The Devorran Sky Riders

The Devorran Sky Riders were an elite squadron of gryphon riders before they became what is now, effectively, also a bodyguard unit that protects Sten Njalson, Prince of the Western Isles, son of King Njal Gamel. This came about largely because Sten insisted on becoming a Sky Rider. His father was against it, and would only allow it if Sten were able to pass both the entrance exam and the final evaluation without any advantage from his lineage. This came on the heels of his elder brother sustaining a serious injury that would have left most men permanently deformed, but the king's access to powerful magic ensured Trystan's recovery.

Trystan's psyche, however, did not fare as well. He fell into the swamps, and while not immediately found by any of its deadly denizens before the flyers found a place to land and send a search in under the canopy, he was left sinking in quicksand, unable to move his broken body while kulcides (KUL-sih-dees, massive mosquitoes the size of a human fist) landed on his face, shoulders, and arms and jabbed into him. Some, their stingers trapped by his leather armor, were buzzing throughout the rescue and had to be crushed once he was dragged to safety. All that in addition to the threat of the spider-kin was too much for Trystan. He is kept pampered and well-fed, but his mind is not what it once was.

This places Sten in line for the crown, though that hasn't stopped him from joining the Sky Riders as well. The result has been an elite force becoming even more elite, as the duties of the flyers include protecting the prince with their lives. Training has expanded to include more focus on melee combat in addition to lance warfare, and incentives have been added...namely an impressive signing bonus...encouraging citizens to travel longer distances with the hope of securing a position on the force.

It is worth mentioning that there is one more child of King Njal, his daughter, Astrid. Unlike the freeholders, the kingdom does not honor women with a position in line for the throne. If it came to it, however, as the king has no living siblings and none of their children live either, Astrid's husband would gain the crown. This has made her a hot commodity...but she does not want to be a commodity. And she recently passed the entrance exam to begin training as a sky rider herself, a position which is not discriminatory based on gender. With all three children having gone that direction, the king's family is definitely the talk of the town. The king himself was a rider, and quite a successful one, which has lent the position even more credibility as a pursuit of royals despite the dangers.