Difference between revisions of "Compass Guard"

Revision as of 16:47, 6 January 2013

• This is the fluff description of the Ranger Guard. For information on how the RG applies to specific player characters, please visit [[../RG Rules|THIS]] page.

The Ranger Guard are the common name of Cardinal's new-age military. The "Rangers", as they are often called, were once simply the power wielder branch of Cardinal's military. In recent times, however, high-ranking military members have realized that the vast majority of modern warfare would involve power wielders, as combat fought at the level of common humans was now all but made obsolete by combatants who could move faster than the eye could see and strike harder and with greater precision than even the most radical arsenal the military had at their command. Once marginalized as a special forces unit designed for the neutralization of domestic powered threats, the Rangers now go anywhere and everywhere that Cardinal's military goes.

Branches

The Ranger Guard are broken into several branches. Each branch spans a broad gamut of responsibilities, but often require the same sort of warrior to accomplish them.

Legio Potestatis

The Legio are the brave, common, enlisted men and women who, despite having no inner talent for super powers, refuse to allow their patriotism and loyalty to be made obsolete. Scientists working for the government have developed special genetic tweaks and cybernetic implants that can augment a mortal soldier to make them capable of great feats for relatively little cost to the Cardinalian taxpayer. While not so cheap as to be able to reincorporate the entire former army corps, a significant enough chunk have successfully undergone this treatment to dwarf the natural power wielder population of the nation. Artificial power wielders are not without drawbacks and side effects, however; many psychoses are significant risks to Legio augmentees due to the wild chemical imbalances the genetic changes can cause, and the cybernetic implants have been known to cause a wild variety of strange, but mostly minor mental and physical phenomena. Many Legio find that the changes done to them have rendered them difficult to reaccept into their home societies.

Nevertheless, the Legio Potestatis are fully capable combatants. Lacking natural powered combat instinct, they frequently work in traditional army squadrons. They are used to garrison military fortifications, hold front lines, man military equipment, patrol in times of martial law, and other similar duties. Because of their special implants, they are able to connect to and interface with many computer systems, both wirelessly and on a wired level. Most Legio are not trained for specialist work in this level, however, as their implants have only rudimentary control between the brain and a computer. Their abilities are usually limited to basic access protocol, and perhaps running a few automated hacking programs on hostile systems. Because these same implants are not impossible to hack themselves, Legio are rarely entrusted with vital information.

Umbra Potesta

The Umbra are the collection of mostly unaugmented mortals who are still considered part of the military (this does not include the civilians who work for the military but are not officially part of the military). They are most often spies, doctors, technicians and other non-combat service personnel. This includes crew of military vessels whose capacities do not require powers or powered reflexes. When most hear the word "Umbra" they think of the spies, as they are the most renowned field within this branch.

Scutum Potestas

The Scutum are the largely defensive and domestic branch of the Rangers. These are power wielders who have taken a specialty to handling matters within the confines of their own country, and as such have been trained to minimize collateral damage and save lives, as well as how to neutralize a powered opponent without killing them. While this traditional branch is often seen acting as the powered police, they are also detectives for powered crimes and researchers for new technology.

In times of war, the Scutum are used as elite soldiers amidst the Legio, leading them and supporting them as they assail tactical enemy positions.

Gladius Potestatis

The Gladius are the Ranger elite. Highly specialized and sometimes extremely powerful, they are the powered warriors that Cardinal calls upon when it needs to discard discretion or moral neutrality in favor of power and effectiveness. They are assassins, powered spies, snipers, and powerhouses. They pilot the most deadly warmachines in the military, and exploit the most advanced technology and training Cardinal has to offer. They are pioneers in their own fields. Some are covert, some are overt. Some may or may not exist at all...

Though many Gladius have an offensive specialty, they do not always work in foreign places. They go where they are needed.

