Oaths

"The Line is Law, Nicholas. Our Oaths come first!" - Selwyn Kane, Legendborn

"Our Oaths are stronger than consciousness, stronger than thought.” - William, Legendborn (Paperback Edition)

“Intention is the engine behind every Oath, and I forge mine into an unshakable, ironclad resolve to watch Brians Matthews die. This feeling, once you've held it in your heart and feel it in your veins, never goes away. It takes up residence in your heart, forever.” - Selwyn Kane, Legendborn (Paperback Edition)

Description

Oaths are living bonds sealed by speech. Their words pull aether from the air so that the commitment becomes a part of you.

The Order

Various Oath ceremonies are taken by everybody in the Order. The ceremony is conducted by a Merlin, who performs the Oathbond. Oaths are a foundational part of the Order's structure. Bree describes the feelings of taking an Oath as like a cool tide that streams down her back like a waterfall until she's covered in it.

Oaths are ancient vows sworn by warriors of the medieval. In those days, men committed themselves to higher powers and greater missions, and left behind the petty concern of earthly pursuits. Likewise, the Order is fashioned after the body politic.

Technically

Oaths are sealed though personal belief and intention combined. Oath bounds are extraordinarily powerful magic. Meant to elicit responses in the bounded parties almost before they can think. Under the bonded Oaths, decisions become instincts. Thoughts become impulses. Useful in battle, when life and death are decided in split seconds. The Kingsmage Oath link are very deeply.

The Oaths binds to their bodies through intention, and live within them to punish deviations from a given promise. The Oath bind to their DNA and bind people together, either as individuals one to one, or one to a group."

Code of Secrecy

The first Oath taken by anybody in the Order is the Code of Secrecy.

Merlins are trained to prevent Onceborn deaths (being extremely rare), and securing the Code. If Onceborns ever knew the truth, there'd be mass fear, chaos-two things Shadowborn thrive on. The Code threatened. Merlins are authorized to do whatever it takes to keep the war hidden.

After a Vassal swears to the Code of Secrecy and pledges to the Order, someone from their assigned Line explains the origin of the Order and its mission. If they want their kid to Page and have a chance of becoming a Squire, that child is sworn to the Code as well.

Oath of Fealty

The Oath of Fealty, also known as the First Oath, is taken at the annual initiation process for the Order. Pages pledge themselves to the order and its mission by taking the Oath of Fealty. The Order's work goes unseen and unrewarded by the very lives we protect, therefore no other commitment is more sacred. Pages have known about the Order most of their lives, but only in abstract. Merlins are the first of many revelation only privy to Oathed members of the Order, as they are the ones conducting the Oaths.

The Page make an Oath to the Order and, through their Legendborn sponsor, the Order makes one to them. If the Oath finds you worthy, you will officially become a member of the Chapter and be granted Sight, the ability to see aether. The Oath will know if and when you intend to break it and works like mesmer. The penalty for breaking the Oath of Fealty is total mesmer and cast out.

Legendborn parents explain the Order and Lines to their children when we're young. Vassals know enough to be dangerous, but with new Pages (wanting to be a squire), the sponsors are usually the ones who fill in all the juicy details.

“I, {name}, offer my service to the Order in the name of our king. I swear to be the shield of the {Chapter} the eyes and ears of its territory. I swear to aid in its battles and arm its warriors. I swear to guard its secrets and secure all that I see and hear henceforth.” - Page

”The penalty of breaking this vow is total mesmer and excommunication to the darkness of unknowing, never to return to the light. Do you bind yourself still? - Sponsor

“I do” - Page

”I, {name}, {Square/Scion Line} accept your Oath on behalf of our ancients Order and welcome you to service. We grant you Sight so that you may see the world illuminated for as long as your heart is true.” - Sponsor

Oath of Service

• Merlins are sworn to the Legendborn.
• Merlins take the Oath of Service to the High Council of Regents.
• Viceroy are sworn to the Regents.
• Regents are sworn to the Crown Scion. This Oath is taken during the Rite of Kings. The Crown Scion must formally and intentionally claim their title before the Regents to initiate the transfer of power officially.
• The Crown Scion Oath themselves in service to the entirety of the Order in order to claim their title. This Oath is taken during the Rite of Kings.

