Membership Dues

A membership fee of $75 per year shall be collected from all knights, and $25 per year from all squires, to help support the Company’s expenses, such as event costs, website maintenance costs, insurance, and even purchasing company assets.

 

A company Exchequer will be elected to oversee expenses and bank account statements, and voting members may petition for surplus Company funds to be allocated for any just reason, provided it is in line with the Company’s budget and goals, but that is subject to approval. 

Membership Rules and Benefits

Members who do not live up to the Company’s ideals, whose actions reflect badly on the Company, can be voted out and removed, or other disciplinary action can occur.

Members may also resign at any time, or request to be made temporarily “inactive”. Inactive members do not vote, but may return at a time of their choosing. The Company can also place members into inactive status if they have been unreachable or inactive for some time, have shown no interest in participating in votes, and have had unpaid dues for more than 60 days. 
 

Inactive status does not mean the member is kicked out, or barred from participation, or anything of the sort. It merely means they will be removed from the voting totals, sorted to the bottom of the roster, and cannot perform Company business such as voting, attending meetings, or the taking or knighting of squires. The member may ask to be reactivated at any time by paying their yearly dues. No retroactive dues may be charged if a member falls behind. 

Member Knights should adhere to the martial standards and rules of the current version of the Lynx Accords or other conventions of combat as necessary.

Voting members have a right to attend company meetings, vote on new memberships, take on squires, host events under the Company’s name, website, and insurance, as well as the ability to arrange for use of Company-owned assets for their events or other purposes.

 

Clothing Standards

In the Company of the Lynx Argent, we are trying to encourage a high level of historical authenticity from all of our participants without gatekeeping, threadcounting, or exclusion.  

We have a target range of 1350-1500 in our Company, with a focus on Western and Central Europe. This is a broad date range but we feel it best represents the aesthetics and time period of high chivalry.

With almost all of our events requiring historical clothing, it is expected that everyone presents themselves in reasonably accurate 14th/15th century kit. Here is the minimum* of what you need to participate:

 

• Low-profile leather turn shoes or boots

• Joined hosen, split hosen, or tights (for masculine impressions)

• Tunic, cotehardie, or doublet (for masculine impressions)

• Cotehardie, kirtle, long tunic, or other appropriate floor length dress (for feminine impressions)

• An appropriate hat or head covering optional

The following clothing items are considered faux pas, and should not be worn at any Lynx Argent event.

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• Obvious modern footwear of any kind, especially bright or with brand logos

• “Jack boots” or “pirate boots” with heels and/or thick soles

• Clothing in ahistorical colors or prints (including medieval clothing with a modern aesthetic, bright trims, ahistorical symbols, patterns, or logos)

• Loose, baggy “Viking” or “pirate” pants, sweatpants, or pluderhosen

• Short sleeved or sleeveless tunics or gambesons worn with bare arms

• Fantasy or renaissance fair costume

*Keep in mind that these are minimums for general participation in our events, rather than standards for prospective knights. Knights should surpass standards and document their kit.
 

Ranks and Titles/Positions

This is a summary of the Company’s ranks and titles, and what their roles are.

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Attendant

An unofficial member not granted any title or voting rights within the Company, but recognized for their contributions. They may be recognized as a part of a lance. May wear a lozenge of the Company insignia and/or that of their lance.
Requirements:

• Attended their first company event

• Attends local trainings as able

• Has their own basic soft kit

• Interested in medieval living history

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Sergeant/Yeoman

An unofficial member not granted any title or voting rights within the Company, but recognized as combatants who are not yet taken as squires and have a little bit of kit and a little bit of training. May or may not be interested in knighthood as their ultimate goal. They may be recognized as a part of a lance. May wear a lozenge of the Company insignia and/or that of their lance

Requirements:

• Learn about the Company and its ideals.

