The Levyman's Oath

[Deets 1129]

 

The Levyman’s Oath

“The Knighthood does not stand alone. Their honor is upheld by a host of men and women who form the Order’s true strength in war. The levy, the Men-at-Arms and the Sergeants. The professional soldiery who march beneath the banner of the Commonwealth.”

The Ordre du Petrine Laurel, 200 A.R.P

 

Issued and averred by

Their Highnesses

&

Atstana de

Regne Petrère

221

 

 

BESIDE EVERY KNIGHT ATOP THEIR STEED, are an equal number of leal men-at-arms. For generations, from the time of the ill-fated Ausecan Corps, to the City Watch of Vallagne and the Riverguard of old, aside the knight, the pride of this Commonwealth are those men-at-arms who must be lauded in equal measure. For many years they have worn the livery and fought in the name of this Commonwealth. In no smaller measure do the men-at-arms of the Petrine Laurel hold to the Four Chivalries and the Seven Mercies by which the Knights of the Laurel abide. Thus, it is high time that their traditions, however informal in the past, be made official and known. For as the Maître-Sergent Pierre de Châtillon wrote of its reformation, the men-at-arms of the Commonwealth are the backbone of its military. 

 

Under past reigns, the idea of an oath for the levy had been a practice dating back to the Riverguard of Générale Godric von Theonus, circa 82 A.R.P. Though not pledged to the Laurel directly as squires or knights-errant, these men yet sought to hold themselves to the same ideals and standard as was expected of the Knighthood. Through valour they too would prove themselves as capable and steadfast as the River Petra. 

 

The Coat of Arms of the Riverguard.

 

The first recorded practice of informal oathing in the later iterations of the Pétrine military comes in scattered fragments. Largely passed down through oral tradition, from grizzled sergeant to the younger men-at-arms, the practice had seen a decline amidst the Great Exodus from the continent of Aevos, though in honor of its spirit, it is worth detailing its origins. While the Ordre of the Petrine Laurel has been the mainstay of the Pétrine military for over a century, dating back to its reformation under Queen Catherine I of the Petra, the non-knightly component of the Pétrine has underground reform throughout each reign following her own. 

 

Under the command of the first Prince of Abrana, the House of the Petra employed a small professional corps of men-at-arms to bolster the City Watch of Vallagne. The duties of this unit often included the garrisoning of the palace complex in the heart of Vallagne. Tight-knit in nature, these men developed the tradition which would later come to be the basis for the practices yet performed.Though it never attained more than a few hundred fighting men, the ethos and essence of the Ausecan Corps became what would come to be the later informal practices of future Pétrine oaths and tradition amongst the levies and men-at-arms of the Pétrine militaries. 

 

Nearby the River Petra of Aevos, Sarsen had been sourced amidst the construction of the city nestled on the clifftop above. The palatial district itself was largely constructed of this stone when it was rebuilt by Queen Catherine. Within these new stones, the men of the Ausecan Corps began the practice of scrawling their name within the rocks which comprised the confines of their barracks. The practice was a celebration, done when a man was inducted into the corps, completing their training and officially becoming a household retainer in service to the corps. 

 

It is said that afterwards, a white stone was given to the man who scrawled their name into the stone to be kept as a reminder of both his duty, and the camaraderie and shared purpose he held with his fellow Ausecans. Similarly, in the case of desertion or breach of the oath, the stone of an Ausecan would be dipped in tar, rendering it blackened. A symbolic, yet visible, reminder of their failing to their fellow soldiers. From this simple practice did a more elaborate form of ritual emerge, coming to incorporate an oath similar to the one taken below in its spirit and pride. It is from this practice of the Ausecan Corps and the past oath of the Riverguard that much of the Levyman’s Oath is derived, some practices removed and some enshrined in recent years by the Knight-Captain, Sir Therin. The words of this oath themselves are taken from the spirit of a past figure of Petrine military history, Générale Godric von Theonus of the Riverguard. 

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The wall upon which the name of an oathed Levyman is inscribed within the Red Bastion of Riviènse, alongside an artistic interpretation of the oathing ceremony itself.

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The process of the oath remains largely unchanged as it did amidst its informal practice of the past. Its greatest change is that it is now administered by a Maître-Sergeant of the Ordre or its Knight-Captain. Each Levyman inducted into the Ordre is expected to swear to uphold the Levyman’s Oath, as each squire and Knight of the Ordre is expected in turn to swear to the Four Chivalries and Seven Mercies. 

 

The prospective Levyman shall come to kneel upon one knee before the mural and stones, repeating the oath below as instructed by the Knight-Captain or Maître-Sergeant. The process is slow, methodical. Each sentence spoken with reverence and a clear sense of the commitment that is to be made by the oath-taker. It is an oath taken for life, it is an oath which commits oneself to excellence and valour in the Lands of Autumn. For two centuries has the Commonwealth stood, shielded by steadfast knights and men-at-arms, whose role is no-less important than that of the Petrine Laurel. 

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In honor of the prior traditions, the practice of placing one’s name continues as the culmination of swearing the Levyman’s Oath. After having sworn to the oath, the Knight-Captain or Maître-Sergeant shall invite the now-oathed Levyman to place their name upon the wall, joining their own to the many who had sworn the oath before them. A sense of pride and gravity oft befalls the oathtaker as they come to see the many who they shall now serve alongside, and those who have sworn themselves in years past. 

 

 

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Fear shall not govern my heart. In the face of adversity, I shall stand resolute, demonstrating unwavering courage and bravery both in battle and in life. 

 

I shall conduct myself with unyielding integrity, refraining from deceit, and treachery. My word is my bond, and my actions shall reflect my spirit and soul.

 

My commitment to my sacred duty shall be unwavering. I shall defend the House of the Petra, and this Commonwealth, even should that come at the cost of my life.

 

May GOD above bear witness to this sacred oath, and may he grant me strength and courage to fulfill my duty until my last breath.

 

May Saint Emma guide my blade, for I shall stand resolute in the face of adversity, undaunted by the perils that may challenge my duty.

 

So swear I, in the presence of my comrades and the divine providence that watches over our noble land.

 

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O   S A I N T E   R È G N E   P E T R È R E

 

HIS HIGHNESS, Joseph Antonius Aurèle, Archduke of the Petran Commonwealth, Prince of Riviènse, Duke of Seviel, Marquis de Val d’Estenou, Count of Moere, Neraquelles, Temesch, Torm Marian, and Vallagne, Viscount of Mies, Baron of Eagles Peak, Garmont, Hrenthorne, and Resmore, Protector of the Meadows.

HER HIGHNESS, Magdalena Anastasya, Archduchess of the Petran Commonwealth, Princess of Riviènse, Duchess of Seviel, Marquise de Val d’Estenou, Countess of Moere, Neraquelles, Temesch, Torm Marian, and Vallagne, Viscountess of Mies, Baroness of Eagles Peak, Garmont, Hrenthorne, and Resmore, Protector of the Meadows, Lady Emissary of the Salvian Bureau & Dame of the Petrine Laurel.