The Elven Guard

The World's Greatest Military

The Elven Guard is the name given to the Elven Military, a fighting force comprised mostly of High Elven citizens of Camor and its surrounding lands, colonies, and puppet states.

The Soldiers of Camor

Elven soldiers are said to be some of the most disciplined in the world, and for this they have gained a reputation as the greatest army among all nations in Totania, or at least Elone, though this is constantly debated by other militaries, such as the Dwarves, the Orcs, the Kamejin, and most notably the Draconians of Bortan who dedicate their existence to combat.
Still, the Elves have one of the greatest records in military history, save for some minor powers who have only been in a few wars, and much of this is due to the Elven Guard's emphasis on defense and outlasting their enemy rather than outright invasion and all out attacks.

Captain Commander Narkard Leran by Jarhed

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Duties

The most important duty of the Elven Guard is the protection of the Elven monarchy in Camor Keep, as well as any other place they go. For this, a large detachment of the Elven Guard exists as the personal guard of the King or Queen at all times, and others must abandon all duties to do so when necessary.
Alongside this, it is their duty to guard the city of Camor where the monarchy resides, as well as its citizens. This is a secondary job, as their most important responsibility is the wellbeing of the crown.
Outside of this, each Corps of the Elven Guard has a different duty. The First Corps are always on the front lines, on the edges of the Elven Kingdom in times of peace and always fighting otherwise.

Captain Commander Arandon Vonar by Jarhed

The Second Corps are the ones tasked most of all with guarding Camor and the Keep where the royals live.
The Third Corps are tasked with special missions, which are always chosen by the Captain of the Third Corps, and it differs depending on the era and what is needed.

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Corps D'armée

The Corps D'armée is the name given to the distinction between the three branches, or corps, of the Elven Guard. Some consider each corps an army of its own, but they all combine into one army under the Captain Commander.

Command Structure

The Elven Guard is commanded by four major levels and numerous minor levels of command.
All Elven soldiers submit to the orders of the King and Queen of Camor, who it is their duty to protect. Thefore, the monarch is the most senior commanding officer of the Elven Guard.
It is not the King's duty, however, to command the troops. That is, instead, the job of the head soldier of the army, the Captain Commander. The Captain Commander is the leader of the army, commanding all soldiers as well as all other Captains of the Elven Army. They are the face of the Elven Guard.
Then, there are the thre Captains of the Corps, who each command one of the three Corps D'armée, the branches of the Elven Guard. When the army is split up during a war, it is split under these three Captains.
Each Captain of the Corps has one Sous Captain who they can trust with the command of a fraction of their troops, and who is also their right-hand in situations where they are together.
Finally, in terms of Captains, there are the Aspirant Captains, soldiers with no official command, instead with their official duties being to shadow other Captains to learn their duties and be able to take the position in case of their superior's death, retirement, or demotion. In dire situations, they may be trusted with minor command.
The other notable position with command over troops are Commanders, who are in charge of various outposts, colonies, and defensive points, such as protecting Elven interests in Yirthum or leading the palace guard at Camor Keep.

The corps are as follows:

• First Corps of the Elven Guard- The bulk of the Elven Guard, with most of its soldiers, they are the frontline fighters at the vanguard of every battle.

Captain Commander Wallis Nalo by Jarhed


• Second Corps of the Elven Guard- The strongest corps of the Elven Guard, full of the best and most experienced warriors.


• Third Corps of the Elven Guard- The specialists of the Elven Guard entrusted with missions, both secret and public, which would otherwise be out of the hands of the military.

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Equipment

The Elven Guard is supplied with considerable funding from the crown, to the point that many Elven citizens wish to defund it so the money can go to increasing the quality of life in the Nerifir Kingdom. What this funding results in is incredibly impressive equipment, with armor made almost entirely of gold, and weapons with at least some gold accents for officers of the Elven Guard.
Their weapons are also often enchanted by Yirthumite enchanters, with recruits getting basic, mass-produced enchantments and officers getting better enchantments on newly forged items.
The weapons of the Elven Guard are some of the most feared in the world, such as Narkard Leran's sword Valhalla, blessed by Izanagi, the King of the Gods, which increases the output of its attacks to the point of tripling or even, on particularly devestating attacks, quadrupling the damage dealt.
Still, the Elven equipment is rarely impressive in how it was forged, as opposed to the Dwarven craftsmanship that is famed the world over. Dwarven equipment is an artform and functional, whereas Elven arms are art in the sense that they are made first to be looked at and admired and not necessarily to be useful in combat.

