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History of the Order

Founded many centuries ago by Baron Asar ve Zaroot of Camsheil, the Order of the Silver Eagles began as perhaps the most humble of the Crown-sworn Orders but eventually rose to prominence as the de facto judiciary branch of the Royal Fiorean government.

In the reign of Laddius Sparstag I the Thinker, High King of Fiore and harbinger of a golden age in his people's history, Laddius saw a need for elite orders of dedicated servants to the crown. He signed charters for the founding of five noble knighthoods to defend his demesnes and called upon the most trusted of his advisors to each found such an Order in their own image. Called the Crown-sworn Orders, these organizations have been instrumental to the success of the royal family of Fiore ever since.

The King's loyal brother Prince Mathieu, often called Mathieu the Charming for his natural charisma or Mathieu the Golden for his ability to make the difficult look easy, first founded the Honorable Order of the Golden Lions.

Scoffing at their focus on the halls of diplomacy and their preoccupation with politics the fearsome Lord Gregan, childhood friend and Knight-protector of the King formed the Black Harts who mirrored his own preoccupation with protecting the King's persons and estates, by whatever means necessary.

The brave Lord General Orric founded the hidebound and honorable Grey Bulls, masters of men and tactics, wagers of battle and winners of wars. Taking control of and commanding the Royal Armies of Fiore, they pushed the national interests of Sparstagian Fiore, and in later eras took the fight against the Tleyzu into the 'Tween.

Count Bardus zon Velia, the wise Lord of Tuvant, felt that a need existed for a dedicated defense of the urban front to guard against the criminal element and nefarious cartels operating in the shadows, as well as a need to consistently enforce good order and discipline so as to create an environment of civility and commerce. Thus he founded the Black Mastiffs to guard the nation's populations centers and keep civil peace and order.

Baron Asar ve Zaroot of Camsheil looked impassively upon the efforts of his peers and as was his nonce gave no sign of what he privately thought. Instead, he departed Marsta and traveled the countryside, avoiding the well traveled paths and cities, seeking the forest and wildland he was fond of. An avid hunter and falconer, Asar was able with sword, spear, and bow, and had a brace of trained eagles named Vir and Wos he kept as pets and hunting companions. Armed with such Asar not only lived off the land as he traveled, but he also defended himself against all manner of mundane bandits, would-be highwaymen, and the occasional monster. During his journeys the Baron sought out many men and a few women known to him by word, deed, or past acquaintance who knew their way around the hinterlands.

Sixteen months after he first departed, Baron Asar returned to Marsta accompanied by sixteen hard men and three accomplished women and presented to the King his new Order of the Silver Eagle, pledging to patrol and guard the Crown's lands from deepest dell to darkest wood, taking down bandits who ply the King's roads, and varlets who poach the King's preserves. Pleased with the good Baron, Laddius Knighted the Baron's handpicked Eagles, who were all common born, and swore Baron Asar and his newly dubbed Knights to service, and thus the Order was born.

In the first sixty years or so of the Order, its duties consisted of keeping peace outside of the large population centers of the nation, but over the years increasing powers of summary justice were conferred to the Silver Eagles due to practical matters of their remoteness and the inconvenience of bringing prisoners in to larger towns and cities for incarceration and eventual judgement by a noble. Finally, the Eagles started constructing their own jails, and higher ranked Knights were granted powers of adjudication by King Baris II as the Royal courts were overburdened and unable to process cases quickly enough. The Silver Eagles proved to be so good at dispensing low justice that they were entrusted with even more authority in the reign of King Raldof I as during Raldof's incompetent tenure on the throne the Royal courts were in total disarray.

After this the Eagles were in effect the de facto judiciary function of the Royal Fiorean government. It took a few decades for the full ramifications of what this really entailed to sink in, but the Order grew into their role and have continued to serve ably for several centuries, though the Order's power does tend to wax and wane a bit with various rulers over time.

