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 8,000 standing vampire 'Paladins' backed by a force of 22,000 Freestian Ghouls comprising the Navarrok Yeomanry, the support and logistics organisation of the Order.

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.

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 allignments 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.

Recruitment And Training

Recruitment is, as can be imagined, is 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.

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'.

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 (which is left to the all-female Order known as the Syrens of the Spire).

Selection into this unit is done on the recommendation of a company Flight Sergeant or the battalion Flight Captain.

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 a battalion sized 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 Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the twelve great Clanns.

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 amongst the nation's (and arguably the world's) finest military warriors and tacticians.

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 tribe. 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 or more of combat experience.

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.

Equipment

Armour

• Navarrok Guard Ceremonial Armour (Combatform)

Melee Weapons

• Marine Pattern Cleaver (Humanform)

Side Arms

Bases

Spire of Navarrok - Spiritual Home and Headquarters

Gothabia Armoury - Main Armoury and Weaponry Manufacturer

Portland Road Barracks - Main Barracks

St Stephen's Refectory - Smaller Barracks for Gold and Silver Guard units