The Kingsguard is the palace guard of the monarch of the Imperial Protectorate of the Kingdom of the Faerie Isle. Traditionally fifty strong, it performs both ceremonial and military duties in royal service. Its origins lie in time immemorial, and its appearance, equipment and daily routines preserve customs handed down through generations of royal service.
The guard is a small force whose principal duties centre on the monarch and palace. Its public ceremonies make it a familiar expression of royal authority, while its members remain armed guards expected to act when the Crown is threatened. These responsibilities have produced a unit in which military training and elaborate ceremonial practice compete for attention.
Command and service
The Captain of the Guard commands the Kingsguard day to day. Above the Captain, the heir apparent traditionally serves as Commander in Chief and nominal head of the Fae military. This arrangement gives the royal successor a place in the kingdom’s military hierarchy while leaving the practical direction of the palace guard to its own officer.
Prince Padraig “Puck” Maoilriain held the senior command during the reign of his father, King Oberon I Maoilriain. Following Padraig’s death during Nox’s invasion, the position of Commander in Chief is vacant.
Equipment and training
The Kingsguard wears ancient equipment heavier than is sensible for Fae soldiers. Its weight restricts the guards’ ability to fly, reducing the freedom of movement that would otherwise be among their greatest advantages. The equipment remains part of the unit’s established appearance despite its practical shortcomings.
Their combat training emphasises delivering magic while withdrawing, using repeated attacks and retreats to harass an opponent. In principle, this allows the guards to strike without remaining within reach long enough to be caught. Their heavy equipment makes those movements more difficult, particularly when flight would offer the quickest means of escape or repositioning.
Much of their actual practice is devoted to ceremonial formations. The guards spend considerable time learning precise movements, maintaining their places and handling their equipment in unison. They are accustomed to performing before spectators, where an uneven line or a mistimed turn is immediately apparent.
Changing of the guard
The changing of the guard is an elaborate palace ceremony. The incoming and outgoing watches form opposite one another while their officers exchange formal challenges and responses. Each movement follows a prescribed order, from the advance of the incoming guards to the inspection and relief of the palace posts.
The ceremony concludes with the two watches exchanging places through a sequence of coordinated turns and salutes. Its measured pace gives onlookers ample opportunity to admire the guards’ ancient equipment and precision. For those taking part, the familiar movements are among the most frequently rehearsed duties of royal service.
Nox’s invasion
During Nox’s Invasion of Orth, Padraig mobilised the Fae fishing fleet to rescue Tiran civilians from Réiltín’s Dynamo Beach. His father had seen no need to intervene, but Padraig acted against his orders and organised the evacuation.
The prince rushed to the receiving beaches with all fifty Kingsguard. As the boats approached, he spent time giving speeches. Undead followed the evacuation vessels across the sea and began emerging onto the shore.
The Kingsguard broke and fled, and the defence of the landing place collapsed. Padraig was killed fighting a Death Knight, which he also killed during their encounter. Approximately twenty of the fifty guards survived. The losses left the Kingsguard well below its traditional strength and deprived it of its royal Commander in Chief.