The ladder to knighthood begins with servitude. As a squire, you live in the precarious shadow between servant and warrior-in-training, learning that in Heilbronn, loyalty and ambition are twin blades that cut both ways.
Squires exist as both property and investment:
You polish armor stained with blood you may soon shed
Your training comes through bruises, broken bones, and battlefield errands
Your master's reputation becomes your shield or noose
Your mistakes cost lives—rarely your own at first
In Heilbronn, a squire's education is written in scars. The weak become fodder; the clever become dangerous.
Choose Your Knight Carefully: A cruel master teaches survival; a weak one ensures your death; an honorable one may doom you both
Cultivate Multiple Patrons: When your knight falls (and many do), ensure another waits to claim you
Master Observation: The secrets you gather while invisible among nobles often prove more valuable than swordplay
Learn Battlefield Medicine: Knights who survive mortal wounds remember who saved them
Loyal Retainer: The traditional path—serve until knighted, if you survive the wait
Political Pawn: Become a spy within your master's household for a rival power
Knight's Successor: Position yourself to inherit your master's title, lands, or widow
Independent Operator: Use your training to break free—becoming sellsword, monster hunter, or bandit
The squire's yoke is heavy but temporary. In Heilbronn, those who endure their apprenticeship without losing their lives—or souls—emerge either as formidable knights or as something far more dangerous: survivors who've learned how power truly works from the bottom up.