Knights Errant

The Knights Errant, formally the Order of Mendicant Knights of the Four Winds, are an order of religious warriors, officially devoted to aiding the poor. They have adopted two primary duties: escorting travellers of any social standing through dangerous expanses of wilderness, and eradicating monsters for those who cannot afford the sometimes-exorbitant rewards demanded by many adventurers.  

Members

Those who join the order donate all of their possessions and property to the Order, and never directly own anything for the rest of their lives. All of their equipment and supplies are provided by the Order. Junior members - those who join without the necessary skills, spend a year of intensive training before they become fully fledged members of the order. Once their basic competency has been ensured, new members typically spend five years as a squire in service to a knight, fighting alongside them while also providing services like handling armour maintenance, cooking while at camp, and other such matters. After the completion of this term, or if they prove their merits make them worthy in the meantime, they become fully fledged knights. Experienced knights, particularly as they grow old, may retire from the battlefield in favour of taking organizational roles in one of the Order's chapterhouses, led by the Master of the House, selected by their predecessor. The Grandmaster of the Order, elected for life by the Masters, coordinates the affairs of the entire Order.  

Services

Escort Duty

Knights Errant undertake the difficult but unglamorous task of facilitating travel between distant pockets of civilization. The wilderness of Eshor can be an extremely dangerous place, and most adventurers would outright refuse a task as time consuming and tedious as escort duty. Fulfilling this role is primarily why the Order was established in the first place.   Those wishing to travel can make their arrangements at any chapterhouse of the Order, during which they meet with a senior knight trained to assess the wealth of an individual by examining their clothing, their accent, and by asking the right questions. They will then propose a fee to pay for the escort, which might be quite exorbitant for wealthy merchants or nobles, or merely performing basic camp chores for the truly destitute. The assessor will also determine how much of an escort is necessary for the first leg of the journey, based on their knowledge of the dangers in the wilderness nearby. Knights may be added to or removed from the escort party along the way, as determined by assessors at each chapterhouse along the way.  

Sponsored Adventuring

Additionally, outside of each chapterhouse, the Knights maintain a request board where those hoping to hire adventurers can post their request, and often operate an adjoining tavern where adventurers can meet with prospective clients conveniently. For the privilege of posting their request, people are required to pay a small fee. For those who cannot afford the sometimes exorbitant rewards sought by professional adventurers, the Order will often sponsor a request, offering what they consider the going rate for requests of that magnitude.   Less publicly, the Order regularly has available Knights take on low-risk options while posing as regular adventurers, thus pocketing both the posting fee and the proffered reward. Requests deemed to be high-risk are left to professional adventurers, who are considered both more capable and much more expendable.  

Corruption

The Knights Errant are generally positively regarded by the public, and joining the Order has become a moderately high status option for younger noble sons. However, over the centuries of its existence, between donated property from wealthy nobles (including a number of land holdings that provide a substantial steady income) and fees paid by wealthy travellers, the Order has amassed a considerable fortune, and despite their vow of poverty, most high ranking Knights live a life of luxury comparable to that of most noble families. And naturally, nobles who join the order while making large donations tend to rise through the ranks quickly, officially due to the high quality of martial training that noble houses often provide. This is something of an open secret among the nobility, but such arrangements are generally left unspoken to preserve the reputation of the Order. Despite this, the Order has allowed for positive change in the world, making travel throughout Eshor an option for even the meanest of peasants.