Matt the Radar Tech
ꜰɪxɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ʀᴀᴅᴀʀs ᴀɴᴅ sᴛᴜꜰꜰ
FIRST ORDER ROYAL GUARD ACADEMY
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a headquarters and training facility for the First Order Royal Guard
- Image Credit: Swang - ArtStation, Logo/editing by me
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Guard Captain Grav, Assigned to the Supreme Leader
- Military Base Name: First Order Royal Guard Academy (or Royal Guard Academy)
- Classification: Headquarters & Training Facility
- Location: Seoul (5)
- Affiliation: The First Order; Overseen by current Guard Captain Dyrn Grav
- Population: Sparse; Royal Guardsmen personnel (including trainers, trainees, support staff - medical, quartermaster, etc - are present)
- Demographics: Varied; Royal Guardsmen personnel (including various species per authorized permission on base)
- Accessibility: The compound is hidden, utilizing high grade defense technology and sensor disruptors, with records of its location sealed at top levels of the First Order; unauthorized presence in vicinity or entry warrants up to lethal force in response. Internal hangar bays allow for authorized vessels to land, though every individual is scanned and met with a security detail, to ensure appropriate permission to enter. The exposed side of the facility is the most heavily guarded, in terms of shielding and cannon emplacements, and it serves as a deceptively complex funnel for enemy forces, should they invade; it has natural choke points, traps, laser grids and similar defensive measures to wear down larger forces. The impervium reinforcement inside the mountain, and within the facility itself, offers excellent protection from orbital threat alongside the heavy shield generator it houses.
- Description: The Royal Guard Academy is a large facility that has been built into the hollow of a mountain, amid the forests of the planet Seoul. From an exterior view, it has been designed to resemble natural formations in the mountain, including grass and flora growth across exposed areas, and requires close visual range to define. The true size of the facility is actually located deep inside the mountain itself, where it extends in an almost catacomb-like manner to various halls, quarters, hangar bays and other such spaces. The inner layer of mountain has been layered with sensor disruptive plating and coatings, to work at blocking scanning signals alongside the natural protection offered by the mass of ground encompassing it. Finally, a number of defense emplacements - concealed - are ready to deter and/or remove unwanted trespassers.
Compound Entry
The main entry to the compound, located outside the mountain recess, has been designed in such a way as to be near-invisible to the naked eye from ranges other than close. It has been shaped to mimic natural ground formations, while also being covered in local flora and grasses. On the exterior is a number of concealed defensive emplacements, which include shielding and autoblasters and cannons. However, under certain circumstances, attacker entry is preferred, as the start of the compound - when entering through the exposed side of the mountain - is designed to funnel and hinder larger forces. Combined with an assortment of traps, false passages and a literal maze-like internal structure, any attacking force is sure to struggle to utilize numbers to any advantage.
The Catacombs
The catacombs are exactly as they sound. An intricate, maze-like tunnel system that branches between main areas of the compound, built and bored through the mountain itself. These serve as the main 'corridors' of the facility, which include a number of confusing dead-ends, natural choke points, and requires knowledge of the compound layout to utilize. Even trainees who are new to the facility can become lost. There are also collapsible partitions of the catacombs, where reinforcement plating can be dropped and a section purposefully crushed by mountain dirt overhead - though this is typically a last resort against a threat.
Training Hall
The majority of training occurs here, in the training hall. This is where the trainees become Royal Guard through blood, sweat and tears. The hall boasts a vast array of training sections, ranging from martial arts, marksman ranges, scenario rooms, and other areas. The Master Instructors - the best the First Order has to offer - put every Guardsman through their paces, endlessly, day in and day out. As such, each member of the group becomes highly effective in a number of combat techniques, including a number of common skill sets - such as cooking, survival, and even dancing. Martial prowess is second-to-none, and most Guardsmen are very skilled in Bakuuni Hand, Echani, Stava, Teräs Käsi and Zama-shiwo, among other martial pursuits. This is where the Guardsmen spend most of their time; they can recognize the training hall by feel alone.
Situation Room
The situation room is located in the middle of the facility, and serves as an advanced training area. Not used as often as the training hall, it does allow for specialist scenarios. Through a combination of holographic and hard-light constructs, it gives Instructors freedom to put trainees through a very broad spectrum of tests and situations. And with the addition of the constructs, a range of opponents can be used, including Force Users, lightsaber-wielding foes, dangerous alien creatures; but not only that, the situation room allows for training in security detail, affording the use of crowds, locations, hostage situations and other high stress scenarios that all Guardsmen need to be able to contend with.
The Squall
The is a raised duelling platform that is used in times of direct competition between trainees and Guardsmen. It is a sacred place, one that is revered and respected, and the use for combat is not taken lightly. In the past, it has been used to determine the best candidate for Guard Captain; to settle disputes; to end unhealthy rivalries; and to demonstrate the punishment for traitors. The structure is shaped like the Royal Guard hexagon symbol, with a central fighting area surrounded by gaps and narrow paths leading to the central section - similar to the old era Squall training platform.
Ceremony Hall
The ceremony hall serves as the place for all promotions, celebrations or other events. Not used often, it is exciting when the trainees and Guardsmen are called to attend an event there, as it usually allows them a period to unwind after the service or ceremony has finished. The only area in the Academy that is decorated a bit more lavishly, it displays Royal Guard armor of past members along its walls and honors those lost. First Order symbols, curtains and the insignia of the Supreme Leader are present in the hall, and while there are no seats, there is ample room for those who attend to stand at ease.
