Sons of Korath

Lost Souls

Sons of Korath...This specially trained group of warriors fly in from above to rain death upon our enemies. The shreeks of the Vilerbeasts are quickly followed by blasts of lightning charring any who are unfortunate enough to be their target. Their base lies outside of the city and draws many rumors of rituals and magic that span from horrifying to hilarious in their description.
This is where my Lythyria now resides. I can not imagine what she will experience during that training, but I know I will never see her again. She will not even keep her name. She will be raised there with no knowledge of her family or who she could have been. I know this is how it must be and how it always will be, but it still hurts. All I can do imagine how amazing she will be and how she will become a hero one day.

— Veriver Runtrap: Lost Souls

Sky Shields

Officially called the Sky Shields in military circles, most people call them the Sons of Korath or simply Shields. They are blessed by Korath and the people cast that blessing with this name. Although called Shields, they are also the spears of the army and considered very dangerous in a group. They are able to rain lightning from above and have rumored to wipe out entire battalions with only a handful of them. These elite soldiers protect the Goblinkin Kingdom of Orthern.

Composition

Manpower

The exact number of them is unknown, although rumors can range from 1000 to 10,000 members. Queen Pheseph has said it is better to keep the exact number secret to prevent their enemies from properly preparing for their assault. On some holidays, he will have several Squads fly over and around the city to display their skill and power doing stunts and blasting bolts of lighning at targets around the city. The civilian population of the Sky Hall  is about 1000 goblinkin and 300 slaves. There is also a joint training center on the grounds where they train with the Worg Warriors.

Equipment

The Shields have a variety of specialized equipment. They have specialized saddles that allows them security, but also an ability to quickly free themselves and only be held by a single tether. This is used in many of the maneuvers they use during combat and other missions. The Vilerbeasts also have unique armor that helps deflect many ranged weapons as well as magical attacks.

Weaponry

They wield a spear that is used to channel the bolts of electricity and shield that protects them from many elements.

Structure

The Sons of Korath are led by three generals called the Three Walls. These generals are rarely seen outside of the walls of the Hall, but all the Shields know them very well. Below the Three Walls are the Wardens. They are in charge of various responsibilities around the Hall, including training and maintenance. Each one has a specialty, but all are well respected within the Hall and are in charge of specific staff members. The Flight Commanders are directly in charge of the shields themselves. They give the the orders and organize attacks. If more than two squads are sent out together, a Flight Commander will fly with them. They can command up to a dozen squads at once with relative ease. Within the ranks of the Shields themselves each squad has a Winger which leads them. A Winger is chosen by each individual squad and can change over time. This is more of an informal ranking among the squad to show respect for experience and wisdom of a particular member.

Tactics

The Sons of Korath will work as scouts, but during a battle work together as a unit. Most of the time they work in a squad of 12, but sometimes several squads will work together as well. There are stories of entire platoons of them flying over battlefields, but no one has seen that many in centuries.
Light of Korath They drop lightning from the sky and squads have a unique ability to drop a net of lightning over a large area hitting dozens of soldiers at once. This kills many and stuns those it does not and has been used to turn the tide of many battles.

Training

I am Kort. I am a Sky Shield. My role is to protect my Kingdom and my people from all enemies. My Vilerbeast is named Pheras. She is my best friend. I know what she is feeling and she knows my every thought. We are one and we train for hours in the sky. We train with magic and the tools of a Shield. We spend at least an hour a day in prayer to Korath and memorize all the royal laws and edicts. We must be upstanding mentors to the goblinkin and the hope in times of trouble. We train for all of that and more. I get one hour a week for myself. I use that time to play with Pheras or to write. Others use it to socialize a little with the people here. I prefer to be alone though. Warden Iterit reminded us of our vow to avoid all romantic bonds. Our Bond must only be to our Vilerbeast and the our people.
I have been avoiding Loranol. I believe she is attracted to me and it would be wrong to lead her to believe I had any such feelings for her. The staff know of our vow, I find it odd that they still make advances towards us. The Warden reminded us that we are the ones that will be held responsible if we break that vow. Poor Otho was sent off on a long mission after being caught and the other banished from the Hall. I will not let that happen to me or Loranol.

