The Royal Guard

After the assassination of his father, Hedrick Raoliss began a total reconstruction of safety and law enforcement in Eridor. His first priority was to create a higher echelon of knights, used specifically for high-risk missions and the family's protection. The Royal Guards are this elite rank of military in Eridor. They are selected from castle guards, province guards, military officers, and mercenaries alike. They are addressed as Commander [Last name], and are expected to lead troops in combat.

Joining the Royal Guards
In order to become a Royal Guard, one must be nominated first by either their province lord or the king's Castellan. He will then have his skills evaluated by the King and Castellan. The first trial is a decorum test: gauging how much noble etiquette and Eridoran history the guard is familiar with. It is not necessary for the guard to get a perfect score on this portion of the exam. The second trail is a physical evaluation. The guard must complete an obstacle course, providing multiple different terrains and hazards for the guard to pass through. There is also a combat evaluation intertwined into this examination, as periodically the guard will be attacked and have to defend himself while still navigating the course. The third and final trail involves a staged heist, where current members try to “attack” the king. The guard in consideration must keep him safe, without any weapons. The contending guard is not notified of what is happening beforehand, and each royal guard is instructed to keep the final trial secret. If the King approves of the guard, they begin a short period of training. They will patrol with a current royal guard member on duty with a lower ranking member of the royal family, such as Celesse or Solaea. They will train for 20 days and 20 nights.

When a new member of the royal guard first begins their independent assignment, they are always placed on night duty for the first six months. After this time, new royal guards begin patrolling. They are assigned to Celesse or Solaea for a year. Once this introductory year is complete, they are then assigned more regular patrols, and are designated as either day, night, or swing guards. They must have been a royal guard member for at least a year before they can be assigned as Daegan’s night guard, and have been a royal guard member for two years before they can be assigned as one of his day guards. They must be in the royal guard for four years before they can be assigned to be one of Hedrick’s guards at any time. These rules are flexible, however, as the royal family can request certain members to be with them. There are limitations to requests, however. The guard needs at least one day off every 10 days, so the requests must still respect that. Also guards who are typically only day guards may not be requested to be night guards, as it will compromise their potential for a few days. Some of the excess Royal Guards act as “swing” guards. Since they do not work regular hours, they may be placed, and requested, on days or nights.

Protecting the Family
How many guards a royal family member has each day depends on what activities they have scheduled. Hedrick always has three, no matter what, but he can have as many as he requests. Daegan is supposed to have two, but since most of his duties take place inside his home, he usually has just one. He will have two when he is in public. Solaea, Navis, and Celesse always have one regardless of the day, unless they need to be in public or attend an event without Hedrick or Daegan, then they will have two. When the royal family is all together, such as at dinner time or special events, ten royal guards will always be present for them. There will be excess guards surveying their surrounding area. When it is nighttime, Daegan, Navis, and Solaea both only have one guard, but Hedrick and Celesse will have four together. Newer Royal Guards can serve their six months of night duty in the common rooms of the King’s Suite, but they are not allowed to be the bedroom guards. Castle guards are assigned to the common rooms and hallways of Daegan and Solaea’s suites.


 * If a member of the royal family has more than one guard, they may dismiss them if they are no longer needed for the night. The royal family must always have at least one guard with them.

While being a royal guard is seen as an incredible honor, it is awfully taxing on their bodies. Royal guard members are on duty for 12 or more hours everyday, and are not allowed to sit down unless directed to. Wherever their assignment goes, they go along with them. They must have a day off once every 10 days, but most are allowed one or two days off in a week. They may request additional time off for personal needs (such as if a family member dies) but they are not allowed to have more than three days off in a row. The guards that are not assigned to usual posts will typically have more days off than those that have regularly assigned post.

Rules and Regulations
Royal guard members serve until they can no longer maintain their physical requirements. Most guards are able to serve until they reach 40 years of age, but some have retired as early as 30 due to injury or other ailments. They are compensated well for their services, being paid approximately 50,000 Creds a year. Because they are required to live in the castle, they do not have to pay any land rent or food costs, so they save a comfortable amount of money by the time they retire. When retirement comes, they are allowed to become a castle guard again if they are able. If they are not able or simply choose not to, they may peacefully retire. Hedrick grants them a small piece of land, the title of Thane, and they are free to do as they please. They are required to reside in Eridor for the rest of their life. This is due to the nature of their duties, as they are exposed to classified information about Eridor, Ane Dorai, and the royal family. Before retirement, they are bound to Eridor and the King, and may not leave to pursue other careers or interests. When the rules are broken, the guards must be punished. If they break a minor rule, such as gossiping minor information or flirting with a maid, they may only receive a warning or be temporarily removed from services. If they have broken a major rule (such as taking someone in the castle as a lover, or too many false alarms) they may lose all of their earnings, be dishonorably removed from their position, and forced to leave Ossin Keep forever. They may be monitored for the next five years by a security official to discourage them leaking confidential information in retaliation for their dismissal. If a royal guard member is found to have severely compromised their position or the royal family, they may be imprisoned for the rest of their life.

Some of the rules the Royal Guard must follow are:


 * Royal guards must always be in good hygiene.  Since they are around a member of court at all times, they must be well presented.
 * Royal guard must always be in possession of a sword and two daggers, as well as a health tonic and anti-poison. If their assignments have any medical issues that are currently being treated, the royal guard must have additional medicines on him at all times.
 * They must always be alert and vigilant.  They cannot let distractions such as conversation or music interfere with their duties.
 * Royal guard members are required to act when necessary.  If they sense danger, they must act on it.


 * In addition, false alarms must be kept to a minimum, or the guard’s integrity and ability will be questioned.


 * Due to the nature of their position, they are exposed to confidential information.  Royal guards must not gossip.
 * Royal guard members are only allowed to be males.
 * Royal guard members are not allowed to pursue relations with anyone in the castle. This is to ensure the safety of the royal family is never compromised.

Appearance
The royal guard uniforms are different than the regular castle guards. They are designed to be more elegant, yet more intimidating. They are grey in color, with a small grey cape. The uniform is primarily made out of strong leather with padded gambeson underneath. Even though the uniform is heavy, it is comfortable. The uniform is not heavily armored, but it will keep them protected from most melee attacks. More delicate areas have extra reinforcement. The guards wear different colored uniforms for certain holidays and events. For example: They wear red and gold uniforms on Ane Novus, gold for the Summer Solstice, and black and gold for public events hosted by the royal family.

There is no limit to how many Royal Guard members there can be at any time, although the barracks are only designed to host 25 Royal Guards at a time. Whenever someone is added to the royal family, two more members will join if necessary. There needs to be at least 16 members at all times to ensure the safety of the family. There are currently 19 active Royal Guards. Members are:


 * Hadan Autumnbrooke
 * Oan Blackveil
 * Adran Briardor
 * Marce Dayton
 * Morgen Farstream
 * Cedris Flinn
 * Cal Giler
 * Gideon Gold
 * Braedan Hillriver
 * Dorian Lachiern
 * Edra Lavor
 * Saben Lech
 * Elias Ligos
 * Lesten Lolis
 * Matelin Reed
 * Wyatt Rovias
 * Roman Sacher
 * Arel Sattin
 * Damien Westina