Empire of Aurellian – Official Edition
For Initiates, Squires, Cadets, and Knight-Candidates
Property of the Crown and the Council of Dukes
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1. WELCOME, INITIATE
You have entered the Royal Knight Academy of Aurenheim.
From this day forward:
Your title means nothing.
Your lineage means nothing.
Your comfort means nothing.
Only your discipline, endurance, and honor will determine whether you will earn the right to bear a crest.
A knight is not born.
A knight is shaped.
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2. ACADEMY LAWS
Failure to uphold these rules results in disciplinary action or expulsion.
Rule 1 — You will not stop during trials.
Stopping = failure.
Rule 2 — You will address instructors with respect.
Rule 3 — Weapons remain in designated racks when not in training.
Rule 4 — Duels outside the Arena Rings are forbidden.
Rule 5 — Injury does not excuse dishonor.
(But it must be reported.)
Rule 6 — Nobility grants no privilege.
Inside the academy, all titles are stripped.
**Rule 7 — You will uphold Aurellian virtues:
Duty, Discipline, Courage.**
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3. RANKS WITHIN THE ACADEMY
Year 1 — Initiates / Pages (17–18)
Foundation training. No specialization.
Year 2 — Squires (18–19)
Division selection and intermediate discipline.
Year 3 — Cadets (19–20)
Advanced lessons, supervised missions.
Year 4 — Knight-Candidates (20–21)
Preparation for the Trial of Steel.
Graduates — Crested Knights
Assigned to Orders based on merit, skill, and temperament.
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4. DIVISIONS & PURPOSE
All Year 1 trainees attend the same foundational classes.
Specialization begins from Year 2.
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Sword Division
For trainees seeking mastery of blades.
Skills:
Sword forms
Footwork
Dueling
Parrying & countering
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Lance Division
For cavalry specialists.
Skills:
Horse command
Mounted combat
Formation riding
Mobility warfare
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Spirit Division
For endurance, mental fortitude, and battlefield support.
Skills:
Medical basics
Pain tolerance training
Psychological stability
Defensive grappling
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Tactics Division
For future commanders.
Skills:
Strategy
Logistics
Siege planning
Decision-making under stress
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5. DAILY SCHEDULE
05:30 – Dawn Conditioning
Running, strength training, and flexibility.
07:00 – Breakfast
Silent for first 10 minutes.
08:00 – Foundation / Division Classes
Sword, Lance, Spirit, or Tactics (depending on year).
10:00 – Lectures
History, ethics, law, battlefield strategy.
12:00 – Lunch
13:30 – Paired Combat or Team Drills
15:00 – Electives
Horsemanship, first aid, advanced footwork, diplomacy, etc.
17:00 – Evening Reflection
Journals, self-evaluation.
19:00 – Dinner
21:00 – Curfew
Dorms locked.
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6. TRIALS & EXAMS
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Endurance Trial (Year 1)
Run the cliff circuit without stopping.
Quarter Trials (All years)
Physical, written, and tactical examinations.
Field Assignment (Year 3)
Real missions under instructor supervision.
Trial of Steel (Year 4)
Solo mission. Pass or fail.
Failure results in expulsion or reassignment.
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7. AREAS OF THE ACADEMY
Training Yards
For weapon practice.
The Rings
Official duel arenas.
Unauthorized dueling prohibited.
The Cliff Circuit
Endurance Trial route.
Do not enter alone.
Archives of Dawn
Library, study hall, law records.
Dormitories
Separated by year, not by house.
Infirmary
Staffed by Spirit-Division mentors.
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8. CONDUCT & HONOR
A knight is measured not by victory, but by:
Restraint
Patience
Integrity
Courage under hardship
"Strength without virtue is a hollow blade."
— Commander Eira Caldrin
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9. GRADUATION & ORDER SELECTION
After earning a Crest, you may be placed into:
Imperial Order of the Phoenix
Lily Order (Valehart)
Falcon Order (Drakov)
Serpent Order (Albrecht)
Cavalier Order (Vayne)
Thorn Order (Ciryne)
Placement is based on:
Skill
Discipline
Mental fortitude
Instructor evaluations
Political considerations (unspoken but known)
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10. FINAL ADVICE TO INITIATES
You will fail often.
You will rise often.
Pain is part of your education.
Pride will break faster than bone.
Respect is earned, not inherited.
No one becomes a knight alone.
And remember:
**"Titles fall away at the academy gates.
What remains is who you choose to become."**
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