Origins

Ossik has long had cultural traditions of raising grand champions to smite their foes, and they still cling to many of the old ways. One vestige of this tradition is the continued proliferation of the Knightly Orders of Ossik. There is no doubting it, Ossik is a dangerous land to travel alone or in the dark. The vast stretches of dense forest and abundance of abandoned ruins gives both beasts and bad actors plenty of places to live and lay ambushes from.

To combat this threat and ensure trade continues unabated with the outside world, centuries ago Ossik instituted the Knightly Orders. Orders are filled by the non-inheriting children of nobles and distinguished commoners alike. As such, most Orders are a melting pot of society that keeps the nobles from getting too detached from the common folk and the commoners from feeling they have no say in the halls of power. Of course, tempers will still flare from time to time and new recruits sometimes need to learn to respect their siblings in arms regardless of background, but each order has their own ways of keeping the peace.

Recruitment

To join a knightly order, you must first impress a member of the Order. This is a lot easier than it sounds as the member who sponsors you for membership will also end up as the knight you are squire to. It is a sign of great trust and respect to be chosen by an knight to watch his back, and it is accordingly rare as a result.

A common way to accomplish this is to be the tournament winner in a contest of skill at the Trial of the Commons. This will turn heads and often get you a shot at joining an order to which your skill is relevant.

Alternatively you could attract the interest of a member of the Order of the White Lance. More on them later but suffice it to say they will train you if they see potential, and if you're ready they will recommend you to an order. That order nearly always accepts the recommendation and assigns you to a willing knight.

Finally, in rare circumstance you can either be born a noble and afford to be trained to the point a knight is willing to take you on, or you can have a noble sponsor you for that training. This is less common, but it's not unheard of for minor nobles to send their spare sons to court the orders and try to get recruited.

The Modern Orders

It's not actually confidently known how many Orders exist, but it's estimated that there are at least 30 orders of varying prominence. The difficulty in counting is due to some orders being very in remote areas or having a niche purpose. For example, the Order of the Swan are actually mariners dedicated to defending the shores of the nation. As such, they spend very little time at home and plenty at sea or far afield while The Order of the Peak spend most of their time hunting threats in the mountains.

As a result of having different disciplines what a knight looks like can vary greatly too. The Order of the Bear are elite shock infantry troops, they are clad head to toe in heavy plate armor and look much more like what you might imagine a Knight as. But the Order of the Swan have no use for plate armor, it's much too heavy to swim in and would rust at sea. They tend to wear leather armors and flowing cloth. What unifies all the orders and aids in identification is the knightly crest of their order, often displayed prominently on their chest in the form of a badge or crest alongside a personal coat of arms.

A popular Order is the Order of the Old Growth. They are expert monster hunters who hunt all manner of monstrosities that hunt the innocent in the dark forests of Ossik. Their travels take them far and wide, so they have an easier time with recruitment and enjoy strong public support in the Tournament of the White Lance.

The Order of the White Lance

When a Knight Exemplar has served with distinction and is ready to retire from active service, they are offered the chance to join the Order of the White Lance. This order runs the yearly tournament that bears their name and ensures that each order gains enough recruits to sustain itself and be fit to serve. They are recruiters, teachers, bardic storytellers, public relations specialists, and social advocates all in one. While they are technically retired, in truly dire times this order has been known to decide to take up arms again and fight grave threats.
One such legend tells of the oldest members of the order choosing to draw their blades and enact a suicide charge to protect some squires from a Deep Wyrm that managed to get out of the undercity and go on a rampage.

They are many things, but above all else they are a cherished part of Ossik's shared culture can expect a warm welcome in any settlement in Ossik.