The Imperial Guard

The Imperial Guard is the Central Empire's main fighting force. Broken up into: Infantry, Cavalry, and Special operations, the Imperial Guard primarily defend the Empire's borders and conquer new land. It is compulsory for all Imperial citizens between the ages of (16 for Navy) 18 and 24 to take up temporary military service.

History
The Central Empire has always had a military force though prior to 3025, it was one force which operated as both a police and a defensive force. They often worked alongside militia until the Prevention of Internal Conflicts act, which prevented the formation of Imperially recognised Militia groups. The Imperial Guard started in 3025 as the Empires grand fighting force. the celebration of the formation included Empire wide festivities and parades and military displays. The Guard was made up of the already highly trained imperial Army which had been used from the very formation of the Empire.

Regiments
The Imperial Guard is broken into four subdivisions, and each is broken down into separate regiments:

Officers:
Lord Defender Endwhere: Francis Endwhere was born in 3243. At age 16 he joined the Imperial Guard and fought in the 5th Infantry for three years. At 19 his skills were realised and he spent only one year in the Special Arms Battalion ("Crows Talon") During this time he was put through some difficult scenarios which still play on his mind today. After leaving Crow's Talon he was dissallowed back into the regulars (Due to knowledge of top secret information) so his commanding officer at the time, raised him through the ranks to a Lieutenant. At 21 He achieved the Rank of Captain and Major in one year. It wasn't until age 25 until he was given the rank of Colonel. At this time he was given his standard discharge. Now and officer and a "Gentleman", Endwhere was sought after by the Office of Internal Affairs to work in the Elite Guard. He was hand-picked by Empress Elexandria to be her new Lord Defender.

Lord Admiral Gloom: 

Lord Admiral Kit Gloom, from the powerful Gloom family, is a disciplined, calculating officer, and he commands the entire Imperial Navy. He is known for his keen sense of tactics, his iron-fisted control and his cold way of dealing with people, friend or foe.

He joined the Navy when he was 14, as a midshipman. He rose steadily through the ranks and came to own a ship called the Dauntless, and showed military prowess which eventually elevated him to Admiral. He became good friends with Lord Admiral Ramsey, who was later killed in a battle and his title and power passed to Gloom.

After several of his old Navy friends died, Gloom became reclusive. His leadership turned from one of even-handed effiency to a cold, calculating affair. He did not toy with men's lives, but he showed little compassion for his enemies. When officers he deemed incompetent and useless were demoted, he turned down their challenges to duel. When they called him a coward, he had them thrown out of the Navy.

Despite his lack of social skills, Gloom is a dangerous adversary, and though he has lost battles, the Navy under his command has never lost a war.

Infantry:
The Regular fighting force of the Imperial Guard, all soldiers go through basic training with the infantry, and stay in the Infantry Barracks for 6 months of intial training and 6 months of primary active duty. After this time soldiers may specialise to either a different regiment in the infantry, Cavalry of Special Operations.

Existing Regiments:

5th Infantry: The Fifth Infantry are the backbone of most military operations, made up of Line and Flank companies the Fifth take the main defensive.

12th Infantry: The Twelth Infantry are a light foot regiment, meaning they run close into contact with the enemy and harass them from a distance with gunfire.

1st Engineers: The First Engineers, are the Imperial Guard's engineering division. Their roles include, Demolitions, Building bridiges and facilitating railways.

42nd Rifles: The Forty Second are a rifle detatchment of Infantry, trained to use precision scoped rifles their job is to remove important characters from the field of battle without getting close to the frey, and to skirmish the battle field, and sometimes operate as scouts alongside the special operations. Imperial Artillery: The Artillery are the Cannon experts. They use high calibre heavy guns to destroy the enemy from a long distance.

Imperial Marines: The Seaborne infantry operations of the Empire. Whereas sailors are not trained to great extent with weapons, the Marines are trained in all fields of combat, from on deck to on land.

Cavalry:
The Cavalry is the fast paced, destructive, yet elegant mounted division of the Imperial Guard. Cavalry men join after the first year of military training.

Imperial Guard 9th Cavalry: The 9th cavalry is the last remaining of 10 horse mounted Imperial Army regiments. The cavalry specialise in line charges and other mounted warfare. The 9th cavalry was originally a medium cavalry regiment, commonly using line charges to attack the enemy. But since the dissolution of the other regiments, they have incorporated heavier and lighter roles. Such roles include punching a hole in enemy lines and scouting.

Special Operations:
The Imperial Guard's Special Operations are used for clandestine and unconventional conflicts and procedures. All special operations personnel require a higher level of training than that of infantry and cavalry.

Existing Regiments:

3rd Signals: The Third Signals listen to frequencies and signals from everywhere across the empire, and can interpret Tribal Languages. Most Signals Operatives are University Graduates.

Special Arms Battalion "Crow's Talon": Crow's Talon is the Empire's Highly Trained Clandestine and Unconventional warfare operations group. Crow's Talon, Officially titled the Special Armed Forces, are a highly secretive branch of the Imperial Guard, and work closely in conjunction with the office of Internal affairs. The Group's activities include anything that someone could consider highly immoral or needing to be "off the books."