S.W.O.R.D.

S.W.O.R.D.
File:SealSWORD.png
Active:	1620 – 1664 (officially); ongoing (rumoured)
Motto	The Sword is sharp and swift
In use by:	Palatini Corps
Allegiance:	Shireroth
Type:	Military Counter-Intelligence, Special Operations
Size:	27,975 + classified others
Nickname:	Invisible Swords, agents of the divine law
Current Commander:	Rofolo Nur Pinito Kasha
Conflicts & Deployments	Kildari schism Elwynnese instability Sxiro-Jingdaoese Confrontation River War The Anarchy of Angularis Martial Law in Goldshire / Civil War in Goldshire Dietsland Hammish Civil War

S.W.O.R.D. (Shireroth's Warriors for Observation, Retribution and Deterrence) was a military organisation active on all possible fronts and in all possible ways to secure the hegemony of the Imperial Republic ranging from counter intelligence and personal protection to warfare. It was established in 1620 under later Kaiser Verion I, and officially disbanded in 1664. During its existence, it was closely tied to the Verionist political movement with many prominent members of the House of Verion either leading the organisation or being involved on a high level. S.W.O.R.D. was at times criticised of being a partisan organisation, more concerned with the well-being of the Verionists than with the greater good of Shireroth.

History

S.W.O.R.D. was founded by Jacob Darylion-Verion after his appointment as Minister of Military Affairs. The powers of the organisation greatly expanded under his reign as Kaiser Verion I. The Kaiser also used money from the Imperial Treasury to finance covert operations of S.W.O.R.D.

S.W.O.R.D. along with Rrakanychan Watch was controversially deployed in 1639 as airborne light infantry during the final battles of annihilation along Posada Ridge during the endgame of the anti-Froyalanish insurgency in the Vale of Angularis. The casualties suffered during these battles, which amounted to 3,830 operatives out of a deployed force of approximately 6,000 field agents, proved to be a debilitating blow which limited the involvement of S.W.O.R.D. during the early phases of the Civil War in Goldshire to intelligence gathering and the provision of training and logistical support to the Jaysh al-Sathrati.

The rout, however, of this proxy force in late 1642 and the subsequent advance of rebel forces towards Cabbagefall forced S.W.O.R.D. to mobilise its cadres once more and rejoin the fray as the Battle of Holwinn developed.

In 1643, S.W.O.R.D. was placed under the administrative control of the Shirerithian Supplies Service. Prior to this S.W.O.R.D. had been customarily treated as an agency outside of the Imperial Forces since it derived its origins and mandate from a Ministerial Ordinance rather than the Martial Code of Shireroth. The change however was made to streamline the organisation and budget of the Ministry of Military Affairs and to allow S.W.O.R.D. to operate more effectively alongside the other specialist directorates - Rrakanychan Watch and the Imperial Order of Technomaezji.

The loyalties of S.W.O.R.D. were tested during the turmoil of the Year of the Four Kaisers, but the decision of Isabella Simrani-Kalirion, in her capacity as Natopian Defence Secretary, to sanction airstrikes against her own husband, the usurper Tokaray al-Osman did much to shield the organisation from purges and reprisals following the end of the civil war.

The organisation, its morale and command structure intact, was able to play a full part in the bitterest fighting [1] of the Hammish Civil War, where Shirerithian infiltration tactics, supported by Natopian air strikes, broke the strength of the NPA aligned Army of New Kirrie, and cleared the way for a sweeping eastwards advance by the Shirerithian backed Hammish Republican Army along a broad front.

In 1664 S.W.O.R.D. was affiliated to the Scholae Sathrati and the legate of that Palatine legion was appointed as Director. The remit of the organisation was directed away from counter-intelligence and towards intelligence, surveillance and force reconnaissance activities. That same year, it was officially disbanded.

Nevertheless, it is widely rumoured in Shirekeep that S.W.O.R.D., or at least a similar organisation, continues to exist as one of the many shadow intelligence forces that operate clandestinely within the labyrinth of Shrithian politics.

Organisation

S.W.O.R.D. comprises of twenty-four regiments specialising in covert operations, infiltration attacks, intelligence gathering and unconventional warfare in all guises. The regiments are named for patron deities and cult figures and foster an especial elan and esprit de corps focused especially upon loyalty to the regiment and the cloak of secrecy that shrouds their activities. The martial culture of the regiments is very strongly aligned with and suffused by the doctrines of Holodomatic Eluino-Zurvanism.

Force Security Bureau

Regiment	Status	Assigned Formation	Assigned Role
Vexillation I	Operational	Eastern Banner Group, Benacia Command	Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
Vexillation II	Operational	Central Banner Group, Benacia Command	Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
Vexillation III	Operational	Southern Banner Group, Benacia Command	Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
Vexillation IV	Operational	Apollonia Command	Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
Vexillation V	Operational	Eastern Armada	Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
Vexillation XVI	Operational	Western Banner Group, Benacia Command	Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
Vexillation XVII	Operational	Northern Banner Group, Benacia Command	Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
Vexillation XVIII	Operational	Shirekeep Garrison	Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition

Intelligence Bureau

Regiment	Status	Station	Assigned Role
Vexillation VI Mithra	Operational	Zy-Rodun	Codes and Communications.
Vexillation VII Daena	Operational	Shirekeep	Panopticon.
Vexillation VIII Mah	Operational	Musica (Brookshire)	Investigations.
Vexillation IX Rashnu	Operational	Tala (Raikoth)	Information and statistics (Archives).
Vexillation X Rapithwin	Operational	Musica (Brookshire)	Maritime Investigations.
Vexillation XIX Zam	Operational	Shirekeep	Inter-service liaison.
Vexillation XX Neriosang	Operational	MoMA Station Talenore	Monitoring Service: Eastern Bureau.
Vexillation XXI Nairyosangha	Operational	Portus Batavi (Batavia)	Monitoring Service: Western Bureau.

Operations Bureau

Regiment	Status	Station	Assigned Role
Vexillation XI	Operational	Sansabury Aerodrome (Lywall)	Long Range Surveillance - Benacia.
Vexillation XII Vouruskasha	Operational	Slomxala (Lywall)	Special Operations - Maritime.
Vexillation XIII Ahriman	Operational	MoMA Station Akis	Long Range Surveillance Units - Apollonia.
Vexillation XIV Aži Dahāka	Operational	MoMA Station Sagittarius	Long Range Surveillance - Keltia.
Vexillation XV	Operational	MoMA Station Talenore	Long Range Surveillance - Corum.
Vexillation XXII	Operational	MoMA Station Talenore	Long Range Surveillance - Eura.
Vexillation XXIII	Operational	MoMA Station Sabatini	Long Range Surveillance - Tapfer.
Vexillation XXIV	Operational	MoMA Station Sabatini	Long Range Surveillance - Cibola.

Director of S.W.O.R.D.

The daily operations of S.W.O.R.D. are run by the Director.

List of S.W.O.R.D. directors

• Jacob Darylion-Verion (1620.5654 – 1625)
• Ivan Verion (1625.5785 – 1628)
• Michael Verion (1628.5867 – 1643) (Removed from post after showing signs of Temporal Haemorrhaging, later discovered to be caused by a rebel psionic attack.)
• Isabella Simrani-Kalirion (1643 –1664)
• Rofolo Nur Pinito Kasha (19.V.1664–1664)