Knights of the Midden Reik

The Cadets     All of them start as Cadets before they gain the title of a Squire of the Midden Reik. If they have proven themselves worthy, they are granted the rank of a Knight of the Midden Reik, which is one of the highest honours one can receive. The first year a new student starts as Junior Cadets. They must do the less honorable deed to clean the stables, care for horses, cook food, learn heraldry and help their upperclassmen with their chores. They go through a harsh training regiment, to harden their bodies and minds for the challenges that they have to overcome when they are released to the world again. Sleep is a luxury in their training. To add to all of this it is expected that they learn writing and reading between all of this; They are taught the basics of foreign languages such as Andric and Draggr.   As Second-Year Cadets they get to learn educational use of weapons and armour, which contains topics such as when to use which weapon, care for your weapon and armour and understanding what makes a weapon the right choice. The only practical part where they deal with weapons and armour is how to care for them. Other important lessons are collecting plants for alchemical lessons, first aid and anatomy. Survival skills for when they are in the field and of course the first few steps of magical theory are taught.   Senior Cadets in the 3rd year are additionally learning the subject of advanced magical theory, where they get taught the danger of mana and what steps can be taken to make magic-use secure, but also how to create new spells from nothing. Two long years the Cadets have been aching for it and now they can finally prove their mettle in combat practice. During Fechtschule they learn all the techniques like feints, mordhau, parries and of course counterstrikes. Cadets learn to train in duels and sometimes they fight in different team compositions against each other, where they have to plan small skirmishes. These sparrings are often watched by the locals as they give a huge spectacle. Their knowledge of plants will be tested in the alchemy lessons and in the indepth first aid lessons. Studying Mathematics, Physics, Geology, Prosa and historic documents might be boring subjects but of utmost importance as well if they want to succeed in warfare and political life. At the end of the 3rd year they all have to undergo theoretical and practical exams of all the subjects they have been advised in. When they succeed they shall become a squire under a knight of the Midden Reik. Their graduation is often celebrated in a large tournament where all the Cadets of different schools fight each other in a huge skirmish; For this event they travel to Thanfeste for the Drudenqueen and -king to watch.   The accommodations of Cadets depend on the wealth of the knight academy. Junior Cadets of the first year often sleep at the stables, while the Cadets in the third year and second year usually sleep in a house around the fireplace. The Squires, when not on the road with their Sire, have their own rooms which they sometimes share with four others depending on how much money the institution is willing to contribute.     The Squires   It is common for Squires to spend at least a year at their school before their Sire picks them up for travels. In this time they learn how to ride and the ways of mounted combat. A Squire is expected to master at least one discipline from their training; Not only will this establish the position the squire will be used in but will also help or hinder him to rise military or political ranks. In the years to come, they learn all about warfare, siege tactics, advanced spells, etiquette, diplomacy and on how to run settlements and armies. If their Sire sees them as sufficient they will be granted the rank of knight. This can take many years until the Sire is satisfied with their progress.   The Knights   Per usual they start as ambitious Sigil-Knights sworn to protect the Kingdom; roaming the lands to take on various jobs. These jobs can be as straightforward as slaying evil that haunts that land, saving the damsel in distress or just occupying a position as crafty stewards or as brilliant researchers. Some leave the Midden Reik and venture further in different lands; The most daring venture into the treacherous Marshlands. Yet most just get hired as captains of the city watch or a mercenary company hoping to survive long enough to get access to the life guards of the Archdukes. As they mostly exist in an executive function, their fighting skills are very sharp and their connection to magic is raw. While they will improve all of their skills it is here where they finally are able to set a focus for their goals.If they have made a name for themselves or at least know the right people they are going to advance into the rank of a Spellmarshal. A Spellmarshal is granted many privileges others don't get access to, such as lawfully owning a mercenary company and getting the perk to be hired by the Archdukes and the highly blessed King and Queen. They wouldn't just take any non-prestigious company. With their company of soldiers they are tasked to keep the peace in the kingdom but sometimes they are just hired as mercenaries by more influential nobles to fight their disputes. Some would say the Spellmarshals are just over glorified mercenaries who happen to be very expensive. They don’t know when you hire their companies you hire the best the Midden Reik has to offer. If they aren't serving the kingdom with a small company then they mostly work directly in the court of a higher up. They rarely increase the wealth to more than what their own families already own, but if they play their cards right and get hired by the right nobles they might just become a Hexknight.   The Hexknights rule over most baronies and counties in the name of the Archdukes. They are the deputies of the Archdukes and are responsible for the undertakings of their Sire to run smoothly. Some work to oversee the finances, others are on diplomatic missions or make sure the army of their majesty is performing ideally. Sometimes they get the role of a Magister to do the research of their Sire or become the leaders of expeditions. It happens that they are sent as adversaries to fight duels in the stead of their master. When their monarch calls for war they are the ones who have control over the armies in the counties and hire additional mercenaries. They prepare and plan the battlefield to the desire of their Archduke.   Should a knight show exceptional skill then the regents are going to recruit directly from the court of their Archdukes. Being a Hexknight is no requirement for this, if their deeds are great enough a Knight from any rank could be recruited. The knights chosen to serve the crown are known as Arcane Monarchs only answer to King and Queen. They have authorities over Hexknights and everything below them. Technically they own a barony but most only maintain one stronghold because their duties for their Regent take most of their time. They wouldn't be doing anything else that they wouldn't do for the Archdukes; the only major difference is that they serve the crown directly.   The four Archdukes have sworn to protect their sovereigns with their lives and their everlasting loyalty to the throne. They serve as advisors of the royal couple and govern the Dukedoms in their place.   Each one of them is a luminary with their favored weapon, and are exceptional masters of the arcane. Skilled in many forms of magic they have mastered one school of magic to perfection. The typical schools used by former Archukes are fire, ice, air, earth, blood, restoration, illusion and even alchemy. In the past some even communed with the dead. They might have ascended beyond many mortals' skill with their chosen path of magic, but they are still more than just capable of using other schools of magic. Only the King and Queen - sometimes called the Twin Eclipse on the battlefield- exceeds the Archdukes in their skill and might. The Archdukes enter the battleground as the Envoys of the Eclipse.