The Honorable Order of Skyknights is among the most famous of warrior brotherhoods in grand Fiore. Stories of thier bravery are a national source of pride, and young children play backyard games reenacting legendary battles won by the might of the Order. The Skyknights fly upon glorious Wyrdallonds found in the highlands of Fiore, and form a tight flying wedge in battle crushing aerial threats and swooping down to administer death to the enemies of Fiore alike. When not warring, they hone their skills in famous Aerial Tourneys of the Joust, facing each other and outside challengers alike with a marvelously daring lack of concern for personal danger.

The Order is a relatively small one, but their glory and spectacle has won them an importance and consideration far in excess of what a mere headcount would suggest. Skyknights are hugely respected, and due to the expenses involved in maintaining sufficient mounts and battle kit, most are personally wealthy as well. They are welcome in any nobles court, and rub elbows with the cream of Fiorean society.

The Order is not Crown-sworn, not being one of the founding five Orders, but is Crown-sponsored and thus rates the "Honorable" descriptor in the official name. More significantly, the Ordermaster of the Skyknights does have a seat on the Ordo Cavil, and unofficially is the most influential and significant of the non Crown-sworn Ordermasters due to the Skyknights place in the fancy of the populace as well as the strategic advantage they bring to the Fiorean military forces. The Ordermaster of the Grey Bulls effectively treats the Ordermaster of the Skyknights as a trusted subordinate, and the two Orders have a close political alliance on the Ordo Cavil (though the actual officers of the Bulls usually look down on the Skyknights as pretty flyboys and not real soldiers and the Skyknights tend to consider the Bulls ground-sloggers).

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Joining the Order

The Order is open only to those who bear a personal coat of arms registered and in good standing by the Fiorean Royal Office of Heraldry and Honors. The would-be Skyknight must inherit, be awarded, or purchase a personal coat of arms from the Fiorean Royal Office of Heraldry and Honors prior to being considered for acceptance into the Order. Any member of the Skyknights who suffers the ignominy of having their arms abated or stricken is automatically ejected from the Order, regardless of circumstance.

Would-be Skyknights may seek out entry at any of several Orderhausen of the Skyknights around Fiore presenting themselves to be judged worthy or not worthy. The Order considers membership a great honor and are somewhat selective, and are interested in appearances and social concerns as well as martial ability. Skyknights should be good looking, dashing, and have a certain panache as well as a total lack of fear of heights and a devil-may-care attitude.

Cadet

Once a member is accepted as being a provisionally worthy applicant they are called a Cadet. The Order will put a clutch of four to eight Cadets through a taxing twenty week training cycle instructing them in the care and riding of a Wyrdallond, basic aerial maneuvers and combat, effective use of a lance and lighter gaff-spears, as well as proper comportment and manners, dance lessons, and instruction on Skyknight history and esprit d'corps. If an applicant passes the training cycle, the Order provides a Wyrdallond mount including stabling and provender, the uniform and a tailor to ensure it fits properly, and a set of lances and gaff-spears (all of which the Skyknight pays for, though it might be on an installment basis).

Skyknight

Upon graduation Cadets earn the title of Skyknight, and are assigned to an Orderhausen and a "Wing", which typically consists of four Skyknights. A new Skyknight serves five years in a Wing flying regular patrols over the countryside near their Orderhausen looking for Tleyzu and other threats, protecting Fiore from dangers and assisting other martial orders and agents of the crown where needed.

Skyknight-errant

After five years of this a Skyknight can choose to either become a Wing-leader and continue this lifestyle indefinitely as their discretion and fitness for duty dictates (due to the dangers, indefinitely typically translates to five to ten years in practice), or opt to leave the Orderhausen and regimented life of a Wing and become a Skyknight-errant, free to go about their life as they wish save for times when they are recalled to assist the Order in times of need.

A Skyknight-errant that wishes to keep their mount must have fully paid for it or work out a payment arrangement with the Order.

Skyknight-errants can return to a Wing later if they wish if they are still physically capable of performing the associated duties.

