Imperial Guards

Banner of the Imperial Guards

The Imperial Guards is one of the factions that appear in The Age of Decadence. Formed from the remnants of the Emperor's army, the Imperial Guards are now an independent and influential faction, maintaining order among the citizenry and acting as a bulwark between the openly hostile Houses. While the Noble Houses squabble and stab at one another, struggling over any advantage, the Guards' goals are more idealistic. They wish to restore the Empire to its former glory, no matter how far it has fallen.

Quests

Your first opportunity to sign up with the Imperial Guards is at their Barracks in Teron - provided your Strength is sufficient.

• Imperial Guards Quests

Background

The remnants of the Imperial Army at the Battle for the Capital made their way to Maadoran only to find it seized by House Aurelian. They were denied entry for fears that they would side with House Calani.

The situation deteriorated after a few weeks. First, the Boatmen of Styx left. Other cohorts took to raiding. This quickly became an Empire wide issue within three days.

The Seven Houses then struck a deal with the Imperial Army. A Charter was signed and the Imperial Guards was born. The Houses would fund and supply the Imperial Guards while the latter will uphold peace and security.

The Charter

The Charter is based on a document signed between the Seven Noble Houses and the remnants of remnants of the Imperial Army. It marks the official birth of the Imperial Guards. It states explicitly the duties and responsibilities of the Noble Houses and the Imperials Guards.

• Enshrined the rights and privileges of the Seven Noble Houses.
• Defined the birth of the Imperial Guards.
• The Imperial Guards' role to defend all any any Imperial property if they are in danger of being attacked.
• The Imperial Guards' right to defend itself.
• The Imperial Guards shall not to interfere in the internal affair of the Houses.
• The Imperial Guards' duty to stop warmongers to protect the other Houses.

Other references

	“	"However, if House Daratan were to strike at us, violating the Charter and demonstrating Antidas' inability to reason and govern, then it would be a different story. The Charter grants us both the right to defend ourselves and the duty to deal with warmongers to protect other Houses."	„
		~ Carrinas  on on plot to takeover Teron

	“	The Guards said that the Charter doesn't allow them to interfere in the internal affair of the Houses, but the way I see it, the weaker the Houses, the stronger the Guards. At any rate, I don't see them putting their asses on the line just to prop up some lordling.	„
		~ Clericus  on Asmara

Testimonials

“	As the sun rises from deepest night, the brightest hope may be spawned from darkness. Our earliest accounts say that the bulk of the Imperial army perished in the battle for the capital. Our history begins when the survivors made their way to Maadoran but were denied entry. Having seized the city by force and fearing that the army would side with House Calani, House Aurelian sealed the soldiers outside the walls. The Lord of the House cited an old law barring the army from entering the capital city and claimed Maadoran as the new capital of the Empire. He claimed that the old ways must be upheld, no matter the cost, hiding behind dusty laws and traditions. When House Aurelian closed the gates, fewer than two thousand men were camped outside the walls. A few weeks later, there were more than seven thousand, and while many were wounded or dying, their numbers burgeoned every day. Although one would naturally expect two legions of armed men to sit quietly and starve to death, in this case the situation deteriorated rapidly. The regiment known as the Boatmen of Styx left first, all in a group. Other cohorts formed improvised companies and took to raiding. What started with theft and harassment, hitting merchants for food and supplies, quickly grew into attacks on every settlement and caravan within three days That's when the Noble Houses made a deal with Legatus Caius Damianus. Some say that Damianus himself orchestrated the crisis to force House Aurelian's hand. In the absence of documents supporting these allegations, I choose to believe this was a rare example of the Noble Houses making a wise decision. Treating with the army was the best course for everyone. Acting on behalf of the Imperial army, Legatus Damianus signed a charter with the seven Noble Houses officially granting the army a special status in exchange for the army recognizing the Houses' rights and privileges, and swearing to uphold peace and security. When the dust settled, Damianus was Dux. The Houses also agreed to supply the newly reformed army with provisions and stores and to absorb the costs of military campaigns against threats both near and far. In essence, the Houses paid us off in order to keep us away from their domains.	„
	~ Maximus Septimius Helva  on Imperial Guards

Members

• Caius Damianus: First Dux
• Paullus: Current Dux
• Carrinas: Legatus stationed in Teron
• Mercato: Guard stationed in Teron
• Pavola: Legatus stationed in Maadoran