The Cadre & the Couriers

The Cadre & the Couriers

The King of Ardrigh maintains a group of loyal diplomats and messengers named the Cadre. Their mission is to act on behalf of the King as emissaries and foreign advisors in other countries. In addition to being a foreign representative of the Crown, they commonly gather intelligence to be sent back to the King and his advisors. From this group is drawn a company of people trained in covert operations, espionage, and intelligence gathering outside (and occasionally within) the borders of the Kingdom.

The Cadre

The men and women of the Cadre are often trained from an early age to become diplomats to foreign governments. They are skilled with languages, negotiation, and persuasion. Their training and upbringing have made them naturally perceptive and observant, noticing the details of a foreign culture and society, so that they might better blend in. Members of the Cadre are often drawn from noble families, although any child showing an aptitude for learning (particularly languages) and observation may be recruited.

The cadre is divided into two groups: the diplomatic core and the messenger core. Diplomats tend to spend much of their time in a foreign land, often dealing directly with the leaders and rulers in that country, while messengers spend much time traveling between a foreign land and their own. They must be adaptable, dealing equally well with foreign Kings as well as their own.

The official badge of office for the cadre is a well-made longcoat (made of linen, flax, or wool; depending on the region they are assigned), with wide strips (the general appearance is that of a stole) that go over the shoulders, and run to the to the bottom of the coat, front and back. The strips are often embroidered, with the rest of the garment unadorned.

Diplomats

Those most skilled in the arts of language and persuasion tend to become diplomats. They must be able to deal with a foreign culture as if they were born into it. It is their job to translate the desires of their King into working treaties, trade deals, or even declarations of war if needs be.

The longcoat of a diplomat often has the glyphs of Bel and Loquaith embroidered on the front, just below the collarbone.

Messengers

While messengers are also skilled in diplomacy, they are trained specifically to deal with the rigors of travel. They are often skilled horsemen, and capable of dealing with all types of transport, from the humblest donkey cart to the most richly appointed sailing ship. Some messengers are skilled sailors, able to handle a sailing ship were the need to arise. Some messengers are skilled in survival, as they must by necessity travel through long stretches of wilderness. They must be able to quickly assimilate all a diplomat has spent months or even years negotiating, and relay that knowledge to their sovereign in a manner most useful to him and his advisors.

The longcoat of a messenger is commonly made of oilcloth (or otherwise waterproofed), and often has the glyphs of Loquaith and Paskeral embroidered on the front, just below the collarbone.

The Couriers

Often drawn from the ranks of the Cadre, the Couriers are the people who often work out of sight, doing the things that the diplomats cannot do. Couriers may be tasked to cause civil unrest, spread false rumors within a populous, spy on those deemed necessary of special attention, and even commission assassinations when all other options have failed.

The longcoat of a messenger is made of from stout seamless leather, and has the glyph of Herm tooled (and sometimes dyed) on the left side, just below the collarbone. The glyph of Bel, Loquaith, or Paskeral is commonly opposite it, but not universal.

Type

Intelligence