Standard Internal Guild Document (SIGD-4110.2388), Guild Document Collection for Six Guilds of Tamarra
The Aegis of the Six (or the Aegis, for short) is an internal security force maintained collectively by all six Guilds. Because the Guilds are neither a political nor a military organization, they do not have any sort of standing army. However, in addition to normal burglary, Guild houses can sometimes be the targets of attack by Sorcerers, rogue Channels, or anti-Channel groups, with the goal being anything from spying, to theft of the valuable items they may contain, to pure violence.
The Aegis was created to protect against such dangers. Spread across the Continent of Tamarra are about 150 Channels and 2,500 Guild Wards (non-Channels who work for the Aegis*). They are trained in the arts of both combat and detection, with the sole purpose of defending the Guild houses against everything from covert infiltration to overt assault.
Command Structure
The Aegis of the Six has adopted a quasi-military hierarchy, with a General in charge of the group as a whole and a Lieutenant overseeing each of the four regions of Tamarra. Interestingly, the Guild Charter stipulates that these positions must be held by Wards, not Channels.. As strategists, they must be well-versed in the use of every conceivable type of Power, weapon, and mundane tactic. Due to the Guilds’ impressive wealth and the small size of the Aegis, they have been able to attract talent on the same level as any of the major militaries on the continent. There are even rumors that the Mentarch’s Guild has given them enhanced mental prowess for this purpose, perhaps making them some of the greatest military minds on the continent. Or so the rumors go.
The General is a crawn named Vizzex Rizisz. The Lieutenants are as follows:
Southern Region: a dwaheely named Teesu; Northern Region: a crawn named Daz Trakh; Central Region: an ushen named Kholein;Naldrin Region: a dwarf named Tork, of the Steelsmith Clan.
The Enforcers
There is one small group within the Aegis that could best be called “special operations.” This group is known as the Enforcers, and they have three main objectives: to put down rogue Channels who pose a threat too difficult to be dealt with by local governments; to infiltrate and destroy violently anti-Guild organizations; and to hunt down and destroy sorcerers.
The Enforcers are made up of 36 Channels — 6 from each Guild — all of whom must have overcome at least the 12th barrier in their primary Energy, the 6th barrier in that Energy’s opposing Energy, and the 3rd barrier in the other four Energies. These Channels are specialized in combat, all have at least some proficiency with weapons and armor, and many are highly talented warriors even without using their Powers. These Channels are joined by 150 Guild Wards, some of the most highly trained (and, it is strongly rumored, Energetically enhanced) warriors on Tamarra. They are specifically trained in fighting Energy users and resisting Energetic effects.
The Enforcers are led by a Commander who answers only to the General of the Aegis. While the Commander takes broad orders from the General, they are generally given great autonomy to deal with situations as they see fit. The current Commander of the Enforcers is a human known as Ordon of the Whirling Blades.
Sometimes the Enforcers are utilized in other ways. Large political entities or organizations will sometimes hire them to deal with other problems — helping to defend a city from an army of rampaging julkas, for instance. The Guilds do this only rarely, and only when they feel they are safe from repercussions, as they try to stay out of politics. Their most extensive involvement in non-Energetic affairs was in The Stillness War, when all the nations of the continent recognized them for their heroic contributions to defeating the Undead scourge.
*The ethics of the Guild practice of taking in children for this role has been the cause of much debate.