The Origin of the Knights	Cataclysm to Present	The Organization of the Knighthood	Circles of Knighthood	The Oath and the Measure
The Knights of the Crown  and their Measure	The Knights of the Sword  and their Measure	The Knights of the Rose  and their Measure	Knights of the Crown	Knights of the Sword
Knights of the Rose	-	Knights in Battle	-	The Knightly Council
Lot in Life				DLA

    The Knights of Solamnia were once the
greatest order of chivalry in all the history of
Krynn. Now their entire way of life shifts in
precarious balance between the Code of Honor
and the truth of what the world has become.

Q: Do Solamnic knights have cavalier
abilities?
A: Knights of Solamnia are cavaliers but do
not gain the cavalier?s weapon of choice
bonuses until they become Knights of the
Rose.
(143.98)

Q: Are the abilities of each order of
knights cumulative?
A: Yes. A Crown Knight retains his weapon
specialization ability when he becomes a
Sword Knight, and a Sword Knight keeps
any spell earned when he becomes a Rose
Knight (but he does earn more spells as a
Rose Knight).
(143.98)

The Origin of the Knights

    The Knights came into being nearly 2,000
years before the War of the Lance, during the
Age of Dreams, rising like a phoenix from the
ashes of the empire of Ergoth.

    Vinas Solamnus, commander of the
Ergothian Emperor's Palace Guard, set forth
from the capital city of Daltigoth to squash a
rebellion brewing in the northeastern reaches
of the empire. However, Solamnus, a true and
honorable man, found that the rebellion was
well justified. Solamnus called his troops
together and presented the case of the people.
Any knights who believed in the cause of the
rebels were entreated to stay. Those who did
not were given leave to return to Daltigoth.
Even though his men knew that doing so
meant exile and possibly death, most chose to
stay with Solamnus.

    Thus began the War of Ice Tears. Although
Ergoth was in the grip of the most terrible
winter ever chronicled, Solamnus and his dedicated
army of knights and frontier nobles
marched on Daltigoth and laid siege to it.
Solamnus personally led daring raids into the
city. Within two months, the capital fell as a
revolt of the people forced the emperor to sue
for peace. As a result, the northeastern plains
of Ergoth, from the Vingaard Mountains to
the Estwild, gained its independence. The
grateful people of that region chose Vinas as
their king and named their new country
Solamnia in his honor. Although it never
attained any great power during the REST of
that Age, Solamnia became synonymous with
honesty, integrity, and fierce determination.

    Vinas knew that those who followed him as
rulers of Solamnia might not be as honorable
as he. Thus he organized the Knights of Solamnia.

    The tale of their origins is bound up in the
story of the Quest of Honor that tells of Vinas
Solamnus's journey in SEARCH of true honor.

    The story went something along these lines.
In the year 1225 PC, following his coronation
as the king of Solamnia, Vinas Solamnus was
beseeched by the Lords of the Northern
Reaches. They had recently broken from the
tyranny of Ergoth and now looked to Solamnus
to unite them. Solamnus could not see
how this could be done in the light of their
conflicting ideals and customs. So it was that
he set off on a quest to find the answer to his
dilemma. He left the united kingdoms in the
hands of his lieutenants and journeyed into
the wild.

    After many weeks of searching and trial, he
came at last to Sancrist Isle. There in that wild
place he found a glade and offered supplication
to the gods on a black granite stone in the
center of of the clearing. Three of the goods of
good soon came to him: Paladine, the god of
balance, justice, and defense; Kiri-Jolith, the
god of just warfare; and Habbakuk, god of
good nature, loyalty, and the elements.

    In that glade did they outline for Vinas the
model of a Knighthood that would last down
the centuries. Three separate Orders would
balance one another with high ideals, each
patterned after the ideals of the gods who
came to Vinas's aid that day. Some versions of
the tale say that Vinas was also shown the
downfall of the Knights; other versions tell of
the Knighthood rising again and again in
time of need.

    As a final blessing, the gods transformed
the stone before Solamnus into a pillar of
translucent white crystal. This sanctified the
glade and sealed the unity of these three gods
in their commitment to uphold the Knighthood
so long as the Knights walked in honor
and worthiness.