Oath of Support

"Y cyngor, wedi'i alw ynghyd, i glywed gorchymyn. Y cyngor, wedi'i alw ynghyd, i ganiatáu cais." (The Council, gathered, to receive a demand. The Council, gathered, to grant a bid.) - Legendborn

"Lly o gefnogaeth i'r Chwedlanedig, yn addawedig. Llw o wasanaeth i'r Chwedlanedig, iddo'n rhwym." (An Oath of Support to the Legendborn, pledged. An Oath of Service to the Legendborn bound.) - Regent

The Hight Council must answer a Legendborn call for a curia and granting their formal request in the only Oath the Council ever swears to the Round Table. The only promise that ties them to the Legendborn demands rather than the other way around. Like any other Oath, if they do not fulfill it as sworn they will die a long, burning, painful death.

Kingsmage Oath

Only the most powerful Merlin child in a generation is Selected to take the Kingsmage Oath. They are bound in a formal ceremony before the chapter to a child Scion of Arthur. For the rest of that Merlin’s life, they are the Scion's sworn protector until death.

When the Scion feels their life being in danger so will the Kingsmage, make their fear as their own. Their bonds works both ways, having the Scion feel the Merlins bloodlust.

Examples of the effects:

• Once when William tried to heal Nick he felt Nick’s spirt, he was full of anger through his bond with Sel. He didn't know where it was directed or to whom, but he felt the emotion. The bloodlust made it difficult for William to heal that which only wants to destroy. They could affect each other when they are not awake.
• When Sel wanted to kill Bree in the second trial, he let his desire flow through his bond with Nick in a brutal rush. It hits Nicholas and bounces back, reinforcing Sel’s focus as it becomes his. That feeling, once you've held it in your heart and feel it in your veins, never goes away. It takes up residence in your heart, forever, even if he loves her.
• When Nick, Martin, and Issac were on the run, Nick commented that they make each other worse.
• When Martin died, “Isaac’s guttural scream splits the air.” Isaac goes to Martin’s side in a blink. Bree describes Isaac expression, “this agony, I know. I remember. It is rage, expanding so fast and so hot that it fuels itself beneath your skin Grief so deep you are only an open wound, only pain. Pain so fresh that the world itself feels like it should be burning.”

“… for as long as my heart remains true.”

Warrior's Oath

When a Scion Awakes, and there chooses a Squire, are bonded and will share the Scion bloodline's power. "It's one of the Order's most sacred vows, forever typing together Scion and Squire. Awakened pairs face death, be it on the battlefield or the Abatement." Since Squires are magically bonded to their Scion, they also suffer Abatement. The longer the Scions are Awake, the more it drains them. After they age out, most don't make it past thirty-five."

Once bonded, the Squires feels a need to fight that stems directly from their knight. The bond makes them know if the other is in danger and to be able to feel the other's emotions. The Squire's job is to protect their Scion forever, even after the eligibility period is over.

They share an intimate connection through their bond. Sometimes it's romantic, but often times it's not. The agony is what Legendborn call the pain and grief from feeling an Oath bond break in battle. For the Scion or Squire left behind it hurts like nothing one can imagine.

Oath of Valor

The oath of valor is taken as a precaution, to keep the Crown Scion (Arthur’s Awaken Scion) safe. As a Squire or Scion their knights spirits should want to keep their king safe, and the Merlins already have their oath of service. The oath of valor is taken by the liege (and maybe other members of the Order).

"I swear to never knowingly allow my Awakend sovereign to come to injurious harm."

Oath of Protection

The Mageguard are only swear to protect the Regents and the king.

The Rite of Kings

In the Rite of Kings Oath, the Crown Scion Oath themselves in service to the entirety of the Order, and the Regent takes the Oath of Service back.

"The shadows have risen. Will you swear, as king, to rise in return?" - Lord Regent

"I swear that as king I will rise ready to dispel the shadows." - Crown Scion

“Do you swear, as king, to take as your own the weight of the blood of the world?” - Regent of Shadows

“I swear to take as my own the weight of the world.” - Crown Scion

“And do you, as king, swear to serve the Order’s mission above all others, unto your death?” - Regent of Light

“I swear to serve the Order’s mission above all others, unto my death.” - Crown Scion

“By your blood, on your heart, seal your Oath with the Round Table. Unite the Table first in spirit, so that you may soon unite their Scions in flesh.” - Mage Seneschal at Arms

“By my blood, on my heart, to unite the Table in spirit and in flesh.” - Crown Scion while raising Excalibur

Merlins

The Oaths are Merlin's insurance that his descendants would never abandon his mission. Performing them, fulfilling them, no matter how large or how small that task. It's the Oaths that bind that two side of a Merlin together. As long as they are in service, they are in control of their own souls. It's why the Order Oath Merlins early, before we're old enough for our blood to gain a foothold. That is also why the worst punishment for any Merlin would be being cast out of the Order's service.