The Dragonpit
Headquarters of the Blackguard, personal Men at Arms to King Daemon Blackfyre
The Dragonpit once housed the mighty dragons of House Targaryen, before it was stormed and the creatures slaughtered by the local populace. The great structure fell into decay and ruin, serving unofficially as a den of vice and crime, housing homeless squatters, illegal brothels, shady gambling and drinking establishments, and the dens of organised crime gangs. In the reign of King Aerys II the vast structure was cleared out by the city's goldcloaks and great sums spent rebuilding it into a small fortress, destined to house the forces of the Targaryen King. Now dead and his dynasty overthrown, the new King Daemon Blackfyre has ordered the complex taken over by the Blackguard, his own personal army, and maintained as a holdfast within the city to compliment the Red Keep.
The Blackguard
Dressed in black armour with a red trim, shrouded in a red cloak, these men are veterans of Daemon Blackfyre's campaign to seize the Iron Throne. Intimidating in appearance, the soldiers of the Blackguard move with drilled precision, adding to their daunting appearance. Their task is to support the King in maintaining his rule and, while garrisoned in the city during peacetime, to provide a guard for the Dragonpit and the Red Keep.
The Blackguard are divided into independent Regiments commanded by a Knight-Commander, and further into Companies commanded by Captains. Three senior Knight-Commanders are appointed Chapter Masters due to their increased responsibility, and are second only to the Lord Commander himself. These three are the two who command the Regiments posted outside King's Landing at the Whispers and Sharp Point, and the one who is appointed to overall command of the Black Auxilia.
Lord Commander: Lord Commander Donnel Lefford
+11 Duels, +3 Survival, +3 Charisma, +3 Battles
Officer(s): Lord Thorgen Pyre, Lord of the Whispers
+2 Survival, +2 Duel, +2 Battle, +1 Capture
Soldiers
750 Dismounted Knights
3,750 Heavy Infantry
600 Kingswood Gamekeepers (Archers)
1,800 Archers
1,200 Crownlander Knights
= 8,100 men in total
The Dragonpit
Holdfast
+10 Siege Defence
6 months holdout time
Player ownership breakdown of troops
The Regiments of the Blackguard
The Blackguard is divided up into multiple independent Regiments, based within their own barracks, and operating with their own banners and espirit de corps. The Regiments are sub-divided into Companies, each numbering 150 men. A Cavalry Regiment is comprised of four Companies of Horse, while a Foot Regiment has six Companies of Foot (with the First Company being the longest serving and most experienced troops) and four Companies of Archers.
The Royal Cavalry Regiment
(600 Crownlander Knights)
The premiere and most prestigious Regiment of the Blackguard, these men are the Guards of Honour for the King and Maegor's Holdfast. The largest horses and finest crafted armour available go to this Regiment, ensuring they look impressive and intimidating. Based in the Red Keep, they form part of that fortification's garrison. Their pauldron insignia is the Blackfyre dragon.
The Heraldic Guards Cavalry Regiment
(600 Crownlander Knights)
While the Royal Cavalry are the public face of the Blackguard's duties towards the Royal Household, the Heraldic Guard are the Regiment that carry the Blackguard's own banners. Commanded personally by the Lord Commander when in the field, the Heralds see themselves as the Blackguard's foremost warfighting Regiment, while the Royals are the subject of friendly rivalry, taunted with being "show soldiers" or "statues" for the King's public appearances. Based at the Dragonpit, the Heralds assist in patrolling those parts of the city the Goldcloaks ceded to the Blackguard. Their pauldron insignia is a gauntlet, fist closed, pointing upwards.
The Dragon's Teeth Foot Regiment
(150 Dismounted Knights, 750 Heavy Infantry, 600 Kingswood Gamekeepers)
The first Regiment of Foot, the Teeth form the rest of the garrison of the Red Keep. Where the Royals are often found in Maegor's Holdfast or attending the Royal Household, the Teeth are the Blackguard found throughout the remainder of the keep, on the ramparts and gatehouses. Their duties make them most adept at security and protection, and their location makes them a popular destination for ambitious officers sourced from minor nobility, as they are able to serve and mingle among the King's court. Their pauldron insignia is a dragon's head, the teeth bared.
The Dragon's Claws Foot Regiment
(150 Dismounted Knights, 750 Heavy Infantry, 600 Archers)
The second Regiment of Foot, the Claws are based in the Dragonpit and are the lead Regiment in policing Flee Bottom, where the commoners have come to fear the black-armoured soldiers bearing the claw mark on their pauldrons. Their duties make the regiment the most experienced in policing citizens and has given them the reputation of being no-nonsense and hardened, having dealt with many small riots and altercations. Their pauldron insignia is a dragon's foot, open and angled as it the beast were swooping on prey.
