Naoned City Guard/Black and Whites

The Naoned City Guard, also called the Black and Whites due to the colour of their tabard uniforms, are the internal security force of the city of Naoned and its surroundings.

Composition

Manpower

The Naoned City Guard

Equipment

Each soldier of the Guard is assigned a standard kit, consisting of the following:

One quilted wool gambeson

One bronzesteel arming sword

One bronzesteel polearm, most commonly a poleax or guisarme

One oakwood sap.

One bronzesteel dagger

One signal whistle of bone or wood.

One tabard representing the livery of the current ruler of the city. At present, this tabard is the black and white of Letha.

One helmet, typically a kettle-helm or Manchais Helm

Officers have additional materials in their standard kits. Often, these will include superior crafted versions of standard gear, especially arming swords and other weaponry. Additionally, they are assigned:

One mail shirt or bronze breastplate.

One signal flare launcher, typically with 1-3 flares of different colours and sounds.

One set of bronzesteel manacles

One set of ironsteel manacles

Further equipment can be purchased out of pocket by the individual guard or their sponsor, so long as their symbols of office are clearly visible and not overshadowed by secondary identification.

Weaponry

The standard kit of a guardsman includes a polearm, most commonly a spear, poleax or guisarme for dismounting riders. Polearms are the primary weapons carried by the Guard while on patrol. Additionally, each carries an arming sword as a sidearm for close-quarters encounters. Every Guard is assigned a sap and a dagger, although this latter is rarely intended to be used as a weapon.
Specialized equipment, such as crossbows, bolt throwers, and flails is also held by the Guard, and used for extreme cases. On paper, all Guardsmen are supposed to be trained in these items, but compliance is not uniform. These are not part of the standard kit, but are held at garrison houses throughout the city.

Vehicles

The Naoned Guard possesses a large stable of horses and simple four-wheeled carts, often with wooden or iron cages atop them for transporting prisoners or equipment. These are all kept at or near garrison houses.
The Black and Whites also maintain one Escadron of Wyverns, consisting of 10 beasts. One Escadrille is housed in the Ducal Castle, the other atop the Palais de Justice de Naoned.
The Guard possess a single Windship, the Drogon, a brigantine class vessel, capable of launching, but not housing, one escadrille of Wyverns.
The Guard have access to several canal boats and small rivercraft, leased out to them by various merchant guilds.

Structure

The current leader of the Guard is Dame Firoza "Brassarm" Al-Fazari, daughter of a former mercenary from Petty Kingdom of Nekor and a Lethan Caballos. Captain Al-Fazari has launched her tenure dramatically restructuring the City Watch to become a more centralized, efficient organization, greatly curtailing the influence peddling and corruption that had plagued the organization prior to her taking on the mantle of Captain. Prior to Al-Fazari's tenure, the Guard was heavily tied to the sponsors, protecting their interests and property over those of the general populace or Dug's peace.
There are 6 Garrison houses in the city, Each of these lightly fortified compounds consists of a stable, dormitory, training yard and watch tower. Each is led by a sergeant-at arms and several officers.
There are an additional 6 garrisons stationed on the ramparts, based out of one of Naoned's 6 gatehouses, with additional logistical support from the 21 towers surrounding the city.
3 Elite units, answering to Brassarm herself, are stationed within the Palais de Justice, including the Wyvern Corps and the Windguard of the Drogon I.
2 additional units of Brassgaurd belong to the Guard. One is maintained at the Palais de Justice, while the other is typically housed in the Papegault District, but loaned out to the other garrison houses on an as-needed basis.

Tactics

The Black and Whites typically patrol in 2 formations, depending on the district and circumstances. Most commonly, pairs of guards will circulate on their rounds, while larger 5 man patrols, typical of incursions into the Forest or Grimward, consist of one officer and four footsoldiers. Rampart patrols typically favour this 5-man setup, including one Guard armed with a crossbow or bolt-thrower.

Logistics

Logistical Support

The Dugez and the Council of 18 must provide either manpower or financial support for the organization for the maintenance of the Peace. The exception to this is ecclesiastical authorities, who are exempt from this requirement, but maintain their own security forces within Place de la Cathedral and other Church property. The Council's resources, in turn are drawn from their personal fortunes, their represented organizations or their constituents. This well-meaning organizational system has led to widespread corruption and an inbalance of resources between wealthy and poor districts, with councilmembers often utilizing the organization to protect their own holding over those of the general public, or even using specific garrisons as a private police force.
Operations are controlled from the Palais de Justice in Place Alan II, with several garrison houses throughout the city. These are supported by additional garrisons operating in gates and towers along the city wall. These all serve the various districts of Naoned, including the extra-muros districts such as Faubourg de Marchix and Ancreville. Smaller outposts, staffed by 2-5 Guardsmen, are found throughout the city and its surroundings as well.

Auxilia

The Black and Whites are tasked to maintain the Dug's peace, but can be called upon to defend the city from external threats in the event of siege, raids or monster attack. Likewise, the Black and Whites are technically empowered to draw on the support of the Dugal army, noble forces and the Lethan Windguard, although this invocation is typically rare, politically disadvantageous and frequently with lackluster results.

History

The Black and Whites are a relatively new creation, established during the Siege of Naoned in 1097 SI. Prior to the siege, lawbreaking was considered a private affair between individuals, with justice dispensed locally or by a noble lord. Cut off from the rest of the region, Naoned's civic unrest grew increasingly unstable. To counter this and prevent a loss of the city due to internal conflict, a portion of Dugez Konstanza I's personal guard were tasked with maintaining the Dugez's Peace. Every guild leader and noble within the city was required to provide manpower or resources to this to ensure that no accusations could be made favouring one faction over the other. The unit was tasked with keeping peace within the city walls as the main forces saw to the city's defense. After the siege broke, the Naoned Civil Watch was established in a ceremony on the newly rebuilt Victory Bridge.
During and after the siege, however, the sponsors, now the Council of 18, sought to position the newly minted organization to serve their own benefit, prioritizing their own property, equipping their provided men with better equipment and occasionally using them as enforcers against those who stood against them. After the disappearance of Eleanor I, the group quickly gained a reputation for corruption, favouritism and incompetence. Various Captains attempted to reform the organization, while an equal number sought to reinforce the system.
The most recent captain, Firoza al-Fazari is the daughter of a previous sergeant-at-arms, rising through the ranks from a lowly patrolwoman to her current position. Though the Guard's mission remains the protection of the city and the maintenance of the Dug's peace, she has expanded their mission to cover previously unchecked criminal activity. Her anti-corruption crackdown and uncompromising dedication to her role has made her numerous enemies in both the halls of power and the Court of Miracles, both frequent abusers and manipulators of the organization in the past.

Type

Militia

Overall training Level

Semi-trained

Assumed Veterancy

Trained

Used by

• Biskonti Naoned

Ranks & Titles

• Caballos