Code of the Byhoru

Hymn of the Bykhoru

Nabvakos called my soul to battle.
Nabvakos called my heart to arms.
With honor will I fight for his great mercy.
With honor will I fight for his great love.
Nabvakos hear my cry of battle.
Nabvakos hear my cry of war
War upon the cruelty of our nature
War upon the honorless, we're bound.
I will die, I will die, I will die.
I will stand in your army, for your honor,
Till I die.

Most prestigious among the Warrior Castes of the Dorogo are the warrior-monks of the Bykhoru. These are the pinnacle of the Dorogo "honored warrior" ideal, following the teachings of Nabvakos (b 2168 BC - d 95 AD, now deified). Teachers of the Bykhoru way are called Teyarhk. The Teyarhk is there to guide the student, or Graghnah. There is alot of passing of technique and knowledge, but the Graghnah is encouraged to develop their own style. After a certain point, the Teyarhk merely tells the student what it is they are doing incorrectly, then the student must find the solution themself. Learn from your mistakes...correct your weaknesses. If the Bykhoru ever falls from the path and can't be helped back on, the Teyarhk can be their greatest ally or worst enemy. The Bykhoru's Teyarhk feels responsible for his or her student's failure, and are sworn to kill the student rather than have the knowledge of the Bykhoru used improperly. A Bykhoru who is seen to be slipping from the path might be sent on an Honor Quest by their Teyarhk. Self imposed quests are not uncommon.

Bykhoru Rank

Graghnah: There are four levels.

  • Ehn-Graghnah (Unworthy Beginner), 4 ranks
  • BokRath (Novice student), 3 ranks
  • ChuRath (Student), 3 ranks
  • BoRath (Senior student), 4 ranks

    Bykhoru: There are five specialized classes of Bykhoru, and the Bykhoru must choose one path before their initial training is complete.

  • Warrior: Focus is on martial arts & weapon prowess. Less focus on magic.
  • Divinate: Focus is primarily on magic, healing skills and healing psionics depending on the individual.
  • Vindicator: Focus is on justice. This has the best mix of warrior skill & magic.
  • Slayer: Focus is on whatever it takes to destroy the foul abominations of undead and other infernal creatures, and those that create and/or summon them.
  • Law Giver: Focus is on keeping order, and recording events that transpire.

    Khorarhk: After 5 rank advancements in Bykhoru, choose one of two paths:

  • Khorarhk: (Veteran warrior) Continue advancing in ranks as a Bykhoru. Khorarhk are the generally the leaders of Dorogo troops into battle. A Khorarhk may always try to become a Teyarhk later on.
  • Teyarhk: (Dedicated teacher) Train Graghnah into Bykhoru. There are only two ranks above Teyarhk:
  • RuTeyarhk: (Dedicated master) A teacher of Teyarhks.
  • BoruTeyarhk: (Master's master) Recognized as the most worthy over all other Teyarhks. As of the mid 2640's, there are only three living BoruTeyarhk; Makhoven-Par-Clevinus, Ghenderi Nabvakos, and Fyrekhus Tykhasi.

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