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[Kieran]

THE ROYAL GUARD

This is not the one from the tv series.
That tv series doesn't apply to this RPG in any way.

The Royal Guard of Pride Lands is an ancient organization dedicated to safety and peace of the kingdom and especially of the royal family. It is composed of adult animals, almost any species' individual can be in it but the Captain is always a lion. All members are permanent residents of Pride Lands and chosen by the Supreme Leader, the king/queen.

12 out of the current 28 lions in Mufasa's pride, including Mufasa himself, are Guard members. Minimum age for a lion member is four years old - (that is 18 years old in human terms.) All of them must be able to hold their own in a serious one-on-one fight but those less skilled/able are assigned mainly for duties that don't have a high risk of confrontation. Tasks and missions that require most responsibility and life experience are assigned to mature adults, regardless of the species. Other species may have larger number of individuals as members, especially voles and birds do.

The king has made one of the lions the Captain of the Guard, whose responsibility it is to make sure the Guard functions well and report to the king if anything's wrong with it in between monthly group meetings.

~ MONTHLY MEETINGS ~

All members who aren't currently on a longer mission or task must meet with the king once a month at noon on Full Moon. It's a group gathering in the common cave on Pride Rock where Guard related things are discussed and possible reorganizing of responsibilities may take place. Only the king, the queen and the Guard members are allowed in the cave at that time. Eight birds are absent from every meeting because one needs to be in active duty at the border in every direction, at all times. The Captain of the Guard then fills those birds in about what was discussed in the meeting. Or someone else the king appointed to do so if the Captain for some reason wasn't able to be present.

~  THE GUARD AND THE ROYAL FAMILY ~

All Guard members are below even prince Simba, just like any other subject. They can't tell Simba what to do or not to do. They're allowed to stop him (even physically touch him as long as it doesn't harm the boy) only if they're fairly certain that not doing so will lead to serious injury, illness, or death to the prince. Otherwise they're only allowed to try and talk him out of things and report to the king and/or queen about the situation if needed.

After Scar's exile, Mufasa assigns three of the cleverest, strongest and most skilled lion members available at the time as Simba's bodyguards whenever Simba is let outside without his parents. They're required to give the boy and his friends enough space and freedom to feel as normal as possible, but stick close enough and stay on alert in order to quickly help and protect if needed. This is August through October. In November and forward they're no longer assigned as bodyguards but bird and vole members of the Guard are required to occasionally keep an eye on the prince for general safety.

Queen Sarabi's the second-in-command, as in if Mufasa isn't available when the king is needed in a Guard matter, that matter must be brought to the queen's attention and she'll take care of it however she sees fit. Whenever Mufasa is available Sarabi has no say in the Guard matters. In any matter concerning Simba, both Mufasa and Sarabi are equal, so trouble with Simba of a kind that requires reporting must be reported to whichever parent is found first.

Scar was the third-in-command the same way as Sarabi is the second-in, but he was rarely if ever needed as usually at least one of the ruling couple was available for the Captain to meet. After Scar's exile, Rafiki became the third-in-command and will remain so until Simba comes of age.

~ JOINING THE ROYAL GUARD ~

The initial recruitment of new members is the Guard's leader's responsibility but the actual final approval and official joining is the king's decision. Any member can go suggest possible new members to the leader, who then must meet this person and make the initial evaluation through a thorough interview and some kind of a small practical test.

Then, if the leader reckons the potential might make a valuable and trustworthy addition to the Guard, they'll bring it up in the next monthly group meeting. The potential members aren't in that meeting but just told about, so that the whole Guard will know about it and the leader and the king can arrange a further private meeting with that applicant where the king conducts another exhaustive interview before deciding if the person is allowed to join or not.

If he allows the joining, he'll have the leader to find a mentor for the newbie. The mentor is responsible for keeping the new/young member out of trouble and letting them know about and teaching them all the details and functions of the Guard that a regular pridelander doesn't need to be aware of. Sometimes there might also be a trial period before full membership is granted by the king.

THE GUARD MARK

All Royal Guard members, of all species, carry an identifying mark pressed on their right shoulder by Rafiki. It is given upon full approval of membership from the king. It's Rafiki's thumb print, with a mixture of rare plants' dyes that create a very difficult colour to replicate. The dye mixture is such that doesn't easily wash out of any kind of coat. When it eventually does fade the Guard member must go get it renewed.

A member can be removed from the Guard for a serious enough offense/abuse of the position, in which case they will receive a different mark to signal that they're no longer a member despite carrying the thumb print until it fades away. The removal mark is normal red colour but of the same long lasting goo and a different fingerprint of Rafiki's. It's applied right next to the member mark. If a member simply retires or has to quit for other reasons, instead of an additional mark the member mark will be covered with brown colour. So it's easy to tell who is an active member and who has been removed and who has retired/quit.

~ DUTIES & AUTHORITY ~

They're like the police and the army in human terms. Granted, any able adult member of the pride would be required to fight if there was a war. And in a state of war other species non-Guard animals would be allowed to apply for the fight or offer their other abilities for use but aren't required to by default. Although the king may request/order some non-combat battle service even without volunteered offering, if he feels it necessary. The king and the queen are of course the highest ranking members in both policing and army matters, working most closely with the current leader of the Guard.

Keeping an eye out for and the initial handling of visitors and addressing them with a warm welcoming attitude and asking basic questions like where they come from, who they are, and how long they wish to stay. After Scar’s betrayal and exile to also ask what’s their business in Pride Lands and require the visitor to verify their claimed intentions. If they can’t prove their friendliness and innocence some larger members of the guard must immediately escort the visitor out of the kingdom.

The interrogation must be conducted in a friendly manner but be exhaustive and intense. If the Guard member(s) in question deem it safe, the visitor(s) will be allowed to stay and must be told any important customs and laws of the kingdom, and the Guard must keep a close eye on them as long as they’re inside the borders or near them outside. Visitors must not be let anywhere near any member of the royal family before confirmed safe. These policies get more relaxed as time passes after Scar's thought to have died.

There’s always at least two lion members and two bird members at a time staying at Pride Rock as a second line of defense. If there’s an attack the birds will fly to rally all the lions that aren’t currently at Pride Rock whilst the two or more Guard lions organize the defense force with the king, after making sure the prince and the other cubs are safe. If not there, when the leader of the Royal Guard returns he/she will take over with the king. This is at all times, not related o Scar's crime.

Keeping an eye out for hyenas or other trouble. Any such sightings must be reported to the king immediately. Anyone exiled under bane of death is allowed to be killed on the spot if the Guard can be certain it is the exiled person. If not, a trial involving the king must be held.

Keeping an eye out for any threats from outlands at any time. And to eliminate them appropriately depending on what it is. The Guard is not allowed to use unnecessary force.

Upholding the law and order. To that end they’re allowed to reprimand, detain, and use force but not deadly or unnecessary. They’Forre also allowed to conduct home searches  if it seems necessary for investigation. For serious crimes they’re allowed to place a person under arrest after which they must bring the arrested immediately to Pride Rock where the king will pass judgment on the matter. There must be enough evidence before an arrest can take place.

Many bird members are always assigned to guard the borders in all directions. At least one bird member must be in active duty in every direction at all times.

Three of the best lion members as Simba's bodyguards on outings without his parents. The trio may be different every time, depending on who's available at the time. This is only August through October 1994.

Helping animals in need.

THE ROYAL GUARD MEMBERS


Lions
1/12

Mufasa
(Supreme Leader)

Birds
1/?

Zazu

Voles
0/?

Other species
0/?