(Still under construction, also needs aproval)
1. Name: Vierte Vorchrift, also known as the fourth order, or the fourth incarnation of the holy order of draconic knights. (quite a mouthful).
2. Beliefs
In terms of beliefs such as religion, the fourth order is a largely polytheistic religious sect in that it allows belief of other gods other then their own, which is known as the "Fourth dragon god". They tend to focus on the aspects of peace and freedom. As long as your god does not encourage violence or death to other members of the order or the people its protects, the order will gladly accept you as one of its members. There is also a strict policy regarding violence among order members, but this is rarely an issue that needs to be brought up.
3. Ways of worship
As the earlier paragraph suggested, the order is largely open regarding religious practices to many degrees. Perhaps one of the biggest and most interesting things is the order's definition of marriage, which has no regard for gender. Marriage is considered to be one of the holiest, most free and sacred rituals, and as such, It should remain untainted by petty prejudice and misconception.
4. Standards of conduct
The standards of conduct range largely from being a rather freeform, democratic standard to a quasi-military based system. It is all based upon a persons standing or class within the organization itself. The three sections are Civilian, Scholar and Knight.
Civilian: essentially, the average joe who lives his life out under the eyes and rules of the organization. essentially, think of it like having similar rights to that of an american citizen (just as a general description)
Scholar: Scholars are essentially the brains and the politicians behind the order, essentially running everything administrative and law based. the handymen and women of the group, their functions range from research and technology to medical science and beyound. most people who have not combat experience or ability but have other abilities (such as navigation and such) are put in this category if they decide to join the order.
Knight: Knights are the military branch of the order, and are held to the highest standard. they follow a strict code of ethics, enforced by the scholars and by their peers. The knights, in turn, serve a policing and military purpose akin to a police department, only on a much larger and more organized scale.
5. Organization of groups
Practices and organization largely vary depending on each individual sections practices and the current flux of the law, but the Knight aspect of the order does have a "pecking order" of sorts, due to their quasi-military structure. the ranking is based on experience/age, a persons combat record and their combat ability.
D-rank: Essentially, D-rank members are the "initiates" of the group. untrained and inexperienced, they are the students who are constantly instructed (rather harshly sometimes) to become better and stronger. Stronger individuals who join the Knights will often remain at this rank for a very short time, and graduate quickly.
C-Rank: C-ranks are the "greenhorns" of the knight world. fresh out of the academy and hard training of a D-rank, they are largely used for menial labor and light combat/infantry purposes, due to their inexperience. They receive most of their combat experience through intense and harsh training from higher ranked knights, which is a major cause of debate amongst the order.
B-Rank: The above-average knight, they make up the second largest portion of the knights. Above-average abilities are a major factor in being promoted to this rank, as all the members are considered to be an extremely important resource against bigger threats to the order. B-Rank members also have the opportunity to become instructors to lower ranks, which is good and bad, depending on the nature of the person.
A-Rank: The A-rank members of the order are the highest and most strong members of the traditional order. Stronger in terms of abilities then the B-ranks, these members are the military leaders of the Knights. If you encounter one of these fine and strong men and women, prepare for a tremendous fight. unfortunately for the order, their numbers are quite few.
S-Rank: The Legends. The Heroes. The myths. Knights of this rank are extraordinarily rare, even to the point that none exist for a span of years to decades. How one achieves this rank is unknown, but what is clear is that once a Knight has made It here, their name becomes mentioned in the highest places of honor among the knights. Meeting one of them is considered an honor amongst the knights, and being trained or taught by one will allow an individual to reach new levels of power and ability.
If they can survive...
6. Who may join and how?
Joining the civilians is an easy task, similar to immagration: fill out a series of forms and such, and there is a good chance your in. For the Scholars, there is a background check required as well, but it is rarely an issue.
The knights are a different story: joining the knights requires that a current knight of B-rank or better "recommend" you for recruitment, at which point you must pass a series of tests to be selected to join as a D-rank Knight. It is possible to join the knights at a higher level if a knight of A-rank or better initiates you as a "disciple" and trains you to a strict set of requirements to become up to a B-rank knight. It is unknown if an S-rank can train you to be higher, since it has been a great many years (approximately 250) since an S-rank last took a disciple.
7. History
(pending)
8. Holidays
(pending)
Notes:
The order was kind of a "knightly organization" that I wanted to start, but I want input from other people on it and ideas how to flesh it out and make it better, so post your ideas in this thread and we can build this up to a much better organization then I have now. The history I'm writing up now, but Id like ideas, so post/message them to me, and be as specific as possible.
