Skysworn (Organization)

The Skysworn

This is an imperial organization employing the sacred arts to serve and protect the Blackflame Empire. They guard the borders. They function largely as police and military on an imperial level. The Skysworn mediate conflicts between the great clans, they fight for the empire alongside the great clans, and investigate high level crimes. The Skysworn also defend the citizens against illegal use of sacred arts from within the empire.

Captain of the Skysworn

See Naru Gwei page

Members

All Skysworn are sacred artists. Naru Gwei, the emperor’s uncle, is the captain, an Underlord. Lowgold is the lowest rank in the Skysworn, but they are only used in extreme need. Squad Leaders include Bai Rou, a Truegold, and Renfei — but she was murdered by Akura Harmony). For a while, one Skysworn squad was led by Eithan Arelius. His unit included Wei Shi Lindon Arelius, Yerin Arelius, Akura Mercy, and Orthos. In extreme need, even the emperor Naru Huan joins the battle, as does his sister Naru Saeya, as well as Cassias Arelius and his wife Naru Jing. When called upon, the entire citizenship can be called upon to fight, as in book 10, Reaper.

Headquarters

The Skysworn are headquartered in Starsweep Tower on Stormrock, the cloudship fortress/city. The fortress includes a hospital and a foundry for smithing weapons, clouds and other magical constructs , including Skysworn armor, as well as a fairly well-stocked library of sacred arts. The huge fortress can float around the empire, but does so only rarely and if needed, because it requires excessive amounts of madra to fuel it. Instead, the Skysworn employ numerous cloudships, which are highly mobile. Excerpt, from Underlord:

The Skysworn’s flying city of Stormrock was built on a massive green cloudbank. Guard towers loomed over forbidding walls of black stone, even as one tower rose over the rest of the city. Starsweep Tower. Headquarters of the Skysworn. Other cloudships, Thousand-Mile Clouds, carriages pulled by winged creatures, and flying sacred artists had to stop at the gates of the city, but Naru Gwei’s cloudship soared over the walls without even slowing down. They headed straight to the highest floor of Starsweep Tower, where a broad path of stone jutted out like a bridge to nowhere. The dock for his ship. (Underlord)

Skysworn Armor

Skysworn armor is deep emerald green. It comes with a tight-fitting cloth suit that's worn beneath it . “There are defensive constructs in the armor that cover the head. That's the real defense, more than the armor itself. And there are protective scripts circling the neck.” (Underlord)

Armor Package Extras

"Lindon flipped the page, running down the list of optional accessories. “Oh, you can order a helmet, you just have to pay for it yourself.” The package includes various extras: a dream construct that could transmit messages, a Thousand-Mile Cloud contained in a compartment on the back, a triggered defense in the form of a wind barrier, passive defenses in the form of scripts that weakened hostile madra and spiritual attacks, and a long list of additional options that could be added by the Skysworn Soulsmiths" ― (Underlord, ch 4).

Armor Shortcomings

“Each of those constructs had to be powered. If it drew on itself for power, it would only last for a few days before needing to be replaced. If the sacred artist fueled the constructs, their madra had to be compatible. Even so, the armor would need near-constant maintenance, and the more options it had, the more expensive it would be to maintain." (Underlord)

Wei Shi Lindon Arelius improved upon his armor with scripts and soulsmithing, aided by Dross and Fisher Gesha