Second Corps of the Elven Guard

The Second Corps of the Elven Guard are the central and, therefore, strongest force in the Corps D'armée of the Elven Army. The most skilled, most experienced, and strongest members of the army make up the Second Corps.

Formation

Not the smallest nor the largest of the Corps, the Second Corps of the Elven Army sit in the middle of most things in Elven politics and military business.

Command

As with all other corps of the Elven Guard, a Captain of the Corps leads the Second Corps, and a Sous-Captain. The Captain of the Corps is often aided by all the soldiers of the Second Corps, as the Second Corps soldiers are normally more experienced soldiers who, often, do not want promotion or have been denied promotion for one reason or another.

Captain Génial Dennel by Jarhed

For this, the Captain of the Second Corps is sometimes considered the least imposing commander of the Elven Guard, but it is purely due to the fact that the soldiers are experienced enough to know what to do.
If they believe the Captain of the Corps has a good plan, however, the Second Corps will follow along with the plan.
As for the Sous-Captain, they are always the least experienced of all former Aspirant Captains, as it is said they can learn the most being around the Second Corps.

Manpower

The Second Corps is slightly larger than the Third Corps, but smaller than the First Corps. It is said that normally the Second Corps has about 6,000 soldiers in its ranks, though they are all elite warriors. This means they are experienced, skilled, and/or strong.

Equipment

Due to the experience required to be in the Second Corps, most soldiers in the Second Corps have personalized armor that goes beyond the standard issue given to other soldiers of the army. It is a luxury afforded to them by their years of service and their fierce dedication to continuing to improve even after being put into the Second Corps.

Duty

The Second Corps have the same duty as all other members of the Corps D'armée: to guard the city of Camor, Camor Keep, the royal family, and the Elven Citizens. The nobility are most notably the targets of the Second Corps protection.
More than any other squad, the Second Corps stays around Camor Keep and the royals. Any soldiers assigned to guard Camor Keep are always Second Corps soldiers, but other Second Corps soldiers generally stay in fortresses outside of Camor and only return when called for duty.
Many say the Second Corps has a castle somewhere in Dwarven Territory where they can sneak past the Dwarves, though others say it is somewhere in the Kingdom of Man. There have been numerous searches for these bases, but they have never been successful.
The Second Corps soldiers are always training to stay in peak condition. Reports say they are incredibly rowdy when in bars and other locations, but when on duty (particularly in Camor Keep guarding the King) they are very respectful and quiet. It has been said of them:

Captain Aeydark by Jarhed

Captains

Unlike some other Corps, it is not necessarily always true that a Captain going through the ranks must be Captain of the Second Corps, as there are some cases where Captains have skipped the rank for one reason or another.
Generally, however, it is expected for a Captain who goes to the First Corps or even Captain Commander to have commanded the Second Corps at one point or another.
The First Corps is the larger bulk of the army, so the specialized smaller group in the Second Corps, where more experienced soldiers than even the Captain generally are, is said to help train Captains for leadership of the larger army.
Some well known Second Corps Captains include:

• Xanxis Thibault before the War of the Beards
• Arandon Vonar during the War of the Beards.
• Génial Dennel following the War of the Beards and during the Draco-Elvish War.
• Aeydark Lesuant during the Elven Civil War.
• Hadon Leran following the surrender of the World Court.
• Roussir Hardy following the Draqiroth War.

"When one finds a Second Corps soldier at a bar, it will be the greatest night of their lives because the man of the Second Corps must get all of the fun out before he returns to his post. The wine never ends and the laughs echo across the golden streets. The wives of Second Corps soldiers are always satisfied and the friends can only wait for them to come again when their shift is over once more."