Hearth and Home
The Sixth Praetorian Guard
Legion Commander Mordecai Zambrano and his praetorians.
Legion Commander Mordecai Zambrano and his praetorians.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To provide Sith Lord Mordecai Zambrano, a member of the Imperial Royal family, with an elite fighting force.
- Image Credit: Dragon Lord by PeterPrime
- Role: Bodyguards / Heavy Cavalry
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: N/A
- Unit Name: The Sixth Praetorian Guard [Often referred as just: "The Sixth Praetorian"]
- Affiliation: Mordecai Zambrano | The Sith Empire
- Classification: Heavy Cavalry
- Equipment:
- Description: The Sixth Praetorian is one of the most renowned and respected cavalry units within the Sith Empire - and one of the very, very few. It draws its inspiration from the old fighting style of the Mandalorian crusaders and their Basilisk war droid mounts. The Praetorians ride their very own Drakes into battle, disgorging themselves from ships in orbit to plummet down and conquer worlds at a simple command. Whilst brutally efficient and loyal to the Empire, many praetorians have adopted a similar fighting style and outlook as their Legion Commander. Fighting honorably, respecting an enemy, and refusing most orders that would otherwise be morally questionable.
- Unit Size: Medium
- 5,000 Praetorians
- 1,000 Auxiliaries (Medical staff, engineers, logistics personnel, etc.)
- Unit Availability: Unique
- Unit Experience: Veteran
- Combat Function: The Sixth Praetorian typically performs a heavy cavalry role in combat situations. Shock tactics, strafing runs, full assaults and charges are mainstays of their offensive techniques. Upon their Drake war mounts, they are highly mobile and capable of maneuvering across the battlefield or changing objectives on the fly. However, they are more than welcome and happy to dismount to engage their enemies. Whether it be with rifle or sword, the Praetorians are veteran warriors in an endless search for honor and glory. In typical fashion, they have began to model their combat habits based off of their Legion Commander's. Praetorians facing down an outnumbered and outgunned enemy may dismount to offer them a last chance at winning, others forgo the use of CBRN weapons, and many others outright refuse orders to slaughter civilians or bomb population centers.
- [+] Shock and Awe: The Sixth Praetorian is an excellent, powerful cavalry unit. They are all experienced riders and gunners, working in tandem with their Drake war droid mounts to lay waste to their foes in open battle. Amply equipped and armored, their heavy cavalry tactics perform well even under the most dire of circumstances. Disciplined and resolved, the Praetorians are exceptional at adapting under pressure, working as a team, and working to complete the mission no matter the sacrifice.
- [+] Versatile: While they are cavalrymen by trade, every praetorian can do much more than that. They are all extremely capable infantrymen, know first aid and trauma care, basic repair skills, and a plethora of utility and survival skills. More importantly, Lord Mordecai Zambrano made it sure that every praetorian be taught Teras Kasi as well as swordsmanship. While the praetorians are definitely no match for experienced lightsaber wielders, they are more than capable of holding their own for a period of time.
- [-] Nobility: Their tendency to honor and respect their enemies is often considered an outrageously terrible practice. Besides merely clashing with the typical Sith-Imperial dogma, it leaves many praetorians susceptible to underhanded blows, proverbial sucker punches, and shots below the belt. It has happened before and it will happen again - their honor and nobility in battle has been their undoing. Death before dishonor.
- [-] Limited Deployments: While the entirety of the Sixth Praetorian Guard is a whopping 5,000 warriors, it often doesn't turn out to be that way on the battlefield. At most, typically between 300-500 are deployed to distant fronts or campaigns. Despite being veteran warriors, Legion Commander Zambrano forbids himself from taking the entire unit with him - lest it be completely destroyed in battle because of his own decisions.
The Sixth Praetorian has been a mainstay of Mordecai Zambrano's military career for decades. A small, elite force of cavalrymen that pay homage to the fighting tactics and style of the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. They are resplendent in their crimson, faceless armor, standing out in a crowd of dull grays and blacks. They are noble practitioners of mounted combat, in an age where many armies forgo the existence of cavalry entirely. While they are definitely not trendsetters or the face of the Sith Empire, they have dutifully and effectively served the Empire for years - and will do so for years to come.
The unit itself was brought into existence when Mordecai's brother, Kaine Zambrano, ascended to the throne and became the Emperor of the Sith. Seeing the importance of the royal family, Mordecai took it upon himself to personally commission himself a guard unit. If political foes could not target the emperor himself then they out definitely go for his family members, so the younger Zambrano brother took immediate precautions to ensure the safety of himself and the royal family. Some of the best and brightest warriors of the Sith-Imperial Legion were brought in to be the founding members of the Sixth Praetorian, quickly turning a chaotic mess into an organized, disciplined fighting force.
In the beginning, the Sixth Praetorian saw very little combat. Typical bodyguard and escort duties were performed for the royal family, often augmenting the Blackblade Guard and other elite units. However, a tradition of regular deployments to various campaigns quickly turned into policy for the Guard. Regular deployments for small cohorts or centuries of the guard would occur, especially so for the newest members of the guard. It had a way of 'blooding' the FNGs and getting them whipped into shape. The results were astounding, and turned many warriors into grizzled veterans after years of fighting on distant worlds.
Their Legion Commander Mordecai Zambrano often accompanied them on these deployments, not wanting them to leave their homes without their commanding officer joining along. A strange and rather peculiar Sith he was, not like any of the rest his men had ever seen. Honor in battle, nobility in peace, and respect to an otherwise hated enemy? Over time, the Sixth Praetorian slowly began to adopt the principles in which their Lord Commander lived by. In turn, they evolved into a brutally efficient fighting force that seldom razed worlds, decimated population centers, and even offered their foes a final fighting chance. As many times as it was appreciated, it did become their undoing at times.
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