Arcaners

Summary
Arcaners are warlock knights. They follow the arcane codes of chivalry. Arcaners have three ranks: Squire, Dragoon, and Dragon. Arcaners unlock shields once they reach the Squire rank, which allows them to cast simuls, rare Arcaner-only spells, but if they break their code, their shield dims. After a third dimming, a warlock is cast out of the Arcaner Order. With each dim, the simuls become less powerful. Shields can be undimmed through pilgrimaging.

Code
Thou shall never refuse a challenge from an equal. Thou shall never turn thy back on a foe. Thou shall always show thy stripes before thine enemy. Thou shall not duel the lower ranks without serious provocation. Thou shall be gallant and fair to those unable to learn the craft. Thou shall never take a life of a weaponless Ordinary. Thou shall always accept a bent knee. Thou shall give succor to widows and orphans and beggars. Thou shall refuse pecuniary reward for doing thy duty. Thou shall fight for the welfare of all. Thou shall guard the honor of the arcane craft. Thou shall preserve and honor the Hallowed Trust. Thou shall never break thy word. Thou shall serve thy lord and king and kingdom with valor and courage and an open heart. But thou shall also root out corruption in all its forms, and the sanctity of truth shall vanquish any title. Thou shall swear fealty to this code of honor, for it is the war ye are locked in from this moment on.

History
The Arcaners were founded by a woman before the Founding in order to defeat the Rivican siege engines. She and her fellow Arcaners learned how to turn into dragons, and were able to defeat two of the siege engines, but the other engine was hidden. The Arcaners prospered until there was a dispute between the Canterran and Solian Arcaners. One Canterran Arcaner thought the Solian Arcaners had illegally murdered his brother, so the Canterran Arcaners went to war with the Solian Arcaners, wrecking havoc in their dragon forms. Afterward, the key to turning into dragons was hidden to stop something like this to happen again. The Arcaners died out, only for Augum Stone to resurrect the order a hundred years later.

Trials
To become an Arcaner, you must pass a trial, and to achieve the rank of dragoon or dragon, you must pass other trials.

The First Trial
The first trial differs from person to person, but it basically brings the Arcaner-to-be to an imaginary world via portal where they have to prove they have what it takes to become an Arcaner, without knowing that it is imaginary. If they pass, they return to the real world and become squires, though some Arcaners go mad thinking the entire world from then on is a test. Upon failure, the wannabe Arcaner dies.

The Second Trial
The second trial has two parts: the written portion and the physical portion. The written portion is as real as the first trial. If an Arcaner fails they (die?), but if they succeed they move on to the physical portion. In the physical portion, and Arcaner has to trek for days through an empty hall, surviving starvation, dehydration, and madness. At the end, they become dragoons.

The Third Trial
The third trial requires a visit to Ley. From Ley, they are able to get to Endraga Ra, a cutthroat realm containing all sorts of monsters, including dragons. The Arcaner dragoon has to please a dragon of their element enough to let the dragon bring the Arcaner to its lair. After spending time with the dragon, the Arcaner gets a vision that teaches them how to turn into a dragon. Afterward, the Arcaner is able to travel home and temporarily become a dragon by casting a spell whenever they have enough arcane stamina to.