From Thought Police Interactive Fiction
Houses form the main public factions of knights and nobles. Fae and magi do not swear oaths to orders, but do usually show an affinity for a few particular groups. Most famously, the magi Merlin is known for his favoring of House Pendragon. It is said the wood nymphs blow curses upon the enemies of the Green Knights and weave malice for the enemies of Mordred's mother Morgana. Nobles treat this aid cautiously but put it use as they have through every lifetime.
Emotions and attitudes
Knights are mixed in their attitudes towards working with the other Reborn. Their opinions are as varied as the people they were before the Rebirth. Humanity beats in their breasts more strongly than the others. Knights are not only Oathbound. Their passions are easily stoked and burn furiously. Many knights are fanatics or idealists. Regardless, duty is important to almost every knight.
Many knights note the irony that as they become even more attuned to their idealized human natures that they become further detached from humanity. As much as everyday people have aspects of their mind equivalent to the ego, id and will, the intensity of these internal thoughts is beyond the normal human experience. The average person would be overwhelmed by the thoughts and emotions that even the weakest connection to forces brings about in a knight.
Orders become a surrogate family for a knight as their strong emotions and unusual abilities set them apart. While many knights maintain strong ties with their parents and family, many more do not. It is hard to understand a family that seems so cold and difficult for the family to understand the fierce emotional reactions of a knight. More disciplined knights and the curious fae help knights manage their fiery passions. It is simply comforting for most knights to have the company of those who understand what they go through.
Politics
Orders also represent the main political faction a knight belongs to in the Kingdom. The Orders are largely divided along clear lines, each with their own agenda. However, some have ancient alliances and others will simply ally because their ideals converge. On a local level, the broader alliances are a trend but circumstances can make strange bedfellows. The clearest political line is between the Renegades and the Kingdom itself.
Knights and nobles who serve in the day-to-day political machine rarely hide bias for their Order and its aims. It is expected and encouraged. While most members of the Kingdom do not trust democracy, they do believe a variety of worthy voices will arrive at the best conclusions. Orders provide clout and gravity to the words of their members. They also give knights a guaranteed place within the Kingdom and aid in times of need. Knights who do not seem to favor their own Order will be questioned on their graciousness and hospitality. Orders provide so much and as with the knights of old, they are expected to show appreciation and loyalty for what they been given.
Royal Houses
Also called the “noble orders”, they are distinct from the Lessor Houses, or “ignoble orders”, in a few fashions. They retain formal names, banners and crests. These Houses are lead by nobles with royal title and peerage. Their knights all have access to “refined”, or fully developed, Essences. The voices of their representatives carry greater weight in the noble councils and advisory cabinets of the Kingdom. It is considered standard form to refer to each of the noble orders as "House", such as "House Viridis".
Lessor Houses
These “ignoble orders” are said to be degenerate and imperfect. While two of these Houses are seen as distinctly modern occurrences for this Age, the Free Knights, Tombknockers and Engineers are known to have existed in previous Ages. Their names are considered informal and they lack universal insignia. The Essences unique to these orders are not fully developed, or are similarly imperfect, and cannot be learned to the same level of power and control as the “common” Essences. The voices of their representatives carry lessor weight in social and political circumstances. It is standard form to refer to each of the lessor Houses by their name, without a preceding title like "House".
Independent Houses
These pseudo-orders are rough alliances and categories, rather than formal organizations. However, knights in the same situation will generally seek the company of peers and similar warriors. In some areas, these false houses are well-organized, while in other there is little (if any) cooperation among those knights.
See also
