Even the founding of the order was auspicious, when a group
of young men foiled an attack on the traveling train of the King
of Aerdy. The king was so impressed by the courage of the survivors,
that he raised them up as his Knight Protectors.

From its inception, the order was unique in the Great
Kingdom in that they chose their membership through contests
of skill and courage. Positions were not appointed or
sold. Both Heironeans and Hextorians stood among their
ranks, and while this produced strong rivalries, deadly conflicts
were few. The goal of the order was always a united and
protected Great Kingdom under an honorable monarch.
Alas, the order's high ideals did not last.

Some Knight Protectors remain in Ratik, mostly refugees
from the Bone March. Others now wander the Kingdom of
Ahlissa. Purportedly, some hide in the Grandwood and Adri
Forests. With the apparent passing of Ivid V! some expect the
Knight Protectors to emerge from their dormancy and take a
more active role in the recovery of the Great Kingdom.

Knights of the Hart: The least militant major knighthood
in the Flanaess is the Knights of the Hart, a tripartite organization
formed in ancient days to serve the needs of the lords
of Furyondy, Highfolk, and Veluna. Because these states are
decentralized and thus severely threatened by sudden invasion,
the Knights of the Hart serve to bulwark standing
armies and root out unknown threats. The Knights of the
Hart therefore swear to be ready to serve as a vanguard of
defense at an instant's notice, maintaining certain strongholds,
serving in local governments, and supporting scouting
actions into mountains, forests, and countryside (where they
often mete out justice to the lawless in lieu of actual courts).
The three orders of the Knights of the Hart are as follows:

Knights of Furyondy: There are one hundred and seventy
knights and many associated warriors under the command
of this branch of the order. Some fifty Knights of
Furyondy died in the Greyhawk Wars and Great Northern
Crusade. Their primary concern is the recruitment of new
members (though they are unwilling to lower their standards
to do so) and the maintenance of northern strongholds,
along the border with luz. The order accepts humans
and half-elves.

Knights of Veluna: There are but one hundred and twenty
knights in this politically active branch of the knighthood,
though each is of great repute and commands many sergeants
and warriors. The order once admitted only fighters,
but recent years have seen the admittance of several fighting
priests. All members of the Knights of Veluna are landowners,
and thus the order values diplomacy and negotiation
as much as it values skill with the blade.

Knights of the High Forest: This order's forty-five members
are exclusively drawn from the ranks of the elves. These
elves are skilled in forest skirmishing. They spend their time
outside the forest as merchant lords in the High Vale, where
they are justly hailed as heroes.

Membership in the Knights of the Hart is open to any gentlefolk,
provided the candidate declares his or her life to the protection
of Furyondy, Highfolk, and Veluna. Further, each candidate
must possess proven combat skills, and have performed an act of
exceptional honor, bravery, courage, and service.

Knights of Holy Shielding: Established to support the
lords of petty domains north of the Nyr Dyv, the Knights of
Holy Shielding once were the core of an impressive army.
The years preceding the Greyhawk Wars saw the Shield
lands fall to humiliating defeat however, and many Shield
Knights fled to goodly nations, establishing relations with
local rulers in an attempt to regain their lost homeland.

Most Knights of Holy Shielding are engaged in reclaiming
their homeland. However, several agents remain in Greyhawk,
Dyvers, the Duchy of Urnst, and Furyondy, working as mercenaries
and sending their revenue to support the army at home.
Within the reclaimed lands, the Shield Knights represent the
best sort of heroism. Among the peasantry, a Knight of the
Shield is afforded the same awe as a high priest. Outside the
Shield Lands, the knights are looked on with less idealism, as
those who failed to defend their own nation. Though the outside
world believes the Shield Knights to be both arrogant and
naive, everyone knows that a Shield Knight can be trusted. The
Knights of the Shield are noted rivals of the Knights of the Hart.

Knights of Luna: The Knights of Luna are an elven order
dedicated to preserving the monarchy of Celene and the
noble traditions of the elven communities throughout the
central Flanaess. They espouse values that call for elven leadership
in the cause of Good, and noblesse oblige toward allied
kindred and the lesser races. Currently, they are at odds with
the isolationist policies of the fey Queen and her councilors.

The order contains about two hundred knights. The majority
are located in Celene, but they are found increasingly in
the Duchy of Ulek. In addition, they have a small presence
among the elves of Highfolk.

Though no formal alliance exists between the Knights of
Luna and the Knights of the Hart, the two groups assist each
other at times. They both consider luz to be the greatest
menace to the cause of Good in the Flanaess, though the
Knights of Luna also devote themselves to fighting the monstrous
evil of the Pomarj.

Knights of the Watch: The Knights of the Watch (or
Watchers) formed several centuries ago, built on the foundation
of an earlier organization based in Gian March. Tasked
with protecting Keoland, Gran March, Bissel, and Geoff from
Paynim incursions, the Watchers hold several strongholds
along the Ket border and in the western mountains. Members
of the knighthood are drawn from the best and wisest
throughout the member countries.

The Knights of the Watch are devotees of a near-monastic
school of teachings based on a code of duty and belief known
as the Twelve and Seven Precepts. The Twelve Precepts govern
how a knight is to carry out day-to-day activities, with a particular
eye toward traditions of battle. The Seven are said to
guide the "life beyond the self," giving meaning to the universe
beyond battle. These latter precepts are secrets, revealed
to knights only as they rise within the organization. The mysterious
Seventh Precept, said to reveal ancient secrets about
the establishment of the world, is known only to the
Grandiose Imperial Wyvern, titular head of the knighthood.

The Watchers are known internally by fanciful titles. The
lowest ranked knights are called Vigils, with minor ranks
adding to the base title (such as Stalwart Vigil, and Radiant
Vigil). As knights ascend in rank, adjectives are added to
their titles, with "Vigil" replaced by the names of fantastic
beasts (such as manticore, hippogriff, and griffon), such
that a mid-level commander is known as the Magnificent
Elder Gorgon. Few outside the order understand the
system.

The Greyhawk Wars fragmented the order into two distinct
branches, the traditional Knights of the Watch and the new
Knights of Dispatch. The Dispatchers eschew traditional battle,
often scouting within conquered Geoff. The Knights of Dispatch
focus on the evil humanoids who trouble their homelands.
While some within the greater order despise the "cowardly"
tactics of this new branch, the leaders of both
organizations support each other, and share the same hierarchy.