Vanguard Cadet

Professionals trained as Vanguard Cadets are rewarded with more than just coin—they gain structure, purpose, and the foundation for a lifelong career within Kendron’s elite security forces. Their starting compensation is modest but consistent, often viewed as a stepping stone to greater roles within the Drakemetal Vanguard, where rank brings both prestige and pay.

Cadets typically receive a stipend of 10 to 15 Drakemetal Tokens (DT) per week, along with standard-issue gear, housing in secure barracks, and regular meals. Their access to military-grade elemental-firearms, armor, and training is itself a valuable benefit, representing significant state investment in their potential. While not wealthy, cadets are supported with all necessities and benefit from the social cachet that comes with Vanguard affiliation.

Those who advance beyond cadet status—into officer roles, field leaders, or technical specialists—can earn significantly more, often 50 to 120 DT per week, depending on assignment, combat exposure, and clearance level.

Vanguard Cadets serve as the foundational tier of Kendron’s elite paramilitary and civil order force, the Drakemetal Vanguard. Their role is twofold: they are both protectors-in-training and ideological apprentices, preparing to enforce the Draconic Accord, maintain civic stability, and uphold the lawful rule of Midasaura Goldenwing through state authority.

Within society, they fill critical support roles in public order, infrastructure security, and crisis response, often assisting senior agents in patrols, checkpoint duties, investigative observation, and containment of magical or technological anomalies. In times of unrest, Cadets may also be deployed for crowd management, border inspection, or logistical coordination during emergencies.

More than just soldiers, they are expected to embody Kendron’s values—discipline, obedience, and reverence for hierarchy—and their visible presence across Platinus reinforces the notion that order is not passive, but actively enforced.

The role of a Vanguard Cadet is viewed with a complex mix of respect, apprehension, and ambition within Kendron’s society—especially in Platinus.

Among the law-abiding and patriotic, particularly those who revere Midasaura and the sanctity of the Draconic Accord, Cadets are seen as noble aspirants—young exemplars of duty preparing to serve the greater good. Families with civic pride often encourage their children to seek placement in the Vanguard, seeing it as a path to stability, honor, and upward mobility.

However, others regard Cadets with suspicion or quiet fear. Their close ties to state authority, especially the Ministry of Civic Harmony and the Watchful Eye divisions, create a sense that they are enforcers first, neighbors second. In districts where civil tensions run high or where magi-tech accidents have led to overreach, Cadets are seen as unproven instruments of state power, watched warily by citizens who remember past crackdowns.

The role is not “low-caste,” but it does carry the stigma of being a testing ground—where the overzealous, the indoctrinated, and the ambitious are forged or discarded. Success in the Vanguard brings prestige. Failure brings reassignment, dishonor, or quiet dismissal.

A Vanguard Cadet is issued a regulation loadout designed for training, patrol, and urban threat response within the civic precincts of Platinus. Their standard kit balances protection, communication, and arcane integration without granting the full authority or resources of a senior Vanguard officer.

Each cadet is equipped with a lightweight drakemetal-reinforced uniform—not full armor, but resistant enough to protect against elemental surges, shrapnel, and street-grade spellcraft. Integrated into the uniform are conduit-threaded gloves that allow safe handling of charged objects or minor magi-tech interfaces.

Their utility belt typically includes a hand-cranked resonance baton (a nonlethal enforcement tool that delivers short-range arcane discharges), mirror-slate badge for identification and command communication, and a small recon scroll-case containing a simplified leyline map and civic enforcement directives for their current patrol zone.

Most are also issued a glyph-stamped bracer—a keyed communication device linked to local Vanguard relays, allowing encrypted contact with superior officers or fast-response squads. These tools are closely monitored, and misuse or tampering is grounds for expulsion from the program.

Yes, the role of a Vanguard Cadet carries real and immediate dangers, despite being considered an entry-level position within the Drakemetal Vanguard. Cadets are frequently deployed into volatile civic districts where unrest, sabotage, and rogue magi-tech incidents are not uncommon. Their patrols often lead them into the outer zones of Meridex Quarter, the deeper transit levels of Shadowmere Depths, or the edges of dragocite-shock zones following a surge or containment breach.

Beyond physical threats, cadets also face arcane exposure risks. Unstable conduit lines, elemental flares, or malfunctioning constructs can cause serious injury if not handled with precision and training. Cadets may also encounter corrupted individuals or Azhra-tainted phenomena during field evaluations, with limited resources to counter them directly.

Socially, the role places them in politically fraught situations. Mistakes made while enforcing laws—especially in affluent districts like Aurumalia—can spark public backlash or disciplinary scrutiny. In short, while they may wear the uniform of order, cadets walk a thin line between civic defense and sacrificial utility.