The Shoremen

When the people of the 9 Kingdoms first gathered in the last bastion that would become Firsthome, they needed heroes to fight against the Orc tribes that marauded through the land. While each faction or noble family had men-at-arms to mount a defense, they were scattered, small, and ineffective. Recognizing this weakness, the noble lord Raxtus Vicingetor, an Ambari man of renowned martial prowess, abdicated his claim to any lands and/or titles if all of those who had men to give would supply him with an army. Each man who came to Vicingetor’s army swore allegiance not just to him, but to the lands and people in general and to the protection of Firsthome. Vicingetor called his army the Shoremen, and even after the orcs were pushed back, these men continued in their sworn duty to protect Firsthome from any threat that might come upon it.
Through hundreds of years, the Shoremen have been a constant. Though no one party officially rules over Firsthome, their position as protectors of the city and status as knights with allegiance not to one particular group, but to all of the peoples of the 9 Kingdoms, gives the Shoremen a position of considerable power and influence within the city. Raxtus Vicingetor is long dead, as are his sons and grandsons. The current lord of the Shoremen is a man elected by the ranks, with new elections held every 5 years. While the first army of the Shoremen was small, at roughly one-hundred members, the knightly order currently stands at nearly two thousand knighted members and many more squires, servants, and administrators. If every individual with allegiance sworn to the Shoremen were counted, their numbers would be somewhere in excess of 5000 men. While there are certainly corrupt members of the organization, and there have have been leaders of all types and demeanors, the Shoremen maintain a reputation for being honest and loyal protectors of Firsthome and the 9 Kingdoms.
By tradition, the Shoremen will take any able-bodied man willing to disavow any and all prior allegiances, swear on his life to serve the 9 Kingdoms as a whole and protect Firsthome from all threats, even to the death. Once sworn into the ranks, new members undergo extensive training and testing. Not all members will become knights, as not all men who join are talented at swordplay. Some will become administrators, others blacksmiths, and a few will even become scouts or messengers. Those who do become knights are among the most honored and respected figures in the 9 Kingdoms. The knights of the Shoremen are always welcome guests in the homes or castles of noble families, treated with deference by other members of their order, and looked up to by most of the common people.
The shield of the Shoremen is iron-grey on it’s top half, with a line of waves cutting across the shield in the center and the color of the blue ocean covering the bottom half of the shield.