Swordsmen

The Organization of the Swordsmen (more commonly referred to as The Swordsmen) is a group formed by the late Rebecca Harss made to keep Elementals and Mages in check. They reside in Entherstia and protect multiple towns and cities in Entherstia from harm including Harknest, Navv, Yarrin, and Wolfpine as well as the village known as Freesilia.

Origins

A long time ago, Rebecca Harss, the Death Elemental, realized that Mages and Elementals were too dangerous to be left unwatched after Addy Johnathon burned down her hometown. She came up with a way to keep them in check in the form of The Swordsmen. In the beginning, the Swordsmen were less organize and consisted of multiple small groups that would switch between hunting rogue Element users or guarding Harknest. In 3810, the Swordsmen had a Civil War, which can be read about here. The Civil War led to the creation of The Organization of the Swordsmen.

Relations

Entherstia

The Swordsmen consider themselves separate from Entherstia. They mostly have a neutral relationship with eachother, though the Swordsmen are prepared in case that relationship turns negative.

Seygahd Monks

The Swordsmen and the Seyghad Monks have a good standing with each other, as in the past The Swordsmen have helped out with troubles, such as when a Coalition Mage burned the Monks library, the Swordsmen hunted and killed the Mage for the Monks. The Monks are also the reason for a lot of the info that The Swordsmen have about Elementals.

The Coalition of Mages

The Swordsmen distrust the Coalition, partly because the Monks dislike them. A short time back, the Swordsmen hunted one of their mages after they had burned the Monks library.

Language

See Language#Swordsmen

Hunters

Hunters are the most well-known type of Swordsmen in Serentia as they travel around the province for their missions and aren't tied down to a specific place like Guards. Hunters are Swordsmen who have chosen to go out and hunt down rogue Element users. They are required to wear Swordsmen Hunter Wear. When not hunting Element users, they can choose to guard one of the Swordsmen towns.

Squad Set-up

A Hunter Squad consists of four to nine Swordsmen, each with a different set of skills to assist the other members of the Squad. Squads will usually have a:

1. A Squad Leader. The Commander.
2. A Second in Command. The Lieutenant.
3. A Medic.
4. A Translator.
5. Weapons Specialists, at least one for both long ranged weaponry and short ranged weaponry.
6. A Tactician.
7. A Navigator.
8. A Tracker.
9. A Survivalist, one trained to live off the land and tasked to keep the squad alive while on long missions.

Assignments

Squads will be assigned specific duties based on their chosen category of assignments. Assignments will be posted by the Head of Swordsmen Assignment in each towns outpost, requiring Swordsmen to check in routinely in order to keep up with their assignments. Swordsmen have three types of assignments:

Rogue Hunts

What the Swordsmen are known for, hunting down rogue elemental users. Squads of varying skill level will be given this assignment, usually being decided by the Element Users danger level, as a higher danger level will mean that a more skilled squad will be required to take them out. A list of the notable hunts can be found below.

Hark Hunts

The rarest possible assignment, hark hunts rarely are needed. A hark hunt will only be assigned in the event that a hark has been messing with a town. This assignment will always be given to the best performing hunter squad in the Swordsmen due to how dangerous it is. The last hark hunt was assigned to the Harss Siblings, Juliet, Ivan, and Tybalt, which they barely made it out alive from.

Guards

The Swordsmen only seen in Swordsmen Controlled Places, Guards are Swordsmen who have chosen to guard Swordsmen areas from trouble.

Squads

Guards do not rely as heavily on squads as Hunters do, though squads are still a thing. Usually, a squad of Guards are Swordsmen who are under the responsibility of a Commander. The Commander will relay info from Command to his squad about assignments. There are, however, specialized squads which consist of highly trained Guards at the level of Hunters whose jobs are to handle highly dangerous situations. Instead of each squad having one member who has a specific skill to benefit the group, Guards come in different types that carry out certain tasks. The different Guard types are:

• Standard Guard
• Medic
• Translator
• Criminal Investigator
• Narc
• Fire Fighter

Assignments

City Patrols

Easily the most boring of the possible assignments as well as the safest, patrols are pretty self-explanatory. Despite the title saying city, a squad/Guard can be assigned to either a city, town, or village to patrol in of the places under Swordsmen protection and will be given a sector of said area to patrol, not just cities.

Prison Patrols

Prison Patrols are more dangerous and more work-oriented than City Patrols. Guards need special training before they are able to be assigned to guard one of the Swordsmen Prisons, the special training teaching them about the special cases for each Element Prisoner, as they are in need of special treatment to make sure they can't escape.