In the modern day, the younger Knights of this Order travel the nation policing banditry and poaching and keeping the countryside safe as they did in Baron Asar's day. However, senior Knights are appointed as the judiciary of a given region, and exert tremendous influence as the proxy of the King for purposes of trying crimes and issuing judgments.

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Being a Silver Eagle

Though they aren't formally identified or named, there are two fundamentally different branches within the Silver Eagles, those Knights responsible for Enforcement of the Law and Good Order, and those Knights responsible for the Royal Judiciary and the Docket of the Alleged.

Younger Knights, particularly those with rural skills and experience, are primarily found in enforcement roles, commanded by more senior Knights who have no love or interest for the very different responsibilities of a judiciary role.

Senior Knights who have demonstrated wisdom, fairness, and understanding of the laws of Fiore are found in the much smaller judiciary branch of the Order as Knight-Reeves who act as judges in the Royal Courts of Fiore.

However, younger Knights with a more urban or courtly skill set, particularly those that are learned and scholarly, are cherry picked from among new recruits and opted into the judiciary service as well to assist those in positions of judgement, act as court bailiffs, and to deal with administrative tasks such as maintaining the docket of open cases and records of closed cases. A Knight studying to become a Reeve must pass a series of exams, but after passing the first two they may serve as barristers and become responsible for representing the interests of plaintiffs or the accused in complex cases, a largely thankless task that is believed to be essential to the development of the good instincts and open mindedness that will make them a good reeve should they progress in their advancement.

There is a little bit of political friction between the two branches, though they still try to maintain a common front. However, those in enforcement are often aggravated that the criminals they arrest don't always suffer the judgments their arresting officers think fitting. Similarly, those in the judiciary have a general perspective that those in enforcement are sometimes overzealous and don't play by the rules or follow proper process or even provide sufficient evidence to establish the guilt of those they arrest. As the years pass, this dichotomy between the two branch continues to grow, though very slowly; eventually in another century or so the two branches might have grown far enough apart to officially split. In the meantime there is still crossover (some go from enforcement to judiciary and vice versa) and they are still a single Order.

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Uniform of the Silver Eagles

All Eagles have the right to wear the dress uniform of the Order, which is a rather fancy ensemble consisting of dark blue pantaloons over silvery hose and fine leather ankle-boots, a silvery loose-fitting silver silk shirt over a dark blue under shirt, and a blue woodsman's cap with a silver feather. The Order's iconic badge of office is a silver amulet bearing the double-headed silver eagle marke of the Order's founder Baron Asar with wings outstretched proudly, worn on a heavy silver chain around the neck and hanging down to mid-chest. The dress uniform represents a non-trivial expense to most Knights who don't tend to be affluent, and thus most only have one full outift and are loathe to wear them unnecessarily lest they get damaged and require expensive replacement or repair.

Younger Knights in enforcement roles have a practical uniform consisting of sturdy grey leather pants, practical calf-high boots, a thick leather belt to bear various gear upon, a dark blue cotton shirt, and a brimmed hat to keep the sun out of their eyes, plus the Order's badge worn about their neck.

More senior Knights in the enforcement branch have the same basic uniform, but rate to add additional accompaniment in the form of knee-high boots with silver spurs, a belt buckle bearing the double-headed eagle rather than the simple bar and hole affair younger Knights wear, and their shirts are a blue a couple of shades lighter. Altogether, though the differences are minor, it is easy to pick out a more senior Knight from a crowd of Eagles.

In the Judiciary, a more practical day-to-day variation on the dress uniform is worn by younger Knights, proxying the expensive silk shirt and fine pantaloons with less costly cotton versions. Reeves and Barristers wear the full dress uniform, and Reeves wear distinctive (and expensive) full mantles of silver silk as well. It's generally considered a bad idea for some poor soul to accidentally mar or muddy a Reeve's mantle.

When they feel it is necessary, Silver Eagles wear chain-reinforced leather armor and close-fitting helms with a hinged visor bearing the double-headed eagle via engraving.

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Weapons of the Silver Eagles

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Fiore