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McBeefâ„¢ · **05-16-2015, 05:42 PM**

One thing to note is that before the Garleans came and the grand companies were reformed, most city states just used mercenaries.

Aka the Company of Heroes had to fight many of the early primals. So the grand companies are in fact rather new and still have some growing to do.

I am sure we shall see elites from them more frequently as the story goes on.

Hyrist · **05-16-2015, 05:46 PM**

(05-16-2015, 05:31 PM)Siha Wrote: Just my two cents here on the Rogue's guild thing, and this might just be me, but the OP was talking about GC related, special forces. I don't think the Rogues Guild counts, sure they're an elite force that does sneaky things but they're not related to the Maelstrom at all, they're their own separate thing with their own mission which is to police pirates and make sure they're not hurting La Noscea. As can be seen they even tend to butt heads with the Yellowjackets.

In short, if the theme of an elite force is all you're going for, they would likely apply but if it's official GC related unit that's 'special forces' they would not. That's just of course my opinion so take that as you will!

The thing about that is, and it's even acknowledged directly by the Yellowjackets, is that they are directly under the Admiral's heel, just not recognized publicly as such. While they're not officially part of the Maelstrom structure, technically, neither are the Yellow-jackets, but both are under the jurisdiction ofÂ Merlwyb. But, neither are recognized as the GC proper, that's why I said closer to Secret Ops.

That's about as close to elite forces as you're going to get in Limsa, their structure is very loose. An alternative idea is perhaps be part of a Pirate Crew directly under her command, which would put them in the Crimson Fleet - but they're not known as ground forces, at least, not in any knowledgeable lore.

**Unnamed Mercenary** · **05-16-2015, 08:16 PM**

(05-16-2015, 05:42 PM)Natalie Mcbeef Wrote: One thing to note is that before the Garleans came and the grand companies were reformed, most city states just used mercenaries. Â

Aka the Company of Heroes had to fight many of the early primals. So the grand companies are in fact rather new and still have some growing to do.

I am sure we shall see elites from them more frequently as the story goes on.

Off topic: Before the Garleans came, there were no primals to deal with. Silvertear Lake was stable and Midgardsommr was alive and well. Some beast tribes (iirc, a term the Garleans made) lives peacefully in the cities!

Sounsyy · **05-16-2015, 10:05 PM**

(05-16-2015, 05:46 PM)Hyrist Wrote: While they're not officially part of the Maelstrom structure, technically, neither are the Yellow-jackets

Just wanted to jump in real quick and correct this. The Yellowjackets are actually part of the Maelstrom. "Yellowjacket" is the nickname given to soldiers in Limsa Lominsa's 1st Squadron. The first five of Limsa's nine Knights of the Barracuda squadrons are now a part of the Maelstrom as of 1572.

There's a more detailed breakdown of Limsa Lominsa's military in this thread: Yellowjacket Lore

[Image: ma_visual.png?1379052664]

In addition to Limsa's Maelstrom, Crimson Fleet, and Knights of the Barracuda (which still exist), Limsa employs former Pirate kings under a document called the Galadion Accord. This treaty grants Pirates permission to continue their lifestyle so long as they do not target Lominsans. These "Privateers" are paid for knocking over and looting Garlean warships and turning over the spoils to the Garlond Ironworks for research purposes.

Any pirate who violates this treaty, is punished by the Dutiful Sisters (Rogue's Guild). You could say the Rogues are "special covert forces," but they aren't technically Maelstrom affiliated. They, like the Privateers, are Maelstrom backed - not affiliated.

The Crimson Fleet could also be considered "special forces" in that these six warships are manned by handpicked sailors, pirates and barracuda.

Pretty much everything's already been said about Ul'dah's Bloodsworn and Gridania's Red Otter unit. There's also Gridania's White Rams, currently led by Miah Molkot, which is a special unit of the God's Quiver who hunt down Ixali. Not technically Grand Company affiliated either, but worth mentioning.

Hyrist · **05-16-2015, 11:46 PM**

It's a murky area, looking again at the graph:

[Image: Maelstrom_Org_Chart.png]

(Please note that white text in the image lists Blue Boxed items as "External Entities". It is difficult to read on light backgrounds, sorry.)

The Knights of the Barracuda are under Maelstrom Command in times of need, but they are still not actually part of the structure proper. The Thalassocratcy reserves the right to command these fleets under maritime law.

They're simply in the jurisdiction of the Maelstrom, not unlike the Rogue's Guild. Not in the direct command structure. Their ranking and organization is independent other than they answer ultimately to the Admiral, and a thus Maelstrom Command by her authority. The difference is that the Yellowjackets are publicly recognized as part of the suture of Limsa Lominsa proper. In short, they're closer to police than actual Military, in layman's terms.

