Post by Myth Weaver on May 19, 2012 22:50:34 GMT -6
The Imperian Dragon Guard (This is race exclusive, Imperians only)
Created at first to protect the fledgling royal family, the Dragon was chosen as a symbol of power as well as a commemoration of the one who had befriended, assisted and protected the future emperor of the Imperians during the great Wizard Wars. It is rumored that the first Dragon Lord was just that, a dragon. However, to this day there is no proof since the first Dragon Lord's tomb can be found in the catacombs beneath the temple of Peliro in Trandatum where her body rests in peace.
The Dragon Guard is not just an elite group of formidable mages, it is the name given to the whole of the Imperian army. The navy that guards the shores of the nation is simply referred to as the Imperian Navy. However, with that said, there are a select few within the Dragon Guard that are considered elite due to the rare ability known as Force of Will. This ability allows a specific type of Mage to create a manifestation of their own will and on occasion their magic to become as physical as an extension of whatever ever weapon they wield, which is most often than not a sword. Thus their title of Blade Mage. These mages are considered the most powerful of the blend of magic and weaponry and have been chosen since the beginning to guard the Imperian royal family as well as perform highly sensitive if not obscure tasks for the ruling houses and the priesthood in Trandatum.
All Imperians who are of sound mind (some innate abilities may make an Imperian seem not of sound mind, i.e.forms of telepathy, trance like states, astral projection and the like), physically fit, and with or without major magics are welcome to join. As stated before, there are Imperians who are born with little or no magic inclinations they are still welcomed as long as they are able to wield a sword, pike or any other physical weapon that is in the arsenal. Those who are disqualified are those who are half-breeds due to their magical abilities manifesting themselves in unpredictable if not dangerous ways.
There is no selection process outside of Imperia, however, each recruit must undergo what is considered an inspection by a priest of Guinar for health and mental wellbeing as well as to assess their lineage to make sure they are not a half-breed. Then it is off to training. Imperians who have not been trained from a young age for a roll in carrying martial weapons are guided through rigorous training in swordsmanship, and other martial skills required for being in the Dragon Guard.
Inspection by the Priest of Guinar:
Must pass a physicality roll with a d10 that beats the lowest stat in the section to join.
Ranks - Each rank has a peppering of both magic users and non- magic users.
Watchman - all those entering by choice with little or no martial skill, cut their teeth in the Dragon Guard by first guarding the major settlements or performing roving watches throughout the frontier. They are rotated between the two. All promotions from this rank are based upon merit, loyalty and discipline. Any bad mark on a watchman's record delays their promotion for up to a year, specifically: fighting among the ranks that is not on a martial field, attacking a higher rank with malice or intent to harm, sleeping while on watch, or anything else that looks bad on Dragon Guard.
Senior Watchman - This rank rank provides the guard member a little less supervision by those above him. They are given the responsibility to oversee a watch within a city, village or town that they are station
Watch Marshal - Watch Marshall are the highest ranking member of a city or frontier patrols protecting travelers from bandits and other issues that may arise. When required to perform their military obligations in the main body of the army, they become squad leaders and team leaders.
High Watch Marshal - High Watch Marshals are more often than not, staff members within companies, battalions and corps levels. They oversee the watch from an administrative stand point. When called on for military duty they instruct the lesser ranks in maneuvering, tactics and lead them into battle.
Battle Mage - this rank is the highest enlisted rank a mage can achieve. Many in this rank assist Knight Commanders in the running of companies. As martial mages they can control large area magics that can scatter an enemy line or control a crowd. They are students of strategy where it applies to magic. They have been apart of the Dragon Guard for the majority of their adult lives and are well schooled in the arcane. (Must receive admin approval of stats and inventory to be given the go ahead, pm staff member if thinking about creating a Battle Mage).
Battle Master - Non-magic users can achieve this enlisted rank after many years of toil and training in the arts of sword, bow and pike. They too like the Battle Mage are assistances to the Knight Commanders as they run companies, battalions and corps level. They are deadly when on the field of battle and are most likely to be in the thick of it. They too have spent much of their life in the service of the Dragon Guard. (Pm staff member for approval if working on such a character. Must have staff approval for stats, inventory and character sheet before proceeding).
Elite/Officer rankings for Blade Mages and other specialized mages:
Knight Lieutenant - Those mages who are predisposed to a specific school of magic or have developed the Force of Will traits in their magics at an early age are trained to join the elite guard of the Imperian royal house. When they enter they are given this rank and must prove themselves worthy of advancement. Many work as agents for the nobility and other members of state. Some are given extra training to become spies in foreign courts. Others are given special leave to work directly for the learned archmages of Liosut, while others are posted to protect the royal family directly.
Knight Captain - This rank is a rank many elite mages strive for. They are given their first true command positions over small bands of Knight Lieutenants and lower enlisted. For those who are in the service to Liosut, they provide assignments for their knight lieutenants at large. (no character may start out as a Knight Captain upon finishing at least ten assignments before a roll of a d100 against their over all magical aptitude. Must roll under overall magical aptitude to proceed to this rank).
Knight Commander - This rank for the time being is an NPC. As time goes on there will be a few player driven slots open. Knight Commanders hold the position of authority over Battalions of Dragon Guard. They oversee training and strategy when in a combat situation. They are advisors to the Dragon Lord and occasionally, provide the Ruling Council their assessments of situations when the Dragon Lord is unavailable to perform the task. From their rank, the next Dragon Lord is chosen once the previous Dragon Lord has passed from this world.
Dragon Lord - this rank is an NPC due to the fact that he is the defacto leader of the Imperian Military. The High Lord Admirals of the Navy answer to him while he in turn answers directly to the Empress Resvina and the councilors of the Ruling Council. The present Dragon Lord is Niket Dano from a lesser noble house of landed gentry near Liosut. He is a reasonable man with a down to earth sensibility about him. His level headed-ness and a willingness to think things through every possibility has provided him as the voice of reason when the Ruling Council is clamoring for blood.
As a Mage, he is nowhere near as powerful as many on his staff or within the military he commands. His abilities fall with the grey area between divine and true arcane magics. Many mage scholars do not know why this happens on occasion with some mages with a priestly lineage but the draw between the two different sources of magic have a tendency to be weak within the Mage. Because of this reason he has learned to rely more on his martial ability and with rather than magic.
