Knights of Saint George

Knights of Saint George at a Glance
Emerald Ocean
Captain	Korte
Senior Officer(s)	Azeiton, Captinthe, Crimsonator, Defrass, Saintgeorge, Sedil
Politics	Autocratic
Shares	Even
Flag Affiliation	Glorious Geeks
Founded	23 April, 2007
Last updated on 22 April, 2015
Crew Info

Knights of Saint George is the naval force of the Sacred Military Order of Saint George, one of the oldest military orders of chivalry of the Emerald Ocean. It was originally founded on the Sage Ocean

History of the Order

The Sacred Military Order of Saint George traces its legendary origins to an apocryphal order founded by a ancient king. The Order has a hereditary Grand Mastership which belonged to a noble family of Sage. By the beginning of the 21th century the noble house had dwindled to one surviving childless male heir and thus it became necessary to find a solution to the succession to the Grand Magistery.

Its incorporation as a hereditary chivalric order in the Pishkirlin's House dates from 2007. His Excellency the Admiral Pishkirlin, at that time Ambassador of Fratelli della costa, was already pressing the royalty of Fearless Privateers to assist his family in acquiring the title and formal discussions had certainly begun by the end of 2006. The final negotiations between the last Grand Master of that family and Admiral Pishkirlin led to cession of the Grand Magistery in 2007. The cession to Pishkirlin's family was recognized by a patent of Elkbrains, King of Fearless Privateers, of March 27, 2007 (Agnoscimus et notum facimus). On 23 April 2007, day of Saint George, Pishkirlin officially assumed the rank of Captain of the crew Knights of Saint George.

On July 4, 2007, the Knights of Saint George gave refuge to the remnants of the once great crew, Australian Storm. Those left became Knights and further strengthened the Order; while the Order became the new family of the AS crew members, replacing those that they had lost in battle.

Captains of the crew

Pishkirlin (April 23, 2007 - December 17, 2010) - Founding father of the crew, his captainship was characterized by a charismatic yet authoritarian leadership that sometimes alienated him from the less disciplined crew members. Strict observant of the protocol, Pishkirlin used to assign the rank of officer to his crew members only after having conferred on them the honour of the knighthood through a 2-day ceremony (accolade). Towards the end of the summer of 2010 he decided to travel to his homeland and live in hermitage. Although on December 17, 2010 he appointed Azeitona as captain of the crew, he formally maintains the titles of Grand-Master of the Sacred Military Order of Saint George and King of Ascalon. Some believe he sporadically sails the Ocean and counsels the current captain disguised as Saint George.

Azeitona (December 18, 2010 - October 22, 2012) - Formerly known as Martini and now as Azeiton, at the time when Pishkirlin resigned he was a senior officer of the crew and a close friend of the captain, with whom he had headed out on a long journey to Transylvania. With the departure of the captain and the oldest senior officers, he was considered the only one who could take the helm as a skilled young adult. Nevertheless, as a captain Azeitona was more prone to hang out in taverns rather than leading the crew. He went dormant for a long time until Korte claimed the rank of captain.

Korte (October 22, 2012 - onwords) - He joined the crew in 2009 and at the time Pishkirlin retired, both Korte and his brother Defrass had been appointed as senior officers of the crew. They have always been loyal to the Knights of Saint George even when the crew was struggling to survive and they were the only active members. Korte firmly believes that "once a Knight, always a Knight". He was suggested to assume the rank of captain by the co-founder Safebet, who visited the crew in October 2012 and found him as the only active senior officer. Thanks to the help of his officers he managed to give a new boost to the crew and On March 29, 2015 the Knights of Saint George set their new record in terms of fame, being ranked as the 4th crew in the Emerald Ocean.

Senior officers of the crew

Safebet - Pishkirlin's first mate, she assisted him in establishing the crew, writing the code of conduit and running the Knight School for the Theory of Piratical Mayhem. Although her opinion often diverged from that of the captain, she was held in high esteem by Pishkirlin. As a member of a royal family of the Kingdom of Cold Steel, she had granted the title of Princess of Ascalon. She has been missing since October 23rd, 2012, the day when she suggested to Korte that he assumed the captainship of the crew.