Command

Command Swordsmen are the ones running the Swordsmen. Most people working in Command don't see much action. The Command Category is sorted into different subcategories, each applying to a main area that runs the Swordsmen in some way. Swordsmen who work in Command aren't required to wear anything specific, but it is suggested that they were something semi-formal, such as a waistcoat.

Subcategories

Recruitment/Assignment

Swordsmen Recruiters: Swordsmen Recruiters are tasked with recruiting new Swordsmen and assigning new recruits to a squad to shadow.
Hunter Assigners: Hunter Assigners are tasked with assigning Hunter Squads to specific hunts, having to keep in mind the Squads skill set to make sure they are the best suited for the task.
Guard Assigners: Guard Assigners are tasked with setting up patrols and guard spots and assigning Guard Swordsmen to said patrols or spots.

Archives

Swordsmen Documenters: Swordsmen Documenters are tasked with documenting and updating documents and making sure they get sorted into the archives. Their job basically has them revising old texts or updating old texts and having the Archivists sort them.
Swordsmen Archivists: Swordsmen Archivists are tasked with keeping the archives intact and sorted correctly. Their job basically has them sorting and resorting the documents that are 'archived' by the documenters, which have usually been archived wrong.

Leadership

General's Advisor: Advisors are essentially the substitute General for their respective town. There are two Advisors per General, one who has Hunter experience and one who has Guard experience so that the General does not receive bias from only one side. They are able to vote on decisions in place of their General if said General is unable to do so.
General: Generals are the highest possible rank for a non-Harss to attain. There is one General per town. They are able to vote on important decisions with their fellow Generals. Generals should not have bias for either Guards or Hunters, that bias coming from their two Advisors, but generally they will have some bias depending on what they were originally. A General order can overrule the Leader's order if all Generals agree to the order.
Prison Warden: Prison Wardens are essentially the Generals of a Prison. They run the place, all Guards assigned to their prison having to follow their orders. Though they may act similarly to Generals, they are not on par with them, as Generals outrank them. There is one Warden per prison. Leader: The Leader of the Swordsmen. Only attainable by a Harss who is a capable fighter and understands the Swordsmen Language. The next Leader is chosen through either the previous' will or is given to the highest ranking Harss in the Swordsmen.
*General Vote: A vote among the Generals that requires all Generals to be in agreeance for the vote to pass.

Uncategorized Swordsmen

These are types of Swordsmen that do not apply to the three main types.
Novice: Swordsmen who are of the Novice rank are required to shadow both a Hunter and Guard Swordsman to learn the ropes for each assignment and help make the final decision easier. They are required to wear Basic Swordsmen Wear.
Watchmen: Watchmen is a rank assigned to a retired Swordsmen who isn't fit for active duty. Instead, they are to live their lives and report any rogue Mage/Elemental sightings. They aren't required to wear any form of Swordsmen wear but do carry a mask on them to prove their allegiance to the Swordsmen.
Elite: Elites act as the Leader of the Swordsmen's personal guard, required to follow any orders given to them by the Leader or through General Vote*. There are always ten Elites, the Leader of the Swordsmen choosing three, the generals choosing six, and the Harss Family's Current Head Butler being the tenth. If an Elite falls in battle, the Leader gets to choose the replacement. Elites are considered Commanders, and as such will be given a Cape or a Mark depending on whether they were a Guard or a Hunter before becoming an Elite.

Ranks

Ranks are universal between most Swordsmen types. The Swordsmen Ranking system is as follows:
Minor: The lowest set of ranks given to a full-fledged Swordsmen, Minors are Swordsmen who have only recently joined the Swordsmen and completed their Novice training. Minors have three separate ranks that are based on experience alone.

Minor I: The lowest level of Minor.

Minor II: The second lowest level of Minor.

Minor III: The highest level of Minor.

Major: The second lowest set of ranks given to a full-fledged Swordsmen, Majors are slightly above Minors in experience alone. They aren't able to pull rank over Minors unless given special permission by their Commander or Lieutenant. Majors have three separate ranks that are based on experience alone.

Major I: The lowest level of Major.

Major II: The second lowest level of Major.

Major III: The highest level of Major.

Officer: The set of ranks able to pull rank over Majors and Minors, the Officer Ranks are the first goal of most Swordsmen upon becoming a full-fledged Swordsmen. One must have finished schooling at Rebecca Academy before rising to the Officer Ranks. There are three different Officer Ranks.

Sergeant: The lowest of the Officer Ranks, Sergeant is where one can choose to sign up to become a part of Command.

Captain: The second lowest of the Officer Ranks.

Colonel: The highest of the Officer Ranks and the highest attainable rank for Command Swordsmen besides General, Warden, and Leader.

