Dragon Flyer Ranks (RTTE)
Hello, everyone. Welcome to another HTTYD/RTTE article. This is the final piece to my series about Dragon Flyer hierarchy and military structure (Dragon Skins, Elite, Hierarchy). In this post, I'll be sharing what I think the ranks would be had the Dragon Flyers been allowed to expand into a larger organization, similar to the Dragon Hunters.
As you know from the Hierarchy post, I believe that Flyers are ranked according to their dragon skins. Those wearing Zippleback skins are elites, those wearing gold dragon skins are veterans, those wearing Nightmare skins and Nadder wing skirts are juniors, and those wearing nothing but badly tanned dragon skins are rankers.
And as you know from the chart below, the hierarchy is as follows:
Krogan > Disciples (12 Best Warriors) > Regular Flyers > Recruits
The hierarchy and ranking system were originally rather simple and straightforward since the unit wasn't very large—it probably wasn't past 20 Flyers in the beginning.
However, if the organization becomes larger—for example, 50-100 Flyers—a more intricate ranking system will be needed.
Here is what I think the ranks could be. I even made some cool edits for this occasion. 😎
Krogan: Thunder Lord / Thunder Chieftain
The top-most rank is, naturally, Thunder Lord or Thunder Chieftain, which Krogan possesses as the head of the Dragon Flyers. It could be compared to a Headmaster of a Knight Order or a Group Leader of a Fighter Group in modern terms. Thunder Master could very well be another excellent coinage of this position.
As expected, this position oversees all Flyers and their squadrons and flight-pairs.
Thunder Captain / Flyer Leader
Thunder Captain, or just Flyer Leader, is the second-in-command of the Thunder Chieftain (or Krogan), just like our Flyer Leader above. His job is to carry out his orders, command the Chief's personal squadron, the "Deadly Dozen", and oversee any projects or missions entrusted by Krogan.
He also oversees the other Squadron/Flight Leaders under him. They choose someone for this rank from the Elite Flyers, particularly the "Deadly Dozen".
Thunder Master
Thunder Master is a rank similar to the medieval Master-at-Arms or the modern rank Sergeant Major. They directly receive orders from Krogan and are responsible for managing the briefings and mission assignments for the Flyers.
As such, they hold a higher position than even the squadron and flight leaders since they directly receive directions from Krogan to delegate mission assignments to certain units.
The Thunder Master is also responsible for the training of recruits before integrating them into the Dragon Flyer organization.
Flyers who gain these two ranks are often from the Master / Veteran Flyer ranks (Goldskins). What distinguishes them from the others is their orange dragon-skins and pauldrons.
Thunder Master's Wingman
Thunder Master's Wingman is the Thunder Master's subordinate and helps him with various administrative tasks and also helps train the recruits whenever the Thunder Master isn't around. In fact, this guy is mostly responsible for this responsibility as the organization gets bigger and Krogan and the other higher-ups don't have time for training them personally.
The Wingman takes over the Thunder Master's responsibilities if he is absent or is killed. He also, true to his rank, is the Thunder Master's wingman in battle and watches his back.
This rank also oversees other wingmen of lower ranks.
The Wingman is unique in that he wears his pauldron on his left shoulder instead of his right shoulder like the Second Claw Flyers.
Elite Flyers
Spots in Krogan's personal squadron, the "Deadly Dozen," are always guaranteed to Flyers of this rank. They are among the best of the best in the Dragon Flyers and also always assumed to promise a fierce fight to any who claim to be enemies of the Flyers and Krogan. Flyers of this rank are not only Krogan's most loyal warriors but are the most fanatic, viewing the total annihilation of dragons as the most righteous of causes.
This rank is further separated into three parts:
Elite Flyer, Third Claw
Elite Flyer Third Claw is the top-most rank in the Flyer Organization, aside from Flyer Leader and Thunder Chieftain. These Flyers are guarantees to the positions of Flyer Leader and Squadron and Flight Leaders, though other ranks can have these positions as well. They are also shoe-ins for the "Deadly Dozen" squadron.
They make up 20% of the Elite Flyers in this class.
Their Nightmare-skin skirt and two spiked pauldrons distinguish them from other ranks.
The Flyer Leader, Krogan's lieutenant, has this rank.
Elite Flyer, Second Claw
Elite Flyer Second Claw is the second-most senior rank in the organization. Unlike those of the Third Claw, these Flyers only have one spiked pauldron and nothing else that's distinguishable. (Take notice that from here on, all Flyers with the Second Claw rank will have one pauldron on their right shoulder, unlike the Thunder Master's Wingman, who wears it on his left shoulder.)
Flyers of this rank make up 10% of this class.
