Corvine Guard

Description

The Corvine Guard is a military force bound not to the crown but to the provincial houses they serve, making them soldiers of mixed loyalty—sworn to protect the lands and lords of their bloodlines even as those loyalties conflict with kingdom-wide authority and law. They represent one of the more straightforward institutions in the QueenDom, their purpose unambiguous: to defend their own, to stand watch over the vulnerable, to answer the call of duty with a directness that the more courtly branches of power have long forgotten. Drawn from families like the Smithsons and serving under commanders like Alastor North, the Guard carries the fierce loyalty and practical wisdom of those who know honest labor—their motto "Work hard, play hard" reflects not frivolity but a recognition that those who sacrifice must also live fully. Members like Thalara and Roderick embody this tension: caught between their duty to their lords and their growing understanding that corruption runs deeper than any command structure can reach. Even enchanted and compromised, the Guard's identity runs deep enough to pierce through magical compulsion, a testament to the bonds forged through shared hardship and purpose. Yet recent revelations have shaken their understanding of the institutions they protect, forcing them to grapple with the uncomfortable truth that straightforward service may not be enough in a world built on manipulation. The Corvine Guard stands as a bridge between the simple heroism of provincial defense and the cruel complexities of a kingdom's darker secrets, their members caught between the duty they swore and the awakening realization of what they were truly protecting.