Before I get bombarded by dozens of furious fans of GoT that read my series for some time I wanted to write a brief recap about some things about the Elf King's personal elite army. The first thing is that when I started to write my series I wasn't even thinking about the Night Watch (I haven't read any of JRR Martin's books and have only watched up to the 4th season of GoT).
I'm a huge fan of the samurai and their bushido code. Last year when I
first visited Santiago de Chile there was an amazing exposition of samurai
armor in Palacio La Moneda that to top things off I could enter the museum for
free because I showed up before noon. While I had already written several books
and was in the process of editing I was simply marveled at the gorgeous
decoration of the dozens of armors that adorned the exhibit. Some armor had
distinctive clan symbols that were engraved metal of varying colors.
I had visited Japan previously and while I visited dozens of all sorts
of places both modern and ancient I didn't visit the famous National Museum
because nearly everything is a copy and the only samurai armor I got to see up
close when I visited the country was in a samurai's private residence that was
transformed into a museum in the city of Kanazawa. Therefore getting to visit
this exposition in Santiago was a very pleasant surprise (and even more because
I had no idea the presidential palace in Chile rotated public expositions with
artifacts from all over the world).
Getting back to the topic of this post while it is true the Äimite guard
are obliged to never desert the guard and when they are mingling with civilians must wear a completely black uniform most of the similarities stop there. For one
even though common criminals can join the guard the majority of the army's
members are law abiding elves that were either raised as nobles from reputable
families or in the very least former rangers with an exceptionally good work
ethic. It is later revealed that the nation's Secretary of Defense Harvinha
performed the initial Äimite training but he failed due to an outburst of anger
and punched a drill sergeant in the face.
Entering the guard is highly competitive in part because a citizen
cannot send a form to join. Whereas in Game of Thrones Jon Snow asked a
recruiter to join in An Ominous Book that would never happen. The Äimite guard
presently only has 4 different military ranks and potential applicants can only
be invited by captains or guards of even higher rank. It is revealed that even
though Harvinha isn't a guard and cannot directly invite exceptionally talented
rangers he has confessed to send recommendation letters to high ranking guards
that invite the candidate in his name at least once.
- What are the drawbacks to joining the guard?
For starters once you sign the letter and pass the initial training you
can never desert the guard or risk being beheaded. In that sense it is just
like the Night Watch. The ubiquitous black robes of Äimite guards are also
similar. However unlike the Night Watch Äimite guards wear a nearly identical
looking military uniform where silver markings in the neck collar determine
rank. Even guards that are off duty that are spending time with their families have
to wear the official uniform at all times. If they get caught wearing something
else or altering the uniform to their taste without permission they end up
getting flogged as punishment in a guard post, far away from view of the
general public. Unlike the Night Watch when guards are resting in their private
grounds they can wear a second uniform with a silver shirt and black pants.
This is another thing I heavily stress in my series which is the social importance of distinguishing clans by their heraldic colors. While in Spain it is very common for families to decorate their homes and some personal belongings with their elaborate family crest (I have Basque ancestry and my family crest is rather beautiful looking) in Japan they push things a little further and instead of using handwritten signatures everyone stamps official documents with little signet stamps that have the kanji of their surname. When you wander around cities in the country you will eventually bump into a store that sells these family kanji stamps that are on display in the street. In ancient Japan many families of noble rank wore robes with heraldic colors which is something I like to emphasize in my series.
While each of the 36 clans have specific colors (Trevilin's clan oddly
enough alternates black with green) the Elf King and the guard share opposing
heraldic colors that represents a complementation of their balancing powers.
Whereas the Elf King is represented with gold and white that signifies purity
and regalness the guard on the other hand is marked by silver and black. The
black in the uniform represents the darkness of their missions where from the
start of their training they learn to kill even innocents without question and
silver because they are not only immediately beneath the king in social rank
but when the occasion merits it they can temporarily have more political power
than the Elf King himself. While the Elf King is the guide of the nation the
guard immediately follows. In the elvish tongue of my series Äimite is represented
by the elvish verb äimitar which means "to submit". They not only
submit to every order of their king but they submit the entire populace to
maintain societal order.
- How do Äimite guards live?
Unlike Game of Thrones the guard doesn't necessarily live in horrible
bunks in the frozen wastelands that are far away from society. In the Ominous Book
series they live all over the nation overseeing the rule of law in every major
city to keep everything in order. In the capital they walk around everywhere and
given guards are always dressed in full uniform while they are in public it's
impossible for civilians to know if the guard they see wandering in the streets
is on duty or not. Some of them work in undesirable posts in the uninhabited
eastern wastelands next to the Evenian River that oversees parts of neighboring
Outambila and the Garardmarjin territories whereas there are a few posts in the
northern polar regions. While the conglomeration of rural posts are ruled by
high ranking guards of good repute many soldiers that are stuck in the bitterly
miserable rural posts are usually guards that are being punished with being
lodged in undesirable posts. The most coveted posts are obviously the ones that
guard the king's palace but all guards are rotated across the country at
varying intervals.
