Aya Clarke
Lady Clarke, Saint of the Crimson Eagle
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To codify the knights currently in service to Aya Clarke beyond their homeworld.
- Image Credit: Found Here
- Role: Protective Detail of Aya Clarke, alongside being the ranking members of her forces (When applicable).
- Permissions: Crusader Bow Rail-Bow (Submission Includes permission)
- Links: Aya Clarke, Aelozath, Ser Cyril
- Unit Name: The Saint's Faithful
- Affiliation: Aya Clarke
- Classification: Armored Calvary and CQC Specialists
- Description: The Faithful are professional, noble individuals of faith. That is not to say they are noble, the personality trait, but quite literally nobles, complete with assortment of personalities and tastes. The group as a whole is primarily united in common faith and service alone, as their armor while near identical all bear a uniquely made cloak, and hold themselves as righteous and just in all that they do under their leader, Aya's, orders. Their insignia incorporates the Clarke Crimson Eagle (shown above, but a few shades darker) alongside slight alterations to include their own familial coat of arms, such as snakes, crossed blades, or other small alterations. The group comprises of roughly half and half men and women, and mostly those ages 30-40 or so, roughly in line with Aya's age. That being said, as newcomers to the galaxy at large, outside of combat they can be a... rowdy bunch to say the least.
- Unit Size: Small - Only 12 Members
- Unit Availability: Unique
- Unit Experience: Elite
- Equipment: Armor of the Saint's Faithful, Crusader Bow Rail-Bow, Durasteel swords (various types), maces, and daggers.
- Combat Function: Primarily close quarter specialists, the Faithful do all within their power to close the distance as quickly as possible. They engage enemies in melee combat whenever possible, using their preferred weapons to deliver quick and fatal blows as efficiently as the situation allows. This means they will often attempt to close distance by way of speeders, or even exclusively fighting from the back of some form of mount as a fast cavalry unit. However in situations where such is not possible, they will utilize their ranged option until such a time that they are once more able to close the gap. In larger army units they would fulfill roles as similar in concept as possible to their preferred solitary role.
- Extreme Specialization: The Faithful have, at their core, a single specialization... close quarters, melee combat. Each member has trained since childhood to wield a weapon, be it a mace or sword or spear, to defeat their enemies with honor. As a result, compared to most military troops they have such a level of competency they can be considered to out class non-specialized troops.
- Highly Experienced: Though not all tested on the field of genuine war, each member is trained to combat enemies quickly and efficiently. They are also trained, through mock wars, to lead troops into combat as any noble warrior must be prepared to do so.
- Powerful Weapons and Armor: Despite not being dedicated to ranged combat, their one ranged option is a powerful one to compensate for minimal training. Similarly their durasteel melee weapons are specifically designed to be well balanced and sturdy. Similarly, their armor is high quality durasteel, which alone provides more than enough defense to take a shot before stabbing someone to death.
- Minimal Modern Experience: There is a distinct lack of understanding, on the part of the Faithful, in how to best combat modern tactics and weapons. Aside from a few defensive techniques and shield technology, they lack the ability to combat modern weapons effectively.
- Ranged Combat: The use of specialized crossbows, and a lack of disciplined focus on the weapon, both result in the Faithful being at disadvantage with combat at range. Even with some more focused practice, the limitations of their weapon cannot be overcome compared to blasters or slugs.
- Support Necessary: The Faithful lack any direct way to counteract armor, air threats, technology based threats, etc. As such, they require support from their allies to handle threats that aren't also soldiers like themselves.
- Irreplaceable: Each Lord, Lady, and Knight that makes up the Faithful has spent a lifetime training. There are twelve who chose to come serve their Saint, and as such there are only twelve total. If any die, for any reason, they cannot be replaced.
The Saint's Faithful are, by any account, simply a handful of charismatic, talented swordsmen and women, many of whom swore fealty to Liege Clarke, not Aya but her Father. Those members each swore an oath to serve their Liege faithfully until such a time they were no longer needed, and continued to strive towards excellence both as their own nobility, and as soldiers at the beck and call of the Lord Clarke. In time, these families became loyal beyond simply fulfilling their oaths, including feelings of friendship, and respect as their Lord proved to them why they had made such oaths to begin with. Many acted as mentors to their Lord's only child, a young Aya, teaching her every aspect of being an upstanding Lady, growing their own families at the same time. Other members of the Faithful are these children, who grew alongside Aya into adulthood attending the same lessons in swordsmanship, battlefield tactics, and (most boring of all) polite mannerisms.
Those who grew alongside Aya came to swear fealty first to the Lord Clarke, as the young Aya had yet to prove herself worthy of fealty to become a full Lady at the time. Shortly after, came the Faithful's most crushing defeat, in their only major battle ever fought together. The siege on the Lord's Manor, in which both of Aya's parents died to a fire. Though the Faithful had been more than capable on the field, their own inexperience and lack of foresight for trickery had caused their Lord to pass into the afterlife, and soon after Aya herself disappeared, leaving them without any to call their lord. Some found a new place, but others felt a need to attend to the Clarke estate, even in Aya's absence, out of disgrace or hope for her return it is hard to say.
Come the return of Ser Cyril, one of the few allowed to leave a most sacred order of warriors, proclaiming Aya not only worthy of being given what some believed a birthright, that being the title of Lady Clarke, but of all things a Saint. Had, quite literally, anyone else made such a proclamation, they would be seen as heretics of the highest order, but for Cyril to say as much meant so much more. To those who remained free, each family swore fealty to the Lady in absentee, and settled their affairs at home. Twelve families each sent one to serve as both as messenger to Aya, and what they now believed to be a soldier serving a holy cause. When Aya herself heard of this, she discretely commissioned weapons and armor modifications suitable for them, and gathered them for what was to be their divine mission.
The will of their Goddess. The death of an Empire.