Mysterium Potestas

Magic has never been a fully accepted element in Cardinalian society, as its people have been largely brought up to believe in scientific understanding and technology. Even their faith in Kamism is moderate at best. Thus, it is fitting that the magicians, wizards, clerics, and other workers of arcana who wish to be part of Cardinal's military are sequestered into their own branch. The rationalization of this currently stands that mages are naturally delicate, since they must activate their defenses when they are in a battle situation, whereas others have their defenses at the ready at all times. The Mysterium are dedicated to bettering Cardinal's magical understanding, to the handling of potentially dangerous magical artifacts, to the enactment and maintenance of powerful rituals and rites that protect and improve Cardinal and its assets, and to using their gamut of extraordinarily various powers to stymie their nation's enemies and support their allies.

Like the Gladius, the Mysterium hold no particular attachment to offense or defense, and are deployed where their highly individualistic skills are needed. Unlike the Gladius, however, the Mysterium's ranks include more initiates and novices than experts, and the less experienced among them are often used to (selectively) reinforce the Scutum or to aid in research and other relatively mundane magical work.

Recruitment

Despite heavy recruitment propaganda and marketing efforts, enlistment in the Ranger Guard is still voluntary. In the event of a draft, however, known power wielders may be forced to become a part of the military. Unlike mortal civilians, drafts of powered citizens are pervasive and often include almost every unenlisted power wielder who isn't already using their talents toward the war, since power wielders are a much scarcer and more valuable resource than mortal warriors. Powered draft dodgers are much more actively pursued, and the Gladius deploy their special tracking squad to root them out and either force them to fight for their country or imprison them.

Volunteers experience recruitment differently, depending on their individual situations. Legio recruits attend a series of classes that orient them to the world of augmentation, including possible permanent side effects of the treatment, and are given a chance to back out. Those who continue on undergo surgery and gene therapy, and endure a month of recovery and basic testing to ensure no radical side effects have set in and that the Legio can make full use of their implants. They are then sent to boot camp for a month, where they are taught coordination and fine motor control under powered situations. They are then made into soldiers, just as mortals are, except with the purview of powered-level tactics.

Umbra undergo a more brief boot camp (~2 weeks) which simply teaches them how to defend themselves against other mortals and what to do in case they suspect a hostile power wielder is nearby. Depending on the occupation they choose, they then undergo classes to instruct them in their field, which can last anywhere from a few months to a year. Spies are part of the intelligence division, and only the best and sharpest candidates of those who apply for the intelligence division become spies and infiltrators.

Scutum (the branch of the Rangers that most natural power wielders initially fall into) undergo a somewhat longer boot camp (~2 months) which teaches them how to use basic issue Ranger equipment, how to work with other power wielders (both Rangers and civilians) as a team, how to avoid damaging city infrastructures and how to most effectively protect mortals in powered combat. Individuals are also coached and strongly encouraged to mold their own personal abilities so that they work toward those same goals, as well as subduing criminal power wielders without doing lasting physical harm. It should be noted that, unlike mortal police, Rangers are encouraged to use methods which may seem underhanded or uncivilized and which may cause crippling pain to a target, so long as the pain is temporary, since rogue power wielders are considered a grave threat to their surroundings and fellow citizens. Scutum are introduced to the various specialties of the Rangers, for those who wish to advance amongst their peers.

The Mysterium's candidates do not have a "boot camp", but instead are issued a uniform and are sent to a long series of classes on the responsible use of magic, on foundational magical theory (in case a candidate's understanding of magic is incomplete), on the Mysterium's place and interactions with the rest of the Rangers, and on the many basic cantrips that Mysterium are expected to memorize to assist in day to day Ranger Guard magical operations (ward reinforcement rituals, appeals to known deities and sources of arcana, research protocol, and so on). The classes can take a year to fully complete, but unlike boot camp, Mysterium mages are not sequestered to campus until it is complete.

The Gladius does not recruit fresh power wielders, except for in extraordinary circumstances. They usually cherry-pick from the experienced veterans of the corps. Those who are transferred to the Gladius do not have boot camp or classes, since their needs are extremely individualized and do not follow the normal moral and discriminatory codes the other Rangers do. The Captain of the Gladius usually guides Gladius members on using their powers to make them super-effective at their roles, and suggests specialized, cutting edge Ranger equipment that may warrant training.