While far more uniform than its predecessors in the Old City, the profession of arms in Fastheld is divided between several different organizations each with different goals and purposes. This article does not aim to define the organizations themselves, but rather will briefly explain their roles within the realm and how they interact with each other.
Contents
Imperial Organizations
Emperor's Blades
The Emperor's Blades are Fastheld's uniform army. Their primary purpose is martial in nature, to be the core of any Imperial military force. As such, they mostly eschew policing duties and focus on fighting in both large and small units in a variety of terrain types and regardless of the weather. However, they do man the Aegis in defense against the Wildling threat and patrol main Imperial roadways to keep them free of bandits. Their final important job is to periodically clean out the Shadow District. While the Emperor's Blades run the town of Road's End, they do not police it - this job is left up to a local constabulary force. Their numbers vary between roughly five and six thousand.
See Emperor's Blades for more info.
The Emperor's Navy is Fastheld's uniform naval force. These professional sailors are experts of their vessels and are furthermore well trained in the close quarters combat that they are likely to see on board ships. They patrol the river trade routes to make sure that they are safe for the large and extremely important trade barges which carry much of Fastheld's food and wealth from region to region. Additionally, they root out pirates when possible, though due to the fact that their numbers are never much higher than a thousand sailors, their main strategy is to escort ships and keep the main lanes clear. As with the Blades, the Navy provides a contingent to man the Aegis and has a very good relationship with their sister service.
Swift Blades
This group of roughly one hundred men knighted directly by the Emperor serves mainly as his bodyguard. In times of crises they have been used as a crack unit of heavy cavalry and are also known to attend to investigations in which the Emperor is personally invested in. They do not provide guards for the Aegis.
See Swift Blades for more info.
Church of True Light
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See Church of True Light for more info.
Militias
House Guard
The House Guard of the various noble houses are the real policing bodies of Fastheld - in that they do much of the leg work. Where the Blades simply patrol the main highways of the Empire, the House Guard have the vast job of patrolling nearly all the main cities of the Empire, as well as most of the roads, farmland and other House holdings. Their organization and level of soldiering proficiency varies considerably, but each House Guard outnumbers or nearly outnumbers the Blades on their own, in view of the large territories that they have responsibility for. However, while they are used as police "officers", much of the organizational and investigation work is done by another body - the constables. Their role, therefore, is a mix between militia troops and everyday peace officers.
See House Guard for more info.
Guild Militia
The Guild Militia are the equivalent of the House Guard, though rather than be employed by a Noble House they are tasked by the Guilds of Merchants and Traders and form up a seperate Guild of their own. Therefore their members are given the rank of Merchants, making this formation a desireable trade. Their numbers are nearly double most House Guard, at between eight and nine thousand men.
See Guild Militia for more info.
Constabularies
Constabularies exist in nearly every town in Fastheld - however, they have a unique role in towns which have no presence of House Guard or Guild Militia. They also have a special presence in the Blades run town of Road's End.
In most cities and towns, that is, those with presence of uniformed troops, they act as a kind of sheriff's office, directing investigations and general police work. In all of these towns, the actual patrolling is done mostly by the House Guard or Guild Militia, however. In the town of Road's End, the constable force itself does all of the patrolling and policing.
However, in small, isolated villages and hamlets they are usually the only organized body of men around. This makes them obliged to stand on their own in cases of bandit attacks and the constabulary forces in these places are therefore usually well trained as militia in addition to being police.
Non-Official
Mercenaries
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Brigands
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Pirates
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