Griffin Guard

When Tennyson Industries consumed its rival Baynes-Bancroft International, becoming the biggest and most powerful megacorporation on Earth with assets across Otherworld, it had established itself as a superpower with no peers on equal footing. Elijah Tennyson, its CEO, controlled a vast army, governments and most importantly the Portal technology allowing access to Otherworld. Elijah was Emperor in all but name.

So perhaps it was inevitable that he declared himself one.

Emperor Elijah Tennyson the First.

In truth the megacorps had been slowly evolving into noble Houses over the century since the conquest of Otherworld. They were powerful, had influence, controlled military forces and thanks to access to the latest medical sciences saw themselves as something far more superior to the unwashed masses. They were a different breed, at least those in the higher echelons. They lived longer, were healthier and stronger than regular humans thanks to genetic engineering and augmentation.

So when Elijah proclaimed himself Emperor and Tennyson Industries became House Tennyson, the megacorps followed suite. Thus a neo-feudal society was born. There were objections of course but such dissent was short lived owing to the brutal tactics used to silence the dissenters. A new social strata formed with House Tennyson at the top and various levels of Houses dependent on wealth and influence below.

The Formation of the Griffin Guard

And as the new Emperor, Elijah saw a very real need for a dedicated unit to protect him and his family. Assassination by various means was hardly uncommon amongst the megacorps during their ascent to power and Elijah was highly sceptical such means would disappear in the new status quo. He needed the best of the best to ensure his safety and act as a reminder that he was the most powerful and important human in existence, on Earth and Otherworld.

With the Griffin emblazoned upon his heraldry, Elijah named this new unit the Griffin Guard. Men and women who chosen from amongst the military under House Tennyson and subjected to rigorous, brutal and occasionally fatal tests to weed out the strongest and most determined. The promise of greater pay and status meant a massive amount of applicants and over the course of six months the Griffin Guard grew from an idea into a hundred strong elite regiment with their own barracks at the House Tennyson arcology in London, Earth. They were augmented using the latest genetic splicing and cybernetics and subjected to memetic treatments that instilled unswerving loyalty to House Tennyson and knowledge. Armed with the best weaponry and armour, The Griffin Guard would be seen wherever the Emperor made a public appearance or held court.

Their capabilities were not fully tested until the coup attempted by House Erikson a year later. Gregor Erikson had long despised his old rival Elijah owing to a clash over patent ownership decades before and so House Erikson sought to cut the head of the snake and settle matters once and for all. A heavily armed and numerous shock team of Erikson marines stormed the Royal Castle atop the London arcology and were summarily wiped out by the fanatic, bordering on suicidal bravery of the Griffin Guard stationed there. The attack had been planned meticulously and Erikson numbered around two hundred well trained and well equipped marines, but they stood no chance against the far smaller in number Griffin Guard.

Prior to this event, the Griffin Guard were seen as toy soldiers. Peacocks masquerading as predators and a vanity project by a man whose ego and delusions of grandeur had seen him declare himself Emperor.

Afterward, no one doubted the Griffin Guard as anything but the best of the best and the security of House Tennyson was assured. This belief was cemented when the Emperor Tennyson called for the absolute destruction of House Erikson and a single day it was wiped out and its assets distributed amongst the closest allies to the Royal House. The Griffin Guard conducted the assault and revealed the full extent of the technology that the Emperor had been keeping secret. Gunships and weaponry of horrific potency.

They were the Swords of the Emperor and over the following years would protect the Emperor and his heirs from assassination attempts and coups. On the rare occasions when the Emperors and Empresses would take to battle themselves, ostensibly to lead the Empire to victory though in truth just to prove their superiority, the Griffin Guard were right there with them.

Present Day

The Griffin Guard became the very visible symbol of the Royal House's power. They were not mere bodyguards, they were a weapon of mass destruction that House Tennyson would unleash upon their enemies. Over the following two centuries its reputation would not dimmish even though the Royal House would. In the present year of 2431 AD the Griffin Guard remain utterly devoted to House Tennyson, even though the current Emperor is a dying old madman and his children a squabbling vipers who will likely tear the Empire apart when their father dies over who becomes heir.

What role the Griffin Guard will play should House Tennyson turn on itself is uncertain. Rumours suggest its current Marshal, Oswald Krennock, is preparing for that eventuality. As leader of the Griffin Guard and a powerful political figure in his own right, the Marshall would prove the deciding factor in who becomes the next ruler.