Kingsmagen

An elite military unit comprised entirely of magen and trained from early childhood to serve the Bjerian Empire. All magen born in the Empire were obligated to become a Kingsmage, but the majority were members of the extended imperial family.

Composition

Tactics

The most three experienced Kingsmagen in the unit were assigned as the Emperor's bodyguard. The next three formed the crown heir's bodyguard. Other senior Kingsmagen were assigned to guard other significant figures in the imperial household.
Junior Kingsmagen were assigned leadership positions in the standing army or formed into tactical units, according to their specialism. Even rumours of their presence on the battlefield was believed to confer a psychological advantage to the Bjerian army.

Training

Childhood

Beginning in childhood, young magen lived and trained together with the Emperor's children. In addition to a classical education in Huswat, natural and arcane science, mathematics, literature, philosophy and ethics, both magen and the natural-born children were taught military history and tactics, religious studies, and endured a gruelling daily exercise regime. Further to this, the young magen also studied and practiced thaumaturgy.

Teen years

In their mid to late teens, the young magen began additional training with weapons, communications, combat applications of thaumaturgy, and started field exercises and manouevers, engaging in frequent, eventually months-long, hikes through Acostail, during which they were expected to provide food and shelter for themselves, hunting and protecting themselves from Acostail's many physical and magical predators.
Initially accompanied by trainers and senior Kingsmagen, part of the passing-out qualification was a trial by ordeal: a squad to survive six months alone in Acostail, ultimately finding and making a sacrifice to the god Bjeria.

Young adulthood

After qualifying as a Kingsmage, recruits continued their training to become specialists in a chosen field. Imperial magen were excused from further training if they were to be married into political alliances.

Logistics

Recruitment

Imperial magen

Not all imperial magen were tipped to serve as a Kingsmage - the Emperor might require them to serve Bjeria by being given to or married into allied families - but they were all subjected to the training regime, so that they might step up into the defence of the empire in the event of a war or threat to the succession.

Commonfolk

Magen born to the commonfolk of the Empire were adopted into the imperial household before they turned one year old. Unless there were mitigating factors in their mental or physical health, these children were destined to spend the rest of their lives as Kingsmagen.

History

Historical loyalties

As part of the imperial family through birth or adoption, the duty of kingsmagen was an amalgamation of their national, religious, and familial duty.
Bjeria was both the tuletary deity of the empire and an independant deity in Xer own right, as well as the mother of the imperial magen. The emperor was the head of state, the god Bjeria's divine consort, and the brother or (natural, adoptive, or foster) father of the Kingsmagen.

Dissolution

The loyalty of the Kingsmagen was inextricably linked to the empire. After the Keene Revolution, the unit was deemed an existential threat to the Republic and the surviving members were executed. The use and training of child soldiers, and the militarisation of magen were outlawed by the $PEACE_TREATY signed in the aftermath of the Mage War.

Type

Magic

Founding

Unknown

Dissolution

5.917

Overall training Level

Elite

Assumed Veterancy

Trained

Used by

• Bjerian Empire