Red Knight

The Red Knight was the Faerûnian deity of strategy and battle tactics and an exarch of Tempus, Lord of Battle. She kept her true name secret, knowing that if anyone discovered it, they would gain insight into every strategy and war plan throughout the planes. The dogma of the Lady of Strategy dictated the use of careful tactics to wage war, for only through masterful planning could lasting victory be won.

Description
The Red Knight always appeared in blood-red plate mail, her presence commanding attention and respect. Her long braids of dark hair streamed out behind her while her eyes gleamed like ruby stars.

Personality
The Red Knight was possessed of a calm and logical bearing, rarely raising her voice and unafraid of sending her worshipers to their death if necessary for her plans. She disliked fickleness and did not appreciate those that switched allegiance constantly or capriciously. She was not a heartless goddess however, displaying a great wealth of compassion and said to love a good joke, responding with a throaty laugh.

Relationships
The Red Knight looked to Tempus as a father figure and spent a great amount of time with him. Most often they were busy visiting ongoing battles in Faerun or reviewing those of the past, but they were also known to simply hunt together or share stories in his feasting hall. On Tempus's part, his relationship with her was much like that of a father to his daughter, a fond and protective one whose brilliant child worked hard and well in the family business, that being war. It was he who had sponsored her ascension to a demigod and encouraged her worship, and only him who knew her true name.

The Red Knight saw Valkur, the god of sailors, as her best ally in the disposition of naval conflicts, and had tried to persuade him into taking more interest in doing so. Valkur meanwhile felt his primary duty was the protection of sailors, and she sometimes expected him to show more than his demonstrated willingness to commit to anything besides this (although he did become an exarch of Tempus as she did during the Spellplague).

Another ally of the Red Knight was Torm, who had begun forging a close relationship with the Red Knight at the urging of his superior Tyr in the hopes of tempering her lust for war with an appreciation of justice. The two were similar in disposition, had interests (namely fighting and the duties of warriors) that coincided well, and she was known to be fond of him. Whether they were simply close friends or actually in love was a matter they kept to themselves.

The Red Knight reserved her greatest animosity for Cyric; even if she didn't despise him as the utmost of traitors and deceivers, the Lady of Strategy would still deem him a poor planner. Though she disliked Garagos, the Red Knight had not personally come to blows with him. The Bloodreaver harbored deep resentment to both her and her superior, though unless his destructiveness could some day compensate for his tactical ineptitude, he would suffer if they ever did battle. Her distaste for Garagos was based in what Tempus had told her of him, and some speculated that Tempus granted the Red Knight her divinity so that she could serve as his natural counterbalance.

Worshipers
The Red Knight was worshiped by generals, tacticians, lawful-minded warriors and paladins alike. Her symbol was a red knight chess piece with stars for eyes.

Rituals
Clerics of the Red Knight, or "holy strategists," prayed for their spells at night before sleeping to prepare for the next day. In addition to observing the holy days of the church of Tempus, the church of the Red Knight -- the "Red Fellowship" -- had two important holy days of its own.

The Retreat
On Midwinter Day the Red Fellowship observed the Retreat. This solemn ceremony consisted of an assembly wherein the clergy discussed the previous year's campaigns. Strategies were discussed, battles analyzed, and the accumulated lore integrated into the church's teachings.

The Queen's Gambit
On the 1st of Tarsakh, the clergy of the Red Knight held an annual festival called the Queen's Gambit. During this day-long extravaganza, the Red Fellowship unwound with feasting and gaming. Day-long tournaments of chess (also known as lanceboard, hence the Red Knight's second title, "Grandmaster of the Lanceboard") were held, with the tournament victors receiving recognition, titles of merit, promotions, and occasionally a gift from the temple armory.

History


During the Time of Troubles, the Red Knight's avatar possessed Lady Kaitlin Tindall Bloodhawk. While possessed, she and her adventuring band traveled to Tethyr and successfully repelled a large army of monsters, earning the nation's gratitude. However, she returned to her clan's stronghold to find it destroyed. She reconstructed the fort and declared it a temple to the Red Lady, and from them on it was known as the Citadel of Strategic Militancy. In time, it became the center of worship for the Church of the Red Knight. Bloodhawk continued to lead the Order of the Red Falcon, a small knightly order worshiping the Red Knight that trained officers and others in tactics and military history.

The Red Knight, or the Red Lady as she was known locally, was the patron of the ruling family of Ankhapur and her clergy trusted with the care of the Cup and Knife - the traditional symbols of the King's authority. This patronage ended in 1366 DR, when Janol Famisso took the throne and chose to favor Lathander. Of note is that in Ankhapur, the Red Knight was venerated by some as the Red Lord, a male deity, as opposed to elsewhere where she is exclusively considered female.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Icewind Dale
 * Icewind Dale