The Kingdom of the Emerald Hills

To the Knights of the Emerald Hills,

What does it mean to be a knight? Your title gives you the right to wear a white belt and spurs. But what other “rights” do you have as outlined in our RoP or our Corpora? In checking both of these documents I see no “rights” other than these except the ability to play a couple of classes not open to the rest of us. Knighthood in our game is a reward, not a right. Now, let’s look at the “rights” of the monarch. Corpora item 11.H.1-4.
Knighthood
1. The Monarch may knight people (other than themselves) into any of the four
categories
2. If the current Monarch is not a knight, he/she shall appoint a Knight to perform the
knighting ceremony
3. Although not required, candidates for Knighthood should have achieved the
recommended criteria as described in the Amtgard Rulebook and have the approval
of the EH Circle of Knights (as set forth in the COK bylaws)
a Note - Achievement of the criteria set forth does not automatically grant
Knighthood
4. If there is any dispute about a Knighthood, a formal complaint and/or petition must be
submitted to the Monarch and Prime Minister and GMK

Now, there is a dispute being presented about the knighthood of two individuals. I have a responsibility to address that dispute. My question is this; why has it taken six years for this dispute to be brought before the monarch? Queen Clio was well within her “rights” to bestow this award on anyone she saw fit. She did NOT have to have the approval of the CoK as outlined in our corpora. Yet six years later I am being presented with this mess and it sounds as though the “rights” of the CoK again come into play. What rights do you have? You have a closed forum that even the monarch is not privy to. I am allowed to sit in on your meetings, but have no voice, yet I am responsible for the fate of these individuals. I have been presented with no documentable proof of wrong doing. All I have been presented with at this point is he said, she said. I don't like where this is going, but if we're going to look at one, we're going to look at all. Are you willing to put your own heads on the chopping block to see that justice is served and the good name of knighthood is upheld? Do you have the courage to uphold your convictions?

It infuriates me that what the term “knight” means has slipped so low. Our game is based on a medieval/fantasy lifestyle. Why then, are our knights not expected to live by the same standards of chivalry set down in this medieval/fantasy world? In the “Song of Rowland” a knight is
 To fear God and maintain His Church
 To serve the liege lord in valour and faith
 To protect the weak and defenceless
 To give succour to widows and orphans
 To refrain from the wanton giving of offence
 To live by honour and for glory
 To despise pecuniary reward
 To fight for the welfare of all
 To obey those placed in authority
 To guard the honour of fellow knights
 To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
 To keep faith
 At all times to speak the truth
 To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
 To respect the honour of women
 Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
 Never to turn the back upon a foe
There are a few of the items of this Code of Chivalry that simply cannot apply to us in our modern world, but for the most part, every one of them can be applied to our knights. Let’s look further. The chivalric virtues of the knight’s code were further described in the 14th century by the Duke of Burgundy:
Faith
Charity
Justice
Sagacity
Prudence
Temperance
Resolution
Truth
Liberality
Diligence
Hope
Valour

Do I need to provide a dictionary as well? And finally, a modern code of chivalry:
Prowess: To seek excellence in all endeavors expected of a knight, martial and otherwise, seeking strength to be used in the service of justice, rather than in personal aggrandizement.
Justice: Seek always the path of ‘right’, unencumbered by bias or personal interest. Recognize that the sword of justice can be a terrible thing, so it must be tempered by humanity and mercy. If the ‘right’ you see rings agrees with others, and you seek it out without bending to the temptation for expediency, then you will earn renown beyond measure.
Loyalty: Be known for unwavering commitment to the people and ideals you choose to live by. There are many places where compromise is expected; loyalty is not amongst them.
Defense: The ideal knight was sworn by oath to defend his liege lord and those who depended upon him. Seek always to defend your nation, your family, and those to whom you believe worthy of loyalty.
Courage: Being a knight often means choosing the more difficult path, the personally expensive one. Be prepared to make personal sacrifices in service of the precepts and people you value. At the same time, a knight should seek wisdom to see that stupidity and courage are cousins. Courage also means taking the side of truth in all matters, rather than seeking the expedient lie. Seek the truth whenever possible, but remember to temper justice with mercy, or the pure truth can bring grief.
Faith: A knight must have faith in his beliefs, for faith roots him and gives hope against the despair that human failings create.
Humility: Value first the contributions of others; do not boast of your own accomplishments, let others do this for you. Tell the deeds of others before your own, according them the renown rightfully earned through virtuous deeds. In this way the office of knighthood is well done and glorified, helping not only the gentle spoken of but also all who call themselves knights.
Largesse: Be generous in so far as your resources allow; largesse used in this way counters gluttony. It also makes the path of mercy easier to discern when a difficult decision of justice is required.
Nobility: Seek great stature of character by holding to the virtues and duties of a knight, realizing that though the ideals cannot be reached, the quality of striving towards them ennobles the spirit, growing the character from dust towards the heavens. Nobility also has the tendency to influence others, offering a compelling example of what can be done in the service of rightness.
Franchise: Seek to emulate everything I have spoken of as sincerely as possible, not for the reason of personal gain but because it is right. Do not restrict your exploration to a small world, but seek to infuse every aspect of your life with these qualities. Should you succeed in even a tiny measure then you will be well remembered for your quality and virtue.