• Embrace the pursuit of historical combat, soldiery, or archery

• Acquire a partial harness suitable for squire’s lysts and skirmish combat at company events

• Attend regular HEMA or archery training

• Has priority to be taken as a Squire over outside applicants, if that is their ultimate goal

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Squire

A junior member that does not yet meet the requirements to join the Company and receive the accolade, but has found a Knight to sponsor them into the Company. A sponsoring Knight of the Company is required and responsible for aiding in their training and assisting in choosing appropriate heraldry, soft kit, and harness. Squires will be allowed to submit their own arms to the Company Herald, but not required if they choose not to. They can also bear the arms of their sponsor knight or their lance.
Requirements:

• Sponsorship from a Knight of the Company. The sponsor knight must make it known to the company at large that they have chosen a new squire.

• Outward display of dedication to the art, staying true to sources. Possessing the start of a harness, and soft-kit that is appropriate to their chosen time period. 

• Squires should begin to learn about historical arms, armor, and material culture until they can settle on a decade, region, and social status to begin their harness.

• Squires may submit their own heraldry to the Company Herald. Personal arms must be sufficiently different from existing arms in the Company, and may be updated as needed. The Company Herald will have final discretion. 

• Must pay dues of $25 per year to support the Company in its endeavors

 

Man-at-Arms

May or may not be an official member of the Company, depending on if they have been taken as a squire or not. Members from outside organizations who attend our events may be considered at this level. 

Requirements:

• A candidate who meets some of the requirements to be knighted but is waiting for an opening, a vote, or an accolade. 

• Complete a full harness appropriate for deeds of arms and melees, and must fight in a knights’ lyst. This armor need not be finalized but it should be comprehensive. 

• Must be familiar with basic kit maintenance and repair.

• May or may not be already Squired to a knight of the company. 

• Members from other organizations competing at our events

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Knight Errant

A member of the Company that has been knighted. Full voting rights.
Requirements:

• Must have been present in the company for a year, and at the discretion of a quorum of knights who believe they will continue to be an active participant, be voted by majority rule

• Must assemble a full harness appropriate for deeds of arms and melees, and must fight in a knights’ lyst. This armor need not be finalized but it should be comprehensive and documentable.

• Must complete soft kit appropriate to the portrayal they are trying to replicate, in multiple outfits, including high-status clothing.

• Must provide documentation for their chosen harness and soft kit. Sources must be well-researched and their portrayal must be considered by their peers to be an earnest representation within a decade of their chosen time period.

• Must participate in a deed of arms and conduct themselves in a manner that reflects well on the Company, and shows the proper use of the art as witnessed by at least two knights of the Company.

• Must possess their own knightly weapons (pollaxe, spear, sword, dagger) appropriate to their portrayal.

• Must practice the knightly fighting arts.

• Must attend meetings of the Company as possible.

• Must be available to cast votes on matters pertinent to the Company.

• Must submit their own heraldry for the roll of arms. Personal arms must be sufficiently different from existing arms in the Company, and may be updated as needed. The Company Herald will have final discretion.

• Must pay dues of $75 per year to support the Company with its costs

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Knight Bachelor

Established member of the Company. Full voting rights, same as Knights Errant or Banneret. Fully self-sufficient knight in good quality armor, prepared for a tournament and brings their own logistics to an event.
Requirements:

• Must have been a Knight for at least 6 months.

• Must have taken at least one squire into the company.

• Must have heraldic representation in the form of a banner (not limited to this rank, but required for it).

• Must possess their own camp furniture (chair, weapon rack, table, etc.) so that they are fully self-sufficient at the lyst.

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Knight Banneret

Established member of the Company. Full voting rights, same as Knights Errant or Banneret. Fully self-sufficient knight in good quality armor, prepared for a tournament and brings their own logistics to an event.
Requirements:

• Must have been a Knight for at least a year and met the requirements for all previous ranks.

• Must have a banner to represent their lance (if they are its leader)

• Must have mentored two squires to knighthood OR must have chartered their own lance and created a name and heraldry for it.

• Must maintain and be responsible for a period tent that supports themselves and/or their retinue and adds to the logistics of an encampment.

• Must have a plaque belt or knightly collar, and may bear the Lynx Argent arms upon it (not limited to this rank, but required for it)

• Must have a leadership, staff, or volunteer role in hosting a Lynx Argent event. This event need not be grand in scope nor annual, and this knight need not be its sole host.

