The Northlake Academy of Knighthood (Patreon)

The Northlake Academy of Knighthood was founded in 4710 by Ashton Thompson, and Vincent Cerano. This was the second of three such academies they started, each spread across Lutheria. The knights they train act as the primary law and peacekeeping force in the country, with this school intended to serve the area around the city of Northlake, as well as the northern corner of their island nation.

With a current enrolled class of five-hundred and twenty-three students, the goal of the academy is to train the next generation of courageous knights to protect the still burgeoning country. These Knights-in-Training - or KITs are given extensive combat training in addition to continuing the well-rounded education they (hopefully) finished in their regular schooling. Their instructors are full members of the Lutherian Order of Knights themselves, often former students of the very academy they are teaching at.

The academy’s submission process is fairly simple, though enrollment is not guaranteed. All citizens of Lutheria are permitted to apply, as long as they are between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five. Following the approval of their application, potential students will have to complete an interview as well as pass a physical examination; failing either will result in rejection. However, that is not the only way to get into the school: the children of a knight who was previously enrolled, known as a “legacy,” are allowed to skip the interview and even have the standards for their physical examination lowered. Of course, none of this matters if you can’t afford the tuition - five-hundred gold a year.

As KITs, the students have little more responsibility than ensuring they attend classes and training. They are put on strict schedules that they are expected to stick to, with the intention of preparing them for their life on-duty as a full knight after graduation. As they move up in their training, these KITs are given work around the city of Northlake, acting as guards for events around the academy or city. Some will even be taken to “shadow” full knights on duty to get a feel for a full day on the job.

Upon graduation, these students are inducted into the Order of Lutherian Knights, and after another six months of preparation will be sent to their first posting. These are typically located in less-populated areas of the country, allowing them to protect citizens in areas that may be lacking in defenses or an increase in lawlessness. Knights are required to stay at a posting for a minimum of six months before they can request a transfer to another post, though these are rarely granted to those freshly graduated.

Of course, not everyone makes it to graduation. At the end of each school year, KIT’s are tested, both physically and mentally, to see if they are allowed to pass onto the next level of training. Should they fail, the student is expected to repeat the previous year of training and try again next year. Unfortunately, some students will feel discouraged after experiencing this more than once and will then drop out of the academy entirely.

Some people choose to leave for different reasons and through different methods - namely, desertion. As they are technically not yet full knights, KIT’s cannot actually “desert” anything. However any student found to have abandoned and left the school without warning will be considered expelled, their tuition will not be refunded, and they are banned from rejoining the academy or the Lutherian Knights. However for full knights, the punishment for abandoning one’s post is arrest and imprisonment for no less than fifteen years. That acts as a strong deterrent for any potential deserters, though there are plenty of former knights happily living new lives in other parts of the globe.

The bulk of the Lutherian military is made up of a militia that may be less skilled, but is still trained and led by the order of knights, with a branch in each of the country’s major cities. Though they have not experienced active warfare since Lutheria's founding, these knights are always ready to lead their countrymen into battle. They are not alone though: as the Holy Empire of Albion continues to expand its borders, Lutheria has sought to bolster strong ties with its allies. They of course count the Erie to the south, with whom they share the island of Inisfalia among their number, but this also includes the counties of Scania, Galatia, and Spania, all of which are located in the vicinity of Albion. Though none of them wish it, should the worst happen and war engulfs the region, they are all prepared to stand together as one, just as the founders of Lutheria would have hoped.