Terry's handling of the Knights of Solamnia

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

ferratus

Sep 11, 2003 17:59:41
Knights of Solamnia casting spells isn't new, but Knights of the Rose casting spells is something "newer" first done by the 5th Age team.

Personally, I'm against Knights of the Rose casting spells, because that means that the upper echelons are all clerics, which doesn't really jibe with the Knights of Solamnia I've always known. They were aristocrats to me, not theocrats.

However, it did inspire an interesting campaign seed for me, and an in-game world excuse to revise the Knights of Solamnia prestige class for my Gazeteer set a few decades into the future.

See, I think the Solamnics are adrift. They've abandoned their ideals and traditions. Linsha Majere sneers at a Crown Knight because he follows procedures and formalities of honour. Gerard is ashamed because his father's money can buy him out of hazardous duty. The High Warrior in Solanthus would rather "listen to common sense than the measure". Splendour does not trust Linsha Majere's word of honour as a knight (which used to be enough) because she's "known too many Solamnic Knights".

It is not surprising then that the Solamnic Knights have no core ethos or moral center anymore. Let Hogan Bight be assassinated so we can seize control of Sanction? Sure! Run around posing at common street theives? Why not? Abandon the elves to starve in the Plains of Dust... I think you get my point.

Notice too how quickly them seem to latch on to any ideology that suits them at the moment. After the cataclysm when they abandoned the measure, all they chased after was power until a young Knight of the Crown named Sturm Brightblade showed them the path of true honour. Notice how quickly they lost faith and adopted the tactics of their more pragmatic enemies after the Chaos War, or how they have morphed into Kiri-Jolith's personal army after the War of Souls. Heck, if the rumours be true, they are going to even cast aside Vinas Solamnus' ideals of republicanism and equality and install a king.

Obviously, there are some who are going to be as sick of this corruption in the Knighthood. I would like all of you to read "War Chest" in the short story anthology "Rebels and Tyrants" and consider what I have said through the eyes of the squire, Raye. Look at his untarnished ideals and his lessons of honour and glory that he learned from his mentor Dammerman.

I expect great things from this boy. I expect him to lead a backlash against the corruption poisoning the knighthood that is turning them into people where "the ends justify the means" at best, and outright villains and influence peddlers at worst. Thus, Raye Oakensheild will, from hiding, lead a movement of reform to expose just how far the Knights of Solamnia have fallen from their traditions, and restore the shine to the Solamnic knighthood.

The villains in this scenerio? Why, Liam Erling and his inner circle. Faithless and inept, they will be unable to stand against his charisma. Others in the shadows of the Solmanic knighthood (such as those who tried to assassinate Hogan Bight) will attempt to kill him and his family in attempt to keep their own evil hidden. In the middle of all this? The player characters, who will have to decide between Raye's rigid (but correct) ideology, or Liam Erling's stale and cowardly utilitarianism.

Thoughts?
#2

zombiegleemax

Sep 11, 2003 18:18:55
Well Said

It's nice to know that someone else has found the Knights of Solamnia somewhat lacking in the ideals of Chivalry. I remember reading the War of Souls and thinking how very much they had come to mirroring the Knights of Neraka.

The trouble is that I think it is not just the Knights of Solamnia that have lost the way, but Ansalon as a whole. It seems as if the world has lost it's 'innocence' and had to confront the cold, harsh light of day. It's had to 'grow up' a little in the face of recent events. I guess this shows the Age of Mortals feel.

Personally I would like to see a revitalisation of the Solamnic Knights, back to the days of honor and the code -we have the legionnaires for the more 'neutral' direction. I would also like to see the Knights of Tahkisis return, devoted to their word, like they were under Ariakan's guidance rather than Targonne. I think the revitalised two knighthoods would play off each other really well. But hey that's just me...

Arandur
#3

zombiegleemax

Sep 20, 2003 22:59:15
too bad they killed off Medan. He would have been the perfect head to fix the KoN. As for the Salamnics, perhaps being Kiri-Jolith's personal army for a few years will fix them, given as he is the god of honorable combat.