When an elf joins the guard they are soon taught that they are no longer
allied with their clans or blood relatives. The guard is now their new true
family and they answer to nobody except the higher ranking guards and the Elf
King. Unlike Game of Thrones the Äimite guard has both male and female guards.
It is revealed in the 2nd book that Seiran herself was once invited to the
guard but she declined because she preferred to someday become a clan leader.
- If there are female members of the guard, how
many are there in the army?
The Äimite guard has approximately 4000 members and only 8% of the army
is female. The army has at the most 350 female guards and they are all both
very formidable warriors and proud to the degree of utter arrogance.
- A small child in Game of Thrones joined the Night Watch can children join the Äimite guard?
Elves mature at a different rate from humans and reach full adulthood at
age 50. In the kingdom elves reach politically accepted adulthood when they
turn 20 although they still retain the bodies that are equivalent to a 14 year
old human. No matter how talented a child elf is, it is against the law for
them to be invited to the guard until they turn 20. That same age is also the
bare minimum to be awarded clan leader status or apply for the Ranger Academy
Entrance Exam. As for this question, the child in the tv series would have been
too young to join the guard and even if he was old enough to join the Äimite
would have only invited him if he was already proficient enough in combat to be
considered.
- How are elves invited to the guard?
Unlike Game of Thrones where the contract is initially verbal in An
Ominous Book a captain or higher ranking guard writes a consideration letter to
a senior guard to oversee the potential candidate. If the potential candidate
is approved Lord Froylan as the commander of the guard writes an elegant
invitation letter and the guard that made the suggestion personally meets the
potential candidate to invite him or her. The decision doesn't have to be
immediate. The most common scenario is for guards to grant the candidate a
handful of months to consider the decision and they will either sign the letter
to perform the initial training or decline to join. In usual circumstances a
candidate that declines to join is never invited a second time. In order to
join the candidate signs their name on the letter along with their associated
clan.
When a candidate signs the letter they are not yet bound by any oath and
perform an initial training that lasts approximately 4 months. The guards
assess the general health of the candidate, competency in magic and fencing
along with their temperament. In Harvinha's case while he was a talented
warrior his immaturity that spurred a temper tantrum deemed him unfit. The
guard assesses that candidates are capable of following orders even if they
utterly dislike them. Lord Garain states in the 4th book that some candidates
initially look very good on paper but they either have crippling injuries or
have poor control of their sorcery under stressful conditions. In some cases
candidates can fail the training on purpose to avoid being forced to commit to
the oath. Once a candidate passes the training with a signed letter they are
obliged to dress themselves in the silver colored apprentice uniform and
perform the oath.
- How long does the training last?
On average it takes an apprentice 10 years to complete the training.
During the last 2 years of training apprentices are sent to random posts all
over the nation for on the job training under the tutelage of their superiors.
It's unknown if an apprentice must complete a specific kind of examination to
be awarded their black uniform.
- When can guards become captains and what are
the selection criteria?
A guard must complete a minimum of 10 years as a normal low ranking
Äimite before being awarded captain status. Senior guards usually assess the
combat skills of the elf and award a more elaborate ring to the newly appointed
captain.
A handful of guards become awarded Senior Guard status that carries even
more political power than a clan leader. They need to be a fully trained guard
for a minimum of 50 years and only the Elf King awards senior status as a
symbol of utter loyalty. In some cases this status is awarded to exceptionally
powerful captains or guards that prove a loyalty beyond exceptional
circumstances. Some guards are awarded this status as compensation because
their bodies have ended up maimed beyond repair from cruet battles. In the 4th
book we are introduced to Senior Lord Einman that ended up losing a leg,
several fingers on one arm and partially paralyzed after a particularly
devastating battle.
- What happens to mortal guards that become
elderly or badly injured?
Being an Äimite guard is a double edge sword. While youthful mortal
elves can join the guard once you become one you are never allowed to desert
it. Mortal elves inevitably become elderly and even though they have to wear
their uniforms till the very end of their natural lifespan they are granted
pleasant office jobs that require very little effort and enjoy a comfortable retirement
until they perish of natural causes. Guards that end up severely maimed from
battles either end up with important senior positions such as Einman performing
various tasks that are limited by their badly injured bodies, remain as low
ranked guards that do administrative tasks or spend their time in long-term infirmaries
that are run by guards. In some cases it isn't unheard of for guards that are
badly maimed to commit suicide to avoid being a burden.
- If being a dual element mage is so exceptionally
rare was Spaulding ever invited to the guard before the beginning of the
series?
King Salman knew about Spaulding's ability of using water sorcery at an
unknown time before the beginning of the series. It's highly likely Spaulding
performed water sorcery during the Ranger Academy Entrance Exam. Unlike the
average ranger that is a civilian elf Spaulding is the clan leader of the
nation's smallest clan in population and there are no other direct members of
his bloodline that are nobleelves. The only explanation why he was allowed to
become a ranger was because King Salman approved of his petition in the hopes
that Spaulding would eventually become an Äimite guard.
- How did I come up with the colors of the
Äimite guard?
ext by Nancy Foster. AI training or unauthorized reproduction forbidden.
