Guardian Order Texts Thread

[xbriannova]

I've decided to start coming up with various proses of lore for my campaign, Guardian Order. Here, I will describe everything about the Guardian Order and it's history. I won't be revealing anything about the plot of the campaign though, as it would be counter-productive to the fun my campaign is meant to give. I'm gonna start with how its military branch work.
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The Guardian Order prides herself as being the most organised army in the world of men. Rather than the now-decentralised militia and 'royal army' the collective earldoms of mankind possess, the Guardian Order has in her keep a highly cohesive military force that relies heavily on the quality of her men in every aspect.

Guardian Soldiers are trained primarily in Nordgard/Northgard, the clerical as well as military capital of the Guardian Order. Soldiers are trained in highly functional barracks, with specific types built specifically for different classes of soldiers. A training ground for Archers for example, would have an attached archery range. Officers are trained in academies, a practice that is relatively new in Wesnothian society- commanders were previously either nobles, knights or popular individuals who were mostly personally tutored. Many never had any education in the arts of war to begin with.

While the rest of Wesnoth had a rough command structure with officers, officers are mostly foregone with popular soldiers or vetoed individuals leading the army. In other words, armies are made with an informal organisation in the lands of Wesnoth. There is little complexity in the command structure of other races as well. The Guardian Order is the opposite. For every province under the protection of the Guardian Order, there is at least one General, 2-4 Lieutenants and 4-8 Sergeants. Field Marshals travel to where they are needed most, such as in an area invaded by Orcs or the Undead, or to where Generals are simply insufficient.

Sergeants ensure the protection of villages and towns while Lieutenants check on the Sergeants within his prefecture of responsibility. Generals held the responsibility of an entire province. Field Marshals are practically the protector of several provinces. These titles are of course Wesnothian titles- the Guardian Order had her own titles handed out to these people of great importance.

The armies of the Guardian Order are highly organised, and would never tolerate any rabbles in their ranks. Soldiers are trained for very specific purposes- Infantries, Archers, Cavalries. These main categories are then broken down even further. There are many types of infantries and archers in the disposal of the order. However, the force she took pride the most in are her Order Infantries- regiments of sword-and-shield soldiers who are highly trained in their field. The sword has a symbolical as well as functional meaning to the order- it represents protection, as well as vengeance for the mistreated innocent.

However, no type of soldiers dispatched by the Guardian Order could ever be any less useful in her eyes. The Order Phalanxes, a reinvented style of Pikemen, are just as useful in stopping cavalries dead in their track. The infantries of the order had no ranged capabilities, so they are complemented by the Order Archers- highly skilled longbowmen who could not just pelt enemies with arrows, but rain the evil foes with arrows. They could fire in quick succession- perhaps due to their endless drills organised by Elven advisors and the best master bowmen in all of Wesnoth.

The Order Archers are not alone in that department- The Guardian Order does train Crossbowmen as well- a soldier type of great rarity in Wesnoth due to widespread traditionalism. What they lack in speed, the Crossbowmen make up for in damage. Crossbowmen are accurate as well, and with some experience, could act as dead snipers and assassins.

However, all these soldiers could never function to their full capacity without the Order Cataphracts- Cavalry with both men and horses of steel who will never have a reason to be afraid of arrows and swords. They are the main shock element of the Guardian armies. Their main use is to charge at enemy formations and practically plough through their ranks like a knife through butter, easily massacring the enemy. Should there be any survivors somehow, their swords could swiftly put an end to their Gods-given luck and blessing.

The Guardian Order had worked hard to gain such military techniques and technologies- They are highly innovative as well, an opposite of the traditional mindset of Wesnothian armies. Most of what they employ are centuries ahead of what normal Wesnothian armies have. Yet, rest on their laurels they are not- they continue to invent more styles and equipments of warfare. Such is perhaps expected as the Guardian Order is the brainchild of many leading generals fifty years ago.

[Araja]

Are you just showing this or looking for opinions?

You havn't mentioned it so I assume you aren't but I'll ask anyway

[xbriannova]

Are you just showing this or looking for opinions?

You havn't mentioned it so I assume you aren't but I'll ask anyway

Oh, sorry. I'm not exactly asking for anything but critiques would be nice, constructive ones at that. I guess I need help to spot if there's any clashes with current Wesnothian lore. I'm worried that I've represented Wesnoth in a skewed/biased/wrong way so help with that woudl be nice . Originally though, this place is just acting as a dumping ground for my thoughts as I'm too disorganised to store stuff in my computer and I prefer to be public/transparent/open with my 'see it if you want to see it' policy. I've also created a general thread for Guardian Order campaign and an art thread too.

