Triadic knight

Triadic knights were an order of knights who worshiped the Triad, the union of the gods Ilmater, Torm, and Tyr. They called upon the combined power of the three deities to combat the devils, demons, and other evils that plagued the world.

History
Triadic knights originated among the Order of the Triad, a knightly order of Old Impiltur that served the crown in combatting the fiends that plagued the kingdom in the 8 to the 12th century DR. However, in the long Kingless Years (926–1097 DR)) and in the early years of the Heltharn Dynasty (1097 DR onward),  though they held firm to their traditions and faith, their numbers waned to nil as the holy champions were gradually killed off by fiends and other foes and no more knights replaced them. Eventually, the Order of the Triad was no more.

Yet its traditions and faith in the Triad survived in future generations, in the form of Triadic knights in not one by many knightly orders. A century into the new Heltharn Dynasty, in the Year of the Shrike, 1196 DR, King Imphras II was inspired to found a new holy knightly order to serve the monarchy and revise the Order of the Triad's traditions. The Most Holy Order of the Sacred Shrike would come to be known simply as the Knights of Imphras II Circa 1374 DR, its leading members were these Triadic knights.

Meanwhile, beyond Impiltur, in central and west Faerûn, Triadic knights served in the countless knightly orders dedicated to Ilmater, Torm, and Tyr, or the Triad as a whole. They were present in large numbers as leading members of the Knights Kuldar at Barakmordin in Tethyr and of the Janessar in Calimshan, both dedicated to the Triad. However, the majority, though not by much, were independent clerics and paladins who venerated the Triad apart from the individual churches with little if any opposition from them.

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.