— Kort: Words From the Sky

Logistics

Logistical Support

Vilerbeasts The Vilerbeast is a batlike creature that serve as mounts for the Sons of Korath. When a new recruit is brought to the Flying Hall, this infant goblinkin will be bonded with a newly born Vilerbeast. This mystical bond allows them to know each other's thoughts and feelings. It also makes both of the stronger and able to stand up to their most skilled of adversaries. They will train together from birth and will learn to work together as team and trust each other.
The Vilerbeasts are almost the same size as their newborn goblin recruit, but will grow quickly to be almost three times their size. The learn to fly at the same time the newborn is learning to walk.

The great beast flew overhead and I could feel the wind beat down on me as I stumbled in surprise. The Shield lept up onto the saddle only holding a single tether to balance them on the creatures back. The Vilerbeast flew down again, this time the rider lept down the tether now seemingly wrapped around their leg and hung in midair. I watched in awe as it flew closer to me again. Their hands were down and it looked as if I was about to be scooped up into their arms. Instead they dropped a single Risen stone in my hand and flew off again.
That small green trincket now rested in my hands many years later, but the kids still love when I tell the story.

— Urbiurb: My Simple Life

Auxilia

The Worg Warriors are the ground support for these Aerial fighters. These mounted riders have much in common with the Shields, although they are not held in as high of regard by the citizens. They ride in after many of the enemy is stunned to quickly dispatch them.  One of the greatest historical images is that of the Irson Battle where 100 Shields carry 200 Worg Warriors and drop them down to the battlefield to reinforce a losing battle. Most people know this is a clear exaggeration of those events, but it is still taught this way to children.

Upkeep

The Vilerbeasts are bred in the caverns under the Hall of Shields. The young require dark areas until they are almost a year old when their eyes can adapt to the light. There is a massive support staff under the Hall that cares for the creatures. The Kingdom supports the Shields with all the food and supplies they need for the soldiers, mounts and the staff. The Hall itself is seen as a small village. They are very secretive of their methods and most live there for their entire lives.

Recruitment

The Everseer Mystics  know which of the children being born will become part of the Sky Shields. They are said to see future battles and pick the ones that will become imporatant to those battles. While none of that has ever been confirmed by them, it is the lasting legend of how the children are chosen. They are swept away from their parents at birth. The Mystics appear right after the child is born and barely give the parents a moment with the child before bundling them up and disappearing as quickly as they arrived. They are taken to the Hall of Shields several miles outside of the city. They will be bonded with a Vilerbeast and raised by the generals to become great soldiers for the Kingdom of Orthern.

History

The Sky Shields were created centuries ago, well before the Grand War and beyond written time. While the stories of them are legendary, the first written word of them comes during the Grand War where they played a significant role in the defeat of the Humans in several battles. It is said that an ancient Mystic came to them from beyond time itself and shared the knowledge of the Bonding with them. These Bonded were given a blessing from Korath and a power that rivaled many of the strongest humans. This helped lead them to create the great Kingdom and dominating the human villages and cities.

The Grand War and the Sons of Korath

During the Grand War, the Shields played a large role in destroying the human cities and the overall success of the Orthern army. It is written that as many as 20,000 existed at once and their presense would turn the tide of any battle. There are many depictions of their feats in the history books and children are taught of their heroics. Although they won the war, it came at a great cost.

Type

Airborne

Overall training Level

Elite

Rebellion Brews

Most historians estimate that only a third of the Shields actually survived the war and the goblinkin were resistent to efforts to train more. Protests erupted as dozens of children were swept away by the Mystics to train in a single week. This weakened the Kingdom and there were fears that other leaders would attempt to take advantage of it. King Jorog stepped down and allowed his daughter to take the throne. His son had just been born and was supposedly taken by the Mystics, although this is debated by some historians. Queen Hytry was the first queen to rule over the goblinkin and they were quite surprised by the move.

Lost Souls Edict
This allowed a moment of reprieve for the royal family to gain control and Hytry made several edicts to help calm the brewing rebellion. The most popular restricted how many children could be taken by the mystics later to be called the Lost Souls Edict. It is said that the mystics were quite angry with her, but she held steady on the edict and they conceded. This kept the peace in the kingdom and gave them time to heal the wounds of war.