Skura’s left eye! The front street was crawling with Bronze. What’d I do last night? Herrick thought. Too much mead, for one thing. No dusk moss that he could remember. A vague memory of getting into a brawl with some punk noble kid before getting tossed out of the Grottoes. How the hell did I wind up in the back yard of the Captain’s Club, though? And more to the point, how am I going to get out with the Sentinels all over the place?
He ducked back behind the building, buying time to think. Maybe they weren’t here for him. Even if they were, he’d slipped the Bronze before. Be patient, they’ll pass, if not you’re just sleeping off a rough night . . .
He peered around the corner again. A couple of the Sentinels were talking to some kid in the street, while another stared wistfully at a bechi vendor. Suddenly the three of them snapped to attention: a figure in smoke-gray robes approached, wearing elbow-length lizardskin work gloves that matched her knee-high boots.
Skura’s left eye, indeed. If the Inquisitors were involved, things had just gotten a lot more difficult . . .
The backbone of Moru Kel’s defenses, the Sentinels of Koros act as guards for the city, firefighters, and investigators in major criminal activities. They are occasionally called upon when extra hands are needed for emergency infrastrucuture projects. By the grace of Koros, they ensure that the city is safe from internal and external threats, both human and otherwise. Also known as the Bronze (for their bronze weaponry, still employed to this day), the most trusted serve as bodyguards for the Marghoz and his family. Some Sentinels are in the Union of Whiro, but many are not.
Aspiring Sentinels enlist as Initiates, serving an instructional and probationary period before being inducted as full-fledged Sentinels. The period of initiation varies: a veteran soldier might be inducted in as little as six month’s time, while a greenhorn teenager might take several years to reach Sentinel status. Approximately 1/3 of Initiates either drop out or are drummed out without becoming Sentinels.
The Sentinels do not generally deal with petty crime: that is typically handled by the appropriate neighborhood police force. But for severe crimes or threats against the city, they will take the lead to ensure public safety.
All Sentinels take the same oath: “I swear to Koros to defend the city of Moru Kel, its people, and its lord with my heart, my soul, and my body.”
The Sentinels are divided into 3 major groups:
The members of the Sentinels General — simply called officers — form the city’s general defense, firefighters, and oftentimes engineering manpower. By far the largest group in the Sentinels of Koros, they are organized as follows:
Of special note, three of the four divisions are allocated throughout the city. The Expeditionary Division handles patrols of the countryside and is trained for foreign deployment when necessary.
The Marshal of the Sentinels General — a title which rotates between the Marshals annually — reports directly to the Lord Marshal of the Sentinels of Koros.
The city’s investigative branch, the Sentinels Constabulary are highly trained and highly selective. Drawing from the most intellectually curious and diplomatically apt, they have by far the largest proportion of magi of any branch in the Sentinels. They seem to be composed of an unknown number of independent inquisitors. In addition to criminal investigations, the Sentinels Constabulary also handle sensitive political investigations both domestic and foreign.
The wardens of the Sentinels Resolute function as the Marghoz’s personal bodyguard, and oversee the protection of his immediate family. Numbering about 20 at any time, they are selected for their combat prowess, quick decisionmaking, and absolute loyalty to the Marghoz. By far the most selective unit in the city, they are held in great esteem by the rest of the Sentinels. Wardens are empowered to requisition aid from other Sentinels in the line of duty. While the Warden-Marshal is nominally under the command of the Lord Marshal, in practice he reports directly to the Marghoz.
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