In Heilbronn, knighthood is no chivalrous calling but a blood-soaked profession where honor serves as both shield and shackle.
Knights occupy the dangerous middle ground between nobility and commoners. You may be:
A noble-born second son with no inheritance
A commoner elevated through battlefield prowess
A debt-bound warrior serving a lord who holds your family's future
Your sword arm purchases influence, but never true acceptance among the highborn. Remember: in Heilbronn, knights die while nobles profit.
Choose Your Liege Carefully: Serve a weak lord, remain expendable; serve one too powerful, become a pawn in deadly games
Build Your Retinue: Loyal squires, grooms, and servants form your network of ears and blades
Master Political Warfare: Learn which battles are fought with steel and which with whispers
Acquire Leverage: Collect secrets about your enemies—and your allies
Tournament Champion: Win glory and patronage, but beware—victors attract both admirers and assassins
Order Knight: Join specialized brotherhoods (The Crimson Vow, The Ashbound, etc.) for protection and purpose
Lordless Knight: Dangerous freedom as a sword-for-hire, loyal only to coin
Landed Knight: The rarest prize—your own small holding, forever contested by jealous neighbors
Your armor is heavy, your oaths heavier. In Heilbronn, a knight's greatest skill isn't swordplay but knowing when to sheathe the blade and when to plunge it into an ally's back.