In theory the Red Guard is comprised of nine legions. Two were decommissioned for valorous service in defense of Tyr when the city fell in the third Charatic War, and currently there is no third or eighth legion. Otherwise the seven remaining legions all comprise six thousand men, ideally organized into cohorts of six hundred each. In effect this is never the case.
As time has elapsed and the habit of fighting pitched battles in marked formation lines has diminished, ties with the traditional method of organization have faded. This is considered a great loss or stunning advance by differing groups, and resolution of the thorny issue is beyond the scope of this article. What has remained constant is the fixed rank structure. Traditionally a Swordsmen, denoted by adding the prefix Ve before the name, is the standard rank of the Red Guard. Swordsmen could be ordered about as determined best by the Senior Swordsman, denoted Svir with complete autonomy. Each cohort had a Svir, and there was one more, the First Svir, assigned to each legion and acted as the personal attache of the legionary commander.
The legionary commander traditionally was the lord of whatever city the legion was stationed at. Historically the Red Guard was commissioned at Dylath-Leen, and the Baron was the first commander. Due to the realities of succession and the usually peaceful nature of it, Barons took office during middle age with some regularity. Thus it became tradition for the Baron to delegate the position to one of his trustworthy aides. This practice was commonplace by the time the Red Guard's allegiance was shifted from directly to Dylath-Leen to the Ashirai Empire, and other feudal city lords adopted it. Thus legionary commanders were normally designated retainers. Their official rank was Field Marshall. They were given formal autonomy in choosing their own staff, subject solely to possible veto via the true legionary commander.
In effect this is no longer the case. Swordsman are organized into files, usually five to ten, with one Swordsman promoted to File Leader. All Swordsmen are required to address their superiors by rank, thus while a File Leader named Horst was still Ve'Horst, the other Swordsman were dissuaded from solely calling him Horst. This lead to the slang 'the Ve' being adopted in reference to a File Leader. File Leaders were noncommissioned officers, making significantly more than standard Swordsmen, and the median time in service required for this promotion was five years. Swordsman senior to ten years were likely considered unreliable or unworthy of being advanced, and rarely if ever made File Leader after twelve. Promotions to File Leader for Swordsmen junior to three years in service were almost unheard of.
Traditionally the Svir fought in the position of First File Leader. In effect the Svir usually acted as a relay between the commissioned officers and file leaders. Thus another position was created for the acting First File Leader, and this had a similar pay increase as 'making your Ve.' Mention must be made that First File Leader was an unofficial rank, and thus other file leaders were not required to call the first Ve by regulations. Implementation was determined by mutual decision based on respect, competency, seniority, or Svir fiat.
The Svir, colloquially referred to as 'Head,' as in 'Head Ve,' was formally senior to every other Swordsman in the Cohort. Officers were not considered Swordsmen as historically they rode to battle and thus were lancers. The Svir was well paid and entrusted with pseudo-commissioned officer authority. They controlled regular pay for their men and recommended junior Swordsmen for promotion. Responsibility for keeping the cohort in fighting shape rested solely on them. A great deal of military politics went into the position, and functional wrangling was common.
The First Svir was simply the highest ranking Svir. The First, and that was the only acceptable truncation of rank, usually had a command staff of twenty to a hundred Swordsmen, including at least one other non-assigned Svir. They were in command protecting the commissioned officers, facillitaing their superiors' requests, and properly disseminating orders to the lower ranks. It cannot be overstated that the First Svir operated effectively with the power of the legionary commander as those officers were wont to categorically agree with their attaches. Thus though a non-commissioned officer, only very foolish junior officers failed to give way to the First.
Regarding commissions, they were handed out on an individual basis to nobles by the Field Marshall personally. Officers thus were not formally loyal to the Red Guard, but to the Field Marshall. This policy formed a division of power between the Baron of Dylath-Leen, Lord of the Ashirai Empire and formal liege of the entire Red Guard, and the subsidiary lords who controlled the cities wherein the garrisons were located. Officer responsibilities were not institutionalized as enlisted positions were, and one legion might have Cohort Commanders for each while another may not recognize the position's existence. As special cases, the conventions of them are also beyond the scope of this article.
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