OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To detail the new generation of Paladins who will succeed the First Generation as standard fighting force.
- Image Credit: Codex: Grey Knights
- Role: Standard sentient fighting force unit of the Rim-Guard Order
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Imperator-Rank Source, Companion-Rank Source, General Ranking Source, Paladin Name Source, Banner Source, Zealous Soldiers Source 1, Zealous Soldiers Source 2, Cyborg Knight, Project Exarch (bio-engineering), Exarch, Bio-Engineering, Equerry-Rank Source, Clone Troopers (inhibitor source), Stormeagle, Military Training, More Training,
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Unit Name: Banner (company-sized unit of Third Generation Paladins of the Rim-Guard Order)
- Affiliation: Rim-Guard Order
- Classification: Super Heavy Infantry
- Description: A Banner is the standard fighting unit of the Paladins of the Rim-Guard Order, a two-hundred-men strong company with versatility to counter most threats. They are usually assigned with APCs or other armoured support to adapt to the situation. They are genetically engineered super-soldiers, trained and drilled daily, enhanced through bio-engineering and through a rigid indoctrination and inhibitor chips fiercely loyal and disciplined, even zealously. With the introduction of the Third Generation, the former First Generation, the Proto-Paladins, are being largely replaced as the standard fighting force of the Order. Due to their physical abilities and their conditioning, their 'social skills' are somewhat lacking, they are not thinking like ordinary soldiers anymore and know no comradery outside of the Order.
Line Cadre Insignia (on left shoulder plate)
Heavy Cadre (on right shoulder plate)
Storm Cadre (on left and right shoulder plates)
- Unit Size: Medium
- Unit Availability: Rare
- Unit Experience: Elite
- Equipment:
- All: Tactical Armor Mk. V, Thermal Detonators, Frag grenades, Flashbangs, Smoke Grenades
- Tactical Cadre: Lancer-blaster, optional Paladinblade or Motorblade, Lancer-pistol, Vibro-Knife
- Storm Cadre: Paladinblade or Motorblade and Lancer-pistol, optional Scutum, Jetpack
- Special weapons: Missile Launcher, Heavy Repeating Blaster, Blaster Cannon, Flamethrower, Detonation Packs
- Combat Function: The Banner is the main tactical unit of the Rim-Guard Order, two-hundred-paladins strong. Either deployed as a single force or among others should the situation require it, the Banner can often come equipped with additional assets like tanks, drop-ships, droid forces or specialised infantry equipment. A banner itself is able to respond to most combat situations and usually has an own flagship with all the commonly needed support equipment and supplies. They are trained and drilled to directly engage the enemy, face to face, with their heavy armor they are meant to walk through heavy fire, through hostile environment which would leave many other soldiers retreating, wavering or even dead. Because of the strong indoctrination to the Rim-Guard ideology, these soldiers would do anything to achieve their goal.
- Organisation: A Banner is compromised of ten Cadres â twenty Paladins. Six line cadres, two heavy cadres and two storm cadres. Tactical Cadres have four special weapons, heavy cadres have eight special weapons, storm cadres are equipped with melee equipment. A Cadre is led by a Centurion, a Banner is led by a Princeps.
CO
Imperator
Demi-Imperator
Princeps Maximus
Princeps Primus
Princeps
Tribune | NCO
Centurion Primus
Centurion Pilus
Centurion
Optio | Enlisted
Paladin Prime
Paladin
Companion
Equerry |
- Recruitment & Training: The Third Generation of Paladins is recruited from volunteers just as the Second Generation. Everyone who could be a candidate for the engineering process is accepted into the trials. The trials, opposite to those of the Agema, are putting teams of five to the trials, they are as much focused on the individuals strengths and abilities as well as their capability to face challenges in a team. Under the close eyes of the Lictors, the recruits are selected individually after surviving and passing the trials, not as a unit and put to be tested if they are compatible with the genetic codes of the engineering process. After they have survived the transformation into a Rim-Guard Order Paladin, they are named Companion and put into actual front-line banners, each Paladin getting a Companion with him into battle. This squire like relationship already improves the bonding between the new recruits and the veterans as well as showing them right away their new life. Those who do not pass the test for being accepted into the painful genetic processes are offered to serve as Equerries to the Order, servants and more close to the actual squire theme, if a Paladin accepts them as their equerry. The Third Generation is not accepting Force Users.
Strengths:
- Fearless: Paladins are bred and trained, even though they may have known love, fear and other strong emotions before in their life, these emotions have been replaced by an utter devotion to and incredible sense of duty. There is no fear, no love left anymore, only their sense of loyalty to the Rim-Guard Order, its ideals and its master.
- They shall know no equal: Drilled and trained from the moment they leave the operation chambers, Paladins are extremely skilled soldiers in all kinds of warfare and on all possible battlefields. Their resilience towards environment and their versatile equipment are the foundation upon which their 20-hour days of training are built. The tactical deployment possibilities of a banner are near endless.
- Band of Brothers: Comradery is a key element of the Banners to work as exceptional as they do. They are battle-brothers and battle-sisters, their bond is forged from the first day of service as they live, train, drill, fight and bleed together.
Weaknesses:
- Replacements: The Rim-Guard Banners are made up by elite warriors, not only recruited but designed to kill and obey, they are difficult to replace because of both time and training.
- Quality over quantity: It is very likely that independent of their deployment, the Paladins will always be outnumbered.
- Bulky: While being incredibly strong and even agile for their size and weight, they are inferior in mobility to those enemies who make that their primary skill.
- Pride: The Paladins of the Banners are clad in the strong Tactical Armors, big and heavily armored, they are not known to hide or remain concealed, even though they rarely want it.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The Rim-Guard Order is a military formation formed by Ecthelion Aiglos, a former Exarch of Zakuul. It devotes itself to fighting the darkness, to strive for stability and order and to establish a new ideology in the Galaxy, giving the strings and lead of the fate of the trillions of people into their hands, not those few with the random talent to control the so called Force.
Based on his very own template as an Exarch, the Zakuulan gathered and paid many excellent scientists and doctors alike to develop a genetic engineering program to build an army with it. Through six years they made their way through a lot of experiments. The First Generation being ordinarily modified humans, bred to great strength, speed and size. The Second Generation already evaluated as a pinnacle of modifications, second only to the Exarch himself.
The Third Generation is the advancement from the Second Generation for 'mass-production'. Setting a focus on soldiery, not bodyguards and lieutenants. The new Paladins would be the epitome of a soldier and with every passing day, become stronger, more experienced and more capable, devoted to nothing but warfare and the ideals of the Order.
A Banner is the basic combat unit, company sized and led by a Princeps. They are modelled after the trials and tests of the First Generation Cadres and experiences gathered through the centuries and millennia by Aiglos himself. They would be composed of ten cadres, squads of twenty paladins which are each commanded by a centurion. Either deployed via drop pods or Stormeagles to battle, the Banner will adapt to the circumstances of the battlefield and be equipped with speeders, tanks or more specialised equipment.
Each Banner is part of a Cohort, a strategical and even ideological unit and assigned to guard a region of space or to crusade in one. All Cohorts have own customisations, like doctrines, armour details or even rites.
