The Gliders Corp

The Gliders have access to some of the most advanced weapons and armor, though in recent years this has been lacking. Each Glider has their own custom armor, covered in blue and white, streamlined and lightweight. The armor is designed for it's wearer, having the right balance of weight, protection, and aerodynamic efficiency. Attached to these suits are the pieces of equipment that make the Gliders able to glide. Huge and intricate, these wings are built using lightweight and strong metal tubes, encased in a silky like fabric. These wings allow the wearer to glide upon the drifts and currents of the sky. Magite (magical infused mineral) is also placed into the gliding system, allowing it to work, and giving the system the final component to work. The magite gives the suit the ability to glide easier and carry the full weight of the wearer, allowing them to glide with grace and skill.

The Gliders Corps makes use of long spears they use to throw and attack their enemies with, and also feature advanced crossbows; they rain down arrows in coordinated attacks, sundering foe after foe. Besides these, the Gliders are given special daggers which can be attached or pulled of the sides of the arms, used for quick cuts and strikes. The Gliders are proficient in other forms of weaponry, such as swords and staffs, but prefer long-ranged or light-weight weapons

The Gliders rely upon almost no vehicles, as distance in the Room is small, and they can quickly travel the short distances on the winds. However, the Gliders Corps due use a few massive blue eagles, breed and magically enhanced to massive proportions. These steeds are often used for long missions or as transporters, and in rare occasions as beast of battle, careening into the enemy with claws and talons. They are typically ridden only by higher ranking officers and specially trained Gliders.   Besides the animals, the smiths of the corps have also designed large wings that could hold several people at once, those these are barely ever used or seen, except perhaps to drop gliders from the sky at blistering speeds.

The Gliders Corps is a military hierarchy, but because of the small numbers of the order, their are very few higher leaders. Most of the Corps members have equal ranking, though experience and age usually counts for leadership. Their are a few small leaders of a small unit of 3-6 members, known as a squad or a flight. Several flights are under supervision of High Flight Commanders, and above them are Division Commanders, who are in-charge of the different divisions of the Gliders. At the very top is the Supreme Corps Commander, who has high control of the Gliders, under answering to the king and only a few other political leaders. The current leader of the Gliders Corps is Treela Oakale "Ole Iron", one of the oldest and toughest Gliders in their history.

One of the reasons as to the Gliders military success is their near-perfect training and battle-coordination tactics. With over 1,000 years of battle practice, the Gliders have mastered their own forms of battle, but remain flexible enough to quickly adapt and change their tactics. Typically, they will go out onto battle in a selected fashion of different squads. Wave after wave of Gliders will pour down from the sky, quickly landing, attacking the enemy forces, and then gliding away before they can be overwhelmed. Archers will rain down arrows, and on-field medics and mages will heal the injured and cast destructive spells. Sometimes, the entire Corps will fight all at once, and this produces battles that are legendary. Their elite skills allow a single Glider to take on a small group of soldiers, and their ability to quickly retreat gives them a serious advantage against the forces of Mig. They maintain total control over the skies, and their elite practice and training has led to the defeat of forces far larger than themselves several times over.

Typically, members who join the Gliders Corps are young orphans or babies, often girls, who are raised by the Corps, and begin intensive training during their childhood. They are taught basic education and very basic magical principles and skills, put through intensive physical training, and learn diverse skills and knowledge from a wide range of subjects. At ages 11-14, the novices begin gliding exercise, learning how to properly move and shift to glide, and studying wind and air direction. They must master these skills, in order to survive and thrive in the air. Each member is trained in the basics of each Division, so that they are capable of covering or working in that division; however, each Glider is highly encouraged to study and master their own interests and skills, be that in medicine, magic, fighting, or repair and building. At ages 15-18, once they are ready, the novices are sent on a rigorous test, and are then able to enter fully into the Gliders Corps.