[Araja]

You don't want the spelling mistake list then?

As for the lore thing, I don't see any problems.
Nice work on that

[xbriannova]

You don't want the spelling mistake list then?

As for the lore thing, I don't see any problems.
Nice work on that

Spelling mistakes? Weird. I think it's because it was 2am in the midnight when I wrote it. I'll get down to fixing all those spelling mistakes when I have the time. Thanks for your opinions. Will be writing more soon. Though my priority's to get my campaign working and eventually finish it.

EDIT: Hmm, it seems that I can't dedicate much time to this department of my Guardian Order threads... Sorry guys. More time is being poured into the campaign.

[ultrajet]

Oh, let me add some ideas/suggestions/alternatives.

Though powerful and unstoppable, the guardians are few and disrespected by Wesnothian Paladins, priest, elves and mages, which are the largest and most influential group of their era.

Guardians and faith groups share the same religion, they are believers of chivalry, Like the paladins, they uphold the weak, encourage justice and mercy, but the paladins of their time are a bit compromised. The corrupted ones are blinded by riches and fame, the righteous lived in despair and hurt, avenging the ways of chivalry. While others think that chivalry has a different meaning; thus, the Paladins/Mages/Priests/Elves created divisions and war with each other, not knowing the impending dangers that are coming.

The enemies are a group of people who were once powerful peoples, they were tyrant in their times, but they were weakened because they were defeated by more powerful forces of their time. Today, they are within every village, growing in power. They speak in the name of peace in a place where they are vulnerable, on the other hand, in the regions where they hold power, they oppress, harass and terrorize people. Those who are not of use are force to worship their demon god, or die. Those that are of economic uses are spared, but living in demise. They are diplomats, nomads, necromancers and "ordinary" Westhonian peoples allied with the orcs and other monsters, they also have undeads and demons on their side.

The guardians are persecuted and despised by the Westhonian:
1. Because of their messages of uniting and restructuring and warnings of coming evil,
2. For their trust in "unreliable sources" or the angels to whom Westhonians believe to be just myths, while some believe they are demons and undeads
3. For their uncompromised, they are misunderstood to be legalists. Thus, thought to be dangerous.

They are also hunted by the rising tyrant empire because of their messages and warnings of the tyrant's existence as well as their capability of destroying their plans.

Guardians suffered heavy misunderstandings, yet they forgive and endure. Sending messages hoping for the restoration of the once chivalrous people of their time. While fighting the "real" enemy forces, in the unseen, while the Westhonians lived in disharmony with one another.

Angels fight side by side with the guardians, giving them training, instructions, strategies, techs and aiding them in their combat.

All in all, They are powerful, limited and expensive units, as well as the ultimate defense of their perilous times

[xbriannova]

My my, sorry that I didn't read this. I simply was too busy with the art and development side of my campaign to further develop the story outside of the campaign itself... Anyway, about your suggestion... I'm not saying that its not good, but I think its somewhat misguided as... as of now and until I at least release a demo of my campaign, you guys know almost nothing about the Guardian Order I have in mind. Now... here are my arranged thoughts of your suggestions...

Though powerful and unstoppable, the guardians are few and disrespected by Wesnothian Paladins, priest, elves and mages, which are the largest and most influential group of their era.

You are correct to say that they are powerful and few, but you're wrong to say that they are unstoppable and disrespected although I have to say, you're almost right in the latter two. About the unstoppable thing... Yes, they are strong in warfare, but they are still fallible as the way they wage war is often quite inflexible and honest- its just that the Guardian Order has perfected the way Humans fight their battles, but the Order lacks many elements due to various reasons.

Now, about the disrespected thing... Yes, you are right that the Guardian Order is disrespected in some ways, but not to the degree you suggested and I see no reason to change it. As far as I've thought it out, the Guardian Order is hated by Mages because of some disagreements shortly after their founding. The Mages, along with the School on the Isle of Alduin, rejected to expose their students to the sort of violence, brainwashing and regimentalisation perceived by many outside the Guardian Order. Treating this as treachery against humanity itself, the Guardian Order lay siege to the Isle of Alduin in an attempt to subjugate the Mages of Wesnoth but they were ultimately defeated by both the magic and wisdom that the Mages possess. The Guardian Order lost mainly because they had only recently surfaced from secrecy and are still building their forces, and because they lacked magic. Ever since then, they are usually at odds with each other, with the Mages providing a little help whenever they thought they should.

As for Paladins and Priests, I'd imagine that they would mostly be within Guardian Ranks. While as for the Elves, I believe they would resent the Guardian Order as you should know in Wesnothian History, the Humans and Elves were at war many times especially in 'recent' history, therefore anything that would strengthen the Humans' side would be hated by Elves.