Guldin Nerifir by Jarhed

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Manpower

The Elven Guard consists of, at its peak in particularly prosperous ages, about 20,000 soldiers, divided unevenly among the three Corps D'armée.
The First Corps have about 9,000, as they are the bulk of the fighting force, though this number dwindles heavily when wars begin, as they often die at higher rates because they are on the frontlines.
The Second Corps has, at its peak, around 6,000, though this is an average. It depends heavily on how many highly skilled veterans of past wars remain in the Elven Guard and are willing to join the more elite Second Corps rather than stay in the First Corps, enter the Third Corps, seek promotion, or seek retirement.
The Third Corps is always the smallest at an average of 5,000, as they undertake more specialized missions and do not require a large number of people in the same way others do. 5,000 is, however, often a number they say when the truth is considerably smaller than that.

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Rivalries

The Elven Guard has accrued a laundry list of common foes, who they often find themselves at war with.

Dwarves

The ones they are fighting with most often are their famed enemies, the Dwarves. The Elven Guard only continued its existence after the Holy Rebellion because of the discovery of and subsequent wars with the Dwarven army. Both armies have continued to wage endless wars, which are likely to go on for all eternity unless an outside force were to destroy one of the two nations entirely. This rivalry has also helped improve the two armies, as well as the technology, weapons, and magical skills of the two nations, as they are constantly racing to be better than each other.

Captain Commander Tavzion Mossense by Jarhed

Orcs

Their oldest foe, however, is not the Dwarves, but instead the Orcs, who lived in Camor with the Elves until the Elven Guard drove them out. Prior to this, some Elves that later became the original Elven Guard, including Captain Commander Tavzion Mossense, had been tasked by the Gods with keeping the Orcs under control, so animosity grew between the two species when the Gods were gone.
The Orcs mostly refuse to take boats to Elone, so they are not a threat to the Elves unless the Elves travel to Udai where most Orcs reside. However, Orcish mercenaries have a particular animosity towards Elves, and become great problems for any Elves they encounter.

Bortanni

Many Draconians have ended up in conflict with the Elven Guard at different points, but most have found they cannot face the Elves alone or even at all, and therefore have settled into a shaky peace with them. This is not true, however, for the warlike residents of the Militaristic Village Bortan, who live on the outskirts of the Elven Forest.
Whenever there is a united Draconian front against the Elves, it is always the Bortanni at its head, but they declare war on their own far more often, and it is not always for a legitimate reason. Half of the time, they have intentions of taking land or proving something to the Elves, but the other half of the time they simply wish for a good fight and know the Elves can give it to them.
The Bortanni consider themselves the greatest army in the world, and detest that the Elven Guard has stolen the title in most official records.

Dresmorlin Cobath by Jarhed

Humans

The Human army owes its existence to the Elves, yet the Kingdom of Man, in its endless quest for more land to house its ever growing population, has found itself in conflict with the Elven Guard more than it has found itself on the same side.
There have been very few victories on the side of the Humans, as the Elves are able to outlast them, but the Humans often get minor victories that result in large boosts of morale for them. The Elves do not understand why Humans would do such a thing, as it does little to them, but this strikes to the heart of the conflict between the two peoples, as they fundamentally do not understand each other and struggle to find common ground.

Dark Elves

Another old foe, the Dark Elves were once High Elves that were exiled from Camor. While they often do not come into direct conflict with the Elven Guard, and on occasion even work alongside them, there is still a distrust that stems from the betrayal of the two Elven leaders, Meiriris Nerifir of the High Elves and Dresmorlin Cobath of the Dark Elves, which still divides the two groups even to this day.

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Alliances

The Elven Guard is not always all alone in its wars. It has some stalwart, constant allies, and others that occasionally help them. In some wars, they elect to stay alone, as some of these alliances are more for the protection of their allies than themselves.

