Training
There is no strict age limit* or experience requisite to enter paladin training, for men may be called from all stages and lots of life to follow the will of God, nor is there a standard length of time over which a man becomes a paladin. Training sessions often bleed together, and those unsuccessful in one session often find themselves flowed into the next.
Paladin training focuses heavily on combat, owing to the universal role of all paladins in hunting down and destroying demons found in the mortal world. Unarmed combat and survival skills are standard fare, allowing paladins to survive under disparate adverse circumstances. The training that sets them apart from a nation’s military, however, are the courses they receive instructing them in the application and internalization of the six primary virtues.
Practical and theoretical instruction go hand-in-hand with swordsmanship and devotional prayer.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of paladin training, however, is their use of dakkans. The powerful creatures are shape-shifters, ranging from horse-sized, wingless “runners” to dragon-like titans that rule the skies in the wild.
Dakkans are also capable of assuming a third shape, mimicking any creature of the animal kingdom. (For more information, see “Care and Handling of Dakkans” – while published in 203 AM, it is still the definitive text on working with the majestic beasts.) Use of dakkans as mounts dates back from before the Merging War, when early paladins looked to the skies and sought to emulate the flight of the immortal angels. Breeders maintain weyrs of dakkans from which the paladins can select an appropriate mount; most are chosen in their youth, but a dakkan will frequently outlast two or even three paladins in its lifetime.
The additional perils of winged combat (namely, falling) gave rise to the blessings imbued into every paladin’s cloak that allow them to control their descent at will. A paladin can slow his descent almost to that of a feather drifting on the wind, or resume a natural speed with a mere thought. The blessings bestowed upon the cloaks used during the training process are temporary and must be renewed annually, but those upon a true paladin’s cloak remain so long as the paladin lives and stays true to the Prismatic Order.
The completion of a paladin’s training is dependent on two factors – the judgment of his instructors and the readiness of his own soul. When the training master deems his wards are ready to take their place among the holy warriors, a paladin will place a blessed cloak upon each trainee’s shoulders. The blessings of the cloak react to the true reflection of the man and will immediately change color to denote the Facet most indicative of his soul. Those whose souls are not ready for the burden and privilege of being a paladin do not experience any such change, and they are given the option of continuing their training until such time as the change occurs or they opt to remove themselves from the Prismatic Order entirely.
Paladin training focuses heavily on combat, owing to the universal role of all paladins in hunting down and destroying demons found in the mortal world. Unarmed combat and survival skills are standard fare, allowing paladins to survive under disparate adverse circumstances. The training that sets them apart from a nation’s military, however, are the courses they receive instructing them in the application and internalization of the six primary virtues.
Practical and theoretical instruction go hand-in-hand with swordsmanship and devotional prayer.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of paladin training, however, is their use of dakkans. The powerful creatures are shape-shifters, ranging from horse-sized, wingless “runners” to dragon-like titans that rule the skies in the wild.
Dakkans are also capable of assuming a third shape, mimicking any creature of the animal kingdom. (For more information, see “Care and Handling of Dakkans” – while published in 203 AM, it is still the definitive text on working with the majestic beasts.) Use of dakkans as mounts dates back from before the Merging War, when early paladins looked to the skies and sought to emulate the flight of the immortal angels. Breeders maintain weyrs of dakkans from which the paladins can select an appropriate mount; most are chosen in their youth, but a dakkan will frequently outlast two or even three paladins in its lifetime.
The additional perils of winged combat (namely, falling) gave rise to the blessings imbued into every paladin’s cloak that allow them to control their descent at will. A paladin can slow his descent almost to that of a feather drifting on the wind, or resume a natural speed with a mere thought. The blessings bestowed upon the cloaks used during the training process are temporary and must be renewed annually, but those upon a true paladin’s cloak remain so long as the paladin lives and stays true to the Prismatic Order.
The completion of a paladin’s training is dependent on two factors – the judgment of his instructors and the readiness of his own soul. When the training master deems his wards are ready to take their place among the holy warriors, a paladin will place a blessed cloak upon each trainee’s shoulders. The blessings of the cloak react to the true reflection of the man and will immediately change color to denote the Facet most indicative of his soul. Those whose souls are not ready for the burden and privilege of being a paladin do not experience any such change, and they are given the option of continuing their training until such time as the change occurs or they opt to remove themselves from the Prismatic Order entirely.
* - Trainees must be in sufficient physical condition to endure the rigors of the paladin training process, regardless of their age or infirmities. Few allowances are made for handicaps, and it is up to the individual to prove his own fitness for training. Boys who are considered too young to train are sometimes taken in as squires or messengers within a chapterhouse while they mature.