The Heldannic Order - Vaults of Pandius

THE HELDANNIC ORDER
“Never do they idle or wander where
fancy takes them. If not campaigning -- a
rare occurrence -- instead of enjoying a
well-earned reward these warriors are
busy repairing their weapons and
clothes, patching up rents or refurbishing
old ones and making good any
shortcomings before doing whatever else
the Master and the Community may
command.”
Bernhardt von Klarwald
De Laude Novae Militiae, AC 979
The Heldannic Order maintains
traditional land and naval services as well
as the iconoclastic warbird air fleet. The
army and warbird fleet maintain a
common rank structure, but the wet-navy
personnel continue to use common naval
designations for intra-service uses.
Members of the armed forces can be
either fighters or clerics. Clerics assume
military rank as appropriate to their roles,
but most serve as chaplains. Individuals
with more secretive or arcane talents are
used in capacities outside the normal
command structure.
The recognized Heldannic ranks, and
their approximate levels, are listed below.
Trainee (NM-1 st ): Those who sign up
with the military, or are conscripted,
undergo a grueling six month training
period. All training occurs in Freiburg
between late spring and late fall. As they
progress, trainees rotate into patrols in
the capital and surrounding communities.
Soldier (1 st -2 nd ): After training,
soldiers are billeted at various posts
throughout the Territories. Rotations
commonly happen in early spring, and
those entering their tenth year normally
return to Freiburg. A soldier must have
one year in service before being posted to
Hattias or other Known World location.
It takes three years to qualify for service
at Vanya’s Rest. Soldiers receive a
monthly payment.
Sergeant (2 nd -3 rd ): A sergeant
commands nine other regular soldiers.
To be conferred the rank, a character
must have been in service for a minimum
of two years. He or she also must be a
professed member of the Church of
Vanya.
Squire (1 st -3 rd ): Squires are equal in
standing with sergeants, and they have
taking the Oath of Service to the Order.
Squires rarely have command duties;
rather they attend to a knight as his valet
and page. Squires normally sit out of
large-scale combat situations until the
end of their time in apprenticeship.
Knight (3 rd +): Knights of the
Heldannic Order have proven themselves
in service, either as squires or sergeants.
Heldannic Knights are entitled to the
services of a squire, and no command
duties accompany the position. Knights
must have taken the Oath of Service.
They are addressed as Herr or Fräulein
Knight (Sir or Madam).
Knight Bachelor (4 th -6 th ): Knights
Bachelor form the bulk of the Heldannic
Order’s officer corps. Typical
commands, known as Chapters, are a 10
to 20-man cavalry unit or a 30-man
infantry unit. Knights Bachelor also
command artillery trains.
Knight Banneret (6 th +): Knights
Banneret are the regimental captains in
the Order. At least three years as a
Bachelor is expected, but that is not
required. Each village in the Territories
is overseen by a Knight Banneret. The
Knight Banneret is regarded as equal to a
clerical Abbot in rank.
Grand Knight (9 th +, most 12 th +): A
Grand Knight is a senior member of the
Order's military and a member of the
Synod of Freiburg. Each Landmeister is
a Grand Knight by position. Other Grand
Knights command major garrisons or
army divisions or have provided great
service to the Order. The navy’s ranking
Full Admiral is also a Grand Knight.
Ordinarily Grand Knights are drawn from
the ranks of Knights Banneret, but a few
were abbots. An unwritten expectation is
that those elevated to the status of Grand
Knight have earned the Hilt. As with
other senior officials, Grand Knights are
escorted by a retinue of knights.
Grand Master of the Order: The
Grand Master is the overall leader of the
Heldannic Order, a position also known
as the Hochmeister. The Grand Master is
addressed as “Mein Herr” (or “Meine
Dame”). The duties of the office include
serving as the Primate of the Voice, High
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Commander of the entire military, and
Commander of the Warbird Fleet. The
position is for life. A new Grand Master
must be selected by the Synod at
Freiburg from its existing membership.
Sergeant-at-Arms: Sergeants-at-Arms
are knights, not sergeants. They form the
bodyguard for high level officers, and the
ranking member is usually authorized to
conduct affairs as a seneschal in the
commander’s absence.
Military Units
The basic unit of the Heldannic Army is
the Chapter. A Chapter is intended to be
a tight-knit company whose spiritual
well-being is tended to by a chaplain
from the Hammer.
Heavy Cavalry: (Good, BR 138) plate
mail, two-handed sword, lance. 1 Knight
Bachelor (F5), 9 Knights (F3), 1
Chaplain (C4), 10 Squires (F1)
Medium Cavalry: (Good, BR 109)
chain mail, shield, lance, normal sword.
1 Knight Bachelor (F4), 9 Knights (F3),
10 Sergeants (F2), 10 Squires (F1), 1
Chaplain (C4)
Heavy Infantry: (Good, BR 91) plate
mail, two-handed sword, dagger. 1
Knight Bachelor (F5), 9 Knights (F3), 10
Sergeants (F2), 10 Squires (F1), 1
Chaplain (C5)
Light Infantry: (Average, BR
82/74/90) leather armor and either
sword/heavy crossbow, short sword/pike
or dagger/longbow. 1 Knight Bachelor
(F4), 3 Sergeants (F2), 26 Soldiers (F1),
1 Chaplain (C3), 1 Squire (F1)
Chaplain Chapter: (Good, BR 145)
mounted, plate mail, mace, sword, 1
Senior Chaplain (C6), 9 Chaplains (C2),
10 Serving Brothers (NM)
Army Divisions
The statistics below show the state of
the military in AC1000, a time when the
Heldannic Order is technically at peace.
The information here has been modified
from that found in the Poor Wizards
Almanacs to take into account the use of
Chapters. The PWA statistics are
compatible with these and show the state
of the Heldannic Military in AC1010,
after a long and difficult war when much
of the population has been drafted into
the army and many of the original