Isolon Fist
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The Isolon Fist is the personal fighting force of the Ps'isol Magiocrats. Currently headed by Commander Kamlon, the Fist is composed of a number of highly trained battlemages, supported by more conventionally armed soldiers and represents the full offensive might of the Council. The Isolon Fist's main role is to protect key Magiocrat interests, such as the Ascarlin mines to the west, and guarding highly sensitive sites, like the Isolon Eye or the Nexus. Because tensions are still lingering between the Isolon Fist and the Vishmitals, as the Fist were the ones deployed against them in some skirmishes taking place between the two factions a few decades ago, Magiocrats regard the Fist as much as a mean to help defend the city, as a mean to keep Vishmitals in check.
The security of the ascarlin mines is one of their main roles, though. The shipments of rare minerals and ascarlin can be worth an unfathomable amount of money, and follow a set route between Negav and the mines. This has made them a prime target for some of the more brazen, and well-armed bandit groups. Patrolling the region around Negav in the eye's range ( or what is the admitted range for an average predator ) is also part of their duty, in order to hold a visible presence and make the numerous bandits and thugs roaming the zone queasy, and keep it relatively safe for commoners. They sometimes engage and drive away predators who stray too close to the city as well. With their excellent training, they are well capable of beating even a giant naga. While dangerous, those later missions present the advantage of striking the imagination of Negavians and bolster the morale of the city. Of course the opposite is also true in case of failure, and they almost never conduct such operations outside of the Eye's range where the risks quickly offset any potential gains.
Organization
The Core of a regular Isolon fist unit is usually two well trained battlemages, whose powers and abilities are complementary in order to create efficient and versatile combinations, with several conventionally armed soldiers. One of the soldier holds the rank of captain, and has the second-highest authority under the two battlemages. Should both of the battlemages die or get incapacitated, the captain will assume command of the squad for the duration of the operation.
The uniform of Isolon Fist battlemages is very recognizable by design. They wear pure, white, hooded cloaks. There are usually markings on the shoulders, as well as along the cloak's borders. The other key element to their uniform is what sits on their chest. On the chest of each cloak, is a shield-shaped piece of metal, roughly the size of a human's hand with various markings and symbols, but the most dominant feature is the engraved image of an open, glaring eye. Because of the battlemage's high status, and the fact that there are relatively few of them compared to other soldiers, each mage also gets a high degree of leeway with personal customization. They can take their cloaks and gear to the official Isolon Fist tailors and armorers, and have all sorts of modifications made. Because of this, no two battlemages' outfits will look exactly alike, the only shared traits between them will be that they both wear white and will both have that distinctive piece of metal somewhere on their uniform. Most battlemages have two outfits at any given time. One uses a completely unmodified cloak, usually worn for formal events and ceremonies. The other outfit will be the personally modified cloak and gear, to be worn out on missions. The clothes worn beneath the cloak are entirely up to the mage's personal preference. They tend to be darker, more practical types of clothing. Some battlemage carry weapons with them, but some chose to remain totally unarmed, to allow a better liberty of movement.
Conventional soldiers of the Isolon Fist wear green, black, brown, and other forest colors. Their clothes typically have lots of pockets with all sorts of gear and weapons in them when heading off on a mission. These soldiers also tend to be equipped with a wide variety of amulets, enchanted items and charms, helping to increase their resistance to curses and illusions, as well as giving the otherwise non-magical soldiers access to a wide variety of beneficial magical effects. They have access to a wide assortment of weaponry depending on the mission and the type of creatures they have the most chances to encounter, whether it is humans, or some of the giant, dangerous creatures that prowl the Felaryan wilderness. The soldiers of the Isolon Fist use everything from assault rifles and grenades, to bows, electric spears, machine-guns or rockets grenade launchers. Most Isolon Fist weapons are often reinforced with enchantments of them, allowing for increased performance, as well as many other special effects.
Recruitment and training
Battlemages are recruited straight out of the Isolon University of Magic. Students who have shown the most magical potential, especially in the realm of more destructive and combat-oriented magic, will be offered the chance to apply for the Fist. Should they pass the extensive physical, mental and magical tests, they will become "grey-cloaks". During their time as grey-cloaks, the recruits will undergo further training and conditioning as the full force of their magical abilities are slowly brought out, and the aspirants are molded into elite soldiers and commanders of men. Once the recruits have completed their training, they are finally officially inducted into the order of battlemages in a secretive, and exclusive ceremony. The grey-cloaks are called up and addressed by name by the current command of the Fist. The magically reactive material in their cloaks is induced to change from dark grey, to the pure white of a battlemage's cloak, and then the recruit is given the metal badge that fully cements their place as a true battlemage. In the weeks following the ceremony, the new battlemages will spend many hours within the Trial Room of the Isolon University of Magic as they work to find the partner battlemage that will be best suited for them and their abilities.
The more conventional soldiers of the Fist come from all over. They can be Negavian-born, or off-worlders, militia men, mercenaries, or even police officers. The only requirement to be a soldier within the Isolon Fist is extreme physical prowess, and the courage to face down everything from bandits to giant, man-eating monsters. Some would argue that the tests, trials and conditioning required to be a soldier in the Fist are even more grueling than what the battlemages have to go through. Even after making it into the Isolon Fist, more tests await, ranging from physical trials, to mental conditioning and classes on Felarya's dangerous flora and fauna, to weapons training meant to familiarize the new soldiers with the arsenal they will be using. Some units count specialists in their ranks such as scouts, spies and saboteurs and some of them have demi-humans such as nekos, inus and, in some rare cases, even hybrids or tauric creatures. Those later are mostly recruited in the Motamo docks. Thanks to their enhanced senses they can excel in their roles, but the high level of suspicions and distrust between them and humans make their usage pretty uncommon.
Because of the stress involved in their jobs, the Isolon Fist works on a rotation system. A unit goes "on rotation" for a certain amount of time, where they can be assigned to a guard detail, or called out on a mission whenever a problem comes up. Once finished, they go "off rotation" and get a certain number of days off, to relax, unwind, and prepare themselves for their next time on rotation.
Known members of the Isolon Fist
Charlotte Langlire
Commander Kamlon
- Credits to Rcs619 for expanding on the description of the Isolon Fist.