Elite Flyer, First Claw
Elite Flyer First Claw, the lowest rank of the Elite Flyers, is still above most and is the entry level of the Elite Flyer class. Unlike the previous two ranks, this Flyer rank has no distinguishing trappings aside from their Zippleback-skin tunic. 70% of Elite Flyers are of this rank.
Master / Veteran Flyers
Like the Elite Flyers, Flyers of this group are always guaranteed spots in Krogan's squadron and are often chosen as Squadron Leaders or Flight Leaders, usually the latter.
Similar to the Roman Centurion or NCO rank (1700-20XX), these Flyers form the backbone of the Dragon Flyers, making up about roughly 45% of the organization. The highest rank they can go is Thunder Master and Thunder Master's Wingman.
People of this rank, like Elite Flyers, are known for their loyalty to Krogan and their fanatical zeal and cruelty in wiping out the dragons.
These Flyers are unique in wearing yellow dragon skins, Gronkle-skin vambraces, and a helmet with only one horn instead of the usual three. They also lack a dragonskin kilt. They are known for wearing footprint-shaped markings on their faces and helmets.
Master Flyer, Third Claw
Master Flyer Third Claw is the top-most rank in this class. They always pick candidates for the Thunder Master position from this rank. And, if they're lucky, they can graduate to the Elite Flyer class.
Squadron Leaders can be chosen from among these Flyers.
The Flyers in this class can be distinguished by their pauldrons (or lack thereof). In this case, Third Claw Master Flyers wear two spiked pauldrons.
This rank makes up 10% of the Master Flyers in this class.
Master Flyer, Second Claw
Master Flyer Second Claw is the second-most rank in this class, making up 10% of Master Flyers in this class. Like other Second Claws, this rank also wears one spiked pauldron on their right shoulder.
Members of this rank are eligible to attain the Thunder Master or Thunder Master Wingman positions.
Master Flyer, First Claw
Master Flyer First Claw is the lowest rank of this class, but the most common, making up 80% of the Master Flyers in this class. They often make up the Flight Leaders and Senior Flyers of pair-units.
Junior / Senior Flyers
The lowest among the ranks and classes in the Dragon Flyer organization, their crudely tanned dragon skin clothes and white war paint sets them apart from the others.
These Flyers also make up the ranks of the wingman positions in wing and flight units.
Junior Flyer, Third Claw / Senior Flyers
Junior Flyer Third Claw, also known as Senior Flyer, is a rare rank, only making up 3% of the Flyers in this class. They are also the most senior and experienced Flyers making up this class. As a result, they quickly join the Master Flyer classes not long after they get this rank.
Their rank is shown by wearing two pauldrons, a Nadder-wing kilt, and two Monstrous Nightmare-skin vambraces.
Junior Flyer, Second Claw
Junior Flyer Second Claw is the second highest rank in this class and the most common rank, making up 57% of the Junior Flyers in this class.
They often fill wingman positions in wing (two-Flyer) and flight (four-Flyer) units.
What marks their rank is one spiked pauldron on their right shoulder, like all Second Claws. They also wear a Nadder-wing kilt, slightly better quality Nightmare-skin tunics, and one Nightmare-skin vambrace.
Junior Flyer, First Claw / Fledglings
Junior Flyer First Claw, also known as a "Fledgling," is the lowest of both rank and class in the thunder, second only to Recruit. They make up 40% of all Junior Flyers in this class.
They are the least experienced, trained, and indoctrinated out of all the Flyers, causing them to be the first to panic or flee if something doesn't go their way; they wear nothing of distinction and lack any accomplishments or battle honors, wearing dragon skins of mediocre quality. The best of this rank can eventually earn themselves a Nightmare-skin vambrace.
The Bottom-Feeders
Recruits, often demeaningly called "Stubs" (wingless dragons incapable of flight), are the lowest and bottom-most rank of all Flyers in the thunderband.
The organization integrates these recruits into their ranks, who are fresh and ready for training and indoctrination. They get trained by the Thunder Master and his Wingman in the ways of the Dragon Flyer and help them learn to fly their Singetail companions without issue. If they're unavailable, then either an Elite Flyer or Master Flyer comes to train them.
They are given low-quality dragon skins and gear.
We can summarize the ranks and hierarchy of the Dragon Flyers like this:
The positions can be further summarized with the highest position on the left and the lowest on the right:
Thunder Chieftain (Krogan) > Flyer Leader / Thunder Captains > The Deadly Dozen > Thunder Lieutenants >Thunder Master > Thunder Master's Wingman > Squadron Captains > Flight Captains > Wing Leaders / Senior Flyers > Regular Flyers > Recruits.
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Conclusion
These are the ranks that I believe might and could exist if the Dragon Flyers had been allowed to expand their organization further.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this what-if article. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Long Live the Night!
— Noctus Fury