Note: Imperial Guards; ranks, branches, and armanents

Since the Guards have now come up at several points I feel like this, one of the most important and ancient institutions of Nieldic society, should be further explored.

The guards are commanded, on paper at least, by a Captain. You may have noticed they have a wierd succesion for Captainship. The Guard assigned to protect the person who becomes emperor/empress becomes captain. The main reason for this is because the Ruler needs to know they can trust their captain and the best way to do that is to build a strong relationship from a relatively young age.
The reality is that the guards are commanded more or less directly by their department heads. The guards cover so many different activities that protecting the ruler, while their primary function regardless, is actually one of their least important responsibilities.

The Sage Program, which has been mentioned, was part of the natural magics department. This department subdivides into stellar; dealing with magic and phenomena in space, Planetary; (from which the Sage Program roots) which attends to naturally occuring phenomena on planets including shrines and sites of power present prior to the arrival of modern nations, and Biological; who deal with things like but generally less threatening than Dragons.
Enforcement was established during the Hundred years of peace that followed the Great Ga-Vok war. They exist to combat organized crime. This is actually one of the most straightforward jobs you can have in the guard because there's only one crime organization in the empire, the Ukown guild. Its establishment will be the subject of a short story or three at some later date.
Espionage is very straightforward. If a human encounters a Nielda, and they aren't offering to sell something, this is probably the sort of person you've just encountered. They start, stop, and prevent wars.
Protection does bodyguarding. There is always at least one guard accompanying any given Noble, Senior Commander, or Imperial family member at any given time. Additionally there will be several hundred guarding the palace.
Lastly there's maintenance. These are the Empire's clean-up crew. Varied branches of maintenance do everything from renew enchantments placed on Nieldic magical sites within the empire to the decadial internal purge of the government(believed by many to be the only reason the Daniellandish government isn't a complete nepotistic wreck of corruption and self-serving pride, they've been known to off Emperors when they decide it needs to be done.) If there was a secret society ruling the government from the shadows, these guys would either be it, or be killing it. It's made of ex-lieutenants and former captains; these guys are, for the most part, in semi-retirement. It's the kind of work where everyone in it has to be 100% proven reliable, patriotic, and with nothing to gain by being otherwise.

Guards are hand-picked, usually out of the military. A certain amount of guard families exist; the captain is traditionally a member of the Spielgans. Not because they are hereditary, rather because no other family manages to consistently produce mages of such caliber or street-smarts. They are where they've been for generations because for generations they've managed to get there, and when they don't no one hesitates to put someone else in charge. All guards are mages, or if not they are warriors of a quality sufficient to match, and usually defeat, mages in combat.


All guards make their own weapon when they complete their extensive training. The Weapon is traditionally a stave, although some guards prefer a sword. It is made of the material mages call 'Bloodstone'. Bloodstone is the product of a particular magical incantation, spoken over blood. It is among the three most magically conductive materials, and one of the two that can be used to make a weapon. The Guard always uses his own blood, taken over the period of several months. By using their own blood they can mold it with their own will, even if they are not a mage, allowing them to call it to themselves from anywhere and magic channeled through it will be more powerful. A guard is always cremated with his weapon; and both are dissolved with magic afterwards.
Guards are also known to carry sidearms, and like all Daniellandish combat professionals are never without their knife.