The Dragon's Scales Foot Regiment
(150 Dismounted Knights, 750 Heavy Infantry, 600 Archers)
The third Regiment of Foot, the Scales are also based in the Dragonpit and are raised and maintained by the generosity of the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ryker Frey. The soldiers of the Scales assist the Claws in their policing duties in Flea Bottom and provide much of the guard force for the Dragonpit itself, acting as a counterpart to the Teeth who perform similar duties for the Red Keep. In homage to their founding, the Regimental banner contains a small set of twin towers with a bridge between them, alluding to the role of House Frey in the Regiment's establishment. Their pauldrons differ from those of the rest of the Blackguard: rather than a solid plate piece embossed with a Regimental symbol, the Scales wear hardened leather pauldrons with plate scales woven over the top, giving their pauldrons a distinct and unique appearance among the Blackguard Regiments.
The Dragon's Mane Foot Regiment
(150 Dismounted Knights, 750 Heavy Infantry, 600 Archers)
The fourth Regiment of Foot, the Manes are the first Regiment raised outside King's Landing. Based at Sharp Point, one of two non-King's Landing holdfasts controlled by the Blackguard and the site of the order's naval arm, the Regiment trains extensively on both land and sea, making them a marine force of sorts. Their primary duties are controlling the countryside around the holdfast and managing the small port town that exists along the shores by the keep. A popular regiment among seafarers or fisherfolk that end up in the service of the King. Their pauldron insignia is a dragon's head and neck side on, the many small horns at the back of the skull and down the dragon's spine prominently displayed.
The Dragon's Breath Foot Regiment
(150 Dismounted Knights, 750 Heavy Infantry, 600 Archers)
The fifth Regiment of Foot and second raised outside King's Landing, the Breaths are based at the Whispers under the command of Lord Pyre. Located across the Blackwater Bay from their fellows in the Manes, the Breaths are tasked with policing the Cracklaw Point and are easily within reach of the Black Fleet should they require swift movement along the coasts. Their pauldron insignia is a dragon's open mouth, a column of fire erupting forth from it.
The Black Fleet
(5 Narrow Sea Galleons, 10 Heavy Galleys, 10 Levy Ships)
The small squadron of ships commanded by the Blackguard, based at Sharp Point, are primarily used to patrol the local waters and to train with the Manes on moving the regiment overseas quickly. Combined with the Manes the Blackguard forces stationed at Sharp Point represent a sea-mobile element of the Royal Army, allowing them to very quickly deploy to King's Landing to assist their comrades or along the shores of Westeros on the King's business.
Regimental Barracks
The Red Keep: Royal Cavalry, Dragon's Teeth
Dragonpit: Heraldic Guard, Dragon's Claws, Dragon's Scales
Sharp Point: Dragon's Mane, Black Fleet
The Whispers: Dragon's Breath
The Black Auxilia, the "Redcloaks"
Following the treason of the Goldcloaks against King Daemon Blackfyre, their officer corps was arrested en masse and interrogated for answers. Though it turned out the attempt on the King's life was the work of the Lord Commander of the Goldcloaks acting alone, the interrogations revealed a number of other minor misdeeds that showed the Goldcloaks to be a corrupt organisation. As a result the King decreed that the Goldcloaks be disbanded and a new organisation, formed under the wing of the Blackguard, be founded to take their place.
The Black Auxilia were thus founded, adopting the Blackguard's distinctive colour scheme of red and black: black hardened leather armour with a red sword belt and cloak. As they replaced the Goldcloaks, the public began referring to them as the Redcloaks.
As a check against the corruption that tainted the Goldcloaks, the senior officers of the Auxilia are all Blackguard officers. A Chapter Master is appointed to the overall command of the four Black Auxilia Regiments, while each Regiment has a Knight-Commander in command: these five officers are men of the Blackguard itself, not of the Black Auxilia.
The Regiments of the Black Auxilia
Like the Blackguard, the Black Auxilia are formed of Regiments, numbering four in total.
The Auxiliary Cavalry Regiment
(500 Light Cavalry)
Formed primarily to assist with crowd control or as the unit that would be sent out of King's Landing on any business of the Master of Laws, the small cavalry force available to the Auxilia spend most of their time patrolling the open roads around King's Landing itself, where the open country makes mounted men more effective at giving chase. Their unit symbol is a horse rearing up on it's hind legs, teeth bared.
The First through Third Auxiliary Foot Regiments
(1,000 Light Infantry, 500 Archers)
Divided into ten companies, each comprising 100 Light Infantry and 50 Archers, the Auxilia Foot Regiments are responsible for policing the City of King's Landing and manning the seven gates along the city walls. Modelled along the same lines as the Blackguard, the Regiments each have their own banners and symbols and foster a rivalry between each other through regular competition. This has served to improve standards among the men as they aim to out-perform the other Regiments for prestige and for rewards.
The First Regiment's symbol is a lion on its hind legs, carrying a banner in it's front two paws. The Regiment is housed in the West Barracks in King's Landing.
The Second Regiment's symbol is two crossed spears. The Regiment is housed in the East Barracks in King's Landing.
The Third Regiment's symbol is a single stone tower. This Regiment is spread out among the gates: 7 of the companies man a gatehouse each while the remaining 3 patrol the walls between the gatehouses.