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Officers

​Herald

Current Herald: Ryan Hetchler (2020-present)
The Herald is responsible for maintaining the Company Roll of Arms, the Company Website, and various Company Documents such as the Charter and the Lynx Accords. The Herald is not an elected position but a motion for election can be made if the Company votes it, or if the Herald steps down. The Herald can appoint members to the College of Arms, to aid with the minutiae of maintaining the Company Roll of Arms.
Requirements:

• Must be consistently active. If the Herald goes into inactive status they can step down and a new Herald can be elected.

• Does not necessarily need to be a Knight of the Company, could be a Lady of the Court.

• Must be familiar with medieval heraldry and the art of blazonry.

• Must be able to take heraldry questions and help candidates for knighthood to determine and design their arms.

• Must help run the website and social media accounts for the Company.

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College of Arms

The Herald also runs and appoints people to the College of Arms. Members of the College of Arms will assist with consultation, documentation, and approval of Company Heraldry. These members must be familiar with medieval heraldry and the art of blazonry. 

The first three members of the College of Arms will be Ryan Hetchler, Mattie Gilliland, and Colton Casteel. New proposed arms must be passed by them with unanimous consent, and clients seeking to design new arms will be able to draw on these three heralds as a resource for developing their arms.

The office of Herald is still reserved for the official Company Herald, but these members will assist with heraldry design and submissions.

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Exchequer

Current Exchequer: Brian Owens (2026-present)
The Exchequer is responsible for maintaining the Company finances, following up with active/inactive membership statuses, and giving a report on funds for events. They do not have permission to broadly approve or deny funds but they are the first person a member goes to with regards to the use of company funds. Said allocation should then be voted on by the Knights.
Requirements:

• Must be consistently active. If the Exchequer goes into inactive status they can step down and a new Exchequer can be elected.

• Does not necessarily need to be a Knight of the Company, could be a Lady of the Court.

• Must keep an expense report of Company accounts which should be presented at least annually.

• Must follow up with active/inactive membership statuses, and remind people when their memberships are set to renew or be lost.

• The Exchequer or the company may not accept money or gifts as sponsorship for events or company funds, unless the sponsorship is from a member of the company or is well-known to the company.

• A new Exchequer can be elected after two years in the position, but a motion to have an election must be made first. If no motion is made, no election happens, and the incumbent Exchequer remains in the role until an election is decided. The motion for election can be made anytime after the Exchequer’s two-year minimum term.

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Captain

Current Captain: Jon Eppler (2020-2022, 2022-2024, 2024-2026, 2026-present)
The Captain is the highest position in the Company. It is an elected position. Duties of the Captain include handling tied votes (Captain vote is doubled in the event of a tie), and in some cases, handling arrangements for Company demonstrations.
Requirements:

• Must be consistently active. If the Captain goes into inactive status they can step down and a new Captain can be elected.

• Must be a well-established Knight of the Company.

• A new Captain can be elected after two years in the position, but a motion to have an election must be made first. If no motion is made, no election happens, and the incumbent Captain remains in the role until an election is decided. The motion for election can be made anytime after the Captain’s two-year minimum term.

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Lances

Each knighted member has a right to take on their own squires and attendants, thus forming their own “lance”. A lance was a term used for a knight and his retinue, and this is the term the Lynx Argent uses for our local groups. People can be taken as squires or recognized as non-squire members of their lance by their knight. The process for taking a squire is simple: one must simply announce it to the knights when they have taken a new squire. This can be done at an event or can happen virtually. There is no vote required and no obligation for discussion, just a general notification to the company. 

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Company Lineage
A lineage is the “family tree” that involves all the knight-to-squire relationships. All knights except the founders were knighted by someone else, and those knights remain in their sponsored knight’s lineage permanently. This structure resembles a family tree, with the founders and their knights and their subsequent knights and squires branching off into their own lineages. A squire may become knighted and form their own lance, but their sponsor’s lineage is always in their lineage.

There is some degree of ranking inherent to the structure of the company lineage, with the knights the fewest generations removed from the founders having potentially more sway in terms of lance creation and structure, though all knights are still equals.

The Company Herald will maintain the Membership Rolls and will document the lineages of each knight and their subsequent lances. 

