Urth Orthodox Knightly Order composed of nobles. Named after the Disciple Lextius.
In addition to those knights who quest for glory and the furtherance of their political agenda, there are knights who serve a more spiritual vocation. By swearing to serve the Church, they devote themselves to the protection and service of the Faithful.
Established by the Urth Orthodoxy, the Swords of Lextius make up the bulk of nobles, who, in humility or penance for real or imagined crimes, swear oaths of service to the Church. Such oaths may be for a set period of time (perhaps three years or 10), or may be for life.
History
Although the Church has the Brother Battle to protect most of its interests, there are not enough of these highly trained warrior monks to protect every priest of pilgrim in the Known Worlds. Because of this, and because many houses attempt to curry favour with the Church by sending their youngest to serve, the practice of retaining Church-sworn knights is a valued tradition.
The Swords of Lextius was founded shortly after the death of Vladimir. The suspicions and aspersions for his death levied by nobles and priests at each other threatened to ignite a war of attrition. Patriarch Nadrim sought to ease these tensions in many ways, from the "extreme penance" granted the nobles for tech use, to the founding of the Swords of Lexitus. The order was intended to bring nobles and priests closer together, which it did very well, creating many friendships which later became political alliances as the knights and priests later rose in rank.
The order‘s chief duty is not to battle for the Church, but to perform the roles of warders, messengers, protectors, and bodyguards. While intended mainly to serve the Orthodoxy, some knights have chosen to attache themselves to a sect instead - although this is frowned on by the Swords' leadership.
The Order does not have a political agenda - at least, not an open one. Their goal is to bodily protect the Faithful. House Li Halan contributes so many young nobles to the order that critics often call is the Swords of Cardano, the legendary Li Halan who converted the family.
Society
The Swords accept just about any noble not stained with scandal. Unlike the Questing Knights, there is no benchmark of quality these knights must pass, except that most are pious and all have a distinct respect for priests - especially Urth Orthodox priests.
In order to become a Sword of Lextius, one must first make a pilgrimage to Holy Terra. The knight then presents themselves to the father confessor on duty at the hall of Swords, and asks to perform the Penance of Service. Under the seal of the confessional, the prospect must give the reason for their vow. If the confessor decides to accept the knight's plea, the knight is accepted and the new Sword‘s oath of fealty to the Order is heard.
Swords carry a special jumpgate cross medallion with a number of rosewood beads equal to the years of service they have promised; each year, one bead is removed in a grand ceremony. When there are no beads left, the knight may leave. However, many stay for years afterward, having grown to appreciate the respect and spiritual growth the Swords foster. A knight with no beads on their medallion is accorded respect. Breaking one's oath and leaving the order prior to the end of the sworn service period is cause for excommunication or worse.
Usually a knight will be assigned a specific post or priest to watch over for a period of time, usually for a season or from one Church holiday to another, whereupon the knight will be reassigned. Frequently, Swords must make their own way from assignment to assignment - the Church does not usually provide for their transportation, although they do provide the knights from poorer families with a modest stipend. The Royal Houses are expected to sponsor their own for the duration of their service.
One of the chief benefits of a stint among the Swords is the Church training in reading and meditational practice.