Knights of the Mask

The Knights of the Mask are an order of guards appointed by the city of Rosewick to protect the members of the Masked Circle, who are the leaders and final decision makers of the country of Balihr, for which Rosewick is the capital.

History

The Knights of the Mask were conceived about a decade after the Masks of the Circle began to rule the country of Balihr, in the 700s BV. At this time, each Mask had been in charge of their own security, and some were confident enough in their own ability, and cavalier enough, that they decided to go without security. Unfortunately for one of them, this boldness only backfired. One Mask's identity was found out, and he and his family were taken hostage and presumably died, as they were never found.

Thanks to this unfortunate incident, it was decided among the remaining Masks of the Circle that they needed to hire some kind of security force to protect themselves and their families from such things happening again. The idea of the Knights of the Circle was born, and the Circle spent several weeks perfecting the protocols, then several more screening potential appointees to ensure that only the most trustworthy guards and those of the highest caliber were hired for this job.

Joining the Knights

The Knights of the Circle are a very elite unite of highly skilled and trustworthy guards. This unit only accepts applications from within the Balihran Guard, and even then only really considers those who have been with the Guard for a long time. It is very rare that a newer guard is allowed to join, and then only because they have distinguished themselves greatly from their peers, in both skill and loyalty.

Positions in this unit only open when a current member of the Guard is killed, which is rare in modern times, or retires. because the number of Masks is fairly set in stone, and the number of guards per Mask is also fairly constant, there is usually not a need for any expansion within the Knights of the Circle. When a spot opens, competition among guards for that spot is high, and the examination process is very thorough. Guards who make it past the initial screening process are put through group exercises to test their synergy and individual prowess, and interviewed extensively to identify any potential red flags each guard may raise. When this process narrows the pool down to about five or so candidates, they must meet with the Mask on whose guard they might be posted. Because the Knights spend a lot of time with their charges, they often form close personal relationships and the guard must be able to get along with those they are protecting.

Duties

Within the unit, each guard is assigned to a specific Mask whom they must protect for the rest of their career in this unit. Although each individual Mask may have different preferences for how their security details are run, generally the duties are the same.

Each Knight is, most generally, responsible for guarding the Mask and their family. This entails maintaining a presence inside their home and alongside the Mask as they go about their duties or make appearances in public while in uniform. However, because the masks also keep their true identities private from the public, another duty of the Knights is to protect those identities. When the Mask walks around outside of uniform, or when their families go about their lives outside their home, the Knights must accompany them out of uniform. They must be inconspicuous enough so that they aren't recognized or connected to the Mask, but at the same time close enough and prepared enough so that they can perform their protective duties if needed.

Some Masks like to be more personal with some of their Knights, and it is expected of those Knights that they are personable and make conversations as wanted with their charge. On the other hand, duty requires that the guard not get too attached to those they are protecting, which would risk compromising their vigilance and possibly place the mask and their family in unnecessary risk.

Type

Security

Ranks & Titles

• Masks of the Circle