Kryst

**Kryst** is the metropolis on the island of Krystal, and is currently ruled by Lucien Vandire and Titus Ursari, though there is much tension between the two due to Vandire holding two of three ruling positions.

## Military

The Military of Krystal was once lead by General Titus Ursari, though he was killed in Ahriman's invasion of Krystal. Now, the General's second, Alessa Cinder, has taken his position from her previous post as head of the Ecclesiarchy. The Krystallan millitary is split into three divisions, each with their own council seat. Holding the General position is Cinder, who controls military matters relating to the wider world, including managing Saber teams and Lance teams. The second seat is held by Director Elyna Vasaan, who oversees foreign intelligence, controlling Krystal's Shadow Teams. Lastly, Tiberius Corvus holds the council seat of Warden, being in charge of the defence of Krystal, as the nobility have squandered their chance at it after Vandire, and thus the Warden now commands the Shield Teams.

### Shield Teams

The shield teams of Krystal specialise in the defence of Krystal as a nation and are largest of the six militant divisions. There are several hundred shield teams operating in Krystal, though many soldiers in a shield team never see action, given how difficult it is to enter Krystal in the first place. A shield team is often comprised of a few dozen soldiers, and designated a number, e.g. 104th Shield.

### Sabre Teams

Sabre teams specialise in more routine operations outside of Krystal, such as clean-up after magical accidents or policing low-level breaches of the Laws of Magic. Sabre teams are the most active of the four divisions, constantly being sent out to enforce the laws and to deal with low-power demons, undead and wizards. A sabre team is often well over a dozen strong, and is assigned a letter and number, e.g. Sabre-Team Gamma-Six.

### Shadow Teams

Shadow teams specialise in gathering information from other nations, their agents normally spending their lives as the false identity they have established, all the while reporting back the nation's movements back to Krystal. Alternately, shadow teams can be sent in prior to a sabre team in order to gather intelligence about potential threats or people, something that sabre teams are often ill-equipped for. Lance teams, however, are normally sufficient at both espionage and combat, and thus shadow teams and lance teams rarely work together. Shadow teams are rarely comprised of more than ten, and often during espionage, a shadow team will not meet any of its other members for years at a time.

### Lance Teams

Lance teams are the most highly trained and well equipped of the divisions, dealing with the most major threats to Mundanus, occassionally even sending Lance Teams on single-person missions to be able to deal with multiple tasks at once. There are only ever twenty-four lance teams at any one time, and each lance team is comprised of between three and six members, due to the high training requirement for entry, and to the high demand of equipment that lance teams use. Each lance team is designated a letter, e.g. Lance Team Alpha.

### Void Teams

Aside from Magus Teams, the Void Teams are the most recent of the armed divisions. While their creation by General Ursari was not entirely above board, General Cinder has recognised the usefulness of such a team and is quietly recruiting for additional teams. These teams are classified information to all but the councilors, and they perform tasks that would be highly disreputable for Krystal should evidence lead back to a Lance Team. As such, Void teams are incredibly well trained, even for Lance Team standards, and even better equipped. Some say the Void Teams are Krystal's executioners. Void Teams do not follow a uniform naming style, instead being named on creation after some form of ethereal creature, e.g. Void, Ghost, Wraith.

## Ecclesiarchy

The Ecclesiarchy are a surprisingly powerful group in Krystal, often training many of the mages and priests that make an important part of lance teams and sabre teams, as well as commanding judicial matters, such as appealed cases with the Laws of Magic. The Ecclesiarchy are the true guardians of Krystallan technology and magic, and thus can limit the power of the Military, something that the two factions have argued over feverously in the past. They also have their own militant sect that use this technology and magic, and alone they can rival the Military's Lance Teams in power, though the addition of the Shield teams to the Military's forces make it unlikely for a civil war to take place once again. The Ecclesiarchy hold two seats on the council, the first held by Archmage Laelia Vara who is in charge of the Hallowspire and all magical knowledge employed by Krystal, while the second is held by Chaplain Quintus Casca who commands the Inquisitorial Teams and Centurion Teams to safeguard the sacred relics and technologies of Krystal.

### Inquisitorial Teams

Inquisitorial teams search for corruption within the Krystallan Empire, seeking to ensure that power remains in pure and just hands. They act as shadow-teams, though only acting within the borders of Krystal, seeking to root out betrayal and deception from within, to keep the nation free and able to protect the world and the weak. While formed on just ideals, in practice, inquisitorial teams often border on fanaticism, tending to exaggerate claims, and even approach vigilantism at times.

### Centurion Teams

Centurions are similarly equipped as lance teams, having the same armour and weaponry, though lack the specialist training of a lance team. However, there are nearly twice as many centurions as lance operatives, though they rarely see action, besides hunting down rogue Krystallan mages or dealing with mass corruption that inquisitorial teams are too ill-equipped to deal with. They are the defensive equivalent of the lance teams, staying within Krystal and protecting the nation from itself.

### Magus Teams

The newest of the Krystallan Teams, being formed when Archmage Laelia Vara took her seat on the council. They are formed from the most skilled combatants from the Hallowspire and also trained with knowledge of the illegal magics of the world. While Chaplain Quintus Casca shows concern at the level of knowledge being supplied to these teams, General Cinder believes that these Magus Teams will become a useful asset in the future, especially if a member of a Magus Team can accompany a Sabre or Lance Team on deployment, assisting them with magical knowledge, as Cinder has very much come to favour 'Know Thy Enemy' tactics.

## Nobility

The nobility of Krystal are lead by Lucien Vandire, a charismatic man who is loved by all. The nobility are often passed by when considering the three seats of power in Krystal, when in truth, they likely hold the most power. More often than not, the Military and the Ecclesiarchy will disagree on a matter, and thus a the nobility enter as a tie-breaker, or mediator. This means that the nobility can easily ask favours of both the Military and Ecclesiarchy, perhaps in exchange for a future ruling more in the deal-maker's favour. As of late, however, the nobility's standing in Krystal has all but collapsed due to the actions of Lucien Vandire. When he was deposed of after the civil war, the nobility kept a seat on the council out of tradition and to keep the nation whole after the brutality that had come before, but this seat holds no true power, other than to act as a mediator between other council members.