(Left to right: Ruby Varon, Jade Varon, Jonathon Enos, Dandre Talos, Cornelius Wolfe, Lionel Murdock, Oliver Flaid, Sylvester Lewis)

The Guards is the current dominant order in Central, consisting of many stations throughout North and South Tasif, Temanea, and Huirnon.

History

In the year 250AL, the city of Lyte became democratic, because Renin's line of leaders had been lost due to the Battle at Etalz. A collection of wisened civilians took leadership of Lyte and the rest of Central severed its links with the dying order of Paladins. The council of Lyte and the higher ranked Paladins argued constantly, and had been doing so since Lord Erinduo was killed in 249AH. The democrats successfully ruled their small area for quite some time, until the year 590AL. Someone called Daedalus sailed in from the East. Daedalus was born in North Nidonn but when he was 32 he sailed westward to Central when he had received word that Lyte had become democratic and the order of the Paladins had stopped growing. Ahartui, Daedalus's father, was known as a wise prophet, sometimes called the ArchProphet, and he foretold that Daedalus would find a kingdom to rule elsewhere, as Erertoga would rule Phedailin and North Nidonn when Ahartui passed away. Sure enough, when Daedalus heard that Central had no leader, he sailed there and claimed that he was the grandchild of Lyte's previous lord. The council was not hesitant to hand the power of Central over to Daedalus, as it was indisputable that he was indeed a Hireos and quite powerful. There was proof of this when Bartyl and Pandora tried to do what Daedalus was trying to do. Daedalus defeated Pandora after she had transformed into the Black Dragon, and he had Bartyl sealed deep in an underground prison. The citizens wanted to be rid of the council, and there were almost no disputes against Daedalus ruling after his impressive show of strength. They had been hoping for another Lord Renin, and they believed Daedalus was the closest they could get. Aside from this, the laws clearly stated that Daedalus was supposed to rule because of his lineage.

However, once Daedalus began to earn the trust of his people, he made some changes. Because he was a neutral Hireos and thus didn't allow worship of Nikina, Paladins were depicted as weak by a new order called The Guards. A vast majority of people turned and joined The Guards, as they were convinced that there was no future in being a Paladin. Somehow, The Enemy had made himself very discrete and the people had little to fear. Even the rest of Central rejoined North Tasif's dominant order and took on the new customs and systems. The Paladins were subtly forced deeper into seclusion as everything The Guards did showed them up -- make them look weaker. It was around this point that Gideon left and joined The Guards.

Many years later, in 1171AL, a year after Gideon was killed in battle, The Guards made a shocking move and attacked the Paladins. Because both orders protected people from The Enemy, it is not known why Daedalus made such a rash command, but it was followed anyway. A large band of soldiers marched on Etalz again, and a battle broke out. Somehow, Daedalus was slain, but both Dandre Talos -- Daedalus's son -- and Captain Murdock drove the Paladins into their temple again and The Guards returned home with their heads held high, though only the Paladin Zuphlas was killed. The Paladins managed to discretely pick up a few new members, but at this time their numbers were below a dozen, and the Paladins have not come out of hiding since. This battle was called The Purging.

Since then, The Guards have acted very little. General Talos has been commanding The Guards since his father's death and the order has been continuing its steady war against The Enemy.

About The Guards

The Guards's Headquarters are in Lyte, in North Tasif. Basically, they are a Central-wide peace-by-order faction. Troops of half a dozen to a dozen soldiers constantly roam Central, either doing missions, scouting, or patrolling. If they have something to report, they will send messengers to all nearby towns to go straight to the guardhouse there, and from there, word is usually sent straight to Lyte -- even by boat if need be. Once word reaches the General, he would discuss it with his Vice-General and possibly his Captains, and once an action was decided, appropriate forms are made. If the reported event requires a troop for whatever reason, a mission form is issued to the most avaliable and suitable Captain or Commander. Once any mission is complete, the entire troop reports back to wherever they are stationed and they wait for their next mission. However, if the reported event is minor, word needn't be sent to Lyte on every occasion. This is only for major or recurring events.

Fighting styles and weapons vary. The most common weapon used is the sword, either short or long, and occasionally broad. A large percentage of The Guards wield and are trained in the use of swords. Actual styles depend on the situation. Depending on the orders of their superior, they may act aggressively, defensively, passively, and so on. If needed, troops can form formations to protect weaker beings or some kind of archer or artillery unit.

Appearance

The Guards predominantly wear two colours -- maroon and grey. The uniform is grey lined with maroon. Their boots are black and they all wear leather belts with a sheath belt, always with a sword sheathed. The basic armour is an upper-breastplate with plates for the shoulder. The style of these plates changes with rank and even with individual. The General's armour is more intricate and is lined with red instead of maroon. The Vice-General wears no breastplate. The General also wears a red cape. All guards carry on them their emblem used for identification, which they would have gained by taking The Oaths, which is part of the initiation procedure.

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Ranks

A member of The Guards can be one of six ranks, all listed below...

General

Current: Dandre Talos
The General is basically the head power of all of Central. His command is ultimate and his decisions are final. He spends very little time outside of Headquarters in Lyte. The General wears a red cape and has the most intricate armour of all ranks.

Vice-General

Current: Cornelius Wolfe
The Vice-General is both second-in-command and the General's bodyguard. He is often a source of secondary opinion, though it is rare for a Vice-General to speak against a General. He also spends little time outside of Headquarters.

Captain

Current: Lionel Murdock, Jade Varon, Jonathan Enos, Marcus Wallace, Bastian Silviera, Christian Dalton
The Captains are designated their own troops of half a dozen guards, including a Commander, to complete the more specific and important orders from the General. If all Captains are busy, a Commander with his or her troop will do the job instead.

Commander

A Commander is a lesser type of Captain but there are limited places for Commanders. They do jobs that Captains are unable to do and also have their own troops of guards.

Guard

A guard is a secondary rank of soldier and are often situated to guard important places, such as guardhouses, and they are usually more trained than Soldiers are.

Soldier

The most simple rank of The Guards. A soldier is anything from a new recruit to a common trooper.