Queensguard

The Queensguard are the controversial personal guard of Queen Ismyll Pendragon. They are silent and eerie changeling warriors from the Summer Court of Tír-na-nÓg, clad from head to toe in plate armor forged from the finest fey mithril and wielding blades of deadly Sidhe glass.
The Queensguard answer only to the queen and her damsels and do not move for even King Ulric, giving rise to a sinister reputation. Who they were in their previous lives is unknown, as is the whether they were sent by the Seelie to keep a leash on the so-called Fey-Queen of Bedegraine or whether she invited them herself. To the dismay of the court, Queen Ismyll does not deign to disclose any details on his bodyguards, and the silent sentinels themselves betray no secrets.
The Queensguard is not a knightly order. As such, its members need not be nobles and need not adhere to the Code of Chivalry. Regardless, the Queensguard is largely considered -- by the common folk, at least -- a sister-organization to the Kingsguard, the most prestigious knightly order in the realm.
Contents

History

The order of the Queensguard began several hundreds of years ago with the legendary Knights of Guinevere, the fey-touched protectors of the mythical Queen Guinevere of ancient legend. However, the order was disbanded by King Thomas II Pendragon in 2217 ER due to the mildly confusing technicalities that arose from the fact that there were two elite forces tasked with the protection of the royal family: the Queensguard and the Kingsguard. These two forces were ever vastly different in both methods, equipment and culture, and their gender-related names were at times unwieldy, for the reigning monarch of Caraegwyn can be male or female with equal probality. After the disbandment of the Queensguard, the knightly order of the Kingsguard was made the sole bodyguards of both kings and queens.
Queen Ismyll Pendragon re-founded the order of the Queensguard by her own accord only months after her wedding to King Ulric in 2480 ER, causing quite a political scandal in the process. She claims that she honors both the ancestors and the fey by cherishing ancient tradition, but the nobles at court question her loyalty and whisper about hidden agendas.

Type

Escort

Founding

2501 ER

Overall training Level

Elite

Assumed Veterancy

Veteran

Used by

• Monarchy of Caraegwyn

Manpower
9 warriors
Equipment
Full plate, shields, swords. All made from the finest materials the Sidhe are known to possess.
Tactics
Largely unknown. The Queensguard fight on foot. Each warrior is gifted with magic, perhaps granted to them by the Seelie via warlock-pacts.