Butter Knight

Butter Knight was the title given to the Munchkin soldier who wielded the so-called Butter Knife of Deadliness. The mantle was passed down, from warrior to warrior, for over four hundred years—from the time of the first wandering to the disastrous Fourth Age of Eden. And yet, even after the Knife was lost in single combat—and the title retired as a result—there are still some in Munchkinland who dream of a day when the Butter Knight will return.

Appointment

The first Butter Knight was appointed by the then-Mayor of Munchkinland, for this was in the time before the coming of the witches and the Wizard. After that initial appointment, all future Butter Knights were selected by the current Butter Knight. And that was it, officially speaking. The blessing of the Knight who preceded you was all you needed to take the office.

 

Unofficially, one was expected to have served at least 10 years as a lesser knight in the Blue Army before even being considered for the role of the Butter Knight’s apprentice. And not every apprentice went on to become the Knight themself. Some cracked under the pressure and retired, some were killed in action, and a few were even dismissed by the Butter Knight as disappointments.

Responsibilities

The Butter Knight was responsible for leading the defense of Munchkinland, and given that Munchkinland was the gateway to the whole of Oz, they were unofficially charged with the defense of the entire country.

 

They were responsible, within 48 hours of their ascension, for selecting an apprentice to serve as the next Butter Knight in the event of their death.

 

And lastly, but most importantly, they were responsible for keeping the Butter Knife of Deadliness from ever leaving the land of Eden. The halflings knew, from their dealings with the sister goddesses Mira and Phina, that the Knife could rip apart the very fabric of reality if were to enter the world beyond The River, and thus, they took this charge as their most serious responsibility of all.

Accoutrements & Equipment

Aside from the deadly weapon they wielded, the Butter Knight was outfitted with a nigh-indestructible set of Winkie-designed armor. The colors of this armor, yellow and gold, made the Butter Knight stand out from the rank and file of the Blue Army—but at least they didn’t clash!.


 

Shoutout

Shoutout to Emily Armstrong, who wrote about an entirely different kind of Butter Knight over in her world of CulinaryPunk. We didn’t coordinate this advance, I swear. Great minds just think alike!

 
Type
Civic, Military, Commissioned
Status
Abolished
Form of Address
Sir
Source of Authority
The people of Munchkinland
Length of Term
Life Tenure
Reports directly to

Comments

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Dec 6, 2023 14:32 by Chris L

I had somehow missed the Butter Knife of Deadliness article and I have gone and given that a like. As for the Butter Knight, it's a great concept and I'm worried that the Knife has gone astray. At this point, you're only missing the obvious "Butter Face" joke!


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Dec 6, 2023 16:04 by E. Christopher Clark

Hehehe, yes, I'll have to figure out how to work that in at some point. And thanks for checking out the Butter Knife of Deadliness article. That's an old one. Just updated the art to match this morning.

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Dec 7, 2023 01:10 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

Aw, I'm sad that the Butter Knight is no longer a thing. I enjoy it as a concept!

Emy x
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Dec 7, 2023 12:11 by E. Christopher Clark

Me, too. I may try to bring it back at some point. One thing that occurs to me now, though, is that in the current timeframe of the project I'm working on, they are still a thing, which makes me think about how I'm handling what point in time these articles are being written from. Not sure if there's anything to be done there, but it's food for thought.

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Dec 7, 2023 12:22 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

I don't think it matters as long as the point in time is consistent. :)

Emy x
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Dec 7, 2023 13:07 by E. Christopher Clark

Agreed, but I think that's my problem. I don't know if I have been consistent. I tend to know when I'm writing from now for the purposes of WA, but I'm not sure if I always knew this clearly. Might need to spend the early part of 2024 cleaning that up—and then maybe specifying on each book project what time period it's set in. I've seen Star Wars do something like that with their recent book and comic releases.

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Dec 7, 2023 06:32 by Emily Armstrong

I literally gasped when I saw this, I love your butter knight! I hope they find that dang Butter Knife and return some day, sounds like somethin' real bad might happen if it gets in the wrong hands!   I can't stop laughing because I'm also working on a butter knight for WorldEmber xD Butter knights forever!!

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Dec 7, 2023 12:12 by E. Christopher Clark

Yay, I can't wait to read about your Butter Knight!!!   Thankfully, I know where the Butter Knife is and I may turn its rediscovery into a plot point somewhere down the line. This article's also written from the distant future, in terms of time frame, so the story I'm working on now takes place in a time when the Butter Knight was still around.   Figuring out when "now" is when writing these articles is definitely something I need to figure out.

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