The Emperor's Blades or Imperial Blades is the primary military force of the Empire of Fastheld. Being an Imperial institution, it reports directly to His Highness, Emperor Talus Kahar XIV. It provides the backbone of security for the state and is well trained, well equipped and well led to accomplish its purposes. While its numbers vary according to many concerns, it hovers around 5,500 trained Blades. Due to its small size, the Imperial Blades work very closely with the nobility's House Guards, the Market District's Guild Militia, as well as local constabulary authorities.
Ranks
The Blades' ranking structure is designed to encourage skilled soldiers in pursuing advancement, with a focus on effective unit leadership, while recognizing the oft-held maxim that nobility are inherently ready to lead troops right away.
Soldiers
- Recruit - Everybody first joining the Blades holds this rank while they are trained, though nobles and freelanders are not trained together.
- Guardian - This is the rank where freelanders start after they've completed their training. The Guardian is the most common rank in the military, and many of those who join the Blades never move up past it.
Non-Commissioned Officers
- Guardian Leader - If a Guardian shows great skill and leadership abilities, it is possible for them to move up to the rank of Guardian Leader. They command a squad of ten men, and can move up to command a platoon of several squads, should they distinguish themselves further.
- Bladesman - This is the rank which nobility are given after their training. Due to their better birth, education and means, Bladesmen are given command of a ten man squad immediately. They can move up to command a platoon of several squads.
Though a Bladesman is given an initial higher rank due to his birth, this does not mean that he will not serve as a squad leader under a senior freelander Guardian Leader, a situation which is common enough not to warrant second thoughts. In cases where a freelander commands a noble, he is to be shown the same deference that the noble would show to any superior, and be addressed as "Sir". The same goes for the opposite, of course.
Officers
- Marshal - Marshals typically command a Company's worth of troops, which is made up of several platoons. Due to their experience, they can and are also posted around the realm on staff duties, as area commanders, or liason officers with other elements of Fastheld's society. While mostly noble, there are a minority of Freelander Marshals, promoted for their great skill and leadership abilities.
- Captain - Captains command Regiments, Districts and serve as senior staff officers. Only those who have accumulated a great amount of experience and demonstrated ample ability to organize and lead soldiers are promoted to this rank, which occupies the upper echelons of the Blades.
Command
- 2nd Blademaster - This is the second in command of the Blades, and almost always is the Blademaster in waiting.
- Blademaster - The commander of the Emperor's Blades. He reports directly to the Emperor.
Branches
There are five trades within the Emperor's Blades.
- Infantry - These soldiers fight most often with sword, shield and spear. They are trained for close order combat in formation as well as individual fighting. They are the most numerous of the Emperor's Blades, and the most often seen.
- Archer - These men work in close concert with the infantry in most situations, and are armed with bows, though they have the means to defend themselves up close.
- Cavalry - Trained to be quick shock cavalry, messengers and scouts, the cavalry arm of the Blades are generally equipped as a medium cavalry, highly versatile and mobile.
- Engineer - Oft overlooked, the Imperial Corps of Engineers is an extremely important part of the Emperor's Blades. From building fortifications, operating the seldomly seen artillery pieces, repairing the Aegis and working on roads, Engineers are always very busy. They are also known as sappers. Imperial weapon and armour smiths are posted to the Engineer branch, as well as most other similarly skilled trades.
- Medical - Medics are attached directly to the larger fighting units, as well as serving at higher headquarters. They are uniformly trained in their job and considered very skilled.
Structure
The Emperor's Blades are formed into four distinct regiments, corresponding to the four garrisons of Fastheld.
The Imperial Westwatch Regiment is posted to the West Aegis Garrison, located near Fanghill. Its area of responsibility is the western part of the Forest District, a small area of the western River District as well as the entirety of the Shadow District. This includes the areas near the cities of Fanghill, Hedgehem and Hawk's Aerie, as well as the aforentioned Shadow District. Due to this, they are sometimes known as the "Shadow Garrison". It is commanded by Captain Iselore Zahir.
The Imperial Ironsides Regiment is posted to the South Aegis Garrison, near Silkfield. Its area of responsibility encompasses almost the entirety of southern Fastheld, including areas near the cities of Light's Reach, Silkfield and Nillu's Lode. It is commanded by Captain Eril Nillu.