Morien - Recruited in May 2007, Morien was praised for his dashing sense of humor and for his ability to think out of the box. Fond of botany he loved shrubberies and decorated the main deck of one of his sloops with two potted plants that in his opinion served the purpose of scaring brigands. He disappeared at sea on April 25, 2008.

Sprockett - He was press-ganged into joining the crew in May 2007. As a humble and hard-working officer, he quickly earned the highest ranks. His stay on Sage was brief, as he disappeared on November 4, 2007. He was last seen on August 22, 2011.

Blackseagull - Not to be mistaken for the pirate with the same name who is now sailing the Emerald Ocean. Just like Sprockett, she was approached by Pishkirlin at the inn on Lincoln Island. She joined the crew for a trial period and never left. She was the sailmaster of the crew and her ability to sail consistently for hours endeared herself to the captain, with whom she used to run long duo pillages with the purpose of achieving the #1 sailor trophy for her and the #1 battle navigator trophy for the captain. A goal they both reached in the summer of 2010, a short while before retiring. She was also a Princess of Ascalon.

Enblith - She was recruited by Pishkirlin during a training session with the Wensleydale Navy in the early days of the crew. Quiet yet cleaver, Enblith was a very loyal and reliable officer who was comfortable with any duty station. She was last seen on February 12, 2012.

Yamel - Enblith's younger brother, Yamel was as skilled and loyal as his sister. He joined the crew when was he was just a young squire and was appointed as a Senior Officer as soon as he grew up and became a mature knight. By the spring of 2010 he was among Pishkirlin's most active and trusted officers. He was also a Lord of Ascalon. He was last seen online on June 10, 2012.

Aldeberan - He joined the crew in the summer of 2007. Among the ranks of the Knights of Saint George he displayed his outstanding skills both as a puzzler and as a battle navigator. He has always been one of the most disciplined crew member and was long regarded by Pishkirlin as his possible successor. Unfortunately by the year 2009 his participation became more sporadic due to a commitment with the navy of his home country. He was last seen on September 21, 2014.

Acerin - He joined the crew in early 2008 and gained his rank of senior officer in a few months thanks to his chivalric virtues and his active participation to the crew life. Like his captain, he was a pirate artist and painted three artworks selected as portrait backgrounds in 2010: "Alchemistry", "Enemy at the Doors", "Imperial Banner". Legendary battle navigator and matchless craftsman, he was awarded the ultimate crafter trophy. He retired along with Pishkirlin and Blackseagull in 2010. He was last seen on October 26, 2012.

Leoric - He joined Ascalon in 2008 with his previous crew and decided to move to the Knights of Saint George when his crew mates left the flag. In July 2009 he decided to establish his own crew, Freeboters Gangway. To this day, he is the only senior officer who has ever left the Knights of Saint George.

Defrass - One of the most controversial member of the Order, Defrass joined the crew in 2009. As a young officer he was not very disciplined and several times he ran the risk of being demoted or expelled from the crew by the captain, only to be saved by Azeitona. The decision to give him a second chance paid back, as with time he became on the most loyal officers of the crew. He was appointed to senior officer by Pishkirlin short before the captain's departure.

Crimsonator - One of the first member to be appointed as a senior officer by Korte. Crimsonator initially used to belong to Glimmer of Light, the sister crew flying the flag of Ascalon. He joined the ranks of the Knights of Saint George when his previous crew left the flag. As an outstanding battle navigator, in 2014 he helped Captain Korte rebuilding the crew by running pillages and recruiting new members. He is also lord of Glorious Geeks.

Captinthe - He joined Glimmer of Light in early 2009 and became a senior officer of the crew by the summer of the same year. During an anti-Ascalon upheaval in 2010, he sided against the rebels and on the tumultuous night of February 19, he voted along with Captain Piratus, Swedempa and Grodanknorr (now known as Findolin) to bring the crew back to Ascalon, reverting the previous vote to leave the flag. This issue caused a rift between the loyal officers and the insurgents, who eventually left the flag and established their own crew, The Fearless Rebels. Unfortunately this rupture and the king's departure led to a relentless decline of Ascalon and its crew. In 2011 Captainthe temporarily joined his former crewmates, but when he came back from a hiatus, he definitively joined the Knights of Saint George. Korte promoted him to senior officer in April 2015.

