Factions of the Knight's Guild

Archers
Knights
Soldiers
Guards
Patrollers

Within the Knight's Guild are several divisions based on specializations and other factors. The three main factions that make up the bulk of the guild are the knights, soldiers, and guards, while the Archers and Patrollers are somewhat separated from the main part of the guild. While there is some degree of cooperation in the guild (particularly with the "big three" and the archers; particularly not with the "big three" and the patrollers), individuals overlapping factions are unheard of; either you're one or the other. Individuals may occasionally switch from one faction to another, but this is rare.

Archers: Those skilled with a bow, sling, or other missile weapon - usually a longbow. Most archers worthy of the name begin their training at childhood, and can fire several arrows in a minute with deadly accuracy when fully trained. They're divided into fifty-person groups, called asams, and each asam is lead by a missilemaster. The archers are much less picky, class-wise, about who is an archer; anyone with decent talent with the bow may become an apprentice. Archers are on good terms with the knight and soldier factions and often run joint missions with them. Their somewhat separated nature from the bulk of knight/soldier/guard grouping is signified by their leader, the Bowmaster.

Knights: Knights are the calvary of the Shadowstarian army and are what most people associate with the Knight's Guild: the armored fighters on horseback. Besides being versed in fighting, they are also well-learned in law and often act as judges or mediators among the common people. They are also master tacticians. Knights usually only work in groups in war planning or as the Council; many lead evamuits or muits. They make up most of the Council of Knights and the Guildmaster is often (but not always) drawn from their ranks. Becoming a knight is difficult, and becoming a master one is even more difficult (though not as difficult as a Ctsu-Klarn or Maugh-Klarn.) Knights often come from the upper-class families, though some use elevated status from excellent performance in battle to jump-start a knight career. They are usually trained in swordplay, jousting, and use of the spear. They look to the guildmaster for leadership.

Soldiers: The foot soldiers of Shadowstar and the bulk of the Shadowstarian army. A soldier's only concern is the war on Chaos and are rarely involved with internal matters. They are often considered the 'lower-class knights'. Many who become master soldiers then go on to work through the Knight ranks. Some bonded pairs join the soldier ranks after having a taste of fighting through their bond training. Soldiers are trained in most any weapon imaginable, including their bodies. They look to the guildmaster for leadership.

Guards: Numbering almost as many as the soldiers, these are the guards to the cities and the castles. They are often hired by civilians as bodyguards or for other duties. Because of the more private sector nature of their job, as well as ease of entering, guards are often looked down upon by the other factions, most signifigantly the knights. The dream position for a guard is as the bodyguard to one of the royals; however, these guards are often selected not on just skill but also the ability to not drive the royal insane.
"It's not that hard to become a personal guard, actually. You just hang around a royal 24/7 and annoy the hell out of them." --Malanya Ara

Patrollers: Technically, they are a faction of the Knight's Guild and share the Guildhall, but largely operate independantly of the main guild itself. It is the shadow guild, a more legal counterpart to the Thieves' Guild, and equal in skill. At any given time there are most likely several rivalries running between members of the two guilds. The Patrollers work through the underworld, investigating shady dealings and less savory crimes. They never reveal their names to their contacts or enemies, just their codenames. Only the most skilled live long enough to claim the title of master. They are led by the Patrolmaster, who is often whatever Patroller has managed to stay in one piece the longest. The Patrol is a relatively recent addition to the guild; its history only goes back about fifty years, about a generation before Ryntan. More on the Patrol can be found here.