Borderlands - Border Guard
Sep. 9th, 2020 08:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kimurhoI've been trying to figure out the class system of Borderlands ... such as it is. For the most part, the people who would find and use the Gates would not be nobility but ... otoh, the ability to use magic to give a community a little edge in survival might lead to magic-users being given greater status. And then there's the matter of physical danger - the man with the weapons who stands between you and danger is always going to be given more honour than the one who looks out for his own hide.
Which leads me to the Border Guard.
Folklore is full of accounts of Fey, inhabitants of Faerie realms, raiding in Mortal lands. I don't see any reason for them to stop just because those "Mortal lands" are now the Borderlands between the Borders of Faerie and Mortal. Some races raid for slaves of one sort or another, some raid for food ... and I'm not talking about the harvest here.
The first line of defense in Borderlands would be strong, stout walls. Every large farm would have the buildings enclosed in a bailey, in essence a small fortified settling. Villages, towns and cities would likewise be surrounded by walls. The well-to-do within the community would have walled estates within the walls of the city.
The second line of defense would be the local militia. Every abled-bodied man would be obligated to show some ability with bow and arrow, or spear/ halberd, or fighting axe, or sword. They would train together, each knowing their own duties and how the others of their community operate.
The next level up would be the Border Guard. I'm thinking something along the lines of the Rangers of LoTR; part Ranger, part Scout, part Soldier. They would patrol the wilderlands looking for trouble looking for a place to happen.
The head of the Border Guards is Duke Bellorum. He serves as the general of the Border Guard and of the local militias when they are called up. He coordinates the patrols, assigns territory, and leads in battle. ... Well, in theory, he probably delegates to the local Guard officials a lot.
The Border Guard headquarters is located in Dungard, where the Guard Academy and the Guard Tower are located. The Guard Tower is one of the eight Towers that define the Borderlands. The focus of the Guard Tower is on combat magics; it works in concert with the Guard Academy to train defenders for the Borderlands.
Regional guard headquarters, called Guard Halls, are located in the towns associated with each of the other seven towers. The administrators ... leaders? of the Guard Halls are the highest ranking Guards of the regions - lieutenants to the Dux Bellorum. Smaller halls exist in various other communities in the Borderlands, more where trouble is most likely.
I'm falling asleep so I'm stopping here.
Which leads me to the Border Guard.
Folklore is full of accounts of Fey, inhabitants of Faerie realms, raiding in Mortal lands. I don't see any reason for them to stop just because those "Mortal lands" are now the Borderlands between the Borders of Faerie and Mortal. Some races raid for slaves of one sort or another, some raid for food ... and I'm not talking about the harvest here.
The first line of defense in Borderlands would be strong, stout walls. Every large farm would have the buildings enclosed in a bailey, in essence a small fortified settling. Villages, towns and cities would likewise be surrounded by walls. The well-to-do within the community would have walled estates within the walls of the city.
The second line of defense would be the local militia. Every abled-bodied man would be obligated to show some ability with bow and arrow, or spear/ halberd, or fighting axe, or sword. They would train together, each knowing their own duties and how the others of their community operate.
The next level up would be the Border Guard. I'm thinking something along the lines of the Rangers of LoTR; part Ranger, part Scout, part Soldier. They would patrol the wilderlands looking for trouble looking for a place to happen.
The head of the Border Guards is Duke Bellorum. He serves as the general of the Border Guard and of the local militias when they are called up. He coordinates the patrols, assigns territory, and leads in battle. ... Well, in theory, he probably delegates to the local Guard officials a lot.
The Border Guard headquarters is located in Dungard, where the Guard Academy and the Guard Tower are located. The Guard Tower is one of the eight Towers that define the Borderlands. The focus of the Guard Tower is on combat magics; it works in concert with the Guard Academy to train defenders for the Borderlands.
Regional guard headquarters, called Guard Halls, are located in the towns associated with each of the other seven towers. The administrators ... leaders? of the Guard Halls are the highest ranking Guards of the regions - lieutenants to the Dux Bellorum. Smaller halls exist in various other communities in the Borderlands, more where trouble is most likely.
I'm falling asleep so I'm stopping here.
