Varaveth's Defenses
The Queen's Guard
The Queen's Guard is an elite group of knights, sworn to protect the queen and her family. These knights are handpicked by the queen herself as the best in the queendom.
When a new queen takes the throne, she can dismiss those guards that she does not wish to be in her service. They will no longer be Queen's Guards but they will remain knights.
Knights
Any free person can become a knight. However, the process of training and equipping a knight with a horse and appropriate weapons is very expensive. Knights therefore generally come from a noble, or wealthy, family. However, knights can also be knighted from their valor in the Legion.
Most knights first become a squire to an existing knight. Their knight, once they believe their squire to be ready, present them to the queen who dubs their skills worthy or not for knighthood. Knights chosen from the legion are presented to the queen by their commanding knights in battle.
The Legion
The Legion is Varaveth's main fighting force. Fighting for the Legion is voluntary, any citizen of Varaveth can join; therefore, the Legion is made up of peasants and knights.
There is an expectation that the knights of Varaveth will fight with the Legion to protect the land; however, they are not bound to this. Knights take a commanding position in the Legion and train the new recruits.
The Legion is divided into three different parts:
The cavalry, which is generally made up solely of knights, who rush into battle on their horses
The foot solder, which tends to be made up of peasants, carrying large shields with their weapons of choice.
The mages, which use their magic on the battle field.