By the time my campaign started, the actual influential political figures, adhering also to the history of Wesnoth, would actually be the Elves, the Orcs, maybe the Dwarves, maybe the Mages, the Human Earldoms and the Guardian Order.

Guardians and faith groups share the same religion, they are believers of chivalry, Like the paladins, they uphold the weak, encourage justice and mercy, but the paladins of their time are a bit compromised. The corrupted ones are blinded by riches and fame, the righteous lived in despair and hurt, avenging the ways of chivalry. While others think that chivalry has a different meaning; thus, the Paladins/Mages/Priests/Elves created divisions and war with each other, not knowing the impending dangers that are coming.

The Guardian Order is actually a very grounded organisation, and has no religion per say. However, you are right to say that they believe in everything you said up there. What you said is mostly true up there, and that is why the Guardian Order exists although, within the Guardian Order itself there will inevitably be corruption, it's maybe just less.

The enemies are a group of people who were once powerful peoples, they were tyrant in their times, but they were weakened because they were defeated by more powerful forces of their time. Today, they are within every village, growing in power. They speak in the name of peace in a place where they are vulnerable, on the other hand, in the regions where they hold power, they oppress, harass and terrorize people. Those who are not of use are force to worship their demon god, or die. Those that are of economic uses are spared, but living in demise. They are diplomats, nomads, necromancers and "ordinary" Westhonian peoples allied with the orcs and other monsters, they also have undeads and demons on their side.

I don't plan for all Earldoms in Wesnoth to be this evil and I don't think demons will play a part in my campaign... most likely but who knows? I like how you flesh things out here- some lords will definately be dictators and tyrants although none will be demon-worshippers, though who knows? I might modify the story to come to that. Thanks for the suggestion . As for alliance with Orcs and Undeads, that will be the case- they are even reflected in Wesnoth history. I've never particularly given much thought about this, thanks for the suggestion- but mainly you've raised an awareness within me on this topic.

The guardians are persecuted and despised by the Westhonian:
1. Because of their messages of uniting and restructuring and warnings of coming evil,
2. For their trust in "unreliable sources" or the angels to whom Westhonians believe to be just myths, while some believe they are demons and undeads
3. For their uncompromised, they are misunderstood to be legalists. Thus, thought to be dangerous.

The Guardians could be despised by some sections of Wesnoth, but not all. They certainly won't be persecuted almost certainly everywhere as they are quite a super-power. Regarding 1, what you said is true, however, even the Guardian Order won't know anything about a coming evil, except that evil is always at the doorstep and might come pouring out at any moment.

Regarding 2, the Guardian Order is not a religious organisation and that won't be changed. They are supposed to be extremely down-to-earth as far as Wesnothians could be.

Regarding 3, you are right, they are very uncompromising and thus misunderstood in many instances. However, they won't be thought of as dangerous, but as protectors, albeit a little strict. Generally however, they value life and order so they won't punish too harshly and neither would they resort to anything that would cost hundreds or thousands their lives on the whim.

They are also hunted by the rising tyrant empire because of their messages and warnings of the tyrant's existence as well as their capability of destroying their plans.

Hmm... Sorry but this suggestion is entirely unacceptable as it detracts too far, way too far from the story I have in mind. There's no tyrant empire in Wesnoth by 950YSW- Wesnoth by then is made up of many Earldoms with the Guardian Order as some kind of a 'United Nations' entity that is a seperate entity on its own from the various nations. Sorry...

Guardians suffered heavy misunderstandings, yet they forgive and endure. Sending messages hoping for the restoration of the once chivalrous people of their time. While fighting the "real" enemy forces, in the unseen, while the Westhonians lived in disharmony with one another.

Guardians are considered enlightened and understanding during their time, and they do forgive and endure however, that would at most only be half the time. They do practice vengeance and intolerance- they just attempt to channel it in the right direction, such as maybe towards Orcish raiders or Bandits.

Angels fight side by side with the guardians, giving them training, instructions, strategies, techs and aiding them in their combat.

An absolute no-no. There's no angels. Guardians were pioneered by leading Generals, Officers and Heroes, Soldiers, not angels.

All in all, They are powerful, limited and expensive units, as well as the ultimate defense of their perilous times

Yes-yes . The Guardian Order field high-quality but expensive soldiers.

Overall, thanks for the suggestions. Some are useful here and there. I'm sorry I can't comment and reply in greater detail as its like 1:35am here in Singapore and I'm not even supposed to be awake now... I might talk more later on... I suppose...

[ultrajet]

Glad to help.

Your guardian order seems pretty promising.