Skyknight Alumni

Skyknights live a dangerous life and few survive to old age; those that do usually discover that once thier youth and vigor have passed so to does thier welcome in the hearts of thier countrymen. The most successful career path for a Skyknight is an early marriage to a wealthy dame or a noble's daughter and retirement from the Order.

Once a Skyknight can no longer serve in the saddle or represent the image the Order prefers, they eventually must formally retire. If an individual Skyknight doesn't "do the right thing" themselves, a representative of the Order's leadership will simply show up and present them with a retirement pin and politely but firmly make it clear that the retiree should no longer wear the uniform or put on airs as a serving Skyknight.

Honorably retired Skyknights are given a metal pin to indicate their prior membership and departure under honorable circumstances; unlike those cast out they are still welcome as honored alumni in Skyknight Orderhausen and special events.

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Uniform of the Skyknights

The cut and style has changed over the centuries, but Skyknights wear distinctive garments incorporating sky-blue and cream fabrics, shiny black knee-high boots, a leather belt with a lance-cup on one hip, and a set of distinctive black-iron chased spurs for serving Skyknights or silver-chased spurs for Skyknight-errants. Wing-leaders also wear an orange sash across the left shoulder, Commandants (leaders of individual Orderhausen) wear red sashes, and the current as well as former Master's of the Order have the honor of wearing a purple sash denoting the crown's official sponsorship and approval of the Order.

In battle, Skyknights wear stylish swept-back open faced helmets, and a silvered steel breastplate over silvered chain mail. Wing-leaders, Commandants, and Ordermasters sport a plume on their helmets matching the color of their sash for easier identification.

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Weapons of the Skyknights

All Skyknights are trained in the use of the Lance, Gaff-spears, Javelins, and mostly for ceremonial purposes and last-ditch defense the Longsword.

The Lance is far and away the most important weapon in the Skyknight repertoire. Due to the difficulties of mid-air jousting, the Skyknight Lance is longer and much slimmer than an equivalent version used by a ground-based jouster, looking a lot like a twenty foot long needle with a counterbalancing butt to help offset the weight. As a merely mundane version would be very unwieldy and also frail, the Skyknights use superior items that are not magical per se but do involve magic in their manufacture as they are soaked in a solution made by Wyrdinmen called Ironroot that significantly improves the durability of wood. Due to this Ironroot treatment Skyknight Lances are very difficult to break despite their apparent frailty and generally last for many battles. They are also quite expensive, costing ten times more than a normal lance. Skyknight Lances cannot be wielded on foot.

Gaff-spears are 12 foot long spears with a back hook on the bottom flange and a crossbar, also treated with Ironroot. They are not intended for throwing. They are primarily used as a backup weapon in the case of a broken or lost Lance, on foot, and also as a useful implement for picking things up off the ground while in the saddle, utilizing the back hook or crossbar. They cost about three times as much as a normal long spear.

Skyknight javelins are roughly four foot long and have barbed points, and their tips are honed to a razor's edge. They cost twice as much as normal javelins. Most Skyknights carry three or four javelins in a quiver upon their back or in saddle holsters, but some are quite adept with them and devise ways to bear more aloft, typically in bundles on the backs of their saddles.

Skyknight longswords are fairly typical cross-hilt and handle affairs, with silver-chased hilts and an iron-chased fuller guard and a silver polyhedral pommel. Many Skyknights prefer their own personal swords however, typically family heirlooms, and there is no attempt made at regimentation on this subject. Longswords are largely impractical in the air anyway and the swords are mostly just carried as it is expected of noble warriors to have swords, and to fend off muggers and such.

All of the weapons of serving Skyknights are periodically blessed by Priests of Avashek, and have 3 points of Piercing only vs Tleyzu and other spawn of Madragat. Skyknight-errants can contrive to work out a similar arrangement on their own, or not, as their circumstances dictate. The blessings last about a month before fading away.

To a man, the Skyknights are very traditional and elitist regarding their iconic weapons and spurn the use of any other sort.