The Gliders Corps are known for the scouts and information specialists, generally well-trained members of a division or flight specially trained and equipped to scout and survey areas, or to spread messages and other equipment. The "brainheads" of the Gliders Corps are a small group of intelligent individuals who are very knowledgeable in customs, languages, logistics, etc. of other nations and species, and provide intelligence for the rest of the corps to operate upon.

The Gliders have been able to fight off huge numbers and armies due to their elite training and skill. However, in desperate circumstances, the corps call upon less equipped and trained regular soldiers, who are usually guards or defenders of the Blue Castle and other areas. In even rarer circumstances, the Gliders will call upon the people themselves to go to war in defense of Nephinal.

Economy is an interesting aspect of life in the Room, if it can even be called to exist. With the Gliders Corps, the cost can never be to high, as they are the very shield and sword of Nephinal. The corps is granted an appropriate amount of food, clothing, and anything else it requires, but never more, and a large portion of all that is gathered by Nephinal is sent to equip and train the Gliders.

The population of the Gliders Corps fluctuates with the population of Nephinal, and how dire the situation, and this can be seen in its recruitment methods. Many of the recruits are left at the doorsteps of the corps' headquarters, set their by unknown parents who cannot raise the child or wish to get rid of it, or for a thousand other reasons. Orphans are also automatically given to the corps, if no family or friends will claim the child. In times where the corps needs more members, they call together the people of Nephinal to either offer the children needed, or the corps will be forced to take and raise a child as a Gliders. In the most dire of days, whole scores of babies, children, and even up to young adults will be called upon to join the Gliders, in service of their nation.

The creation of the Gliders is unknown, shrouded in the murky early history of Nephinal. According to legend, the wife of Nephin the Great, founder and leader of Nephinal, was known as Laria, said to have blue wings of an eagle, and who first taught the people of Nephinal the art of gliding.    However, most scholars believe that the Gliders Corps were formed much later, possible centuries after the formation of the Nephinal. The most widely accepted theory is that a small group of elite warrior were trained to defend Nephinal from all threats, and as time progressed, they developed their magical and technological skills, slowly mastering the art of gliding, and creating great wings to do this with. Over the centuries, the smiths and craftsmen of Nephinal have enhanced and perfected their arts, and the training of the Gliders Corps became a staple part of society.   The Gliders are a huge part of Nephinal culture and society, the very defense that has held the line for over a thousand years. They are the living representation of the ideals that all Nephinali strive for, the perfect heroes who defend against impossible odds, serve with duty and honor, defend the weak, and perform legendary deeds. Their skill and craft has been honed to perfection, and the mere sight of a great flight of gliders causes any invader to reconsider their plans. There main purpose has been to defend against the larger armies of Mig, which frequently attack the Nephinal, and vice versa. Though far outnumbered, the gliders make up for this with sheer skill and magical training, as well as their ability to glide across the skies and attack from above. During the endless wars over resources, the gliders always act as the first offense and defense, usually losing the Titan Fields to Mig, then reconquering it months or usually years later, almost a type of cycle. However, their have been times, such as the Time of Almost Doom, when the Blue Castle was all that remained, and was besieged by Mig, on the edge of annihilation. It is during this time that the Gliders Corps has shined the brightest, as nameless heroes held the walls fought off impossible hordes. Thus, the cycle of war remains to this day.   But throughout all of the Room, they are respected, if not feared, and the scourge of the monsters of the Scour Fields, or Miganese warlords, or haughty elven nobles. Every day, the people of Nephinal look up in pride and awe as the blue and white armored gliders, sailing on blue wings, soar across their skies, continuing to protect them against the endless wars over the Titan Fields.

The Gliders have always been loyal to Nephinal, as that is their entire point of existence. While their have been some officials who have served only for themselves, they are very rare, and despised by all in Nephinal. The Corps exists to defend and protect Nephinal and her borders, and this has never changed throughout its history, though they achieve this goal has grown extreme in recent years.