Kael Thalori Foresters

By the honor of the name of my foremothers I vow to do whatever is in my power to protect Her Majesty the Queen Loranel Edea Arbelladon and the glory of Kael Thalori and all of Enarion. I swear to keep my mind as sharp as my blade, and my aim as straight as an arrow. I vow to be silent as a summer's breeze and as still as a boulder. I will strike as fast and unseen as a forest cat, and ruthlessly hunt the enemies of this forest whenever they cross my path. I hereby give my life to the forest and the Queen, and by the Grace and Love of Enarias, the Elf-Father, so mote it be.
— The Vow of the Foresters

Composition

Manpower

The Foresters are a tiny division of the Enari army, where only the most elite rangers are allowed to join. Their numbers vary slightly, usually around 20 soldiers, with additional numbers if all supporting roles from the Forest Guardians of Enarias are counted.

Equipment

Here is a list of gear that every member of the Kael Thalori Foresters bring with them on missions. The first column is what they carry with them on every mission, while the second column is what they bring if they travel with a mount.

Gear without mount
1 masterworked leather armor
Food ration for one day
Waterskin
First aid kit for light injuries
Whetstone
Everything listed below under Weaponry
One quiver with arrows
Additional gear with mount
1 bedroll
Extra set of arrows
Additional food and water
Tools to set up camp (hammer, tiny saw, shovel, heavy string etc)

Weaponry

The main weapon used by the Foresters is the composite bow, usually of the highest quality available in Enarion. The troop is also equipped with a pair of Enari style scimitars in case they need to fight up and personal, as well as a dagger that can be used both for fighting and utility. Lastly, every member has a bag of caltrops to use if needed.

Vehicles

Every member of the Foresters has one mount, usually an Enari Forest Cat. These beasts can carry one Forester, as well as some light gear if fitted with saddlebags. The mount isn't always brought on shorter missions, and even when brought the saddlebags might make the mount less stealthy, so the use of saddlebags is considered by the nature of the mission.

If treated with respect the mount is fiercely loyal to its Forester, and will fight alongside, and even protect, its partner in a fight.

Structure

The Kael-Eshalor is the highest ranking person in the Kael Thalori Foresters. The rest of the members are ranked after seniority officially, but in practice they are equally ranked. When the Foresters split up into sub-squads, the groups without the Kael-Eshalor consider the most senior member as the squad leader.

Tactics

The Foresters favor stealth tactics, and try to do surprise attacks by hiding and waiting for their mark to get close enough to engage. If possible, they hide a bit up in a tree, out of reach of the mark if the mark doesn't have range weapons. If the mark do possess ranged weapons, the Foresters do a hit-and-run tactic where they shoot then scatter to another hiding spot.

If needed, they are skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well and are armed with two scimitars for more up and personal fights.

Training

Everyone in the Foresters has a lot of combat training from being in the Forest Guardians since the only way to become a Forester is to be among the most skilled rangers in the army. Once recruited a Forester is expected to keep their skills sharp, especially their stealth, archery and tracking skills. Once being recruited as a Forester there will be enough opportunities to do missions that will hone all these skills, though, since one of their main tasks is to kill off or drive back the almost constant stream of Wasteland Beasts coming from the south.

Logistics

Auxilia

The Foresters are led by the Kael-Eshalor of the Forest Guardians of Enarias, and can therefore request assistance from the whole standing Enari army if they need.

Upkeep

As a special unit of the Forest Guardians of Enarias, the salary of the Foresters are the highest in the army.

The Foresters get all their needed supplies from the official Forest Guardian supply store. They need fewer rations than some other troops since they hunt for a lot of their food themselves, but since they use higher quality gear the little value saved from less rations quickly disappear in the value of one high quality composite bow.

If one of the Foresters die the funeral services of the fallen is paid in full by the Enari army.

Recruitment

New recruits are found in the ranks of the Forest Guardians of Enarias. The best rangers in this army is hand-picked by the Kael-Eshalor, usually after being rewarded for exceptional skill in combat. There are only a handful of potential candidates every decade, and new recruits are rare.

There are no restrictions by gender or age, as long as the recruit is skilled enough to impress the Kael-Eshalor.

There isn't any large open ritual when a new member is accepted into the Foresters. The troop isn't a place for people who are joining for the prestige. It's a tough job being a Forester, and the members are regularly putting their own life in danger for the monarch and nation. That is not to say that the membership doesn't bring prestige, since being a Forester is a prestigious title in Enarion.

When a new member is accepted into the troop they need to cite the Vow of the Foresters, where they promise to do everything in their power to protect the monarch and Enarion. After this tiny ritual every Forester attending hail the new member, and if there is no major conflict going on they celebrate together in private with food and drinks.

History

The Foresters is an ancient part of the army, stretching back about 3000 years. It was created to defend the Enari monarch from outside threats, as well as helping the Forest Guardians to keep the borders safe from external threat if needed. The troop has been an important part in several conflicts, and are now an important piece of keeping the Wasteland Beasts out of Enarion.

Foresters emblem

Type
Special Forces
Overall training Level
Elite
Assumed Veterancy
Decorated/Honored
Used by
Ranks & Titles

Terms

Enari Forest Cat
Large feline living in Kael Thalori. The Enari elves sometimes use them as mounts, but training them can be difficult.
Enarias
Main god of the Enari elves.
Enarion
Nation of the Enari elves in the north-west.
Kael-Eshalor
The highest-ranking officer both in the Forest Guardians of Enarias and the Kael Thalori Foresters.
Kael Thalori
The great forest of the Enari elves.
Wasteland Beasts
Aberrations coming from The Wasteland.


Cover image: by Milladamen

Comments

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Aug 17, 2018 17:36 by Barbarossa Sparklebeard

This is a good article, but holds a few spelling errors which I won't count against you. However, without certain context, the equipment and training seems a bit lacking and certain terms which might hold higher meaning seem lost to me. Overall, an interesting article.

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