    Two other legends relating to Solamnia and
the Knights come from this period of time.
Bedal Brightblade was a hero said to have
fought the desert nomads to a standstill, holding
a pass into Solamnia singlehandedly until
help came. His sword Brightblade was said to
be of dwarven make and never rusted or
dulled despite vigorous USE. His tomb is
somewhere in the far southern mountains in
an unknown location. It is rumoured that Bedal
will return to aid Solamnia in its time of need.
Sturm Brightblade, of great renown during
the War of the Lance is said to be a distant
descendant of this lejendary figure.

    Huma Dragonbane, known as the most
perfect of the Knights, gathered together a
group of heroes to destroy the dragons and
drive them from the lands of Solamnia.
Huma's lejend, compiled by the great elven <check: elven bards>
bard Quevalen Soth, is fragmented now.
Many doubt that Huma ever really existed.
But the story of the last battle between Huma
and the Queen of Darkness is still told, along
with the tragic love Huma bore for a silver dragon.

    Huma managed to slay the evil dragon-leader
with the silver dragon's help, but in
doing so he sustained a mortal wound. By
some accounts, Huma died on the field of battle;
others, however, say that he lingered for
days in such pain that the gods themselves suffered
in sympathy, inflicting terrible thunderstorms
upon the land. To this day, you find
people who claim that lightning and thunder
strike the land in memory of Huma's agony.

    Huma was buried with great reverence, and
for many years those who aspired to join the
Knights made pilgrimages to the tomb of
Huma, which--so lejend has it--was carved
in the shape of a silver dragon. As the world
descended into evil, the road to Huma's tomb
became dark and dangerous to travel. Soon,
people began to question Huma's very existence;
the location of the tomb and his body
were forgotten. During the War of the Lance,
the Tomb was again discovered and with it the
source of the special metal used to forge the
fabled Dragonlances. Though the tomb was
found, Huma's remains were not discovered.

    Through wars with bordering states, the
Third Dragon War, and Solamnia's subsequent
rise to power during the Age of Might,
the Knights of Solamnia remained true to the
model established by their great and long-dead
king.

Cataclysm to Present

    The Kingpriest of Istar brought down the
wrath of the gods upon Krynn, and the gods
punished the people for their pride by casting
a fiery mountain down on the land. The
destruction and desolation caused by the
disaster disrupted the world for months.
Although their land had been spared the
worst of the blow, the people of Solamnia still
suffered greatly during this time. Evil creatures,
long banished from Krynn, returned to
the land. Many of the Knights perished fighting
the unknown and unspeakable horrors
that ravaged the countryside.

    In the end, it was the common people of
Solamnia who cast the Knights into disgrace.
For centuries, the Knights had kept the peace
and safety of the realm. Now, in the hour of
their most desperate need, it seemed that the
Knights were powerless. Rumors began to
spread that the Knights had foreseen the coming
of the Cataclysm and had done nothing to
stop it. Some Knights, it was said, actually
intended to profit by the disaster and increase
their land holdings.

    Indeed, there was some truth to these tales
but it was not the Solamnic Order's doing.
Lord Soth, a Knight of the Rose who ruled in
the far northeast reaches of Solamnia at Dargaard
Keep had, in fact, been warned by his
elven wife of the calamity that was coming.
But Soth had dark secrets to keep. He had
wed the elf woman in secret though he was
already married to a barren woman of human
royalty. Having fathered a child by the elf
woman, he then murdered his first wife and
claimed that she died in childbirth. The child
of the elf woman became his heir and he
claimed the elf woman as his lawful wife.
When warned of the impending doom of the
world, Lord Soth rode forth with his loyal
Knights behind him. Yet waiting for him
along the way was a troop of elven clerical
women who stopped him. They knew of his
dark deeds and persuaded Soth to turn back in
exchange for their silence.

    Soth turned back and the Cataclysm took
place. The elf woman and his child were consumed
in a terrible fire before Soth's very
throne. He returned to the keep to find the
image of their bodies burned into the stone.
No rug would cover it without being consumed.
No brush would remove its stain.
Thus did Soth sit on his throne until he, too,
died but even then the gods would not grant
him relief from his torment. His Knights,
blind in their obedience to his will, remain
with him still as skeleton warriors, r'he elven
clerics reside there as well--banshees who sing
each night to the fallen Knight of Solamnia,
telling of his fallen and never-ending punishment.

