Watchblade

A member of the illustrous and secretive Watchblades, the watchblade guards the caverns and tunnels of the Midnight Kingdom. Fiercely loyal and unceasingly brave, only the best can become watchblades.

Career

Qualifications

Watchblades are forced through a thirty year training program covering three basic areas: teamwork, swordsmanship, and basic survival; two extra courses: ranged combat and shield use; as well as two specialized training courses: Sharpshooting and Magecraft. All watchblades must complete the three basic areas and one extra course or specialization.

Career Progression

Watchblades start as mere foot soldiers called embers. from the ember rank, they progress the spark, which gives them an ember subordinate to work with who is less experienced as a sort of master-apprentice system. Talented sparks are promoted to lights, and command a spark in addition to their own ember in a four-man team. from the four-man team, a single light is chosen to be a flame, who commands one other team in an eight-man squad alongside his original team. Exceptional flames are promoted to torches, who command a platoon of eight squads, including their original squad. From the rank of Torch, a watchblade is promoted to Watcher, who commands five platoons, and from watcher to Moonsworn. The Moonsworn is the leader of the Watchblades, and it is exceptionally rare for any individual watchblade to become Moonsworn.

Payment & Reimbursement

Watchblades are provided food, lodgings, and equipment for their services. in addition, each watchblade is given a pay of seventy gold pieces, multiplied by two for each rank beyond ember the watchblade is.

Other Benefits

Watchblades can expect to have the common people of the Midnight Kingdom respond to questions favorably and obey orders with minimal questioning as a result of the status of "elite special forces" that watchblades enjoy. Outside of the Trenfold caverns, however, watchblades are not treated any more favorably than other midnight elves.

Perception

Purpose

The Watchblades are a mix of special forces and SWAT-type police. The sentinel and warden companies of the watchblades provide high-level responses to civil threats in cities, sacred sites, and around government buildings, the cavers work as border patrol, the shadows provide VIP escort and serve as bodyguards, and the Moons act as foreign agents

Social Status

Watchblades are almost revered in the Midnight Kingdom, and even the lowliest of embers can expect to have orders followed by technically higher-ranking soldiers in other branches of the military due to the intense training becoming a watchblade requires.

Demographics

Within the Midnight Kingdom, around 0.05% of the total population makes up the total forces of the Watchblades.

History

The watchblades started out as soldiers who had received special training from Erandul Moonsworn. After the Seven Days Rebellion, the watchblades became the core soldiers of the newly christened Midnight Kingdom, and from there, became the special ops force that they are today.

Operations

Tools

watchblades typically require a one-handed blade, either a longsword or a rapier, studded leather armor, and basic survival equipment to accomplish their tasks, though each company and specialization requires different tools. For example, shield fighters will use a small shield in addition to their blade, and watchblades trained in ranged combat make use of slings and slingstones. Mage specialists require spellbooks and the occasional wand or staff, and sharpshooters require heavy-duty crossbows. For specific companies, the Shadows typically carry heavy shields, the Wardens and Sentinels carry saps, the Cavers carry lots of torches, and the Moons carry disguise kits and daggers.

Workplace

The workplace of a watchblade varies from day to day. For most Wardens and Sentinels, they work a beat similar to a street cop, while Shadows act as bodyguards, Cavers serve as border patrols, and Moons operate as undercover agents.

Provided Services

Watchblades can be relied upon to respond to calls for aid and to resolve violent situations with minimal muss and fuss. Watchblades can also be called upon as a neutral party to resolve disputes

Dangers & Hazards

Being a watchblade, particularly a Caver or a Moon, holds a large degree of mortality associated with all law enforcement or covert jobs. In particular, Cavers are known to die to Darkling Lords.

Alternative Names

chosen of umbral, selfless, the watchers.

Type

Military

Demand

Watchblades typically are called to the fore on a semi-regular basis, though deaths are uncommon enough that they are a tragedy, rather than a statistic. typically, three or four new watchblades are needed every decade.

Legality

Watchblades have full government backing from the Midnight Kingdom, and enjoy many of the same privileges that semi-autonomous specialist forces have. In essence, the watchblades act like an extension of the general police force and the secret services.

Famous in the Field