Captain Droit by Jarhed

Wood Elves

The closest allies of the Elven Guard, the Wood Elves are a vassal of the Nerifir Kingdom that the Elven Guard pledges allegiance to. Many Wood Elves have been vying for citizenship, and while they technically have it, they have their own military in the form of hunting parties, and the Elven Guard does not recognize this as part of their organization. Instead, Wood Elven hunting parties are allies that work alongside the Elven Guard.
Wood Elves can join the Elven Guard, it is not limited to High Elves, but it is rare for one to be promoted within the ranks, as preferrential treatment by commanding officers is often disproportionately given to High Elves.
The most famous Wood Elven captain was Captain Droit Berger, who perished during the Draco-Elvish War to an unprecedented alliance between Tamdian Alchemists and Eallan Bards. For this, Wood Elves were honored as great supporters of the Elven Guard, as anything that necessitates such a team-up is impressive beyond measure.
Prior to this war, the Wood Elven hunting parties were not allowed to work alongside the Elven Guard, but Captain Droit's sacrifice set a precedent that they were capable and worthy of recognition.
Still, Wood Elven detachments are often used as human shields in wars, a way to protect High Elven lives to maintain their position. Wood Elves are mistreated, yet have no choice but to continue their alliance hoping, one day, for better conditions.

Crimras Thampoc by Jarhed

Yirthumites

There is one other group, aside from High Elves and Wood Elves, allowed into the Elven Guard, though in a special detachment with a certain purpose. The Draconians of the village Yirthum are granted special access into the Yirthum detachment of the Elven Guard, which is run by the Yirthum Commander and is often under the Second or Third Captain of the Corps.
Yirthum is a puppet state controlled by the Elven crown, and thus the Yirthum detachment is merely an extended arm of the colonial power of the Elven Guard. The Draconian soldiers wear silver armor instead of gold, and only one of them gets any power: the head of the Thampoc family. After the betrayal of Crimras Thampoc, who sold Yirthum out to the Elves, the Elves have given the Thampocs a special place as the heads of occupation in Yirthum. Thampoc family heads report directly to the Yirthum Commander and, in some cases, the Captains themselves.

Gnomes

The Gnomes are a technical ally of the Elven Guard, though the support they give is incredibly limited. The Gnomes were offered an alliance by the Elves after they were driven out of Dwarven Territory, as a way to spite the Dwarves, and since then the Elves have promised to protect them when they are threatened.
The Gnomes, however, cannot offer much support to the Elves during their conflict. Some few Gnomish warriors, or bards from the Bard College, are all they send during conflicts where they are needed.
The alliance is often forgotten on the part of the Elves, who see it as a speck in their large lives, a small promise made when they were younger and more impulsive. To the Gnomes, however, it is an ancient promise from generations past, forged in the foundations of their history itself. So they are the ones to call upon the Elves nearly every time.

Judge Beta by Jarhed

Alzirgos

The city-state of Alzirgos has a treaty with the Elves to guarantee their independence, which is what allows them to remain independent even when on the edge of the Kingdom of Man, in the range of the Dwarven Kingdom, and even sought after by the World Court. The Elves simply need to raise their weapons as a threat and all forces around Alzirgos cower.
For this, Alzirgos keeps the Elves as a close trading partner and diplomatic ally, and many Elves live safely and freely in Alzirgos.

The World Court

The Elven Guard has a frought relationship with the World Court, the judicial body that works to stop crime around the world. The Elves are a contributing member to the Court's founding and help keep it running, but also often are the subject of World Court investigations into potential crimes.
For this, the Elven Guard has partial immunity from the Court, and also have greater jurisdiction over crimes committed in their kingdom. For this, criminals in the Nerifir Kingdom must make a choice: face the judges of the World Court, or the martial justice of the Elven Guard.

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Famous Figures

The Elven Guard has had many famous soldiers in its ranks, with the most notable of course being the commanding officers. Each Captain Commander that has led the Elven Guard has made a name for themselves and earned their place in history, but there are many other soldiers that have done the same. Below is a short list of some of the most notable.

• Captain Commander Tavzion Mossense- The first Captain Commander and the founder of the Elven Guard, Tavzion Mossense led the Elven people, as well as the Orcs, to freedom from slavery under the heels of the Gods Satanael and Mimir, and led the Elves to their first military victory in a war with the Dwarves. Mossense waseven said to have had a moment where he fought alone against one of the Gods, and is thus believed to be the strongest of the Captain Commanders by many.



