My Pursuit of Knighthood

Once I arrived in this new world (as told in this part of my chronicle), I began to search for a place for myself, a purpose for my existence. I thought it would come through fulfilling my dream of becoming a knight. I set my sights on that goal.

I wandered around a lot in my search. I joined with a company of soldiers that called themselves the Iron Hearts, who served the kingdom as it put down a rebellion. I offered my blade in service to lords in Aethelmearc and Trimaris (both in the Scadian Empire) before I arrived in Kincora (part of the Adrian Empire). There, I entered the service of a Viking jarl.

Unlike some other kingdoms, the Adrian Empire had a well-defined path to knighthood. I threw myself in pursuit of that title. I served my lord in time of war, I represented the Empire, learned about knighthood, and I sought a chance to demonstrate my talents. I finally had my chance at a tournament at my adopted homeland. I managed to defeat three very capable swordsmen, including the Archduke of Kincora himself. Impressed by my efforts, he rewarded me by granting me the title of knighthood. I had achieved my dream!

But there was a problem. What next? Most knights preferred to seek further advancement and recognition, but I found myself discontented. As King Solomon stated: "This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." (Ecclesiastes 4:16). It seemed that the point of these titles was simply self-gratification. It was not the noble pursuit of virtue that King Arthur tried to instill in his knights. Far too often I witnessed knights behaving in a less-than-knightly manner. I grew tired the politics that tore at the fabric of the Empire. I began to think of moving on. But where? I wanted to find the perfect kingdom, one where cooperation replaced petty bickering. I began to seek out tales of other lands, carefully considering if it could be my ideal home.

OOC Notes:

• I'm including non medieval LARP experiences in my narrative. The Iron Hearts represent my Civil War re-enacting days. I was with a group that portrayed the 115th NY Volunteers, who fought at Olustee.
• This story briefly tells of my pursuit of a knighthood within the Adrian Empire. My description of my reaction is genuine. While I applaud the Adrian Empire for having set objectives to become a knight, I ultimately grew dissatisfied with Adrian and left less than a year after being knighted.
• Politics was only one of several issues I had with Adria. I also was dissatisfied with its emphasis on tournament. I found that I preferred Dagorhir's and Belegarth's focus on team battles so I was drawn to those games. I also preferred using foam weapons over live steel. Actually, it wasn't the weapons that were a problem, it was the armor. With my bad shoulder, I found it difficult to wear heavy armor for long stretches of time.
• As I grew discontented with Adtia, I began to research other LARP groups, the results of which will be my next story.