The Code of Stars
HS 5 Bonus: +1 Investigations
HS 10 Bonus: None
HS 20 Bonus: None
HS 40 Bonus: None
Holy Orders: None
In the years after the emergence of the new kingdoms on Brenn-Tyr, Romantic Chivalry spread across all corners of the continent. Originally conceived as a code of conduct for the natives of the Banner Holds, the gradual expansion and necessary reinterpretation of formerly untouched adages and ancient parables threatened to dilute the tenets of Romantic Chivalry beyond the understanding of its guardians in the Hall of Heralds. Recognizing this danger, but also exulting in the successes that led to it, the High Herald convened a conference of all followers of the tenets of Romantic Chivalry from across Brenn-Tyr, even inviting those smaller organizations that held true to the spirit of the doctrine in defiance of their fellows, such as the Order of the Drake. After more than a month of discussion, debate, and negotiation, the High Herald emerged with a new collection of adages to guide those devoted to Romantic Chivalry. No longer a loose collection of aspirational and cautionary tales, this living Code of Stars is put forward to guide the brave, the chivalrous, and the just through whatever new challenges the uncertain future might present.
Pursue the Impossible
The core and guiding tenet to the Code of Stars, the exhortation to pursue the impossible serves as a guideline for both a follower's internal and external life. Many and varied are the pressures and threats in the world that press down on the better natures of mortalkind, tempting compromise or surrender. The Code of Stars defies even seemingly-impossible odds, and though it recognizes that achieving the impossible is the stuff of legends and miracles, the pursuit and embrace of high ideals is anodyne to body and spirit. A devotee of the Code of Stars is encouraged to pursue excellence in all things, and to provide aid to those struggling along the path.
Hold Truth in Your Heart
Much as fear and uncertainty threaten to waylay a devotee's growth, falsehood in all its forms can mislead individuals and kingdoms alike. The Code of Stars instructs its followers to be true in word and deed, and perhaps most importantly to be ever-alert for self-deception. Times of struggle have often led good people down the path of expediency in the name of some "greater good," and the Code of Stars is ever watchful against such sweet prevarication.
Disdain Complacency in Thought and Deed
There were many among the faithful, and many without, that might have confidently expressed a fundamental understanding of the world when the new kingdoms first emerged. The Night of Fire, where three moons were ripped from the heavens, revealed the great lie of that proud understanding. The Code of Stars cautions against anything simply presumed to be true, and charges its adherents with a constant pursuit of enlightenment and understanding. After all, it is impossible to exalt truth without also nurturing an inquisitive mind.
Defend the Weak
The dangers of the world are many and varied, and each person's fitness to combat those dangers is just as varied. The Code of Stars instructs its adherents to act in defense of their fellows, be they neighbor or stranger. Concurrently, those seeking the protection of their fellows should not abrogate all effort and constraint to those helpful shoulders - rather, adherents of the Code of Stars should join together to share the burden of defense, and thus become stronger together than they might be divided.
Punish the Wicked
As followers of the Code must come together in mutual defense, so too must the Code recognize and act against those creatures that would threaten it.
Honor the Living and the Dead
All beings, regardless of race or creed, are due a certain fundamental respect within the Code of Stars. Birth alone is no indicator of virtue or malice, and even unknown or seemingly savage peoples might safeguard some unforeseen wisdom. So too must a devotee honor those who have come before, ever while acknowledging that the truths of the past way give way to the revelations of the present.
Stand Tall for the Right
While the Code of Stars respects those peoples that live outside its precepts, the Code remains the path to virtue. Adherents of the Code should stand tall as living examples of that virtue, and should not shrink from the provocations of other doctrines or the disdain of strangers. Every challenge against the faith is an opportunity to display the wisdom of the Code of Stars.
Atone Your Trespasses
In a doctrine that encourages the pursuit of the impossible, failure is not an unforgiveable sin. Even the surest step might stumble in times of hardship, and sometimes the distinction between truth and lie is as shadowed and indistinct as the shadows of the deep Wood. However, to follow the Code is to open one's eyes to such failings, and follow them with earnest penance. It is equally the duty of the followers of the Code of Stars to recognize and accept the penitent acts of one gone astray, though charity must always be tempered by vigilance towards the truth.