Third Corps of the Elven Guard

The Third Corps of the Elven Guard are the lowest ranked section of the Corps D'armée in the Elven military. This does not mean its soldiers are weaker than the others, as the Third Corps has a special purpose compared to the others, which varies depending on what the monarch believes is necessary.

Formation

The Third Corps is the smallest of the corps, but every soldier is trained for special missions that the other Corps would be unable to complete.
This is a squad where most blacksmiths in the army are officially part of, though rarely do they see combat, especially on the special missions of the Third Corps. Instead, they are given their own special missions, often asked to create unique weapons for the Third Corps. It is due to this that they are included in the Third Corps, as the Captain of the Third Corps may not wish for word of their mission to leave the Third Corps.

Command

As with all other Corps of the Elven Guard, they have a Captain of the Corps who leads them and a Sous-Captain who can give orders when needed. Otherwise, the Sous-Captain is assisstant to the Captain of the Corps.

Captain Droit by Jarhed

Manpower

Being the smallest of the Corps, they have far less than the others. The Third Corps generally is no larger than 5,000 men.
This number can be lower in cases of low manpower in the army, or higher if there is an influx of recruits, particularly during wars against the Dwarves when morale is high.

Equipment

The Third Corps wear the same golden armor as all other Corps of the Elven Guard.
Their weapons may be customized for particular missions, and some may get custom armor (particularly Captains, who are allowed more freedom with the uniform).

Duty

The Third Corps begins with the general duty of all Corps of the Elven Guard: to Guard. The High Elven people live purely in the city of Camor, and due to their relation to the King and Nobility of the High Elves, despite having many Wood Elves in their ranks and even some scarce traces of Dark Elves, the main duty of all Corps is to guard Camor, its citizens, its nobility, and the monarchy.
After the Elven Civil War, Captain Hadon Leran of the Third Corps convinced his father, Captain Commander Narkard Leran, that the Wood Elves required protecting as well.

Captain Avant by genuinetrickster

Captains

Nearly every Elf who has held the title of Captain of the Corps has been Captain of the Third Corps, however this does not mean the title is any less prestigious.
It is simply that there are those who were only Captain of the Third Corps, and then there are those who rose further through the ranks.
Some well known Third Corps Captains include:

• Droit Berger during the Draco-Elvish War of -740
• Briller Lambert during the Elven Civil War of 548
• Hadon Leran immediately following the Elven Civil War in 550
• Avant Orinian immediately following the Draqiroth War in 964.

Droit and Briller are examples of Captains who never made it beyond the Third Corps, while both Hadon Leran and Avant Orinian eventually became Captain Commander of the entire army.

The Elven Civil War had been built upon a dissatisfied feeling many of non-noble, non-High Elves had. So, Hadon Leran led his first special mission guarding the Elven Forest as they do Camor. Afterwards, this became a duty of all Corps, though it is particularly the job of the First Corps of the Elven Guard.

Special Missions

Every Captain has their own skills and their own reasons for doing what they do. Thus, their Special Missions change from Captain to Captain. Here are some Special Missions from some of the Captains of the Third Corps.

• Droit Bergar
• During the War of the Beards- Flank from the west to take out the Violet Vipers Squad.
• During the Draco-Elvish War- Keep Tamd and Ealla apart and at each other's throats.
• Briller Lambert
• Prior to the Elven Civil War- Carry out stealthy attacks on his own people with disguised troops, then swoop in and save the people in the name of the King, making both King Daeric Nerifir and himself look better.
• During the Elven Civil War- Purge the dissenters who disobey King Quothas Nerifir and his rule.
• Hadon Leran
• Following the Elven Civil War- Patrol the Elven Forest, keep it and its people safe.
• Avant Orinian
• Following the Draqiroth War- Keep an eye on Yirthum, ensure they do not rebel, and keep them in line.
• Following the Draqiroth War- Advise the Council of 69 and keep virtue and justice in the allied state of the Draconians, as well as the world at large.

It is often the job of the Third Corps to watch out for Yirthum, a Draconian Village that is a puppet state of the Elves. However, after war against the Draconians in the Draqiroth War, Avant Orinian was given special orders to keep watch over Yirthum in a more legislative way, giving him leadership and command over the entire village, with equal power to its Village Chief.