The Knights of the Moebius Table

The Knights of the Moebius table were the ancient Governmental system of the Barony of Ynnraile, formed during the reign of the first Baroness, Gwynnlir Wintersong. There are two types of Knight in Ynnraile, those recognized for their chivalry and prowess as soldiers and those appointed by the Baron to keep order in the land. The former type are discussed here, the latter feature in Government of Ynnraile.

The Legend

The Moebius Table, according to legend, is the invention of Gwynnlir Wintersong. She gathered the three greatest sages of Ynnraile to determine how the Barony should be governed. The first sage was the smartest man in Ynnraile, the second was the wisest man in Ynnraile, and the third was the most educated man in Ynnraile.

Turning to the first sage, she asked "O smartest man in all of Ynnraile, how should my barony be governed?" The smartest man in the barony thought for a while, and said "You should gather the bravest and most virtuous knights in the land, and sit them at a long table, with yourself at the head. Then you can discuss all of your decisions with the land's warriors."

This sounded like a good idea to Gwynnlir, but she turned to the second sage, and asked "O wisest man in all of Ynnraile, what do you think?" The wisest man in the barony thought for a while, and said "The first sage's idea is sound. But if you sit the knights as he suggested, the knights will become competitive, each fighting for the spot closest to the table's head. Just as the table as several sides, they themselves will take sides, and the council will split into factions. Instead, you should make a Round Table, so that all of the knights can sit around it and consider themselves equal."

This sounded like a very good idea to Gwynnlir, and she was on the verge of calling her council the Knights of the Round Table, but then she remembered the third sage, and asked "O most educated man in Ynnraile, what do you think?" The most educated man in the barony thought for a while and said "The second sage is right - the table should not have sides. But even a round table has two sides - the top and the bottom. Here's what you should do..."

After many years of work, the greatest carpenters in the land fashioned a table to the third sage's specifications - the Moebius Table of Ynnraile. It is unwieldy, inconvenient to use, and it doesn't really reduce factionalization that much, but it has long since passed into legend. It is the deeds of the Knights of the Moebius Table fill the histories and songs of the Barony.

The Knights

Many Knights have sat at the Moebius table during its existence. Here is a list of some notable Knights, with descriptions:

Sir Anthenor of Holwinn

Sir Anthenor of Holwinn is, as is not uncommon among Holwinnese, part demon. He claims to be 1/3 demon himself, and says the exact logistics of how one becomes a third anything are too horrible for description. Unlike many of his compatriots, he defies his nature and uses his power (mostly superhuman strength and will) for good, fighting against his demonic kin and for the good of the realm. He is impervious to bullets, but is terribly embarrassed about this and, when shot, will scream and crumple to the ground lest he offend his assailant.

Sir Rattator of Tephar

Known as Sir Rattator the Vengeful, he is best known for the incident surrounding the death of his brother, Sir Kallawan. Sir Kallawan was murdered in cold blood by the Dread Knight of Demonsfall - Sir Rattator swore never to rest until he had personally slain his brother's killer. Unfortunately for him, the Dread Knight of Demonsfall died in a motor vehicle accident a few months later, leaving Sir Rattator's vow unfulfilled. Unable to rest due to the vow, he spends his time secretly hoping someone will kill his other brother, giving him a chance to redeem himself. He can frequently be found in the company of criminals, discussing his remaining brother's vast wealth and poor self-defense skills.

The Hidden Knight (Sir Rhyndon

This Knight appears seemingly from nowhere, in dark armor that covers his entire body. He never uses a coat of arms, and upon winning a victory, he rides off mysteriously without revealing his name and purpose. Unfortunately for the Hidden Knight, his wife revealed several years ago that he was in fact Sir Rhyndon of Goldendown. Now he still does the whole appearing out of nowhere thing, and he still rides off mysteriously after a victory, but you can tell his heart isn't in it anymore. Also, every time he arrives at a tournament, people greet him with "Welcome, Sir Rhyndon", and he shouts "Stop it! I might not be Sir Rhyndon! Maybe I'm a different hidden knight! You have no way of knowing!" Everyone feels very sorry for him.

Sir Mendavere of Diarsanta

He is also known as Sir Mendavere the Cruel. He wears a belt made of the ears of all those he has killed in combat; since he is not a particularly good fighter, there are only five ears - one of his victims was a one-eared man, something he still complains about and attributes to sheer bad luck. It is considered a bad idea to taunt him about this; the last person who taunted him for having only three ears on the belt became ears four and five.

Sir Amrahas the Pure

Sir Amrahas the Pure is the only person to have successfully taken simultaneous vows of chastity, temperance, silence, poverty, and nonviolence. Mostly he just sits in his room. It is rumored that he has been blessed by God with invincible strength and wisdom, but no one can be sure because he never does or says anything. There is another rumor, that he is dead, but this is considered unlikely due to his failure to decompose.

Sir Glyniwy the Foresighted

It is said that this Knight, during his childhood years, went on a quest to the Pool of Time. It is said that those who bathe in the Pool of Time become great prophets, able to see far into the future. Sir Glyniwy dipped his toe in, discovered it to be really really cold, and refused to submerge himself. But because his toe had bathed in the water, he was gifted with the ability to see up to ten seconds into the future. This is useless for foreseeing catastrophes, but a great boon in combat, when he can predict his enemies' next move. Sir Glyniwy always answers questions right before they are asked, which has caused him to be ostracized from polite society.

On Ynnraili Knights

"Knight" is a Ynnraili term for a well-trained, regular warrior who has received special recognition for skill in combat and long service. Modern Ynnraile is governed by 'Knights' appointed by the Baron, but they are very different. These Knights are known in Ynnraili as 'Annrai', and are discussed in Government of Ynnraile. It is thought that both Annrai and Knights sat at the Moebius table in the time of Gwynnlir Wintersong, though records differ.