Šarkanesh Guard

The Šarkanesh Guard is an elite force of Dwarven warriors in the service of Vyssíjórgen Academy. They are the oldest military order in continuous operation, and have sworn fealty to each new Grandmaester of Vyssíjórgen since the signing of the Southron's Compact.

Composition

Manpower

Since their inception, the Guard has maintained a force of exactly 500, to honour the original 500 surviving warriors who pledged themselves to the service of Vyssíjórgen. This number includes officers, staff, smiths, cooks, as well as the soldiers themselves, lending itself to the ancient dwarven philosophy that emphasizes the instrinsic link between a warrior's connection to those that support him and his effectiveness in battle.

Equipment

Whether from unknowable cultural practices or simply as a point of pride, the dwarven guardsmen insist on producing their own armour and equipment. As such, the armour of the Guard is uniquely dwarven, with little outside influence in design or composition. It consists of thousands of tiny hexagonal metal scales, lacquered and laced together with flexible dwarven wire into strips. This is worn in conjunction with various vambraces and greaves, engraved with dwarven blessings and prayers of protection. A thick woolen undergarment is worn beneath the armour, to ward against the bitter cold of the Rorzh'i Vrokyshyy mountains. The helmet is a cap of bronze and steel, well-padded with wool and from which hangs a face mask and two hinged cheek guards. The face mask is molded into a dour expression, and is painted in bright colours to mimic depictions of demons from dwarven mythology. The skull of the helmet features an aventail covering the throat, neck, and shoulders. A heavy grey cloak is worn over the entire affair, enchanted personally by the Archmaester of Abjuration to deflect indirect hits and glancing blows.

Weaponry

As the Academy's first line of defense, the weaponry used by the Šarkanesh Guard is heavily tailored to the defense of the Kozdil, the mighty rampart that guards the pass to Vyssíjórgen. Crossbows and javelins see the most use, with the former having been adapted from large Aparnovosi designs sometime during the Pre-Imperial Era. Large trebuchets are mounted on the Kozdil itself, used to hurl enchanted combustible projectiles at invading forces. The Guard has also been known to dump boiling fat or quicklime on attacking personnel with devastating success, as seen in the Siege of Vyssíjórgen in 81 AU.

Should an invading army ever breach the walls, the guardsmen are armed with hafted steel axes, magically augmented to cut through plate like soft butter. These they use alongside targes plated with dragonscales, ancient relics from the days of the first Šarkanesh Guard. The ruby-red scales used in the shield provide the guardsmen with considerable protection against fire and heat.

Structure

The Guard is commanded by the Captain-General, a guardsman who has served for a minimum of 100 years and has demonstrated the necessary maturity and dedication needed to lead the organization. As part of the Southron's Compact, the Captain-General of the Guard reports directly to the Grandmaester, and in addition to serving as the Commander of the Kozdil and the guard itself, trains the Academy's Maesters of Evocation in matters of nonmagical combat. The current Captain-General of the Šarkanesh Guard is Mhelbim Dwarovich, who has had the title for 188 years.

History

In the closing days of the Dwarven-Draconic War, the northernmost Dwarven city-state of Larahda was under siege by the Red Dragon Mawruthil and his armoured legions of Dragonborn. The King of Larahda, Ramthus the Venerable, had stubbornly refused to surrender the city years earlier and join the southern exodus of his kinsmen, and as such Larahda was wholly cut off from aid and on the brink of starvation. Seeing the writing on the wall, King Ramthus extended an offer to his foe; allow the women and children, accompanied by ~2,000 warriors from the city watch, to safely depart Larahda, and the King would surrender himself and the remainder of the city's defenders as prisoners of war. Mawruthil assented to these terms, and briefly lifted his siege of the city to allow the innocents to exit in dozens of carts and carriages. The refugees had not made it 50 miles west of Larahda, however, when the dragon reneged on his promise and razed the city with all inside. Following this betrayal, Mawruthil took to the air and began to harass the refugees, diving from above armed with claw and flame. The 2,000 warriors, armed only with axes and spears and a far cry from the legendary defenders of Larahda, nevertheless managed to repel their assailant, piercing his hide with their spears and driving him off. Nine times did Mawruthil strike the caravan, and nine times was he repulsed. With every attack the dragon managed to fell dozens of warriors, but for every one of their kinsmen lost the dwarves inflicted a wound of equal measure on their opponent.

This bitter back-and-forth continued for weeks, across the war-torn plains and treacherous ice fields to the eastern mountains of Sevnónicha, known to the dwarves as Vilksana ("Quaint Westerners" in Wythian). By this time, only 500 warriors remained to defend the refugees, still tailed by an enraged Mawruthil. The dwarves sought refuge in the mountains, only to stumble upon a small stone fortress filled with bellicose Sevnóni monks armed to the teeth: the predecessor of Vyssíjórgen Academy. Whilst unable to communicate, the monks noted the haggard and disheveled nature of the dwarves, and when Mawruthil arrived several hours later fought side by side with the warriors to slay the tyrant. In exchange for the monk's assistance in defeating the dragon, and for agreeing to feed and house Larahda's refugees in perpetuity, the surviving warriors signed the Southron's Compact, pledging themselves to the defense of the Academy's precursor. The Sevnóni named them Šarkanesh (Wythian, lit: "Dragon-scale") for the armour the dwarves forged from the hide of the fallen dragon, and thus the Šarkanesh Guard was born.

Type

Infantry

Overall training Level

Elite

Assumed Veterancy

Experienced

Used by

• Vyssíjórgen Academy