Falcon Guard

The sigil of the Falcon Guard

The Falcon Guard, also called the Golden Guard, the Ten, the Imperial Guard, the Stars (for the ten-pointed stars they wear on their shields), and officially called the Holy and Puissant Order of His/Her/Their Majesty's Falcon Knights, are the elite personal guard of the Shahanshah. The Falcon Guard numbers ten, handpicked by the Shahanshah, who personally accompany the Shahanshah wherever they go and live in the Imperial Palace. They are the commanders of the elite Yrsh'hadin, though unlike the solider-fanatics they are normal men and women of purportedly renowned martial skill and chivalric virtue. Knights of the Golden Guard swear oaths of chastity upon their ascension and serve until death.

The Falcon Guard was created following the Years of Blood and Iron. During the civil war, the Yrsh'hadin remained inactive and neutral throughout most of the conflict because they were sworn to defend the Imperial family and were unable to comprehend defending the family from its own members. Due to this, Pelegon III died with members of the elite order in the room, powerless to do anything due to orders from his sister and assassin Zottyah II. When the war ended and Pelegon V became Emperor, he established an order of knights who would not undergo the rigorous mental and physical transformation which creates a Yrsh'hadin, naming ten knights to a loyal guard which would serve him until death. This act was supported by Prince-Regent Abbos Pelegon, who named his youngest son Prince Arion Adrastos to the order as its first Grand Master.