Paladin

Paladins are soldiers within Heaven's Army and are Mept's main non-magic troops. They are trained by his Paladin Captain, Lux in Heaven's Barracks.

Ranking System
Paladins are ranked based on their level of skill with weapons and battle prowess. The training is a lot more battle-based than a Light Mage's and as such they are ranked slightly differently. Graduation Matches between Paladins to see who should progress to the next rank of tutoring are held in The Colosseum.

Rank 0
Rank 0 is the rank given to Paladins who have recently started their training. This is the only rank that has no battle-based learning in it as to progress to Rank 1, they only need to be physically capable of becoming a Paladin. They have no decorations on their armour.

Rank 1
Paladins at Rank 1 start to get introduced to battling and sparring and also have a small silver bar on their shoulderplates. They are taught basic combat techniques and are currently finding their preferred weapon which can be practically any weapon found in any kingdom.

Rank 2
Once they have found their preferred weapon, the basic combat techniques taught in Rank 1 are then built on and are also slightly adapted to fit the weapon wielded by the Paladin. They are characterised by two small silver bars on their shoulderplates.

Rank 3
Rank 3 Paladins are then introduced to more advanced combat techniques than the ones taught previously, again adapted to the specific weapon. This is also the first Rank where Ranged and Melee Paladins are taught seperately, as will be the case for all the proceeding Ranks as well. They have a third and final silver bar on their shoulderplates.

Rank 4
If a Paladin achieves Rank 4, they are rewarded with a silver square to replace the bars on their shoulderplates and are then introduced to dual wielding. As was the case with their first weapon, their second weapon is their choice although most Paladins tend to have a shield in their off-hand and a weapon in their main-hand.

Rank 5
Most Paladins who start training eventually reach Rank 5 and are rewarded with a diamond embedded in the back and front of their breastplate. Rank 5 covers defending against magical attacks and disabling Mages because some Paladins may want to enlist in Heaven's Army at the end. It is also considered the longest and hardest of the main Ranks. Paladins who wish to continue their training into the special ranks and are deemed able to do so by either Mept or Lux duel each other, whereas Paladins seeking to be placed in Heaven's Army are sent to duel with a Light Mage who is Rank 5 as well. In any of the proceeding Ranks, Paladins may opt to join Heaven's Army and are again, sent to duel with a Light Mage who is the same rank as them.

Rank 6
Rank 6 is the first of the 'special' ranks and Paladins who ascend to this position are respected by all in Heaven. If a Paladin reaches this far, the diamond gems on their breastplate are exchanged for sapphires. Rank 6 covers the most advanced combat techniques for their specific weapon and Paladins here have reached the final stage in their weapon training.

Rank 7
Rank 7 Paladins are rewarded with a sapphire embedded in the tip of their helmets. This Rank involves the first part of the Paladins' move to the Mage School as they learn some basic defensive magic to protect themselves in battle with other forces. Paladins tend to make friends with some of the Rank 7 Mages there and Mept is very careful to not endanger any of these by making them duel each other.

Rank 8
Paladins who achieve Rank 8 gain sapphires on the back of their gauntlets too. This rank constitutes the second part of the Paladins' move to the Mage School where they learn enchantments for their weapons and how to use these effectively in battle.

Rank 9
After achieving Rank 9, Paladins gain a single silver cross centred on the sapphire on the front of their breastplate. Rank 9 covers a lot of the more basic techniques but adapted for other weapons which allows the Paladins to gain knowledge and skills in using different weapons other than their main two.

Rank 10
This is the final rank and Paladins here are the most powerful in the Barracks. Paladins here learn about all of the different weapons so they can be combat masters in any situation. This is the longest rank out of any of the Ranks and Paladins who make it through here are respected throughout the whole of Heaven. They have a second silver cross centred on the sapphire in the back of their breastplate.

Other Ranks

 * Rank 11: This is the fake rank that Lux has since he is the most powerful Paladin in Heaven.
 * Enlist: All Paladins who graduate to the Army are assigned the rank of Enlist
 * Tutor: Some Paladins stay on at the Barracks to help teach lower ranked Paladins and are assigned the rank of Tutor.

Appearance
Paladins are clad head to toe in white armour that glistens in the light. They have helmets that do not obscure their faces. Their helmets and boots have wing-like adornments coming out of them as well. Their gauntlets can sometimes have thin, faint Mana Veins on them since they are used as the catalysts for the basic spells learnt in Ranks 7 and 8.