Basic Information:

While it is a well known fact the Guard, both Black and Silver, are bonded to Callan Blackthorn, it is important to understand the manner of the bonding in order to understand the relationship between the Emperor and the Guard. The Black Guard has the longest standing relationship with Araxmarr, and as such their bond to him is slightly different than that of the Silver Guard. The differences will be explained in a Black specific and Silver specific explanation below. Regardless of the race of dragon, each Guard, whether First Captain or Sargtlin Renor/Silme (Black/Silver Warrior), the dragon is marked on their right shoulder blade by the Blackthorn Crest, a rampant Black within a ring of black thorns. In the case of the Silvers, the thorns tend to be an almost a tarnished shade of Silver, but not quite Black.

The bond itself is a blood-bond, not a soul-bond. It is however a deep blood-bond and goes far beyond a mark of fealty/loyalty. Once accepted, the blood-bond subjects the Guard in question to something of a network. Each bond leads straight to Callan Blackthorn, Araxmarr to those of the Black Guard, and through this bond, he is peripherally aware of a Guard’s location at all times. Should he so choose, Callan can focus the bond on one particular Guard to learn exactly where he/she is, what they are doing, and with whom.

In day-to-day living, this is rarely done as he considers it an infringement of privacy and an invasion into one’s personal life. This all goes out the window during training or open warfare, as this bond is flung wide open for coordination of Flights, Wings and troops in general. However, given the volatile disposition of the Blacks, as well as the natural friction between Black and Silver, this bond is also used for discipline, when necessary.

A Crude Description of the bond:

This bond is a network, and can be likened to a web of sorts, however, a better visualization would actually be a tree or a branch thereof. Callan is the main branch, the two First Captains, one Black, one Silver, are something of a nexus that then spreads to smaller branches, the Captains, then trickles to the Lieutenants, then the common warriors. Everyone has some ability to ‘ping’ the other along this network, however, the further down the line of rank you go, the less strong this ability becomes. Also, there seems to be an effect of the higher ranking guard having the most loyalty to the Emperor, an almost fanatical level, which gradually dwindles to being little more than common loyalty in the lowest rank.

Callan does make it clear, however, once this mark is made and the bond finalized, that he OWNS the Guard in question. His word in law, even to the extent should he ask him/her to cut their own throat, he expects it done immediately and without question. He would, however, not ask this of a Guard idly or lightly, the circumstances would have to be most extreme. Those who have become one of the Guard understand this, and trust him with their very lives.

This bond also works as a two-way street from Callan to the Guard, as well as from Yarwin to the Guard. Either can initiate it, either can track or ‘ping’ another at will, however, no-one, aside from the First Captains and Captains, can initiate the bond back to the source, unless the bond is intentionally left open for direct communication, as in war time. Callan and Yarwin also make it patently clear that this network is not to be used casually by the Captains, of either rank or color, it is strictly for ‘business use only’ for many reasons.

Black Specific Information:

As mentioned above, this network resembles a tree branch in some ways, with the source being Callan, there being branches connecting down the ranks and all ranks being connect in various degrees, the First Captains having the most control over the Captains, the Captains being in control the most strongly over the Lientenants/WingGuards, and finally, the WingGuards being in control of the common troops. This is a fairly simple manner of networking and has been in place since the Black Guard was created.

Silver Specific Information:

The introduction of the Silver Guard into the rank and file of the Black Guard was done though something of a network tangent. One branch offshoots the source, Callan, to the son, Yarwin, then down the line, the same as with the Black Guard. There is a large amount of abrasion between the two factions, as the both serve Callan, however, the Silvers are also loyal to Yarwin, whereas the Black Guard are decidedly not…at least not of their own free will. To make things worse, as time goes by, the ranks of the two factions are being mixed into Wings of both colors, not just a Wing of Silver or a Wing of Black, which means there may well be a Silver Captain in charge of a Black Lieutenant and a Silver Lieutenant, and the Lieutenants maybe in control of several Silver and Black Sargtlin.

While the intermingling of the two factions may sound like an accident waiting to happen, it serves a purpose. The two groups have to learn to fight FOR one another, not against, as the division between the two could obviously have disastrous consequences when faced with a common enemy.

The Exception:

As Emperor, Callan has an entirely separate network of spies/assassins that is tied to the same source and mark. These operatives are at all times available to him and the information flows freely both ways, however, like the bond to the Guard, it is not to be used flippantly. When in danger or being ’watched’ too closely, this bond can be muted by the spy or assassin to the point it may seem dead, lest their cover be blown. These operatives are ENTIRELY undetected by ANY of the Guard or other blood-bonded person, such as Y‘Roden D‘riel and this includes Yarwin himself. These spies ARE able to use the network to be aware of the location of the Guard, though not in the reverse. Their reasons for needing to keep tabs on the Guard are their own and only Callan Blackthorn is aware why or when the Guard is being tracked. This is handy for situations when a small group is getting out of hand and drawing too much attention to themselves in a setting where their true identity needs to be kept hushed. The operative tracking them can slip in as a diversion and defuse the problem before it escalates into something very noticeable by all the wrong people.