    The terrible deeds of this Knight did great
injustice to the Knighthood as a whole. Before
long, Knights were jeered in public and openly
reviled. Darker acts were also committed:
Knights were foully murdered, their castles
and homes invaded, and their families slain or
driven into exile. So it was that the Knights
silently disappeared from the knowledge of
men. The Knights who remained found
themselves forced to roam the countryside in
secret and under false na/nes, lest they be discovered.
Still, they kept their ideals and their
honor, and did what they could to fight the
growing evil in the world. A few Knights who
found their loss of status intolerable left their
homeland and settled across the waters on
Sancrist Isle. To this day, a strong group of
Knights exists there, while only covert organizations
survive within Solamnia.
 

The Organization of the Knighthood

    The organization of the Knighthood has
changed little from the Age of Might. The
Great Circle of the Knighthood has long since
been moved from Vingaard Keep to its current'home
at Whitestone Glade on Sancrist,
with Castle Wistan nearby.

    The Knighthood is ruled by the Lord of
Knights. This position, however, has been left
vacant since the time of the Cataclysm due
primarily to the difficulties in calling a Grand
Circle of Knights together in sufficient numbers
to elect a Knight from eligible candidates.

    With the reestablishment of order
throughout the continent of Ansalon, the day
of appointment will soon be at hand. The
position must be filled by one of the High
Knights: either the High Warrior, the High
Clerist, or the High Justice. At least 75 % of
the established Circles of Knights must send
two representatives to vote at the Grand Circle.
Once appointed, the Lord of Knights
serves for life unless he is found guilty of a
breach of honor by a Knightly Council.

    The will of the Lord of Knights is carried
out by the High Knights through their respective
Orders. The High Warrior commands the
Order of the Rose; the High Clerist commands
the Order of the Sword; and the High
Guardian commands the Order of the Crown.
These are nominated and elected by members
of their own Orders without influence from
the other two orders. All Knightly Councils,
however, must be led by a contingent of three
ranking knights, one from each of the Orders
of Knighthood.

    Individual cells of knights exist throughout
Ansalon. Some of these are in touch with the
Grand Circle in Sanctist, but many still are
not. These groups of Knights exist permanently
in most townships and all cities
throughout the continent. They are there to
give aid and receive the pledge of any local
Knights of Solamnia. Some of these Circles
exist openly and are easy to find. Such Circles
are found in Sancrist, Palanthus, and other
places where the Knighthood has always been
welcome. In places where the Knighthood is
still viewed suspiciously (such as Nordmaar or
Tarsis) or even banned (as in any lands under
Dragon Highlord control), these Circles exist
clandestinely and their meetings are held in
secret.

Circles of Knighthood

    Most Knights of Solamnia are required to
forfeit much of their monetary gains to the
greater Knighthood and then draw according
to their needs from the general coffers of the
Knights of Solamnia. This is done at any of
the established Circles of Knighthood.

    This is not to say that such assistance is very
great. Indeed, in the case of a Circle that is in
the stiff grasp of the Dragon Highlords, the
Circle may require more assistance from a visiting
Knight than it can offer him in retum.

    What kind of aid awaits a Knight depends
greatly upon the size of the town that he is visiting
and the conditions there. Determine the
modifiers for size of the town and other conditions
using the Knights' Circle Modifiers table
on page 128. Add these to the roll of 1d10.
Then refer to the Knights' Circle table on
page 128 to determine the amount and type
of aid that is available at that particular Circle
of Knighthood.

    The results of this roll have the following
effects.

    Coin: This is a modifier to the amount of
coinage a Knight is entitled to draw. As a
Knight grows in power, he is able to draw
more and more from the coffers of the
Knighthood for the purposes of furthering the
goals of the Orders. (But using such funds for
purposes counter to the ideals of honor and
the Measure is cause for questioning the honor
of a knight.)

    Equipment: This gives the types of weapons
and armor available at that Circle.

    Healing: There are three numbers listed.
These represent the number of cure light
wounds, cum serious wounds, and heal spells
that are available as potions. Once used at a
location, they are gone until replaced. Normally
these are replaced up to these maximums
at the rate of one perweek, month, and
year, respectively.

