Tolltaker Knighthood

The Tolltaker Knighthood is an entitlement of bounty hunters.

Background
"I give my word to break legs, crush skulls and snap necks. I’ll put a bullet in your head and a sword in your heart, provided someone pays me to do so and proves to me why it should be done."

A mercenary organization, the Tolltaker Knighthood accept payment (be it money, favors, tokens, pledges, or new Contracts) in exchange for tracking down and hurting or killing a target — though, thankfully, torture and death are highly unusual missions. However, before accepting a contract, the Knighthood requires that proof be given that the attack will be justified. Given that the local chapter’s contracts are determined by the leader, the Knight Banneret, his sense of justice will determine that of the group as a whole. Common justifications include broken pledges, public slights at Court, or unseemly violence toward another changeling.

Organization
As mentioned prior, the Knight Banneret acts as the head, and his views color the behavior of the group as a whole. He determines the bounties taken and the payment given and distributed among his troops. Despite this centralization, most Tolltaker Knights act as independents, only meeting up when the Knight Banneret calls for it. At all other times, they simply accept available bounties and work alone.

Joining and Membership
Prerequisites: Mantle (Summer) 1, Wyrd 2, either Brawl, Firearms, or Weaponry at 2 dots Title: Knight (sometimes “Tolltaker” by outsiders)

Enlisting requires that a prospective Knight (called a “squire”) is put through a series of trials. This begins with the physical (say, running through a gauntlet of Knights wielding bats) before moving onto tests that wear down reliance on moral codes (say, digging up dirt on and acting with appropriate violence against a loved one). Note that those who are too debased are also winnowed out.

This order acts as a haven for those seeking to maintain Clarity — while what Knights do is unpleasant, they must act according to a particular code, which provides a kind of plateau for them. These Knights often rely on high Physical stats and combat-related Skills. Other relevant skills might include Intimidation and Stealth.

Mien
Changes to the mien tend to run toward the threatening, like the growth of erratic scars, toughening of skin, and the formation of streaks of dried blood along the body. High-Wyrd Knights find that they leave bloody fingerprints and bootprints behind them.

Privileges

 * Bounty’s Curse: When a Knight Banneret accepts a bounty for a target, that target is cursed, which becomes apparent when he engages in combat with a Knight. At that time, the victim find that his Defense is halved (round down), and his Initiative modifier is one less.This ability does have its limits. First, the target must be identified by the Knight Banneret, and seeing as how some investment of Glamour is usually necessary for this to occur, it’s not easy for a Tolltaker to abuse this power. Also, upon entering into combat with an extant bounty, the Knight must first spend a Willpower point to gain access to this blessing.