Noble Order of the Sword
The Noble Order of the Sword is one of the four original Westarctican Orders of Chivalry. It was created to recognize exceptional military achievement. As Westarctica is largely a peaceful nation, it remains an honor that is rarely awarded.
Creation of the order
The order was created by decree on 2 April 2005 in the Royal Decree Revising the Orders of Westarctica. The text of the decree read as follows:
This Order is designed to recognize exceptional military achievement. There are two classes, Knight Commander, and Knight. The regalia for this Order are a gold chest star with crossed swords for the rank of Knight Commander, and a medal with three swords hanging from a red ribbon for the rank of Knight.
Regalia of the Order
The breast star of the order was created by master jewelry designer Carl W. Lemke on behalf of a disreputable con-artist known as Gary Martin Beaver (among other aliases too numerous to list) who subsequently failed to pay for the design and creation of the pieces. Grand Duke Travis thought it might be helpful to legitimize the regalia by turning it into a Westarctican Order of Chivalry, and ordering several breast stars, thereby covering the financial loss suffered by Mr. Lemke. However, due to the expense of the stars themselves, only one was ever purchased originally. When the order was revived in 2019, the breast star was updated for better contrast of the crossed swords.
The drape medal for the order is a re-purposed fencing medal. The Grand Duke has frequently described the original drape medal as "the ugliest piece of Westarctica's regalia." The design was revamped in 2019.
Sword of the Order
The ceremonial sword of the order is a replica of the sword carried by Napoleon during the battle of Austerlitz. It was given to Grand Duke Travis as a present from then Grand Duchess Cathryn in 2005. The sword was of very poor quality and in early 2017, the hilt separated from the blade and the sword was deemed a total loss. As the Order of the Sword was almost never bestowed, there was little interest in having it replaced.
Its ceremonial function and usage in investitures has largely been replaced by the Plantagenet Dagger.
Current Status
After 13 years of being an underutilized honor, the Order's function was deemed non-essential due to Westarctica's commitment to peace and ability to cover the rare need to recognize military achievement with the Order of the Snowflake. However, after participating in Exercise: Westarctic Chill with the Slabovian military, Grand Duke Travis decided to revive the Order and return it to active use.
List of Knights Commander
This list is current, as of 26 February 2020.
| Name | Year of appointment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 Grand Duke Travis |
2005 | Sovereign of the Order |
List of Knights and Dames
This list is current, as of 27 April 2020.
| Name | Year of appointment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 President Kevin Baugh of Molossia |
2005 | Two awards |
 King George 2.0 of Slabovia |
2019 | awarded for Exercise: Westarctic Chill |
| Chancellor Rankin MacGillivray of Slabovia |
2019 | awarded for Exercise: Westarctic Chill |
| Spencer MacGillivray of Slabovia |
2019 | awarded for Exercise: Westarctic Chill |
| Chris Mercer of Slabovia |
2019 | awarded for Exercise: Westarctic Chill |
| Janet Mercer of Slabovia |
2019 | awarded for Exercise: Westarctic Chill |
 Vice President Stephen Luke of Dracul |
2020 | awarded for military professionalism |
| Count Kirby of Dendtler |
2020 | awarded for Exercise: MOSTLY HARMLESS |
| Damian Kramer |
2020 | awarded for Exercise: MOSTLY HARMLESS |