The Hierarchy

It is important, when one is the sole source of light and inspiration in a kingdom to have some semblance of government. Simply because at so young an age I found myself thinking that it would be unwise to bear the awful burden of supreme power. Mostly because it would delve into my personal time which I reserved for viewing old black and white episodes of Zorro. Obviously with such a pressing obligation ahead of me I couldn’t constantly be bothered by the trifles of feudal warfare.
It was with this mindset that the Koreth quest was established. It was a rudimentary gauntlet of ridiculously dangerous and humbling activities that we (by we I mean I) demanded that the recruits completed so as to obtain a coinciding rank. Every one started at the status of Peasant I believe. From there they could move up to footman, which basically ensured that it we went to war you would be granted the “honor” of raiding Les’s tree house first… suicide, naturally. Then up to archer, then swordsman (a glorified version of footman), then cavalry (bikes and lances), after which one might delve into the really good ranks.
If one suffered through the rigorous quests of the lesser ranks one might be granted the honor of squire. In retrospect it must have sucked to be a squire, but to this day those who partook of the honor hearken back with nostalgia of the sacred position. Not at being a squire but of being the knight that had the squire assigned to you.
Imagine, if you will, that you have suffered for months under the tyrannical rule of a megalomaniac prince-ling (myself) and finally you have obtained the rank of knight. This being the highest the common man could soar. One day your feudal lord comes to you and hands you one of your friends and leaves you with the statement “Teach him.” Oh sweet mother of all that is merciful… another month of serving lemonade and polishing swords. I’m sure it was awful. At least as a footman you could bleed with honor. This of course didn’t stop us from keeping the rank in the charter. It is only natural that if someone inflicts suffering upon you, you take it out on those beneath you. The squire rank provided the perfect opportunity for order to be restored in our Cro-Magnon fashion.
However, if you paid your dues in the squire-ly fashion you could embark on your quest. Now each of these ranks had its trials. There were sword fighting lessons, bow practices, staff fighting ceremonies, regular staff fighting tournaments (where we would stand around and whack one another with broom poles), and obstacle courses. I wanted my men to be in the peak of their condition for when we did actually go to war. There were entire afternoons devoted to castle sieges. We would break into Gold team and Evergreen team and try to take the castle from the opposing side. This way if ever the unthinkable happened (the castle should be taken) we would be just as skilled at retrieving her as we would be at holding her. However the quest for knighthood was the mother of all trials. Each young man or woman would endure the tests and examinations for months so as to arrive at the day in which they would be granted the honor of questing.
The quest consisted of me spending hours in the garage putting odds and ends together to create a “monster”. All the while I would be putting the storyline and limiting factors together in an intricate web of fantasy and reality. The important part was that I had to have been watching my young prospective for a long time to know their exact weaknesses and fears. That way I could create the single most challenging quest possible. For example if a squire had a particular tendency twords physical resolution of a problem I had to ensure that their weapons (cudgels, bows, and steel pipes bent into sword shapes) would be useless. Sick? Sure, but I look back and would like to convince myself that I was just broadening their approach to life.
The next day they would go out into the forest and seek their title. The quest would generally last the whole of the day, even into the night, and end almost always in victory. We would all return to the castle and there the squire would be granted the honor of knighthood. This entitled them to various honors. The head of their monster would be placed on the wall in the castle, next to it would be placed their color. For with knighthood came a feather died the color of that particular knight. With all of this came also the far more sacred privilege of being able to give orders to anyone below the rank of knight, and a guaranteed chair at the Hall Table.
To this day the castle still bears, among countless scars, a dozen or so feathers posted boldly above the main hall. There they sit as a constant reminder of the days or order and privilege.

© Capt C Staudinger 2006