Sedil - Quick and sharp wit, natural talent at puzzling and at the helm, Sedil was recruited by Crimsonator during a pillage in September 2014. As one of the new members of the crew, to this day she is the only Senior Officer not hailing from Ascalon.

Strategic planning

Vision

To build one of the best naval force for refined corsairs looking for fun and excellence.

Mission

To offer a friendly and exhilarating environment while providing the ways and means for everyone to develop their skills to the best of their abilities and thoroughly enjoy themselves at the same time.

Values

Knights of Saint George, like many similar chivalric orders, is an international fellowship. As such we value the dialogue between cultures and individuals. We believe in the win-win principle and that a knight should be mature and responsible, tempered hopefully by a sense of humour. We also esteem such values as altruism and all of the chivalric virtues which go hand in hand with knighthood.

Codes of conduct

Code of chivalry

Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast born.
Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties
Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

Conduct onshore

Do not hesitate to run in the rescue of your fellowmates in troubles.
Obey your higher ranked fellow crewmembers and give sensible orders to the lesser.
Refrain from commenting on an officer's rank, experience or results.
Avoid inappropriate use of crew, officer and flag chat channels.
Do not beg.
Ask once and once only.
Do not bother those who are busy on a ship or engaged in other activities.
Do not challenge, negotiate or hearty anyone without previous agreement.
Foul language or offensive behaviour of any kind won't be tolerate!

Conduct onboard

Before pillaging

Before pillaging (either running your own or participating in another's), there are some basic questions to ask yourself.

Do you have enough time? This is especially important when running your own pillage, but leaving after five minutes won’t make you a popular jobber or earn you very much (if any) PoE. A pillage can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 4+ hours. There is nothing wrong with asking "How long will we be out?" before you commit to the pillage.
What is your mood? Even though this might sound strange, it’s quite important. If you are irritated and throw thoughtless comments to your jobbers or the officer in command, you will probably never be hearing from them again. This will most probably give you a bad name in the jobbing business.
Do you have enough energy? When you join someone’s pillage, they will count on you to work. Puzzling for a half hour or more can really be tiring. If you’re running your own pillage, having enough energy is very important since you can’t just leave when you get too tired. Do you have enough energy (and patience) to explain to newer players why they have to work? Do you have enough energy to cover both battle navigation and another puzzle if someone leaves in battle? Do you have energy enough to inspire your jobbers to carry on, even if the pillage isn’t going that well?
If you are concerned about your stats, consider joining the pillage with an alt, cause you could be called upon to switch positions in case of emergency and this could affect your performance.

While aboard

When you first arrive on the ship, it's always nice to say a quick "Ahoy!" to the rest of the ship.
Don't challenge someone to a Swordfight/Rumble/drinking game, or accept someone's challenge.
If you are asked to go to a specific station, then take it immediately without complaining. If you are an ultimate carpenter and are ordered to sail, go sail. If nobody orders you to a specific station, ask the commanding officer where he/she wants you to be, or take a look at how many people are on which stations and what needs to be done. You only hamper the ship if you are not working.
Don't repeatedly ask to gun or navigate.
Don't shout unless you are an officer.
If you needed to leave suddenly for any reason, the next time you log on it's a good idea to try to send a message to the person running the pillage explaining what happened.

During the battle

Battle starts when a ship is pursuing another ship - this is shown by a message in your chatbox, plus a shaded yellow circle appears around the boat being pursued on the miniscreen at the top right of your screen. The number and abilities of the bots on the ship you are fighting are set before you start pursuing each other. The brigand ship spawns with a certain might and has a might adjustment shortly after the initial spawn. This means if you are on your ship when the brigands spawn/adjust their might, but off the ship when they engage, the battle might be too hard to handle without you (especially true on a sloop where a loss of one person can be 20% or more of your crew for the swordfight).

When the pursuit of a ship has begun, do not leave unless it is a true emergency. If it is a true emergency, if possible, type a short message explaining what happened before you log off. Before that, it's generally considered acceptable to leave, preferably with a quick message saying goodbye to the crew.
Team with your mates. The ideal team size in swordfighting is three (because above that, bots start stalling). In Rumble, bigger teams of 4 or 5 seem to be more effective.
Do not deliberately die in the swordfight.