The Imperial Crimson Guard Regiment is posted to the East Aegis Garrison, a few miles outside of Vozhdya. Its area of responsibility encompasses the whole Market District, as well as a small sliver of both the Forest District and River District. Cities within its area include Vozhdya, Marble Grove, Trademeet and Eastwatch. It is commanded by Captain Turell Mikin.
The Imperial Borderers Regiment is posted to the North Aegis Garrison, at Northwatch. This is the only known gate in the massive Aegis wall which surrounds Fastheld, and though it is tightly bolted shut the garrison here is especially vigilant. Its area includes most of the River District, encompassing the cities of Aegisport, Northwatch, Wedgecrest and East Leg. It is commanded by Captain Sirius Kahar.
Each regiment contains Blades from all of the trades - whether infantry, archers, cavalry, engineers or medics. They are organized in a simple manner.
- Squad - Around ten Blades, commanded by a Bladesman or Guardian Leader
- Platoon - Usually three squads, two of infantry and one archer, and a headquarters element that includes flag and horn signallers. Commanded by a senior Bladesman or a senior Guardian Leader.
- Company - Comprised of three platoons, a small cavalry section and a headquarters. Commanded by a Marshal, they also include a small medical detachment and often some engineers. Companies are designed so that they can be posted out of the garrison and operate on their own for extended periods of time. Most of the companies are named and have proud, documented histories.
- Regiment - There are six standard companies in each regiment, as well as sizable separate Cavalry, Engineer and Logistics Wings. They are commanded by Captains. Each regiment is posted to one of the Empire's garrisons.
Imperial General Staff
The Imperial General Staff was created after the chaos of the Second Wildling War (611 ATA), where a largely unprepared military was caught completely unawares by the viscous assault of the Realm's traditional enemies, the Wildlings. During the widespread reforms of the Blades which followed the successful conclusion of the war, many traditional and unflexible structures of the Blades were abolished and new positions were created to make sure that stagnation did not once again set in.
One of these innovations was the Imperial General Staff, a collection of senior officers of Captain and Marshal grade who were initially assembled to study lessons learned of the War and apply them to the Blades organization. Some of these soldiers were called out of retirement to serve on the Staff, while many others were simply promoted to fill out positions. They were all veterans of the War. The Blademaster at the time, Felisin Mikin, was so impressed by the progress and utility of having a senior cadre on hand at all times that he made the Staff a permanent fixture of the Blades. Their role quickly expanded from simply studying the War to moving at the forefront of both intelligent reformation, the study of the Blades' institutional history, tactical as well as strategic procedure, and finally judging the progression of individual units within.
One of the most important positions on the staff is that of the Imperial Inspector of Troops.
The General Staff's membership, including all officers and junior soldiers attached, usually hovers around one hundred men. Working for the General Staff is considered very prestigious and a good way to secure one's advancement. There are also members of other organizations who are posted within the General Staff as liasons, such as Shadowscourges and senior members of House Guards, among others.
Foundation
The Emperor's Blades were created in 4 BTA (Before The Aegis) by the first Emperor of Fastheld, Talus Kahar I, and Ulfell Lomasa, who went on to be the first Blademaster. The original organization was not much more than a patchwork volunteer force of those who chose to stand with the Emperor during the Darkening of Fastheld. As the war evolved, it amalgamated several of Fastheld's military forces, primarily those from the noble houses. It was during the First Wildling War that the Blades' history was forged and on a successful conclusion of the war it was organized as a permanent standing military.
The questions of how the new military was to be organized went to the wayside, somewhat, in the years following extensive rebuilding of the Empire. The Blades remained somewhat of an ad-hoc organization, as the nobility squabbled over their rights to defence and the ability to recall the troops whom they had volunteered for Imperial service.
First Reforms
It was not until Blademaster Serus Kahar was to take command of the Blades in 8 ATA that the structure of the Empire's military would be firmly established. Very quickly, he instituted order in an institution which had begun to break down in a squabbling over jurisdictions. Serus Kahar rolled out a new, unified ranking structure for the soldiers,, delineated the differences in trades within the military and authorized the founding of ten distinct regiments to operate within different areas of the Empire. As time went on, most of these regiments would be disbanded and amalgamated to make up the four which currently operate in Fastheld.
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