Navarrok Guard
The Order of the Navarrok Guard (also known, though incorrectly as a whole, as the Pathfinder Corp) is the primary constituent of the Fighting Orders of the autonomous vampire nation within the Freethinker Commonwealth. They provide sentry details and bodyguards for the heads of Freestian vampire society as well as, as part of the Navarre Blood Pact, providing protection and specialist forces for the human government and armed forces in times of need. Comprised of highly trained warriors recruited from the fully fledged vampire population, the unit is perhaps the most famed element of the various military forces of the Commonwealth, but in full actuality it is a distinct entity from the FRAF.
The Navarrok Guard itself is relatively small force, comprised of about 10,000 standing vampire 'Paladins' backed by a force of 22,000 Freestian Ghouls comprising the Navarrok Yeomanry, the support and logistics organisation of the Order. Recent expansion of the force to incorporate new specialities into the Guard, especially with the arrival of the Commonwealth into space and the new and subsequent threats it faces, has lead to a significant expansion in both numbers, roles and deployments.
Although labelled as Special Forces by many commentators and the media, the Navarrok Guard is very rarely used in covert operations given that vampire Paladins are not considered physically suited to such tasks. Instead, they are generally used as powerful shock troops, utilising both their immense physical strength and stamina to overwhelm enemy positions and deliver a powerful phsycological blow to the enemy. Deployments are generally small and rare in number, and as such the Guard relies more upon its reputation, individual skill and support arms than bringing overwhelming strength to a conflict.
Origins
For most of recorded vampire history, elite bodyguard units drawn from a tribe's greatest warriors provided vital protection for the leaders of the great Clanns.
After the signing of the Navarre Blood Pact and the creation of the Navarrok Guard, these various private units were united under a single banner, pledging allegiance not just to their Clann but to the vampire nation as a whole.
The new force was organised to allow the retention of traditional Clann structures but also to ensure that no single Clann would be able to effectively wrest control of the Guard through sheer numbers of serving troops or asymmetric leadership. Orginally the Pathfinder groups were
Recruitment And Training
Recruitment is, as can be imagined, extremely taxing and testing. Given the honour of serving in the Order is considered one of the finest accolades a Freestian vampire can achieve (and is basically a necessity for anyone who wishes to hold a high position within the vampire government), and the relatively small number of places avaliable, there is almost always an significantly greater degree of suitable applicants than avaliable positions with the Guard. Both selection and training are potentially, and quite commonly are, lethal, but few within the vampire community itself argue with the effectiveness of such techniques.
Initial recruitment starts out with a letter of recommendation from a serving veteran from the same Clann background as the applicant. This generally requires the completion of a personal set of tasks set by the serving vampire in question, and will generally test the applicant out in terms of basic fitness, survival skills and temperament.
With the backing of the current Pathfinder and a secondment by a flight officer or higher who reviews the application after submission, the applicant is invited before an interview and testing panel of several selected veterans (including at least one from the same Clann). Each applicant is tested thoroughly on his fitness, stamina, strength of mind, and character. Generally most candidates are able to pass the physical requirements, with the primary emphasis of the examiners being to ensure the general stability and level-headed temperament of the applicant. Assuming all examiners are satisfied, (given each holds a veto on the application), a formal invitation to training is made.
Order of Battle
The Pathfinder Corp
The base units of the Navarrok Guard are the Pathfinder Battalions, each comprised of about six to seven hundred vampire paladins, depending upon recruitment levels. Each battalion is broken down into 120-140 strong companies and further into 20-30 strong 'wings'. Originally comprised and formed along Clann lines, since the events of Sterak's Last Stand, the Battalions have instead been mixed down to squad level formations.
- Primus Pathfinder Brigade
- 1st Pathfinder Battalion
- 2nd Pathfinder Battalion
- 3rd Pathfinder Battalion
- 4th Pathfinder Battalion
- 5th Pathfinder Battalion
- 6th Pathfinder Battalion
- Secondus Pathfinder Brigade
- 7th Pathfinder Battalion
- 8th Pathfinder Battalion
- 9th Pathfinder Battalion
- 10th Pathfinder Battalion
- 11th Pathfinder Battalion
- 12th Pathfinder Battalion
The Elite Guards
The Scarlet Shield
The Scarlet Shield is the first 'elite' group, comprised of two battalions (around 1,200 individual warriors), drawn from the twelve Pathfinder Battalions who serve as part of the guard staff for Freethinker embassies and consulates around the world and in some human military installations, as well as guarding the Guard's own bases apart from the Spire of Navarrok.
Selection into this unit is done on the recommendation of a company Flight Sergeant or the battalion Flight Captain. It generally takes at least a century of service to be even considered for this position.
The Gold & Silver Guards
The Gold Guard is the elite unit assigned to protect the human Royal Family. Like the Silver Guard, this is a mostly ceremonial position for older warriors but is none the less a position held in extremely high regard by both communities.
Sister-unit to the Gold Guard, the Silver Guard is the unit charged with the protection of the human government (including a detachment which serves as the personal bodyguard of the Prime Minister).
The Blood Guard
The highest elite unit, this is a company-sized (120 personnel) unit that is the personal bodyguard of the Lord of Navarrok and the Council of Navarrok.
The Lords Of War
The three Lords of War are the supreme warriors and the de facto Commanding Officers of the Navarrok Guard. Technically the military advisors to the Lord of Navarrok, they oversee all day-to-day operations of the Guard. Drawn from the Blood Guard on the personal recommendation of the Council of Navarrok, they are the Commonwealth's finest military warriors.
Specialist Units
Black Titans
The Black Titans are a small unit comprised of the individual champions of each Clann, chosen by their respective Patriarch to be the supreme warrior of their Clann. Black Titans are considered to be the most elite warriors within the vampire community, and they are treated with reverence bordering on outright worship by other vampires. Their reputation is considered well justfied, and the oldest of these warriors may have a millenia of combat experience to their name. Within the Clann structure they are regarded as second only to the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Clann and generally the Titan is often considered the prime candidate upon the removal of an incumbent Patriarch.
The Yeomanry
See Main Article: Navarrok Yeomanry
Unlike the other elements of the Navarrok Guard, the Yeomanry is not comprised of vampire warriors but is instead made up exclusively of Ghoul and human personnel who act as a large support and logistics force for the Order.
With a current strength of two divisions (at around 22,000 personnel), the yeomanry actually outnumbers the vampiric elements of the Guard.
Equipment
Armour
- FDI Armoured Skinsuit (Humanform)
- Gothabia Pattern Combatform Powered Armour (Combatform)
- Gothabia Pattern Humanform Powered Armour (Humanform)
- Navarrok Guard Ceremonial Armour (Combatform)
Melee Weapons
- Marine Pattern Cleaver (Humanform)
Side Arms
- FDI Heavy Splinter Rifle (Humanform)
Bases
Spire of Navarrok - Spiritual Home and Headquarters of the Navarrok Guard, though the facility itself is guarded and manned by the Syrens of the Spire. Quarters are provided only for the Lord of Navarrok and the three Lords of War within its grounds.
Gothabia Armoury - Main Armoury and Weaponry Manufacturer, shared with the Syrens of the Spire, this facility is famous for producing since the inception of the Orders all the specialised weaponry and armour used by the Freestian vampires.
Portland Road Barracks - Main Barracks of the Guard, situated in Navarrok, though generally home to very few members of the Order given the general dispersal of Guard units. Several annexes also provide much of the housing for the Yeomanry.
St Stephen's Refectory - Smaller Barracks for the Gold and Silver Guard units located in the Capital district near the Svard Palace and Government House.