Dawn military concerns

Dawn currently maintains three armies to fight in the Imperial wars and has provided four in better times when Imperial fortunes allowed. Very few endeavours provide as many opportunities for glory as warfare. Drawn to glory as it is, it is unsurprising that Dawn prides itself on its martial traditions. Not all nobles deck themselves in a harness of plate, but every noble looks for opportunities to fight their foes toe-to-toe. Not for the Dawnish noble is the cowardly ambush or the subversive flank - they seek to face their opponents directly.

The rank and file soldiers are eager yeomen, seeking opportunities for glory. They are led by the most capable nobles available who share their soldiers ambitions. Few Dawn generals will lead from the rear. While there is some glory in a well-planned battle, little compares to the glory of a lord or lady who leads their troops to victory. As such most yeomen have an abiding respect for their military leaders, born of shared ambitions and shared dangers.

Shields are highly popular in Dawn, as much for their decoration as their ability to protect. Heater shields are the favoured shape, decorated with personal or household devices. Missile weapons are rare, and regarded with some suspicion. Despite their obvious uses, it's difficult to see anything glorious in shooting an enemy at thirty paces. Archery is seen as a fitting contest of skill, rather than a glorious weapon of war.

Knighthood is not the only calling for the nobility, there are talented noble craftsmen, mages and legislators, but so many nobles are Knights that the word Knight is sometimes (incorrectly) used to describe anyone connected with nobility, regardless of their martial skills. This helps to make the name Knights-errant slightly confusing. These are men and women engaged upon a Test of Mettle, seeking to prove their glory. Technically they are not nobility, since they have not yet proven their worth and the term is used equally to describe anyone looking to prove themselves, not just warriors. However they are usually the sons and daughters of noble houses and as such they are generally forgiven for assuming such airs and graces as will one day be their right, and they are often engaged on a Test with a martial aim.

Some Knight-errants enjoy the life of high adventure so much that they continue the lifestyle after passing their Test of Mettle, declining the political life of a house noble. Questing Knights, as they are usually known, usually form a tight knit group with other, similarly minded Knights, and often dedicate themselves to some great quest or higher cause that they know can never be completed. Such groups are often perpetuated through the generations as newly ennobled Knights join the ranks to replace losses. Such groups are usually distinctive, perhaps a unique code of honour that every member must swear or an Eternal patron to whom they swear loyalty.