Westridge Cavaliers

The Westridge Cavaliers are the order of knights of the Brotherhood of the Horse who hail from the Duchy of Westridge. They have traditionally served the House of Wrynn under the House of Montclair's leadership. Following a rigid code of chivalry, each knight is sworn to uphold what is considered lawful and good in the Kingdom of Stormwind and the Grand Alliance.

Chivalric Code
The Westridge Cavaliers follow a code of chivalry adapted from the Brotherhood of the Horse. While short in length, each tenet has long-reaching implications that each knight must discover and take to heart on their own.


 * '''The Chivalric Code of the Knighted Order of Westridge


 * Have faith in the Light and maintain its Church.
 * Serve thy liege lord in valour and faith.
 * Falter not in the pursuit of justice.
 * Forgive those who wrong you.
 * At all times speak the truth.
 * Protect the weak and defenceless.
 * Give succour to widows and orphans.
 * Refrain from the wanton giving of offence.
 * Live by honor and for glory.
 * Refuse monetary reward.
 * Guard the honor of fellow knights.
 * Eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit.
 * Complete any enterprise begun.
 * Respect the honor of women.
 * Never turn thy back upon an enemy.

Structure
While the Westridge Cavaliers ultimately swear fealty to the reigning patron of the House of Wrynn, they take direction from the rulers of the Duchy of Westridge. The King of Stormwind, King Varian Wrynn tasks the reigning Lord of Westridge, Duke Maxen Montclair to raise dutiful and chivalric knights to protect his realm and its holdings.

The reigning Lord's family and inner council all make up the upper echelons of the knighted order. The Lord's Council is responsible for exhibiting virtue and the chivalric principles so that the Westridge Cavaliers might aspire to become greater knights.

Only the most senior and well respected of the Westridge Cavaliers are given the prestige of Knight-Captain, those whom are trusted to oversee their fellows in both strife and peace. They are also tasked with assisting knights in the training of their squires and ultimately determining who among the squireship are prepared to take their vows.

The Sworn Knights of the Westridge Cavaliers are the brave men and women from which the order derives its fame. They are those who swear themselves to the chivalric code and master the arts of combat and horsemanship. Knights of the Westridge Cavaliers are responsible for taking on squires and training them in the ways of chivalry and duty to their liege-lord. Through their skills in battle and steadfastness in their adherence to the chivalric principles, sworn knights are given free reign to adventure throughout Azeroth - spreading virtue and the king's doctrine wherever they might find way.

In interest of educating the Knights and Squires of Westridge, the Lord and his council often hire Scholars to accompany their travels and supplement the goals and ideals of the Westridge Cavaliers. While not of the expectations of the knighthood, the scholars who accompany the cavaliers are often renowned and well respected in their own fields of expertise.

Squires are the servants of the knighthood who aspire to become sworn knights of the order. Each is assigned to a sworn knight of the same sex to carry their equipment, practice combat skills and in general be an open-minded student in the ways of chivalry. As squires adventure with their sworn knights, they are to gain the experience they need to become knights themselves.

Membership
What once were a grand order of knights were nearly wiped out during the destruction wrought by the Orcish Wars. Of the nearly two hundred Sworn Knights, only a few dozen managed to survive the First War - the foremost of which included Sir Robert Rolhelm, Sir Arthur Trueblade, Sir Bronjam Highmountain and Duke Maxen Montclair. Several more perished in the Second War and of the order's leadership, only the Duke and Sir Trueblade survived to see the war's end.

In the decades that followed the liberation of the Kingdom of Stormwind, the House of Montclair focused on rebuilding its holdings and aiding with reconstruction efforts throughout the realm instead of raising its own chivalric knights - not by choice, but by necessity in the Dark Times that gripped the kingdom.

Only in the past decade has the order begun to rebound as new knights rose to the occasion. After retiring from his commanding position in the First Regiment of the Stormwind Army, Lord Maxen Montclair has taken to training new knights for the Westridge Cavaliers.