Gladio Heredite
Gladio Heredite, also written Gladius Heredite, is an elite cavalry unit of the Empire and the regiment of renown of The Marble Seat, the capital province.1
The heir’s command
By tradition the heir governs the city and province of the Marble Seat while the Emperor rules the realm. When the crown prince reaches the age to wield a sword, he takes command of Gladio Heredite and his mentor begins to train him in military matters, so that when he one day takes the throne he is versed in both civil and military affairs.1
The unit is made up entirely of the nobly born. Its history is told in Guardians of the Heir by Oscar Aphis.2
On Victory Day
On Victory Day, Crown Prince Vaden II fought with honour at the head of Gladio Heredite.3
In Sürgün Günlükleri
In the campaign Sürgün Günlükleri ("Exile Chronicles"), the Emperor sends Crown Prince Conrad to put down a rebellion, and the prince's guard cavalry rides with him under a white eagle, also called Gladius Heredite. On the field it is commanded by the prince's elderly tutor, Sir Frederich, who counsels negotiation rather than bloodshed.4
When the siege of a fortress held by Kemp Corvus and his companions is lifted, a regular cavalry force of some two hundred and fifty to two hundred and eighty riders arrives there, part of it recognisable as the prince's guard. Its high-ranking commander reports three clashes won and the enemy scattered, though Rainer has escaped. Unable to spare soldiers, he gives each of the company a horse, allows his exhausted riders a few minutes' rest and leads them back at a gallop, so that the prince is not left unguarded.5
When a disciplined hobgoblin host comes down on both human armies, the prince orders the Gladius Heredite to charge. Frederich declares that the command is still his and calls on the riders to form behind him one last time, then draws his sword and leads them into the flank of the fighting, in what is to be remembered as the Battle of the Flat Valley. His horse is brought down by an arrow and he falls senseless among the enemy, until Kemp Corvus fights his way to him and drags him clear.6
Notes
- ↑BookLands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide, p. 37
- ↑BookLands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide, p. 49
- ↑BookLands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide, p. 14
- ↑At the tableYol | DnD 5E Oynanış #17 (Sürgün Günlükleri #17), 1:33:00, 2:14:07, 2:43:51
- ↑At the tableMorior İnvictis | DnD 5e Oynanış #21 (Sürgün Günlükleri #21), 2:51:40, 2:55:50, 2:57:08, 2:57:58
- ↑At the tableİsyanın Sonu | DnD 5E Oynanış #24 (Sürgün Günlükleri #24), 2:00:44, 2:06:12, 2:07:54, 2:09:33
Sources
This article draws on:
Books
- SSGLands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide(Bad Badger Games, 2024), pp. 14, 37, 49
Related articles
RegionThe Marble SeatThe capital province of the Empire, smallest in size but first in standing, traditionally governed by the heir to the throne.ConceptGuardians of the HeirOscar Aphis's history of the Gladius Heredite, the all-nobleborn cavalry unit that the crown princes traditionally command.CharacterVaden IIThe son and heir of Emperor Vaden I, who fought with honour on Victory Day, took the throne after his father's assassination in 24 AVD, outlawed the Order of Chain and was dethroned in the civil war that brought Elatan I to power.EventVictory DayThe battle outside Marble City where the Grand Alliance and the Order of Chain defeated the Heralds of the Dark One. It ended the Third Age, and the calendar records every date before or after it.OrganisationCompany of thirtyThe small force of legionaries and the prince's soldiers that the crown prince placed under Kemp Corvus in the Sürgün Günlükleri campaign to look into a rebellion, marching under the sturgeon banners of House Corvus.OrganisationOrder of ChainThe ancient order of the Chain Wardens, the only ones able to detect and destroy the voidborn, and the first and last line of defence against threats from beyond the world. It rallied the Grand Alliance on Victory Day, was outlawed by Vaden II and was helped to rebuild by Elatan I.Organisation9th LegionAn imperial legion. The war priest Cassius Fillius served under it in the Northern Provinces, where he befriended the dragonborn Zardrak Throneguard.OrganisationCity WatchThe civic watch of Vansreik. The Reik Storms are technically a separate organisation, but in practice they are the City Watch with better gear.OrganisationDwarven RangersThe highly trained scouts on whom the dwarves rely to guard the routes above and below ground. Masters of mountain and tunnel, they are held to serve their clans as eyes and ears.OrganisationEmpire’s NavyThe naval forces of the Empire, with which the Brine Blades are seeking new relations.