Grail knights clan ranks.
Ruling class

King/rex regis 

 The king rules over the holy kingdom of Validus ferrum in which he supplies law and order and defends its citizens from the barbarous hordes across the frontier.
The king holds absolute power in the clan and may kick or demote any member he wishes with a good reason. He is charged with the clan’s upkeep as a whole.

Kings:{Grailknights}Merlin{K}

Prince/princeps cipis 

 The prince rules over the Corps, commanding all troops assigned to that Corps and is responsible for defending the kingdom and inforcing the laws in the name of the king.
The prince is charged with the duty of maintaining a strong force by conducting training excersises, arranging for competition in tournaments, recruiting and giving recommendations for promotions to the king and high council.The prince can assume the duties of the king in the event of the currents kings departure, he may also kick or demote any member he wishes but must submit a reason to the king and high council before doing so.

Princes:{Grailknights}_____{P}

Steward/stella sto steti statum

 The steward is appointed by the king to run the kingdom as he sees fit until the king returns to assume the throne. This occurs when there is no heir or no heir of age to rule on his behalf. Only a High Council member can hold the position of steward unless no one is willing to assume the duty, then the king may select whom ever he sees fit.

 Kings will sometimes leave the throne in the hands of a sutiable advisor, confidant that has the skills to rule and command in his stead while he fights in distant lands or enters into sabbatical.

If the king passes onto the heavens and there is no heir to the throne, then the steward may be crowned king upon the approval of the high council representing the kingdom.

In stewardship the steward holds all the same rights that the king has and must run the kingdom in the name of the king until his return.

Steward:{Grailknights}_____{S}

Lord Elders/Erus: 

 Clan Lord Elders are the founders of the Clan, they where here from the begining and played a significant role in the development, stability and success of the Kingdom. Their contributions are immeasurable and they are charged with the duty of counsuling the King, Princes, Stewarts and Warlords. They are also chared with the duty to protect the King as Body Gaurds and they are lead by the OverLord

OverLord: {GrailKnights}_______{O}

Lord Elders are required to vote on all matters of grave importance and continue to help lead this Kingdom with their wisdom.

Lord Elders:{GrailKnights}_______{E}

Divisional ranks

High Councillors.Warlord/ ferox

 Warlords are wealthy nobles who own large counties called agers. They are expected to lead their war bands to the kings side and command divisions of his army some warlords also act as diplomats to foreign countries.

Warlords are able to demote anyone in their division but must report to the king before kicking a member. They can recruit and promote members of their division.

Warlords:{Grailknights}______{WL-X}

Lord/Erus

 Lords are men who command and supply a war band of men oath sworn to them. Men in a war band will paint there shields with the emblem of their lord. Most lords command 150-200 men and there are about ten lords in a ager.

Lords assist the warlords in the running of a division and it is one of the highest attainable ranks in the clan. They must be involved in recruitment, the training of new recruits, organization and command of the division, especially if the Warlord is away.

Lords:{Grailknights}______{L-X}

Officer class/Noble/ Optimus

A noble is a warrior who is oath sworn to serve his king. Nobles are high figures in society and on the battlefield serve right on the front lines commanding about 50 men. It is their duty to keep them drilled and disciplined and without these men Validus ferrum would be overwhelmed by superior numbers.

In the clan nobles are responsible for training new recruits in the ways of war. They moderate the forums for any bad behaviour and may recruit.

Nobles:{Grailknights}______{N-X}

Paladins/Mucro gero

The sword bearers of Dionysuis, these highly skilled and trained men act as elite cavalry and form a warlord’s household guard. In times of war they are called upon to form a bodyguard and perform devastating charges against the enemy. A pact binds them to their lord and if they break that pact the result is death. The best of the best it is no wonder these men are called the bearers of the sword.

To become a paladin you must show real commitment to the clan and must participate often. In battle they lead all ranks lower than them and may recruit at their warlord’s or king’s discretion.

Paladins:{Grailknights}______{Pa-X}

Knights/Miles militis

Knights are men pledged to serve a lord in battle and are very well equipped with horse, lance and armour. They are more numerous than the paladins and so from shock cavalry units in battle. A knight is a soldier in every sense of the word he trains night and day to perfect his skills a professional soldier if there ever was one. These men regularly patrol the border for raiders and are tough and hardy men.

Becoming a knight signifies entry into the officer class and a higher order of privileges. To become a knight you must have served the clan well and play total war a lot. Knights may lead all ranks lower than them and may issue challenges to become the Grail knight clan champion.

Knights:{GrailKnights}______{Kn-X}

Warrior class/Men-at-arms

Professional Men-at-arms provide the bulk of the kingdoms forces in battle and only there heritage stops them from being knights. Men-at-arms are organised into companies led by a noble who hires out there services to Lords on campaign and even on occasion the King. Being professional soldiers the men are militarily the equal of knight. Yet because they are often the sons of farmers and poor folk the men cannot afford the luxury of a warhorse. Despite this many men become rich through ransoming captured Knights allowing them to purchase more armour than the mail hauberk that is required in order to join a company. Men-at-arms are equipped with many different weapon combinations with some companies preffering the sword and shield approach and others leave the shield and just bring halberds or warhammers to the fight. This allows an immemse amount of flexibility in the tactics a commander can employ when using these men.

Men-at-arms form the bulk of the clan and are generally very capable warriors who have not yet risen to knightly status. To move up to a knight the player must show genuine interest in the clan and post pretty regulary. Men-at-arms may lead all of the ranks lower than them but may not issue a challenge to become clan champion. They are also allowed the passwords to the war room and round table.

Man-at-arms:{Grailknights}______{Ma-X}

Levy Warriors/Yeomen

Yeomen units are formed from the farmer class of the Kingdom. Thye are not proffesional soldiers but are well trained and equipped. On the field they have numerous roles some men take up the dreaded longbow that all enemies of the Kingdom fear, some take up the Bill weapon a farming tool that has been adapted to the battlefield that can rip a knight from his horse and break through his armour finally many men are equipped with a longsword that can split a man straight down the middle. It comes as little suprise that the Yeomen of the kingdom are called by many the Knight slayers.

Yeomen are players who have moved up form recruit staus but have not yet been in the clan long enough to be given the Passwords to the Round Table but they may post in the war room.

Yeoman:{Grailknights}______{Ye-X}

Milita

Warriors who fight in the militia are not well trained or disciplined. They are recruited to defend villages and rarely ever advance out of sight of their city or town, this allows the superior troops to not worry about defending their homelands and alows for the King to command a standing army. Militia men are not heavily armoured wearing little more than a bolied leather hauberk and a steel cap. The weapons that militia use varies from province to province some men like those from Locksaed go to battle weilding a pike a small shield but the vast majority are armed wit only a spear and round shield. These men cannot be expected to stand against seasoned veterans and will die or run very quickly, however when defending there settlements they will often fight to the last man to defend there families.

The Militia consists oif new recruits who have yet to complete their two week trial by fire as a result they may only post in the Levy forum and guest froums.

Militia:{Grailknights}______{Mi-X}