    Ranking Authority: This lists the highestranking
authority who governs that particular
Circle. This may be important should a
Knightly Council have to be called.
Note that a Knightly Council can be held
anywhere, including the wild, and does not
require a Circle of Knighthood to be binding
or official. The Circles of Knighthood provide
only an official place for such councils to be
held as well as a place for assistance to Knights
who are in need.
 
 

* This represents the amount of coin available to the Knight from that location on a given day.
It does not represent how much money the Knight may draw from the Circle.
Knights may draw from any Circle nomore than the amount listed for their level.
For example: a 10th-level Knight of Solamnia could draw no more than 20 stl from a given circle on a given day.
If that same Knight is going to a Circle that can only pay 2d4 stl because of its small size,
then 2d4 stl is all he will receive.
If he is attending a large Circle (with modifiers the Circle turns out to be an 18) then he would only be able to draw 20 stl from the Circle even though the amount listed is 5d100 stl.
Stl stands for steel pieces,
the universal equivalent of gold pieces in Krynn.

** This artifact is a weapon or magical device of combat value found either in the Dungeon Master's Guide <link> or in this DRAGONLANCE Adventures book. <link>
The exact device is up to the DM, who should exercise discretion.

*** The type of lance is determined by a roll of 1d6.
It would be a footman's lance (1-4) or a mounted lance (5-6).
The quality of the lance is determined by a roll of 1d12.
This could be made without the use of either the [Hammer of Kharas] or the [Silver Arm] (1-9); made with one of the artifacts (10-11) or with both from ancient times.

<get correct symbols, instead of ** & ***>
<make links on table>
<add *** or correct symbol to last Dragonlance>
<spacing was added at the " / " >

The Oath and The Measure

    The organization of the Knights has not
changed substantially in the last 1,800 years.
The Knights subscribe to two codes: the Oath
and the Measure. The Oath is simply: "Est
Sularus oth Mithas" (literally, "My Honor is
My Life").

    The Measure is an extensive set of laws,
many volumes in length, that defines what
honor actually means. The Measure is complicated
and exacting; only a brief summary of its
laws are given here. It is important to remember
that exact and unquestioned adherence to
the law is the goal of the Knight. The greatest
problem facing the Knights at the time of the
War of the Lance was that the spirit of the
Oath had left them. Only the rigid, unbending
shell of the Measure remained. The
Knights learned that honor does not lie in the
aged and dusty codes of the Measure, but in
the heart of the true Knight. Though this lesson
was hard and costly and learned only slowly,
it eventually promises to make the
Knighthood a shining example and power in
the world again.

    The Oath and the Measure were compiled
from the writings of Vinas Solamnus and his
successors. The whole of the Measure eventually
consisted of thirty-seven 300-page volumes.
The following are some excerpts from
the Measure.

    "The Oath governs all a Knight is and does.
It is his life's blood, more sacred to him than
life itself."

    "The Measure of a Knight is taken by how
well he upholds the Oath. We judge a Knight
against the Measure and by the Measure. The
Measure of the Rose deals with holy wisdom
among the Knights. The Measure of the
Sword deals with the discipline of Honor
among Knights. The Measure of the Crown
deals with the disciplines of Loyalty and Obedience."

    "No Knight found wanting in the Measure
of any Order shall command Knights on the
field of battle nor council with them until
repented of his unknightly deeds."
 

Knights in Battle

    Knights who take the field in defense of
honor and the realm follow the order set forth
by the Measure. Armies are made up of three
brigades, each commanded by a Lord Knight
from one of the three Orders of Knights. All
armed persons operating under the protection
and command of the Knights are part of one
of these three brigades.

    The army is commanded by a Warrior Lord,
one of the three Lord Knights commanding
brigades. The Warrior Lord is chosen by the
majority vote of the three Lord Knight commanders;
he must exemplify the highest
ideals of the Knighthood. Recognition of the
Warrior Lord is made openly in Knightly
Council. Should a Lord Knight fall in battle,
another must step forward and take his place.
Should the Warrior Lord be lost, then each
Lord Knight separately commands his own
brigade until a Knightly Council can be
called.

