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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→The Commoners
====The Commoners====
[[Imagefile:KnightArt.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Knights operating alongside [[Imperial Guard]] ]]
The bottom tier of society on any Knight World are its serf class, also referred to as commoners. These serve as labourers for their liege lords in exchange for protection. Their most common roles outside of physical labour are artisans, bonded militias, farmers, hunters, and builders.{{Fn|29a}}
A sub-class also exists called the [[Drover (Knight World)| Droversdrovers]] who looked look after the animal herds, as the nobility would will not soil their hands with such work. The Drovers used use [[Drover Walker|drover walker]]s, bipedal frames similar to those of their masters, but they wereare, by law, not armed with any weapons, despite the fact that they faced face very serious threats in the form of predators and xenos raids. This forced forces the Drovers drovers to rely on the Knights knights for protection, and created creates a dependency comfortable for the nobles, as it made makes revolt virtually impossible.{{Fn|3}}
In addition to the Knight knight war machines, every House house has [[Knight Household Guard|multiple men-at-arms in its employ]], resembling [[Planetary Defence Force]]s, although but possessing a much smaller amount of heavy equipment. On several worlds, artificers and technicians became the most important subjects of the warrior nobility. They maintained the Knight walkers, and over time styled themselves as a priesthood for the half-forgotten mysteries of technology called the [[Sacristan]]s. They arbitrated between the Knight Houses and ensured that the headstrong nobles did not wipe out one another in bitter feuds by ritualising the values of Duty, Honour and Valour. With the acceptance of these values, the Knights became known as The Chivalry.{{Fn|3}}
As well as the threat presented by hostile Houses, Knights had to conduct frequent battles against their worlds' indigenous predators. Hunting these beasts honed their martial skills into a deadly art. The Knights themselves would retire when they reached old age, passing their Battle Armour down to their heir, and in its stead donning the armour of a [[Knight Warden]]. They would then take the task of protecting the household and lending its members their advice. Knights formed family units to fight with the Titan Legions or alongside the Imperial Guard. Knights of a given house would be led by a noble holding the rank of a Lord, or the corresponding title of a Seneschal if he happened to be a Warden.{{Fn|3}}
