Chevaliers des Lions d'Or
The Chevaliers des Lions d'Or (Knights of the Lions of Gold) are the elite fighting class of the aristocracy of Minon. Consisting mainly of lesser-born nobility, aspirant merchant-class soldiers and a strong contingent of lower-born men and women whose warrior spirit has elevated them to the rank of Knight, the Lions answer directly to the Queen of Minon rather than to any feudal lord in that nation. About 10% of the ranking members hail from Ysont, a puppet state and ally of Minon in the war against Mlastina.
Just as the Khazigiri Tigers are seen as a catch-all for Khazigiri troops of all varieties by the less-informed, many people outside of Minon's influence assume that all Minonoise soldiers are Golden Lions, but this is not the case at all. The ranks of the lions comprise a relatively small contingent of about 3500 fighting knights in total, organised into 7 divisions of 500 knights each plus support and service staff. These divisions operate with a great deal of autonomy, reporting to the Queen via the Queensmarshall (Or Kingsmarshall when the ruler is a king), and coordinating with each other at the divisional level through division commanders.
Where the Tigers are evenly split between line soldiery and special forces, however, each individual Chevalier has significant leeway for conducting special missions in support of the defense of the southwest borders of Minon and Ysont against the hordes of Mlastina in the active war in that region, and many travel abroad as spies, ambassadors and diplomats as well. They tend to operate in small groups of 5 to 15 across a given theatre, and only mass together on rare occasions for anything resembling organized battle. This is partly due to the fact that Mlastina lacks anything like a conventional military, and fighting in rows from ramparts is an ineffective tactic against masses of hit-and-fade flying, slithering and sometimes invisible enemies. But it also reflects the idea that each group is an independent family, or Se Targue (Pride), acting in concert with but not under the authority of other Prides, with each guarding overlapping territories to create the strongest barrier with the fewest number of soldiers.
Due to their independent and opportunistic - some might even say mercenary - tendencies, individual Chevaliers often become adventurers, either on a specific mission or as an extension of a larger offensive. Retired Chevaliers make up the bulk of the true mercenary service.
Minon's excellent navy also regularly includes at least one Se Targue of Chevaliers on each frigate, or up to five Se Targue, with 50+ knights total, on their two huge air combat naval vessels when at full complement.
Based in the capitol of Mairie, the Lions are constantly recruiting and reorganizing their Se Targue to make up for losses. Due to the heroic and dangerous nature of their engagement, losses are high, with 3 in 10 knights suffering a serious casualty or death on average each year. Nevertheless the glory and esprit de corps of the Chevaleirs, as well as the generous Letters of Marque that are awarded to worthy warriors, ensures that there are always more applicants than vacancies within the ranks.
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