Captain Commander Palaster Meyldre by Jarhed
• Captain Commander Palastre Meyldre- The first soldier to accept the role of Captain in the newly created Elven Guard under Tavzion Mossense, she also was the first to set the precedent for being promoted to a position and inheriting the role of Captain Commander.


• Captain Commander Yonnith Quist- The Captain Commander with the least battle experience, as he often avoided joining a skirmish personally, preferring to command from a distance. For this reason, Yonnith Quist is the least respected of the Captain Commanders, as many soldiers consider him to have been a coward, a weakling, or simply a failure of a commander. He was known to show immense care and love to the royal family, prefering to spend his days taking care of the young royals Macvara and Arazion Nerifir, raising them when their parents did not.


• Captain Commander Wallis Nalo- Said to be the greatest Captain Commander, Wallis Nalo led the Elves to one of their greatest military victories in the Draco-Elvish War, with total victory over the Draconians to the point that the Elves gained a puppet state in Draconian Territory, as well as his overwhelming victories throughout the War of the Beards.


• Captain Commander Arandon Vonar- Wallis Nalo's successor, Arandon Vonar continued the streak of near-constant victory and was called by many "The Angel of Battle."


• Captain Spectre Mestirre- An Elven Captain who had been engaged to the Queen of the Elves, Macvara Nerifir, but died in a coup orchestrated by her brother Arazion Nerifir, with Spectre and Macvara both becoming the leading figures in the Scarlet Host army of Wraiths that haunt the world.


• Captain Commander Olazion Yollastran- An incredibly respected and decorated soldier, she is often considered the least impressive of the Captain Commanders purely because she was already at the age that many Captains seek retirement when she became Captain Commander, and thus took on a more distant role as commanding officer.


• King Guldin Nerifir- The Hero King of the Elves, Guldin served in the Elven Guard as a soldier when he was prince, and even as King he fought, refusing promotion to higher ranks as he knew he already had command as King, and wished to see the skills of the future leaders of his kingdom.


• Captain Commander Narkard Leran- The most decorated Elven soldier in history, Narkard Leran made a name for himself throughout the Age of Heroes, learning from some of the greatest combatants at the time and finding a place to intervene in many major conflicts to increase his reputation, he is considered to be one of the most skilled warriors in history.

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Offshoots

With its historic significance, it is only natural that the Elven Guard has inspired other militaries and has also led to the formation of other organizations as a result of defection and recruitment of Elven veterans.

Captain Spectre by Jarhed

The most notable of these is the Scarlet Host, an army of Wraiths commanded by a deceased Elven Captain Spectre Mestirre and ruled over by a deceased Elven Queen, the Queen of the Scarlet Mist Macvara Nerifir. The Scarlet Host exists to get revenge on those that have wronged them, making them not only an offshoot of the Elven Guard, but also their natural enemy, a ghost of the soldiers they have betrayed and left behind. Many Elven soldiers fear the return of the Scarlet Host and their invasion of Camor, as it is something that even the greatest army in the world cannot stop.
Many mercenary groups have sprung out from Elven Guard defectors, with this being a constant issue that the Elven Guard seeks to stop each time it happens. Often, Captains are sent to stop the mercenaries before they can get too closely affiliated with the Elven Guard, but still some, like The Knights of d'Athée snuck through, gaining noteriety by affiliating with Elven enemies like the Draconians during the Age of Plague.
Other armies have been influenced by the Elven Guard in their own ways, the most famous influence being the Orcish armies sprouting off of the Elven Guard when the Orcs were exiled from Camor during the March of the Orcs. Orcish Chiefs wished to replicate the Elven Guard without the tedious structure, and thus created the powerful fighting forces that most of the world fears.
The military of the Kingdom of Man was inspired by the Elven Guard, which is why many call it the Nerodil Guard, because the first king, King Gellark Lionrage, was shown how to run his kingdom by many people, including future Captain Commander Narkard Leran.
Finally, the Dwarven military has some Elven influence, though Dwarves will say the Elves were influenced by them instead. With how intwined the history between the two armies is, it is unclear which started what of their shared practices, and all military scholars disagree on the origins of these practices.