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Skyknight-errant Package

Fiorean Skyknight-errant (Base Package) (6e)
Each applicant must have sufficient funds to pay for a Wyrdallond mount, flight harness, a lance and other personal weaponry, a shield bearing a registered personal coat of arms, and to purchase at least one set of the Skyknight's distinctive dress uniforms suitable for attending parades, balls, and other courtly functions.
Possession of a personal coat of arms registered with the Royal Office of Heraldry and Honors is the first and minimum criteria for being counted among the minor gentry of Fiore, a cut above the common folk. Those who have such a Coat of Arms are properly addressed as "Sir".
NOTE: This Package is appropriate to starting characters incorporating Fiore into their background, or as something an experienced character could acquire over time after play starts. Skyknight-errants are experienced and capable in their specialized form of combat from the back of a flying mount, but are not as adept at fighting on the ground.
3	Perk: Coat of Arms: In Fiore, a would-be gentleman must be awarded or purchase a personal coat of arms from the Royal Office of Heraldry and Honors for a lordly sum, typically hundreds of golden Bas (1gc each) depending on the current strength of the economy and era. Such a coat of arms can also be awarded by the King or a Sovereign noble (Grand Dukes, a few Counts, a couple of Barons) for demonstrated personal bravery, skill at arms, and acts of heroism; coats of arms awarded by the King may include a special device called the Marke Regius, which is essentially an Iron Cross.
	A person bearing a coat of arms is considered to be a minor noble and warrants the title of "Sir", and is expected to adhere to traditional protocols of behavior. A personal coat of arms may bear any elements of classical heraldry and additional elements with special permission, save certain elements reserved for the various established noble and royal Houses and pendent upon the allowance of the Office of Heraldry and Honors. A personal coat of arms may be abated (marked with a dishonorable sign) or stricken by any King of Fiore, or in the case of one awarded by a Sovereign noble that same personage, for conduct unbecoming a bearer of noble honors.
3	Perk: Skyknight-errant of the Fiorean Order of Skyknights: Free to go about their business unless they are recalled to a Wing during a time of great need (which very rarely ever actually happens), Skyknight-errants are dashing veterans with at least five years of hard service flying patrols and almost assuredly combating threats. At a minimum, even if they no longer ride a Wyrdallond, they are allowed to wear the distinctive uniform of a Skyknight and claim honors, access to courtly functions, and the respect due to their elite organization.
3	Lance Arms: +3 STR
2	Money From Somewhere: Family funding, inheritance, a stipend, wealthy lady friend(s)... wherever it comes from, Skyknights need money to maintain themselves and their kit up to expected standards
2	Positive Reputation: Dashing Elite Knights (Fiore) 14-, +2/+2d6
3	Dashing: +1/+1d6 Striking Appearance (vs. all characters)
10	Luck of the Fearless: Luck 2d6
2	WF: Skyknight Group (Lance, Gaff-spear, Javelin, Long Sword)
2	Armor Familiarity: Medium Armor
1	Armor Familiarity: Shields
3	KS: Skyknight History
2	AK: Fiore (GEN)
3	High Society
3	Charm 11-
3	Conversation 11-
3	Teamwork 11-
3	Riding 11-
3	Aerial Maneuvers (Combat Piloting) 11-
1	TF: Flying Beasts
55	Total Cost
Related Abilities
4	Weapon Strength: +10 STR, Only to Offset STR Minima of Weapons (-1 1/2)
20	Weapon Master: +1d6 (Skyknight Group)
12	Deadly Blow: +1d6 (Move Through w/ Lance)
2	CuK: Fiore ((GEN)
3	Persuasion
3	Tactics
3*	More Dashing: +1/+1d6 Striking Appearance (vs. all characters)
5*	Luckier: +1d6 Luck
var	Wyrdallond Mount
var	Contacts: Fiorean Citizens
var	Favors: Fiorean Citizens
var	Wealthier: More Levels of the Money Perk
var	More Training: improve an existing special ability

Fiore