WARLORD AND HEARTHGUARD
To guard against the misuse of Brotherhood troops by unscrupulous stronghold Lords, a Brotherhood force is, always led by a close relative of the Lord, known as theWarlord. Under his personal command is a unit of the Hearthguard, drawn from the Lord's loyal retainers, who form an aristocratic class in the stronghold.
The Hearthguard is a warrior elite, and their status is reflected in their fondness for lavishly-ornamented gold jewellery. Belts, buckles, chains, pieces of armour and even weapons are decorated with traditional designs in gold and other precious metals, and a Hearthguard's prowess is displayed in the form of these decorative items.
It is traditional for a Lord to present a Hearthguard with a gift in recognition of valour and loyalty, which is nearly always specially made - sometimes by the hand of the Lord himself, the highest of honours - and is often decorated with scenes of the event which it commemorates. These trophies are handed down from father to son, and a leading member of a long-established Hearthguard family can be expected to take the field resplendent with priceless antique jewellery. Unlike the normal Squat principle of succession, where everything passes to the heirs on a Squat's death, a Hearthguard cannot inherit his dead father's jewellery and trophies until he has won his first trophy on his own account; he then inherits his father's name, along with his full panoply of jewellery and equipment. The adopted name of a Hearthguard commemorates the greatest deed of his father, and will remind him and his companions of his ancestor's fame.
Because of their richly decorated equipment and other trophies, the Hearthguard are very individual in their appearance, and do not wear any kind of uniform. Each Squat's equipment and jewellery tells of his own deeds and those of his forebears, and the Hearthguard vie with each other in the distinctiveness and splendour of their appearance. Archaic and mediaeval styles are very popular, with lavish decoration in traditional patterns. It has often been remarked that a Warlord and his Hearthguard on their motorbikes bear more than a passing resemblance to the armoured knights on horseback who may be found in many mediaeval cultures.
Rather like the knights of mediaeval worlds, Warlords and Hearthguard often have magnificent suits of exo-armour, all-enclosing, sealed and self-powered environment suits built for them by the Engineers Guild. Like other Hearthguard equipment, exo-armour is handed down from father to son, and is perhaps the proudest status symbol of the Squat military aristocracy.
One detail which is common to the whole of the Hearthguard is the stylised image of a Squat face, which appears on armour, helmets, pendants and other pieces of jewellery. This is an image associated with Squat ancestor- worship, representing the spirits of the ancestors watching over their descendants.
Aus dem WD UK 111
To guard against the misuse of Brotherhood troops by unscrupulous stronghold Lords, a Brotherhood force is, always led by a close relative of the Lord, known as theWarlord. Under his personal command is a unit of the Hearthguard, drawn from the Lord's loyal retainers, who form an aristocratic class in the stronghold.
The Hearthguard is a warrior elite, and their status is reflected in their fondness for lavishly-ornamented gold jewellery. Belts, buckles, chains, pieces of armour and even weapons are decorated with traditional designs in gold and other precious metals, and a Hearthguard's prowess is displayed in the form of these decorative items.
It is traditional for a Lord to present a Hearthguard with a gift in recognition of valour and loyalty, which is nearly always specially made - sometimes by the hand of the Lord himself, the highest of honours - and is often decorated with scenes of the event which it commemorates. These trophies are handed down from father to son, and a leading member of a long-established Hearthguard family can be expected to take the field resplendent with priceless antique jewellery. Unlike the normal Squat principle of succession, where everything passes to the heirs on a Squat's death, a Hearthguard cannot inherit his dead father's jewellery and trophies until he has won his first trophy on his own account; he then inherits his father's name, along with his full panoply of jewellery and equipment. The adopted name of a Hearthguard commemorates the greatest deed of his father, and will remind him and his companions of his ancestor's fame.
Because of their richly decorated equipment and other trophies, the Hearthguard are very individual in their appearance, and do not wear any kind of uniform. Each Squat's equipment and jewellery tells of his own deeds and those of his forebears, and the Hearthguard vie with each other in the distinctiveness and splendour of their appearance. Archaic and mediaeval styles are very popular, with lavish decoration in traditional patterns. It has often been remarked that a Warlord and his Hearthguard on their motorbikes bear more than a passing resemblance to the armoured knights on horseback who may be found in many mediaeval cultures.
Rather like the knights of mediaeval worlds, Warlords and Hearthguard often have magnificent suits of exo-armour, all-enclosing, sealed and self-powered environment suits built for them by the Engineers Guild. Like other Hearthguard equipment, exo-armour is handed down from father to son, and is perhaps the proudest status symbol of the Squat military aristocracy.
One detail which is common to the whole of the Hearthguard is the stylised image of a Squat face, which appears on armour, helmets, pendants and other pieces of jewellery. This is an image associated with Squat ancestor- worship, representing the spirits of the ancestors watching over their descendants.
Aus dem WD UK 111