There is a tendency, when speaking of knighthood, to confuse opposition with malice, and discipline with indulgence.

Sworn to God, Lord Sartan, and guided by His Seven Truths and our teachings, I recognize that Mhaldor proper and the Infernal Rite will often stand in opposition to others. We hold that advancement is achieved through discipline and pain, that weakness must be exposed and destroyed, and that the spirit is tempered only by enduring hardship imposed without mercy. That purpose does not excuse or endorse mockery, nor does it grant license to dismiss authority.

Divine Judgment carries righteous and final weight, regardless of allegiance. To stand against a God is one matter. To deny the gravity of Their Divine Judgment, or to treat it as something trivial, is another. Knighthood has never been compatible with the latter.

Despite profound differences, Knighthood in Mhaldor has long shared mutual respect with those who submit themselves to comparable trials of discipline, endurance, and consequence. Respect is earned through conduct and cost, not through rhetoric, grievance, or performance.

Those who would pursue knighthood should understand this clearly. The path is exacting, often thankless, and offers no refuge for personal crusade or moral exhibition. It asks only whether one can uphold its standards when doing so carries real cost.

Those who believe they can meet that burden may seek out their local order or the Council of Knighthood directly.
Others should seek a different path.

This statement is made for clarity of standard and completeness of the record. I consider my public remarks on the matter concluded.

Penned by my hand on the 1st of Mayan, in the year 996 AF.