Radiant Host
| The Radiant Host | |
|---|---|
| Type | Military organisation |
| Parent body | The Luminous Conclave |
| Commands to | Council of Light |
| Divisions | Auragon Corps, Luminous Guard |
| Headquarters | Sanctum of Purity, Lighthaven |
The Radiant Host is the military arm of the Luminous Conclave — the second of the Five Pillars of Radiance, and the institution's instrument of force, protection, and enforcement. It is divided into two distinct divisions that operate in parallel but do not share a command structure: the Auragon Corps and the Luminous Guard.
Together, the two divisions constitute one of the most formidable military forces on Eryndor. Separately, they are very different institutions — in capability, in culture, and in what it means to serve within them.
The Two Divisions
The Auragon Corps
The Conclave's elite fighting force and its most closely guarded institution. Auragons are conditioned soldiers of exceptional capability — forged through a lifetime of training that begins in childhood and leaves little of the original person intact. They are fewer in number than the Guard but vastly more powerful individually, and they are commanded directly by the Council of Light through a strict priority hierarchy. Nine specialisation types exist within the Corps, spanning offensive combat, defence, reconnaissance, healing, spellcasting, and diplomacy.
The Auragon Corps is not commanded by the Lord Marshal and does not fall under the Guard's chain of command. It answers only to the Council.
The Luminous Guard
The conventional military — larger, more visible, and responsible for the daily work of garrisoning cities, patrolling roads, defending temples, and providing the unglamorous backbone of the Conclave's military presence across Eryndor. Guard soldiers are ordinary people who have taken an oath of service. They have families, opinions, complaints, and careers.
The Lord Marshal commands the Guard and coordinates with the Auragon Corps, but cannot issue orders to it.
The Relationship Between Divisions
The two divisions share operational theatres and occasionally work side by side, but their chains of command are entirely separate and their cultures are sharply distinct. Guard soldiers who have served alongside Auragons tend to describe the experience with a mixture of professional jealousy, resentment, and quiet unease. The Auragons receive better equipment, greater Council attention, and the most consequential assignments. The Guard does everything else.
There is also grudging respect. When a situation genuinely deteriorates — when the walls are breached and the enemy is inside — Guard veterans are unanimous that you want Auragons beside you. They do not panic. They do not tire. They do not stop.
In practice, when an Exalted Auragon requests the Guard's cooperation, experienced Guard officers comply. It is not an order. It is professional courtesy extended to something that could end the conversation violently and without hesitation.
Deployment
Within Lighthaven, the two divisions divide responsibility by area: Auragon Sentinels hold the city's main entrances and guard its most sensitive locations, while the Luminous Guard patrols the streets and garrisons the outer districts. This arrangement is most visible at the Sanctum of Purity, where both divisions maintain a permanent presence.
Beyond Lighthaven, the Guard maintains garrisons across the Celestial Plains and in Conclave-aligned regions of Eryndor. Auragon deployments outside Lighthaven are rarer and always Council-authorised — their appearance in the field signals that the Conclave considers a matter of serious importance.