Personal Quarters
The living space of the trainees, and Guardsmen who return to live there when off duty, are practical, simple, and offer the bare minimum. They each have their own room, though it is designed exactly alike to the next, and houses a bed, closet and desk. Personal items are allowed, within reason, however excessive displays of belongings are removed per Instructor decision. The quarters are designed to promote simplicity, to remind the trainees and Guardsmen that dedication to material wealth is unimportant and focus should always remain on their purpose in life: to protect and serve the Supreme Leader.
Medical Ward
The medical ward is exactly as it sounds. It is filled with a medical team, who are on standby for any injuries, whether from training or field work, and have some of the most advanced bacta technologies available within the First Order. The investment of each Guardsman is high, so the requirement to keep them healthy and functioning is equally as high. And while not as heavily equipped for large-scale medical services, the ward does offer some of the best recovery and treatment on the smaller-scale - and as such, the medical team are able to perform on small numbers, with a range of treatments from laceration stitching to limb reattachment and even surgery.
Armory
The armory is located inside the facility, and houses all of the the Royal Guard's gear (which isn't in use) in a highly secure location. It boasts continued guard, security blast doors, and authorization to enter. If invasion were to occur, there are a number of defensive autoblasters, ray shields and security grids in place to holdout until assistance can arrive; assuming the weaponry within the armory isn't used to push back attackers, of course. Within, the Quartermaster maintains an inventory of weapons, equipment and Guardsmen Armor. Along with personnel under his/her command, the Quartermaster is also trained in repair and maintenance of military-grade hardware. It is the Quartermaster's job to maintain stocks, repair items, and maintain security of the armory at all times. There are workbenches, supply crates, replacement components and a large assortment of accessories and parts needed to perform the duty, and to ensure everything is held to exacting Royal Guard standards.
SECURITY
Due to the security and secrecy level of the compound, it is classified as Maximum:
- Defensive Autoblasters
- Tractor Pressor Beams
- Ray Shields
- Impervium Structure & Mountain Cavity Reinforcement
- Advanced Biometrics
- Extensive Security Holocamera Systems
- Disruptor Security Beam Grids
- Mass and Lifeform Sensor Systems
- Advanced Mass Sensor Grid and Extensive Security Camera/Motion Detection Systems
- Guardian-Class Shield Generator
- Seismic Disruption Sensors
- Reflec & Sensor Nullifying Layering
- Baffler Generators
- Network of Sensor Jammers
- External Camouflage Screens
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The Royal Guard have been a more recent addition to the First Order, and has been in a secretive state of existence for the last fifteen years. Established before the sack of Dosuun and the attack of the Ssi-Ruuvi Imperium by First Order High Command, the compound was constructed with the intent to train a highly skilled force that would be tasked with protection of the Supreme Leader - Sieger Ren at the time, and later Natasi Fortan. In the years prior to the Dosuun attack, the candidates for recruitment were sourced from the Stormtrooper Corps, and brought to the facility to begin assessment for suitability of assignment. The numbers were not many, as only around a dozen Guardsmen remain active at any given time, so trainee choice was highly selective and followed a strict protocol for excellence.
The lifestyle of a Royal Guard trainee is spartan. Life becomes endless training, endless fitness development, and endless combat learning. Everyday existence is highly controlled, including food and luxuries, and the instructors have been commanded to push each potential Guardsman to the breaking point - and then to get them to push further. There is no other training regimen so demanding in the First Order as the Royal Guardsman's. On top of that, each Guardsman is expected to undergo social studies, in a range of social classes, so as to be able to perform the most number of tasks to protect the Supreme Leader; this includes high society functionality, clandestine operations, and an assortment of Guardsman specific pursuits to suit a public alias if needed. Some covers include gamblers, entrepreneurs, business managers or any career the trainee can find natural aptitude in - to better support the alias when in use.
Prior to the sacking of Dosuun, the facility was visited by the newly appointed Supreme Leader Natasi Fortan. She was given the tour of the facility, though was informed the status of the trainees was still in progress (which included newly recruited Dyrn Grav), thus the Royal Guard would not yet be assigned to her. But to expect them within the year. However, the Ssi-Ruuvi Imperium's attacks altered those plans, and against strong suggestions, the then Guard Captain - a humanoid named Ekai Farac (NPC) - deployed the few Royal Guard that were ready to attempt to defend against the attacks. Unfortunately the losses to the Royal Guard were severe, with Guard Captain Farac also losing his life, but their effectiveness behind the scenes was undeniable - even if the public had no idea of their involvement. Still, the program was stalled temporarily, until more candidates were trained comprehensively enough to continue on expected service trajectory, and the development/training continued under master instructors as it had.
It took the Royal Guard another four years to finally select a new Guard Captain. Of the two potentials, the pair were tasked with combat in the Squall, and after a bloody contest Dyrn Grav was left standing. He assumed the position as head of the Royal Guard, and soon had the trainees and instructors doubling efforts. Less than two years later, all twelve positions of the Guardsmen were successfully filled, and the Royal Guard were prepared for assignment to the Supreme Leader...
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