act with courage, truth, mercy, and restraint—then you stand within the Compact, wherever you stand.

This Order is recognized and sanctioned by rightful guild authority within the New World, and thus holds lawful standing among all other adventuring companies and knightly fellowships therein.
So is the Order and Fellowship of the Knights of First Landing constituted.

Guild Recognition Clause

The Order and Fellowship of the Knights of First Landing is a votive order of knight-errant origin, bound by sworn cause and not by crown or temple.
By lawful recognition and sanction of the Explorer’s Guild of First Landing, its standing is acknowledged among legitimate adventuring and knightly bodies within the territories of the New World.
Each Knight acts under personal oath and recognized charter, and the Order as a whole is bound only when formally convened or contracted under lawful commission.
Thus is its authority affirmed where such recognition is held.

Articles of the Compact

The Knights of First Landing are bound to act in accordance with the following Articles while standing within the Order.
A Knight shall not raise weapon in greed, cruelty, or vengeance.
A Knight shall not abandon the helpless when aid is within their power.
A Knight shall not break sworn word, nor misrepresent truth where it may cause harm.
A Knight shall not claim authority over conscience where no mandate of the Order exists.
A Knight shall not hoard succor while others suffer in equal need.
A Knight shall not act in the name of the Order without bearing its purpose of justice, mercy, and restraint.
A Knight shall not bring dishonor upon the Compact through cowardice, corruption, or willful neglect of duty.

Rite of Release from the Compact

I stand before the Order as one who has stood by the Compact in service and in oath.
I return the word I was given, and I lay down the burden I carried within this Order.
I am no longer bound within this Compact, nor does it bind me henceforth.
Let my deeds remain as witness to my time among the Knights of First Landing.
Let my path now turn beyond its keeping.
So am I released. So is the Compact unheld upon me.

Convocation of the Knights of First Landing

A Knight of First Landing remains free in action and judgment unless a Convocation is declared under lawful authority of the Order.
A Convocation may be declared when the Order is called to unified purpose by sanctioned contract, existential threat, or directive of the Polemarch.
Upon Convocation, all Knights of First Landing within reach of summons are bound to respond or formally excuse themselves by lawful cause.
While Convocation endures, individual autonomy yields to coordinated action insofar as it does not violate the Articles of the Compact.
When the Convocation is dissolved, each Knight returns to their sworn independence within the Compact.

Mandate of the Banneret

The Polemarch and designated Knights-Banneret hold mandate to direct the Order in matters of Convocation, contract, and collective defense.
Such mandate extends only to the execution of lawful objectives bound to the Order’s charter and does not dissolve the independence of individual Knights beyond the scope of declared Convocation.
No Banneret may compel a Knight of First Landing to act in violation of oath, conscience, or the Articles of the Compact.
Disputes of mandate may be raised before the Polemarch or the assembled Banneret council, whose judgment shall stand for the duration of the Convocation.
When Convocation ends, all command mandate returns to rest.

Sanctions of the Knights of First Landing

The Order enforces discipline through graduated sanction, applied in accordance with the Articles of the Compact.
First is Counsel, wherein a Knight is corrected and guided in understanding of breach.
Second is Censure, wherein the Knight’s standing within Convocation may be restricted.
Third is Suspension, wherein the Knight is temporarily barred from Convocation or command authority.
Fourth is Severance, wherein the Knight is removed from the Order and the Compact released from their standing.
No sanction shall be enacted without cause, witness, and judgment consistent with the integrity of the Order.

The Icon of Valor

The Icon of Valor, also known as the Gregorian Crest, is a sigil that includes a number of symbolic elements representing the Knights of First Landing.