Kamau

Sworn to Silence

Shoulder to shoulder, they stood at rank without expression: perfectly composed, straight-backed, their enamelled armour polished to a star-bright sheen. A frown furrowed Izar's brow, her gaze refusing to drop even as her sister dug a pointed elbow into her side. She knew their oaths, of course; they had sworn themselves to the protection of her father, silence and soul. All the same, she couldn't help her unease at their eerie, ghost-like quiet. For all their oaths, for all the elaborate renditions of suns and crowns carved into their gleaming breastplates, she would never know where their true thoughts lay, and thus she could never trust their allegiance.

Composition

Manpower

Typically, the kamau houses anywhere between three and thirteen loyal soldiers.

Weaponry

Fully armoured, the kamau are trained thoroughly on land and are armed to the teeth in the weapons in which they specialise, though their training equips them for many forms of combat. Representative of the Divine Hirune, a bow, a sword and an axe must at least be present in the ranks of the kamau at all times. They all wear ceremonial daggers.

Vehicles

The kamau all ride specially bred and trained horses. They ride externally to the king's carriages, or keep their horses in the stables on the royal train should they be travelling for longer distances.

Structure

In a fashion similar to the Hirune, the kamau follow a hierarchy: three warriors lead, while the other warriors all answer to their leadership. They are all directly answerable to the king, and to nobody else; they are separate from the ranks of the national military and royal guard.

Training

Kamau warriors are selected from military ranks by the king himself, based on the advice of his commanders. They then undergo six years of intensive training, including three years on foreign turf. They are trained in espionage and the art of silence, knowing poisons and strategy as well as weaponry.

History

A legion of utterly silent warriors who sacrifice their voices in order to devote themselves to the blade and the protection of the Crown, the kamau are the only legions sworn entirely to the king and did not waver in their loyalty as the revolution developed, unlike many members of the National Guard. Their faction was formed to protect the king in the midst of the Grief, pledging themselves to his welfare as Urre-chosen warriors.

Historical loyalties

Completely outnumbered by the revolutionaries, the surviving kamau went into hiding and dispersed following the king's imprisonment. Disloyalty shown by any kamau warrior meant certain death at the hands of his comrades; thus, if any internalised allegiance to the revolutionary cause, it was likely not worth the risk of expression.
The monarchist loyalty of the kamau means they are wanted by the Commune as treasonous criminals, but hopes of their discovery and capture are not high due to their extensive training; many of them are suspected to be hiding on foreign shores. As the hope of the royal nation, their allegiance soon shifts to Izar following discovery of her survival.

Type

Armour

Overall training Level

Elite

Assumed Veterancy

Decorated/Honored