The Circle of Shields

*"We are here to help"* (Circle of Shields motto)

The **Circle of Shields** is the defensive military arm of The Circle. They are the selected portion of the population which shows mild mental and physical aptitude for combat. They are trained as a standing army and town guard, keeping the law during times of peace, and keeping the defenses in times of war.

* They are the only army to still employ krak powder weaponry after the Great War.
* They are the only army to use rubber tension weaponry
* They are primarily trained in de escalation tactics for law enforcement
* They are incredilby effective at ranged weaponry, however are notably vulnerable in melee compared to commonly fought opponents.
* They are noted for having high morale

## Recruitment

*"We look for a certain balance. The ability to fight without the urge to kill, the ability to endure without a complete detachment. We give those people other jobs"* (Circle recruiter)

## Training

Circle recruits are typically trained primarily in the use of ranged weaponry such as the repeater crossbow. They are lightly trained in the use of pikes as defensive tools. Some soldiers are trained to operate the siege weapons and in some cases the specialty gear such as "steam shots" or Krak pipes.

Aside from their tactics and combat training, Circle of shields are trained in de escalation techniques and peacekeeping tactics.

## Uniforms

*"Anyone can look dangerous while holding a weapon, it is a much greater challenge to look reassuring in both times of war and times of peace"* (Collective tailor "Sharply dressed")

The guard doctrine put emphasis on looking the part of a force of order, thus wearing crisp, clean uniforms is a common practice among friendly forces. The guard uniforms are made to balance practicality whith looking comforting to citizens.

### **Southern Wall**

The Southern Wall generally wear thicker Trenchcoats in the winter.

## Equipment

> *"Its the damnedest thing, I've never seen anything like this in my life"* (Outer circle recruit stretching the rubber tension wire of his repeater crossbow)
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The friendship guard is responsible for the highest concentration of Krak powder weapons per soldier. Roughly in every cohort of 200 soldiers will have a 10 man squad assisting them often called "Krak teams" or "Krak gunners" These krak weapons are known for being devastating on lightly armored to unarmored flesh, capable of stopping a charging Goran berserker in a single shot and going straight through light to medium armor, however they are slow to reload and due to the extreme stress on the barrels they are prone to explosions and misfires if not cared for regularly.

In the case of giften marksmen they are given long range machined rifles often using imported high quality steel and machined in friendly capitols. Snipers or "Krak shots" are employed one in an army of 800 guards.

Most of the friendship guard are assigned repeater crossbows and other fast firing tension weapons designed to fill the air with projectiles. Their standard infantry are often given light armor and pikes.

* The light repeater crossbow is the most common form of ranged weapon, typically weak in power but incredibly fast firing.
* The most common form of melee weapon for the circle is the pike, which is typically crossed at the top like a boar spear.
* Friendship guard weapons employ rubber tension wires
* Krak powder weapons are mostly ineffective against Armored riders, Ashed mercenaries, and Goran Juggernauts
* Friendly snipers are told to target officers first.
* Friendship Officers are known to carry gearwatches
* the squad of 10 Krak gunners use smooth bore single shot that take roughly one minute to reload
* The long barreled sniper rifles are referred to as "Krak pipes"

### **The Defensive Guard**

The defensive guard typically stays around cities and towns of The Circle on the friendly side of the wall. They stay near the cities due to the nature of their most powerful weaponry and their directive with is to protect as many people as possible in the event of enemy activity within their borders.

**Steam shots**

*"So as you see, this doesn't violate the Barrensoil Treaty in the slightest. You presented us with a problem and we found a way around them. You didn't want to help us with our problems, and thus you are in no position to interfere with our solutions"* (Friendly representative-Council of the Undying)

Steam shots are the weapons of choice for the defensive guard. They work on the basis of harnessing heated steam pressure to fire a projectile downrange towards a target. These weapons often have to be attached to a steam boiler, or at least have a water reservoir and a heat source such as an open air fire. These weapons when attached to boilers are difficult to move quickly as their mobility is limited by the length of the steam hoses.

The steam boilers often move by a system of rails on city walls, or in the case of moving off the rails the boilers can be mounted onto wagons for easy mobility. They are however prone to pressure leaks and ruptures if attacked.

### **The Wall Guard**

*"The world we come from is worth defending, and sometimes that means risking your life in war so others can live theirs in peace"* (Circle of Shields wall guard)

The Wall guard is broken up into two sections. The living and dead zones. The "Living zone" of the wall is the southern segment near the Kushan borer around the section built by Broken Kingdom masons. This segment of the wall is manned typically by Unclaimed levees raised by the Collective forces offering them an easier way to defend their homeland from Goran incursions. This segment of the wall makes use of rubber tension weaponry, often they are testing prototypes with no two siege engines being alike. Some throwing sharpened metal disks, others throwing thin steel tipped bolts in rapid succession.

* The Southern segment sees the majority of Goran attacks
* While the defense is effective at stopping anyone from crossing, the occasional army or raiding party does get through
* The Unclaimed are more than happy to supply soldiers to the wall for defense
* Many of these are prisoners or other troublemakers that the Circle is more than happy to try and reform while having them defend the wall.

The Northern segment or "Dead zone" is a well kept secret by the Technocracy. This segment of the wall saw heavy use of chemical weaponry most infamously the "Dust". Because of this the ground has been scarred and tainted. Nothing grows on either side of the wall for several hundred yards, guards here must wear breathing masks and protective gear otherwise succumb to the slow death of exposure to the toxic environment. This segment still employs chemical throwers or "dusters" to fend off Goran incursions.

* The Northern segment has never been breached once raised
* Goran send armies of disposable soldiers there mainly out of defiance to keep the circle there
* The Goran are in the habit of building catapults and using the tainted soil as ammunition
* No one outside of the Technocracy knows what happens at the northern segment

## Deployment

Guard Members tend to be stationed around military bases in cities and towns, and man walls and lookout posts in areas where conflict is more likely.

## Tactics

Mobile range tactics

Retreating firing line

Fortification tactics

## Reserves

*"Try as we might, our defenses are not perfect and our foes are great and many. When the wall fails, when the guard can't hold them back, we must look after ourselves"* (Friendly militia)

The reserve militia is made up of a larger force of volunteer civilians which while not high enough in aptitude to be used in the guard still display a capability for defensive operations. These reservists if called upon are given weapons from the local armory and typically used to harass the enemy in guerrilla tactics such as hit and run or saboteur operations. They are never meant to engage the enemy in direct combat, but to cause enough resistance to slow down their advance so as many people as possible can make it to safety before the guard arrives.