The March of the Lapoachian Guard

It would seem we have had a run in with the guard of Cokree. They may seem like they're simple guards in the small, outlying village but they are actually part of the greater Lapoachian Guard.

If a hamlet, village, or really any settlement agree to allow their land to be part of the Kingdom of Lapoach, they are afforded the benefit of protection of the Kingdom. I wanted to take a moment and talk briefly about the Guard and how they function.

The history of the Guard dates back to 450 BTC when they were an exclusive private guard of the Baron Lapoach, the founder and first king of Lapoach. As time passed they branched out from being a private security force of hand selected warriors to conscripted castle guard and, eventually, covering the entire kingdom. As the kingdom grew and absorbed more land, the local guard would be recruited by Lapoach to remain in their post but under the banner of the kingdom.

Since about 200 BTC new recruits would train in the hamlet of Den and then assigned to their new posts upon graduation. If there wasn't a need in any particular settlement or post, they would remain in the city until they were called up. Some Footman would be assigned to be an auxiliary unit of the Expeditionary Force and act as guards for the mobile army so the soldiers could focus on their mission. On rare occasions, Footman would be recruited to the Expeditionary Force if numbers were low.

The Guard itself was hierarchal, but with smaller ranks. They are as follows:

Cadet Footman (or Footies/Feeties) - Cadet Footman are new recruits of the guard who are still in training. Typically these cadets will train in Den and then live in the Barracks of Lapoach until they are put on assignment. Cadets with exemplary marks are treated to a tour of the kingdom, and usually made officers their after. Others will spend a week or so shadowing existing guards of various settlements.

Footman of the Guard (or Footman, The Feet, or Boots) - Footman of the Guard (FoG) are the entry level and most common rank of the Guard. They serve in settlements, guard posts, as escorts, on ships, wherever the kingdom or commodity of Lapoach needs protecting. As before, they are first picks when the Expeditionary Force needs more bodies.

Patrolling Footman of the Guard (or The Patrol, Walkies) - Patrolling Footman of the Guard (PFoG) are more or less the same as FoG with a twist. Where FoG are sentries, PFs watch the streets and assist SoG in various tasks where things may get out of hand or general security escorts.

Sergeant of the Guard (or Sarge, Constable, Chevies) - Sergeant of the Guard (SoG) are the rank above SoG but lower than Major at Arms (MA). Sergeants can be identified by the chevrons engraved on the leather pauldrons of their armor. They serve more as intermediaries between the Footman and the governing body of the settlement. They also are in charge of serving members of society with summons, evictions, or other penal documents. They were not necessarily the favorites to the populace. SoG also serve as the heads of precincts in their respective settlements. Usually, cities were divided by districts and oft times there would be a SoG assigned to one depending on size. Some were assigned to two or three depending on the size of the settlement.

Major at Arms (Maj, MA, The Arm) - Lastly, the Guard was overseen by the Major at Arms (MA). The MA is the only holder of their position, there are no others in the entirety of the Kingdom. It was an elected office with a term of 10 years or sooner if the council deemed it necessary or longer if they are reelected. The MA has their home office in the Council House in the City of Lapoach, where they conducted their business and approved new orders to the settlements across the Kingdom

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As stated above, the Guard is a small subset of the greater Expeditionary Force, but an independent subset of it. When we run into them, I will go into more detail.

Happy adventuring!