The Knightly Council

    Councils shall be convened as required by
the Measure. They must include three Lord
Knights, one from each of the Orders of
Knights. If any order cannot provide a Lord
Knight, then a Knight of that order can stand
in his stead so long as there is at least one Lord
Knight presiding.

    Councils shall convene for the following
purposes: to determine strategies of war, to
assign orders for war and battle, to select the
Warrior Lord prior to a battle, to hear charges
of unknightly conduct, to honor those who
have performed valiantly, to settle questions
concerning the Measure.

    The conduct of a Knightly Council follows
the pattern set forth by the measure. First the
Knights of each order enter and take their
places in the appointed area. A table with
three chairs is set opposite the entrance. The
Knights of the Crown take their places to the
right of the entrance, to the left of the ranking
Knights, so as to signify their position as the
shield and defender of honor. The Knights of
the Sword take their places to the left of the
entrance, to the right of the ranking Knights
and thus signifying their place as the arm of
might and mover of the Knighthood. The
Knights of the Rose take their places to either
side of the entrance and opposite the ranking
Knights so as to signify that they are the heart
of the Knighthood, the base upon which all
else is built.

    Then the three ranking Knights who will
conduct the meeting enter the hall and take
their places opposite the entrance. In the center
of the area is a cleared space where those
who are brought before the ranking Knights
are heard and questioned.

A Knightly Council is Conducted as Follows:
    * The code of the Knights of Solamnia
("Est Sularus oth Mithas") is recited by all
before any in the hall sit. This phrase is given
by the three ranking Knights in unison and
then given in turn by each of the three orders
of Knights present and then finally by all in
unison. If the occasion is a joyful one, then the
Knights' Hymn is sung at this time as well.

    * News of the greater Knighthood is often
not only of interest but potentially a matter of
life and death for many whom the Knighthood
protects. Any dispatches or proclamations
regarding the Knights are read at this
time. Should their news warrant a prolonged
and important discussion, then the hearing of
petitions may be waived.

    * When the Knighthood finds itself in the
throes of battle, they now discuss their orders
of battle and all stratagems to be employed.

    * The specific petitions that are to be discussed
among the Knights at this meeting are
named by cause, those mentioned (if any),
and petitioner. Petitions can have one of several
purposes:

    Acceptance to an Order: Those who wish
to enter into an order of the Knighthood are
brought forward. The candidates' names are
read to the ranking Knights as are the names
of their Knight sponsors.

    Petition for a Question of Honor: This happens
when a Knight is called into question for
breaking the Oath or the Measure. Those
mentioned in the petition and the accused
and the petitioner is the accuser.

    All are allowed to speak for and against the
accused. The petitioner must be present in
these cases. Often witnesses from outside the
order are brought in to testify. The Knightly
Council hears all arguments and then dismisses
the rest of the Knights as it considers
arguments. Upon receiving word that the
Council has completed its deliberations, all
the Knights return to the hall. White roses on
the table are a symbol of purging of any guilt
and thus is the accused released from any
question of their honor. Should black roses be
present on the table upon the return of the
Knights, then the Knight is held guilty and
punishable for his acts. The ranking Knights
in their claliberations will have decided upon
the proper action for the Knight to regain his
honor prior to the others returning.

    Special Honors: An act of exceptional bravery
or exemplary honor is brought to the
attention of all the Knighthood for recognition.

    Petition for War: This occurs when a general
mobilization is called for. The circumstances
of the petition are considered and, if
the Knights present give consent, then messengers
are dispatched to the Grand Circle to
notify the greater Knighthood of the situation.
In the meanwhile, the Knights of that
council act at once in the defense of honor and
good.

    Petition for Aid: These are petitions
brought by either Knights or outsiders who
ask aid of the Knights. This does not require a
general mobilization of the Knighthood.
These range from situations as serious as the
search for a kidnapped heir to a local kingdom
to things as mundane as a few extra men to
help clear a road of brush.

    * Time permitting, the Knights may
engage in discussions of parts of the Measure
and its application to their adventures. Questions
on points of the Measure are brought up
at this time.

    * When the ranking Knights feel that business
has been finished, the council disbands
until the need for another session arises.