After the battle

After a battle has finished, win or lose, it's always helpful to get back to your duty stations as quickly as possible. Don't stand around waiting for an order; return to the station you left. Do not jump on someone else's station just because you are tired of bilging/carping/sailing. Ask to see if anyone is willing to trade.
Just because the crew you are with loses a battle, do not leave. If you do need to go soon, announce it before the battle. Then if you do lose, the captain and crew will not think that you are leaving because of the loss.
If you need a break, ask the commanding officer the permission to leave the station. Since this is an exception, make your break be short or consider the opportunity to leave the pillage if you would need to rest more.
Don't repeatedly ask to port. If you can't stay longer, leave the ship as soon as the battle is over, letting the commanding officer know that you are going to quit the pillage. When the ship will port, your cut will be paid regularly.

After putting into port

It's nice to thank the officer and say goodbye when you leave.
If you want to be full member ask the officers onboard. If you have stats matching our requirements, the Captain or the Senior Officers will assign you the rank you deserve.

Ranks and promotions

Cabin person

Job description: the ideal cabin person must, at all times, be of a most humble mien. To the lowly Cabin Person falls the most arduous and laborious of duties: swabbing the decks, cleaning and polishing, and emptying the bilge of the foulness which collects there.

Requirements: none.

Pirate

Job description: a pirate is an obnoxious and repugnant fellow. It is unknown if this is due to being constantly planked or if planking is the direct result of his character. The duties of the Pirate may include anything and everything but consist mostly of taking orders from superiors however absurd and foolish they may be.

Requirements: broad experience in bilge, sail, carp and gun.

Midshipman

Job description: the midshipman can be considered little better than a regular pirate but for lack of someone better, may occasionally be given the chance to battle navigate. The midshipman must also enrol in the Knight School for the Theory Of Piratical Mayhem and is expected to meet certain standards if he or she wishes to rise out of the morass which is synonymous with the lower orders.

Requirements: same as pirate plus neophyte in battle navigation.

Officer

Job description: strutting about in the first of a series of preposterous hats; making a colander out of one's own ship and taking on the biggest ships you can find while soloing. Perhaps by far the biggest responsibility which falls to the Officer is to make the jobbers continually change position in a totally illogical manner enforced by the use of that accursed boatswain's whistle. An Officer must also know how to count backwards from 10 (maximum) while waiting for spawn at a league point. And last but not least, it falls to the hapless Officer, to drink or gamble away at poker the restock money which has ended up in his pocket.

Requirements: Distinguished standing in battle navigation, Master standing in one of the piracy skills.

N.B.: This is the highest rank granted to a new member; the rank of Fleet Officer might be assigned to pirates of proven reliability and experience but only upon proposal of the Captain himself. Clamouring for a rank higher than Officer will automatically lead to rejection of your application.

The accolade

On the eve (or morning) of the Knighting it is customary to give the candidate a vigil. This is a time for reconciliation and speaking with the Chivalry, Peers, and wise nobles present; as well as a time for introspection to consider the responsibilities and joys of accepting the accolade. It should be a time for contemplation and consideration of the counsel of ancient, wise, and grave gentles who would come singly and in pairs to instruct the candidate in the ways, honor and history of the orders of peerage and knighthood.

During this time, the candidate leaves his or her personal belongings and dresses in white which is the symbol for purity.

Fleet officer

Job description: the Fleet Officer is very much to be pitied. The poor fellow is no longer part of the noisome rank and file but is excluded from the upper echelons. The refined art of "passing the buck" is essential to one's success as a Fleet Officer and a prerequisite for any future promotions.

Requirements: having excellent standings in piracy skills, running his/her own successful pillages pretty often or being a trustworthy hearty of the higher ranks. Only upon proposal of the Captain.

Senior officer

Job description: The position of Senior Officer is not one to be taken lightly. It brings with it many heavy responsibilities. The most onerous of all these, requiring much delicacy, is that of Keeping the Captain Humble. (For those who find themselves in need of a refresher course, please see the Knight School programme for graduate students).

Requirements: position granted only to those Officers who give a strong, long term contribution to the crew. Only upon proposal of the Captain and approval of at least two Senior Officers.

External links

Knights of Saint George's website - http://devoted.to/saintgeorge
Chronicles of Ascalon - http://get-me.to/ascalon