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Local Lances
Lances are our term for our local groups. A local lance is eligible to create its own name and heraldry. A Local Lance can consist solely of one knight’s Lance of Pedigree (as in the case with the Black-and-Gold Lance), or it can be a joint group of knights who would otherwise be equals (such as the Rising Fire Lance). Additionally, due to location and accessibility, someone may be squired to a knight outside their local region but may otherwise participate & identify with their local lance.

• To establish a Local Lance, the following is required:

• The lance must create its own name and submit its heraldry to the Company Herald.

• The lance must hold regular HEMA harness practices or gatherings. This can be an affiliation with a local HEMA school or small training events hosted privately.

• The lance must submit its membership, description, and contact information to the Company Herald, so that they can create a public page on the website.

• The lance must have at least one sponsor knight in its leadership. If there are two or more knights in the lance at its formation, and both of them are equally ranked in terms of pedigree, one may be determined to be the leader or they can choose to lead the lance jointly.

• Non-knights and non-squires can still be considered members of a lance, even if they are not necessarily fully-fledged members of the Company. 

• Squires of one knight’s lineage may join a lance that is led by another knight, even if there is no knight/squire relationship between the two. Squires may also elect to change their sponsor knight, provided the two knights and the squire in question discuss it between them and the Company is notified of the decision. 

• Members may remain honorary members of the lance they were squired into, even if they eventually create their own lance. In this case, however, their new lance is their primary lance affiliation and for all intents & purposes it is their new lance.

 

Company & External Business
The Accolade is considered a Company ceremony, and can only take place at a Company Event. For an event to be considered a Company Event, it must be hosted by a member of the company, multiple members of the company must be in attendance, it must be independent from membership to outside groups, and it must be listed on our calendar of events on the website. 

Likewise, non-company business (business from outside groups) should not be conducted at Lynx Argent events. We are an independent organization and we neither prohibit other groups’ attendance to our events nor require any membership to attend ours, but we maintain our independence and neutrality by asking other groups to not present their business before the general company.

Members from external organizations should still be treated with hospitality. They should not be treated as “other” and should not be made to feel “lesser” because they are not members of our Company. Instead, we should welcome them as guests and respect their own internal hierarchy, even though it does not apply to us. For instance, a traveling man-at-arms who is representing sufficient status may still be referred to as a knight, can wear their own spurs if they have them, and may have brought their own squire, even if that social commitment exists outside of our organization. At the same time, royal and noble titles beyond Knight or Lady do not need to be recognized.

They should not be brought in on matters of Company business where it concerns only our knights, and they should not be given the floor to present their own internal business (awards, accolades, titles) before our general Company. 

The Company of the Lynx Argent does not necessarily use “persona names”, except if someone makes it known that their preference is to be known by an alias rather than their legal name. It is not common practice but it is not unheard of for people to prefer an alias name. We will respect an alias name but we will not require it and by default most of our members go by their legal name. In official documentation, such as event registration, insurance, and billing information, only the legal name may be used.

Knights of the Company are allowed to wear their spurs and may wear a knightly collar with the company insignia. The only item covered by our sumptuary laws (which is only applied internally to our members) is that our members who are not Knights of the Company should not presume to wear gilded spurs outside of equestrian activities. 

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The Accolade
The ‘standard’ accolade for the Company is based on historical knighting traditions. Partially of those outlined by Sir Geoffrey De Charney. An accolade ceremony will be held with all available members in attendance, typically at a large gathering like a feast or dinner after a deed of arms or during another company event.

Prior to the Accolade, the prospective knight should take some time to review the Company Charter, focus and meditate on the path of arms before them, and solicit and reflect on wisdom from other members of the company. This can take the form of a vigil ritual held the previous night, or as just a short period of meditation before the ceremony begins.

A minimum of three knights of the company shall be present, including the Sponsor knight. The sponsor knight begins with stating the accomplishments, virtues, and commitment to the art of the individual to be knighted.

The individual is called forward, and asked to outwardly state their commitment to the art and the Company. Then, in the name of God and their patron saints, they will receive the last blow they will be expected to receive without returning one. Their knight shall dub them by the sword, they will be awarded a pair of gilded spurs, and be embraced by their brothers in arms. Finally they shall sign the Company Charter and be counted as a Knight of the Lynx Argent.