Court Leaves
by hughpierre
The Court Leaves assist the sovereign with everyday tasks including hair, makeup, and clothing. However, these handmaidens often became trusted by the queen, and close personal friends, as well as playing an important part in the safety of the queen, serving as her secret bodyguards and generally working closely with the Court Roots.
Composition
Manpower
The Leaves, or handmaidens, are a group of young women chosen as aides to the future Queen of the court. They are responsible for assisting the Queen with everyday tasks. They also serve as her bodyguards and those chosen to join the entourage often closely resemble the queen to be, allowing them to function as decoys should the need arise.
Equipment
Disguises
As apart of the leaves' favourite security tactics; the girls use wigs, masks, makeup, fake jewelry, costumes and even changes in physical mannerisms to camouflage their queen amongst themselves or to conduct rare far-off missions.Weaponry
Finger Knives
Modified fruit knives hidden between the digits and made to be retractable like a cat's claws.Purse Strings
Stretchable silver strings tied at the hip and used to cut and straggle.Chemical Weapons
Per-fumes
Noxious gas kept in glass vials on their person.Acid Balms
Compacts of highly corrosive jell to modify the environment to their advancement.Structure
Corn Queen Mother
Serving the Future Queen
Within a room in the Sheien, a gaggle of girls would bond and live together for 15 years. In that time, none would know which was the queen's daughter until it was decided their group contained the future queen. Until that happened, everyone was expected to treat everyone else equally. This was the method by which the daughter's mother judged character.Serving the Current Queen
Every girl knew and understood that one of them may become a queen of an envied state and a holy figure of a popular religion. And that there were other unknowable groups that like them with the same expectations. And when one is chosen, the others are expected to serve her for life.Master of the Bridge
This is the head of internal security in Sheien. Their title comes from the golden bridge that connects trade directly into the court. They are usually an officer borrowed from highwatch for a period of time as determined by the whims of the queen.Corn Leaves
Specially selected daughters of the nobility; chosen at the Corn Queen's desecration, serve as her personal attendants and are the petitioner's main point of contact between them and the queen. Not as well known, is that these women also act as decoys for whenever the queen moves; conditioned to throw their bodies in front of any threat and are trained to combine their natural wiles with oratory skills to discreetly further the queen's agenda.Corn Roots
Sons of many high officials are given fine dress and bejeweled spears to stand vigil at entrance points and along many columns and pillars. Their presence is largely ceremonial and convey the level of importance of the respective noble's family. They are not expected to actually fight and appointments are more political, but those of higher ranks must pass various written exams on warfare.Corn Leaflets
These are court aids chosen, entrusted and overseen by individual Leaves to manage the mundane logistics of the Leaves' courtly duties. This could include coming and going between courtly factions to keep them up to date on local happenings.Tactics
Decoy
Additionally, maidens are often chosen when they are themselves babies once a potential queen is born. As they grow together, close appearance to the future queen are noted, allowing the handmaidens to take on the role of the queen's decoy while the true sovereign would hide among the other handmaidens. However, it is also irrelevant if there is no resemblance because the corn crown bares a headpiece that covers the face.Training
Self-Defense
These handmaidens are trained in defense and security by the Bridge MasterMarksmanship
Particularly specialized training is given towards throwing glass knives, archery and folding spearsCintēteo Doctrine
As the incarnation of the corn goddess, her guard is mandated to be schooled in the ideologies of CintēteoLogistics
Logistical Support
Courtier Taxes
Facilitation and maintenance of state security is naturally the responsibility of government budgets.Family Support
The families who knowingly gave up a daughter to the Leaves, occasionally donate to their collective well being as they are not allowed to know which queenly daughter their daughter serves.Auxilia
Court Roots
Noble sons add an extra layer of security to Sheien and by extension, to the queen. This guard also answers to the Master of the Bridge who have historically had difficulties coordinating with the Court Leaves because there is a heavy political component most Bridge Masters are unaccustomed to.Upkeep
Recruitment
Noble Girls
Specially selected daughters of the nobility; chosen at the Corn Queen's desecration, serve as the heiress' personal attendants and are the petitioner's main point of contact between them and the queen. Not as well known, is that these women also act as decoys for whenever the queen moves; conditioned to throw their bodies in front of any threat and are trained to combine their natural wiles with oratory skills to discreetly further the queen's political agenda.History
Historical loyalties
Corn Queens
Leaves display fierce personal loyalty to their queen who has also been their friend for as long as they could remember.Courtier Families
Some girls and women express longing towards the blood relations they left. Some, through different means, throughout the decades of royal service discover their family members and opt to return to them at the death of their charge and subsequent retirement.
Alternate Names
- Green Maidens
- Corn Leaves
Type
Security
Overall training Level
Elite
Assumed Veterancy
Experienced
Used by
Ranks & Titles
Comments