From the first day I began this game three years ago it has been my goal to become a knight of the realm. But the longer I interact with many of the knights of our kingdom, the less this goal holds its importance. I am now a squire and I searched long and hard for a knight I felt worthy of my service. I would not accept a belt from just any of you. You are supposed to be the shining example we all strive for, yet your own ranks are filled with malice and self-aggrandizement. Some of you gain your belt and then disappear. Knighthood is not the end of the game, it is the true beginning. Some use their title to lord it over those who have yet to achieve this level. Some actually use it as an excuse to bully others. Some who are deserving of this award will never receive it due to the fraternal nature in which you allow acceptance into your ranks. A very few actually do live by a ‘knightly code’ and use their knowledge and experience to help others achieve that same level or give service to their kingdom without thought of reward. I think all of you should seriously look at yourselves and ask, are you really a knight?

I am being asked to place Sir Darkangel and Sir Fytakin’s belts on the upcoming althing. I am being told that if I do not do so, then I support both of these men and their right to keep their belts. One of these men I have recently had to ban for six months. He has a long documented history of behavior that is unacceptable not only as a knight, but as a member of our organization. The other, I have received nothing but hearsay and personality issues with no documentable proof of wrongdoing. I am being forced to recant the decision of a monarch who served before me who was well within her rights to award these belts. If I thought I could get away with it, I would put every one of your names up on the althing and let the populace decide which of you THEY think the true knights of the Emerald Hills are. I know which ones I would vote for. So, I will do my duty as monarch. If I am given a formal, written petition addressed to myself, the Prime Minister, and the Guildmaster of Reeves containing documented proof of wrong doing by the 10th of this month, I will place both these men’s belts on the agenda for an althing vote. I wonder which other names should be added to the list? If I do not receive documented proof, then my althing item will be whether or not the populace feels it necessary to vote on the retraction of any knight’s belt. If the populace feels it necessary, then another althing will be called in the next regularly scheduled month for a vote on these belts. If the populace votes down the need for a vote on these belts I will consider the issue closed and will consider that these men have gained the approval of the populace and have every ‘right’ a knight is afforded. I challenge all of the knights of the Emerald Hills to seriously consider what knighthood within our kingdom should represent and do something to change things from the fraternal bias it now holds. I extend my deepest regrets and apologize to the squires and ‘at-arms’ of these men who have done nothing to warrant losing their own belts and tell you; if I were a knight, I would pick every one of you up as my own.
Sincerely,

LD Brower
Docsi HardAnvil
Monarch, EH

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Duke, Squire Docsi HardAnvil
aka the Mad Dwarf
GMR of Dreadmoor
Squire to Sir Logan T. Black
Clan Chieftain of the Turtle Clan
Ship's Surgeon, HMS "Turtle's Revenge"
Gaslight Sky Pirate

"Dwarves and mountains have one thing in common: It takes an almighty hammer and a tremendous amount of persistence to overcome them."

oh damns!

i believe if you dont put them on the agenda, it is not an acceptance of there belts, but makeing other have the balls to bring it up. This has been an issue for along time, it came as a huge shock when it happened.

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[i][b]TuK! Uziel SP-420 Captian and STORMTROOPER of SABLE PRIDE, General and DARK SQUIRE of ES[/b][/i]

Yes. Yes.

_________________
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Rayel

If that's what it takes.

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Forest Evergreen

Puppet Master of the EH

"Of course you are Forest. You're like the Mr. Burns of EH." - Finn

(insert titles and awards here)

Absolutely.

If the populace of EH doesn't want me to represent them as a knight then I don't want to represent them.

Who?

_________________
Forest Evergreen

Puppet Master of the EH

"Of course you are Forest. You're like the Mr. Burns of EH." - Finn

(insert titles and awards here)

Bring it to a vote in the Allthing! Lets have it done once and for all.

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"We must all fear evil men, but there is another kind of evil which we must fear most. And that is the indifference of good men."

I guess I don't have a say in whether this proceeds to an Althing. However, before this gets any further, I think the Monarch and the populace have a right to know that Brennon and Forest may not have pure motives in attacking my qualifications. Clio, the monarch who knighted me, is also Brennon's ex-girlfriend, as well my ex-girlfriend and the mother of my oldest child. Their relationship did not end well, partly resulting from Brennon's friendship with Kayrana. Kayrana was my knight, and she and I were also close friends. When Kayrana and her husband were separated, she dated Brennon for a while. I'm not privvy to details, but it was complicated and difficult. Later, Kayrana and I also went on a couple of dates, although we decided not to let things go any further for a number of reasons (particularly that Clio was still pregnant and living with me - awkward!).

Forest knows that I know that he made a pass at Alley Cat at an Amtgard event. She declined to have a few laughs about old times with him. He then proceeded to violate her physical boundaries and encourage her to have sex with him in his tent and lie to me about it. Alley Cat was shaken by the experience. Although this did not substantially change my view of Forest's character, it did make me very angry, for Alley Cat's sake. He never apologized, and they are no longer friends. Alley Cat and I are now married and coming up on our tenth anniversary of dating. Also, as a side note, I have more than once come within a vote or two of beating him in the Guildmaster of Knights election.

Wow, when you try to deflect you don't go half way lol. I never tried to have sex with Alley Cat. She is a nice person and as far as I know we get along fine. Yes, she and I had some conversations a while back before she quit playing for a while. She was going through a rough time and I am not sure she wants me sharing the topics we discussed as they were her personal issues.

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Forest Evergreen

Puppet Master of the EH

"Of course you are Forest. You're like the Mr. Burns of EH." - Finn

(insert titles and awards here)

Up to this point, I was on the fence about you. You've totally convinced me now, thanks!

-Talen

Wow, you will do just do that, won't you? Amazing.

Although I do not know Talen very well, he, Brennon, and Forest are all Green Dragons.

Pay attention, idiot. I'm defending you.

Once we put away the guillotine, I'll thank you. :) I am more than willing to be an idiot for peace.