Lieutenant: The Commander's right hand man, Lieutenants are a small step below Commanders. They are essentially the same as a General's Advisor, but there is only one of them per Commander, meaning they do not have to share power with another in case of substitution. If the Commander is incapacitated, the Lieutenant will take their place as acting Commander. Command Swordsmen cannot become Lieutenants. Upon becoming a Lieutenant, a Swordsmen is given their special garment representing their commitment, Marks for Hunters and a Cape for Guards,
Commander: Commanders are the highest attainable rank for a Non-Command Swordsmen. They are the Leaders of their squad and are in charge of everything they do. A Swordsmen Hunter Commander is considered to be slightly higher on the ranking ladder than a Guard Commander. Command Swordsmen cannot become Commanders.

Imprisonment

When a Rogue Element User's crime isn't big enough to result in execution, or they were not accidentally killed by a Hunter during the hunt, they will be sent to one of the two Swordsmen Prisons, which are specially designed to hold the various different Elements. Special precautions will be taken for Element Users with multiple Elements.

Tout le Reste

Tout le Reste is the much larger of the two prisons, located up in the mountains north of Harknest. The prison is underground, built from the ruins of the old Hunter Bases used during the Civil War. The prison holds most of the different Elements, say for Metals and Earths, who will rarely be put into this prison. The prison is hard to escape from due to the fact it is located in the mountains in Hark Territory, meaning that if you'd gotten out of the prison, you'd have to survive the mountain climate as well as the Harks.

Darkness

Cells designed with Darkness in mind are well lit. Guards will frequently check in on the cell to make sure it stays that way, at least they would if they ever had a Darkness User in the prison. Darkness is located in Cell Block A.

Light

Cells designed with Light in mind have no lighting. Light is located in Cell Block A.

Fire

Cells designed with Fire in mind have a hard leather bead to avoid starting it on fire. Guards will often not cook their food, letting them cook it to whatever temperature they wish. Fire is located in Cell Block B.

Water

Water has no cells specifically made for them, but they are given water in a flask when it is time for them to eat to avoid them using it against the guards. Water is located in Cell Block C.

Wind

Wind has no specially designed cells made for them. Wind is located in Cell Block C.

Death

Death has no specially designed cells made for them, but it is mandatory to have multiple people come down to deliver their food, and to never have just one guard passing their cell block. Death is located in Cell Block D.

Life

Life has no specially designed cells made for them. Life is located in Cell Block C.

Mind

Mind has no specially designed cells made for them, but, like Death, there should always be at least two guards when food is delivered to them. Patrols should also be random. Mind is located in Cell Block D.

Time

Time has no specially designed cells made for them, but patrols should be random. Time is located in Cell Block D.

Mystery

Cells designed with Mystery in mind have a special enchantment making it difficult to teleport out of the cell. There is one of these specially designed cells located in each cell block, Mystery's basically being put into a cell depending on their (potential) second or third Element.

Lightning

Cells designed with Lightning in mind are made entirely of metal. There is only one of these cells, it being built to fit multiple dragons at once to cut down on expenses. Lightning is located in Cell Block E.

Force

Force has no specially designed cells made for them, but their cell must be routinely checked to make sure nothing is loose. Force is located in Cell Block D.

Non-Element Users

No specially designed cells. Located in Cell Block F.

Azoïque

Azoïque is a prison built on an island in the lake near Harknest. The prison is built entirely out of wood, this due to the fact that it holds Earth and Metal mages.

Earth

Earth has no specially designed cells made for them (besides their cells being made of wood). Most Earth Users, however, are requitred to be put into a straight jacket in order to assist in cutting them off from the Earth.

Metal

Metal has no specially designed cells made for them (besides their cells being made of wood). Their cells will be frequently checked on to make sure they haven't made anything.

Swordsmen Documents

Swordsmen Contingency Orders: A list of the various Contingency Orders used by The Organization of the Swordsmen. Few copies of this document exist, and all are in Swordsmen.
The Book of the Swordsmen: A book that goes through various things Swordsmen will need to know and learn, from different combat forms to the rules one must follow. Here is one section of the book, briefly talking about each Element and ways to defeat it.

The Harss Library contains every old version of the book that has been written, including the original one written by Rebecca Harss herself, which at the time only included the section on Elements. The books were passed down from Leader to Leader until they were replaced by a new version. Each Leader added annotations to the books they had possession of as well, adding new info they learned to help with the creation of the next version or simply making observations about the text. The most recent version of the guide was first owned by Ariana Harss and has been passed down to Alicia Harss.

Tawn Harss' War Log: A log of various events and battles written by Tawn Harss during the Swordsmen Civil War. A single copy of the log exists in Harss Manor.

Notable Members