The Knights of Solamnia

The Holy Order of Solamnic Knights, commonly known as the Knights of Solamnia, or simply as Solamnic Knights, is the foremost chivilric order in Ansalon. Founded in 1775 PC by Vinus Solamnus, the Order's primary mission is to provide leadership and unity to the culturally desperate peoples of the Empire of Solamnia.

Providing guidance through faith in the Triumvirate; Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, and Habbakuk, the Knighthood shaped Solamnian culture from a series of rebellious provinces on the fringe of the Ergothian Empire into a unified Kingdom of its own, known for its deeply pious, industrious, and honest citizens.

The Solamnic Knighthood is divided into three orders; those of the Crown, Sword, and Rose. Each order represents a different deity, emphasizes different virtues, and fulfills a different function both within the knighthood and relating to greater Solamnian politics.

History
The Knights of Solamnia arose during the Age of Dreams, more than two millennia before the War of Souls. The three Orders of Knighthood emerged from the remnants of the tyrannical Ergothian Empire to become the most enduring force for good on Ansalon. The beginnings of the Knighthood lay with a noble of the oppressive and wicked court of the Emperor of Ergoth in the year 1801 PC.

Vinas Solamnus, the Praetor of the Imperial Armies, Cavalier of Ergoth, had been dispatched to crush a rebellion in the eastern province of Vingaard. For nearly a year, Solamnus delivered defeat upon defeat to the under-equipped rebels, but winter brought his campaign to a halt, and during the interruption in hostilities he began to examine the cause of the rebellion and came to empathize with the rebels.

Vinas delivered a rousing speech to his army, and turned their swords on the Empire. Solamnus launched a series of campaigns that came to be known as the War of Ice Tears. The peasant rebels became the bulk of his army, with his original Ergothian soldiers as the backbone. The rebel army pierced deep into the heart of the Empire and laid siege to the capital city of Daltigoth. Solamnus was able to infiltrate the city and turn the populace against the Empire, forcing him to sue for peace.

The province of Vingaard gained its independence, and would from then forth be known as Solamnia, for its new king. Over the years, yet more people threw off the yoke of Ergothian rule and wished to join the young nation. Vinas saw this as impossible, the customs and ideals of the various peoples being too different. With no common ground on which to unite his new kingdom, Solamnus embarked on what would come to be known the Quest of Honor.

After weeks of wandering, sailing, and wandering some more, King Solamnus found himself in a small glade occupied by a great block of black granite. Solamnus collapsed in a heap, exhausted and near starved from his long trek. He prayed to Paladine for an answer as tears rolled down his cheeks. It was then that the Triumvirate revealed themselves. The gods Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, and Habbakuk gave King Solamnus a vision of the three orders of knights, each sponsored by one of the Triumvirate.

From Habbakuk came the Order of the Crown — dedicated to the virtues of loyalty and obedience. From Kiri-Jolith came the Order of the Sword — Knights of great courage and heroism. From Paladine came the Order of the Rose — dedicated to justice and honor guided by wisdom.These knights would unite all of the northern lands with the eastern Solamnic provinces into one great people.

During the vision sent to Vinas Solamnus, the gods of the Triumvirate changed the piece of black granite into a pillar of pure white crystal. This blessed and sanctified the glade, sealing the Gods’ pact to watch over the Knighthood. The Whitestone Glade is now the most sacred sight of the Solamnic Knighthood. The Knights of Solamnia are now the oldest and most revered order of chivalry that has ever existed on Krynn. They sprang from humble beginnings: a couple dozen poor noblemen who helped protect the young Solamnian nation. In just 20 years time, the order grew to over 700 full knights, plus thousands of peasant footmen and squires.

The oath of a Solamnic knight, “My Honor is My Life“, is well known from Sancrist to Mithas. The oath is that which a knight is born for, lives for, and eventually dies for. It is a birthright, and was once the Knighthood’s sole guide. Though most know of the Oath, few know much about that which defines it: The Measure. Often thought of as useless dusty tomes to those who don’t know better, this definition of honor is a sacred text to the Knights of Solamnia, as indispensable as the oath or a good stout shield.

The Oath “Est Solarus oth Mithas“, or “My Honor is my Life“, is the Oath that is the foundation of Knighthood. It is the guiding light for all Knights, an Oath so simple, yet so all encompassing so as to provide a path in any conceivable situation. The Virtues of Knighthood, as laid forth by the Measure, are the foundation of honor.

The Primitive Measure
The first writings that would become The Solamnic Measure of Knightly Conduct, or simply The Measure, occurred in 1770 PC, about 5 years after the formation of the Knights of Solamnia. Vinas Solamnus and his knights agreed that a formal rule must be written to define the behavior of a knight of Solamnia. Solamnus assembled the highest ranking Knights, priests of the Holy Order of the Stars, and much of the highest echelon of Solamnian nobility. All met in Jansburg, a small fishing village on the banks of the Vingaard River. The Grand Master at the time, Lord Fredrick di Lytburg, had suggested the location due to its seclusion, to assist in keeping the council on task.

That committee, known as the Jansburg Council, spent 6 miserable days locked in a cramped room at a local inn. What was actually said is lost because no formal transcript was kept. Only the product of the council, known as the Primitive Measure of Knightly Conduct, can tell us of the results. The document numbered 74 pages total, and covered such topics as courtly etiquette, the habit of a Knight, and the original virtues of Knighthood. Evolution of the Measure Subsequent generations of Emperors, Churches, and Knightly Councils amended and added to the original document. At first, the process was slow. Solamnus and his successors did not take amending the Measure lightly, and felt that much of a knight’s actions should be influenced by his dedication to Paladine and the gods of good, not the writings of men.

When Emperor Vinas Arianus uth Malik abdicated and abolished the Solamnian throne the Knighthood was granted autonomy from the general nobility. Changes to the Measure occurred more frequently under the High Council’s authority. When a new question of honor was presented, the Council would add its new ruling to the Measure. Whenever a knight required the proper interpretation of a passage in the Measure, the Council would attempt to ‘clarify’ the passage by adding to it. Eventually such additions succeeded not in clarifying, but in confusing future Councils. By the War of the Lance, the Measure had grown to 37 thick, hardbound volumes. Every conceivable aspect of the life of a knight was detailed, including 75 pages devoted to how to properly saddle a horse, and an entire chapter regarding proper care for one’s sword. Clearly, this was too much instruction for any knight to follow in its entirety.

The Oath Forgotten
So caught up in these rules and laws did the knighthood become that the spirit of the Oath was lost, replaced by an obsession with keeping to the precise word of the Measure. Nobody could hope to assimilate all of the strictures set forth, yet all Knights were expected to adhere to them. Prior to the War of the Lance, most of the elder knights had become convinced that it was the proper image that would restore the knighthoods glory. In the minds of these Knights, the Order had to present an outward appearance of absolute perfection in manor. Immaculate courtly grace and flawless presentation were key.Through acts of propriety the Knight would shine so brightly that the people would be blinded to the past, and forget their hatred. Instead, such strict adherence to the written law created only an unbending Order, incapable of adapting to new times. There were other contributions to the downfall of the Oath.

During the turmoil following the War of the Lance, many knights went into hiding, and many forswore the knighthood altogether. Some of these turned to banditry, others simply slipped away to start new lives elsewhere. Even to their families, these men rarely mentioned their former life. Meanwhile, the Knighthood itself continued to crumble from within. When rules became more important than honor andrank became more important than duty, power struggles erupted among the knights, creating factions that did little but bicker and scheme. It took the ultimate sacrifice by Sir Sturm Brightblade to quell the internal strife.