Triadic knight

Triadic knights were an order of knights who worshiped the Triad, the union of the gods Ilmater, Torm, and Tyr. They believe that to fully embody the virtues of a paladin, they must draw on the strengths of all three of these deities. Through courage and perseverance, Triadic knights seek justice for all.

Triadic knights trace their history back to 729 DR, when the churches of the Triad united to engage in the Triad Crusade during the Fiend Wars of Impiltur. They are found throughout western and central Faerûn in churches and religious orders that embrace the worship of the three gods of the Triad. The largest concentrations of Triadic knights are found in Impiltur, in Tethyr, and in Calimshan, where they venerate Anachtyr in lieu of Tyr.

Culture
Triadic knights are brave, persevering, and honorable at all times, embodying the traits of all three members of the Triad. They exhibit more flexibility than most clerics and paladins of lawful good deities, since they are able to see better than most that sometimes justice must be tempered by mercy, that suffering must be alleviated through courage, or that obedience must give way to what is right.

A Triadic knight can be found in the front lines of combat, fighting hand-to-hand with the champion or leader of their foes. As they grow in power, their ability to embrace the suffering of others, ferret out the truth, and roar in the face of danger makes them a natural leader and an inspirational example for others.

Becoming a Triadic knight requires dedication not to one god, but to three. They spend time studying the dogma of all three faiths and understanding how each church's teachings strengthens the other two. At the start of their career they will rotate among the three faiths, serving the needs of each church individually. As they become seasoned, however, they are expected to be able to identify specific weaknesses of each individual faith and bring their understanding of the rest of the Triad's teaching to bear, thus strengthening all three faiths.

Most people regard Triadic knights with a mixture of awe and guilt, amazed by their bravery and honor, but fearful that they are being secretly "judged". Others simply hate them or view them with admiration. A Triadic knight can expect a warm welcome in good-aligned human realms, much like that accorded a paladin. As a champion of three faiths that are closely allied, they can draw on the resources of all three churches. They are expected to spend coin on armor and weapons that will benefit them in battle, and seek out powerful weapons that are effective against demons and devils.

Although Triadic knights once comprised a single order of paladins, a slim majority of Triadic knights now are independent agents, acting as lone paladins or clerics who have embraced the worship of three like-minded gods with little resistance from members of the individual faiths. Other Triadic knights join one of the many knights orders dedicated to Torm, Tyr, or Ilmater.

Entry
To join the ranks of the Triadic knights, an aspirant must of course be dedicated to one or all three of the gods Ilmater, Torm, and Tyr, and be of lawful and good nature. In particular, they must radiate the aura of good that a cleric or paladin of one of these deities would, so members invariably walked one or both of these paths, at least in part. In addition, they needed to be adept in combat and possessed of especially good endurance. They also needed to be schooled in religious and planar lore, as well local knowledge. Finally, they needed to be initiated into the higher secrets of one of the churchs of Ilmater, Torm, or Tyr and to have learned the associated special combat techniques and spells.

Abilities
A Triadic knight had much in common with a paladin, if they weren't one already, being a holy warrior with many similar abilities. They advanced or acquired a special mount of great intelligence, hardiness, and loyalty, and late in their career they could smite evil beings with the force of their conviction once a day. A paladin turned Triadic knight merely did so much better an extra time per day. The greatest Triadic knights could triple the impact with the "threefold smite".

In addition, as they advanced, they gained extra defensive powers granted by their gods and named for them. The Hands of Ilmater prevented them from being sickened or nauseated. The Eyes of Tyr ensured experienced knights could no longer be dazzled or blinded, except via injury. With the Heart of Torm, veteran knights could feel no fear.

They also gained various magical abilities also commonly named in reference to their gods. The "martyr's embrace" let an early knight create an effect similar to shield other. The "judge's insight" let an experienced knight detect falsehoods as with discern lies. Finally, with "lion's roar" a knight at the pinnacle could create a shout.

They could often continue casting divine spells, if they could do so before, like a cleric or experienced paladin. Meanwhile, their existing aura of good grew stronger.

In addition to the common skills of a mounted warrior, a Triadic knight could be skilled in healing, diplomacy, and sensing deceit, and knowledgeable in local affairs, the nobility and royalty, and religious and planar lore.