The Knightly Oath and the Court of the King
When a Squire gains the power to teleport, he is brought to the court of the King of Orion. The king himself, usually at the advice of the Knights Commander and Grand Master, assign a quest to the Squire. If he completes the quest, the King will then dub him knight, grant invest him with a sword and a Marvel Crystal. Then, the new Knight Errant takes the Oath of Knighthood and so joins the brotherhood. The oath is as follows:
“In the name of God and my Sacred Honor, I swear to defend the Kingdom of Orion from all enemies, to protect the life and honor of its king, to uphold the laws of its Assembly and the dooms of its king, and to save its people from tyranny, oppression and ravage as long as there is breath in my body and strength in my arm.”
The king then strikes the squire on the cheek and says
“Let that be the last blow you take and let go unavenged, for now I declare you a knight of the realm: I give you the right to bear arms and to meet out justice within my realm. Rise Sir Knight, take from me this Sword and Crystal as the tools of your service.”
Knights Errant must spend one month a year in the Royal Court to do the bidding of the king. If a Knight fails in this duty he must answer for it in formal inquiry (unless permission was granted before hand). Many knights spend much more than this single month at the court. The king calls a Knightly Court at least once a month wherein knights report their great deeds to the king and other knights and ask for boons or rewards in return for their service, and where the king calls for volunteers for quests in his name. Achieving glory in Royal Quests and the corresponding rewards are the aim of a great many Knights. Other Knights are driven by other motivations and wander in search of knowledge, positions of leadership, power or wealth, but all must do the bidding of the king at times.
While many knights have diverse interests and pursue various activities across space, they are all honor bound to protect the realm, its king, people and laws. They are also held to a high standard of personal honor. When a knight is accused of violating the code of the order, he is tried at the Royal Court of Dooms, with the king himself acting as judge. This is the only court that has the power to strip away a man’s knighthood. If such a sentence is decreed, the miscreant is stripped of his Marvel Crystal and his sword is broken. If he committed other crimes he is handed over for trial, otherwise he is slapped on a slow space transport for the long, slow trip home.
The Knights of Orion practice the custom of dueling. There are strict rules to a duel of honor. It can only be performed publicly at the Royal Palace on Orion, it must be carried out with knightly swords, and after the first wound, if the challenger is the one wounded, either party may declare that honor is satisfied. Otherwise both parties must agree that honor is satisfied to honorably end the duel before one or the other party is incapacitated.