Desert Rangers
Trades are an important part of a country's wellbeing and can show either great prosperity or lack there off. That is why the trade-routes are highly guarded as it is where many cities get their main income from.
A large network of trade routes connects Irai from all sides of the sandy dunes of Sölplanes, like a big web, many caravans go through the dunes each day crossing many other tracks on their path. With an area as big as the dunes, it is tempting for many robbers to plunder the routes as no cities are closeby. This is a never-ending battle and a constant thread for all the traders that travel through - but having the only other option to prolong their travels with up to a week, the caravans take the chance.
After some years of serious plunder, a new unit was created to combat the constant plunder. The cities and the states lost a lot of goods and money, and black markets were booming, so their solution was to train a specialized unit to guard the dunes. Named after the sometimes harsh environment, the Desert Rangers roam the entirety of Sölplanes, some taking patrols, others standing at evenly distributed checkpoints making sure everyone is who they say they are.
This elite force of magics, muscle and intelligence is considered the strongest military force around Irai and many young Iraians dream of being one someday.
Qualifications
To become a Desert Ranger a few requirements need to be met - it is an absolute must to have experience in sand-magics and solar-magics, as it will come in handy a lot during the time there. Desert rangers have to be agile and fast, having the physical strength to be on guard for many hours at a time in the burning sun. There are different positions in the Desert Rangers so if some requirements lag for one position another might seem more fitting instead. Gender, height and age don't matter as longs as you are healthy and strong both physically and mentally.Training
Training is hard when you train like a normal person, so... To compare it with Desert Ranger training you might need to double the normal amount and you're getting there. One possible position in Desert Rangers is considered harder than the others, as the job requires you to ride a horse in the desert most of the day, without being distracted. These are the guards that keep an eye out for possible ambushes, and if anyone is in immediate need of help out on the dunes, they are the ones to come.Checkpoints
Checkpoints are marked with a sign saying so, but the checkpoints might change positions every couple of months. At each checkpoint is positioned at least 2 rangers at a time, and they have shifts that last up to 5 hours at a time.
At the busiest hours of the day, there might stand up to 4 rangers at each checkpoint.
Because of the many caravans that travel during the night, night-shifts has been created as well to compensate for the robbers that might want to operate in the darkness of night.
by CatRobi
Desert Ranger Symbol
When on duty, the Desert Rangers all caries a symbol on their clothes that shows they are a part of the unit. They don't have an official uniform but are required to wear light-coloured clothes so they don't sweat as much in the burning sun. That is why they have an unofficial uniform consisting of a cream-white t-shirt and light-beige shorts.
by CatRobi