Sacred Band of the Golden Standard

The Sacred Band of the Golden Standard is an order of warrior-poets and glory hounds.

Background
"You have my word. This is what I seek. My glory for the freehold, and my name in all the tales."

Though changelings of this entitlement protect the freehold, they do so to secure their place in history. The order is filled with those who wish to become legends. Each Aspirant seeks to outdo his last deed, with each expected to be epic. In spite of what one might expect of an order filled to the brim with braggarts, they all champion one another’s exploits, with the view that their own stories will be told in turn. They even gather yearly to determine possible deeds they can accomplish next.

Organization
These changelings stick together — sometimes by forming motleys, sometimes simply by avoiding direct competition with one another. They turn the order into its own public relations machine by helping each other’s reputations. If one Aspirant is insulted, all of them are, and the offender faces the wrath of the entire order. In order to avoid stepping on one another’s toes, members will pick a given talent not yet chosen by Aspirants nearby, taking on epithets that reflect this talent; a particularly good archer will choose “of the Unerring Arrow”, for instance.

Joining and Membership
Prerequisites: Wyrd 2, Presence 3 Title: Gilded Aspirant (“Standard Bearers” by those within the order)

There are two ways to join the Sacred Band. The first is to do something worthy of talk — something that will draw the order’s attention. Being seen as their kin, the Band will draw the changeling into the fold. Should the entrant refuse their invitation (a grievous insult in their eyes), the Aspirants will often engage in campaigns of slander against him. The second way of joining is to go to a Gilded Aspirant and beg entry; the applicant will be told to go out into the world to impress that Aspirant or to accomplish a specific task. The first group is generally more well regarded than the second.

Changelings in this entitlement rely foremost on Physical Traits, particularly Strength and Dexterity, with Social Attributes (Presence especially) as a close second. Any given Aspirant will usually hone in on one specialty, which translates to a few particularly high Skill scores. In some cases, it is a stat like Defense or Health that a Standard Bearer focuses on, rather than a Skill.

Mien
The mien of an Aspirant will reflect the glory that she seeks. Blemishes and scars (at least those not from the changeling’s seeming) will fade from the Aspirant, while her teeth will whiten and her eyes will become lustrous. Her body will be surrounded by a halo of colored light. With high Wyrd, people will almost sense the aura of a champion as she enters the room.

Privileges

 * The Strength of One’s Presence: Once per scene, an Aspirant can spend a point of Glamour to add her highest Physical Attribute to any Presence roll she makes. This doesn’t work against those who have more cumulative Physical Attribute dots than the warrior herself possesses. The only exception to this is if the Presence roll is meant to affect a crowd; then this fails to be a concern.