This thematic presence is also why they're in rivalry with the Rogue's Guild, as per Rogue story-line. Police vs Sanctioned Vigilantes and whatnot.

Sounsyy · **05-17-2015, 08:03 AM**

(05-16-2015, 11:46 PM)Hyrist Wrote: The Knights of the Barracuda are under Maelstrom Command in times of need, but they are still not actually part of the structure proper. The Thalassocratcy reserves the right to command these fleets under maritime law.

I agree it's incredibly murky area. I can get behind the structure versus commanded idea, but Limsa is, in fact, currently under maritime law (time of need). So currently, those first 5 squadrons have been swallowed into the Maelstrom. The Yellowjackets, being 1st Squadron, are also subject to this. As seen in this quote from Godebert in the Coral Tower:

Godebert Wrote:The Yellowjackets used to be part of the Knights of the Barracuda, but we were swallowed into the Maelstrom during the Calamity. Our voyage through the Maelstrom has hardened both our steel and our resolve.

Quoting from the Maelstrom GC Summary I posted above:

Quote:The Admiral has invoked ancient maritime law, by which she promoted herself to Chief Admiral, effectively expanding her authority to cover not only state and military dealings, but grant her the power to directly command all ships in Lominsan waters.

There's further evidence that the first five Squadrons of the old Lominsan Armada have been completely swallowed by the Maelstrom, ranging from the Yellowjacket Outpost - Skull Valley - now being home to Maelstrom soldiers and Maelstrom structure, to the sightseeing lore behind Barracuda Piers.

Quote:Sightseeing #28 - Camp Skull Valley
Now a strategic outpost for the Maelstrom, Camp Skull Valley was once but a circle of tents occupied by a meager Yellowjacket unit charged with surveilling the area for kobold incursions. Those beastmen foolish enough to venture down from O'Ghomoro were slaughtered and beheaded - their skulls put on display as a warning for others.

Quote:At the heart of the Thalassocratic Navy lies the Crimson Fleet, composed of five independent squadrons, the First through Fifth. The Maelstrom is an extension of the First Squadron, expanding its role as armada flagship and granting it power to administer not only the remaining four squadrons, but the various merchant fleets that navigate the seas of Vylbrand.

Quote:Sightseeing #1 - Barracuda Piers
These docks provide safe mooring for the Thelassocratic Navy's principal squadrons, also know as the Crimson Fleet. To prevent sabotage, admittance to the area is forbidden to the general citizenry; however, on clear days, one may catch a glimpse of the armada flagship, the Triumph, from atop one of Limsa Lominsa's myriad spans.

So if Yellowjackets are the First Squadron, it actually makes it seem like they are the administrative body of the Maelstrom, according to these snippets. But, I think this has gone a little off topic. Don't wanna fill a thread on special forces with the confusing 52-pickup that is Limsa's naval organization.

Ritual · **05-17-2015, 09:58 AM**

Awesome info so far really appreciate it! Just wanted to clarify a few things about special forces as a whole and that's they are classed as elite units, not all they do is very secretive either, SAS members say SAS stands for Speed Agression and Surprise, these element were used for a couple of operations such as Operation Nimrod (Iranian Embassey Siege) and Operation Â Barras.
Â
The Police gave the Military control over Nimrod at 19:07 and the SAS attack at 19:23, using breaching charges to suprise the enemy along with gas and flashbangs, they basically manhandled all hostages and took out 5 of the 6 terrorists, the raid lasted only 17 minutes, with OpBarras they flew in to the middle of an enemy compound using Chinooks and fast roped in. DEVGRU (ST6) also somewhat follow the model of speed and aggression, even 1st SFOD-D (Delta), Americas most secretive unit follows these rules on some occasions, Marines and Rangers are also conidered special forces by the US Military.Â

A special force is a group that undertakes special operations, covert and overt ops, Dragoons as clarified by Franz, being a unit specifically trained to kill dragons would be considered as a type of elite or special force by todays standard, by what I know of Bloodsworn with the information by Erik and Kale, the leves asking you to hunt certain people, I can assume they take on missions like this themselves, an operation that is given to an elite unit because maybe the leader at the time feels the regular people can't do it, could be classed as a special operation, making the force by default a special force based on todays definition. Liking the disscusion on the thread, sorry I haven't replyed for a bit, just been taking in all the info. Also it's fine if it goes a little off-topic, it could open up new thread ideas for other people.

Ritual · **05-17-2015, 09:59 AM**

double post

Sounsyy · **05-17-2015, 10:33 AM**

On a tangent, breaking away from the Grand Companies, there are three special Factions/Companies existing in tandem with the Adventurer's Guild. These are Azeyma's Shields, the Brotherhood of the Broken Blade, and the Horn and Hand.

Quote:Azeyma's Shields
One of the three factions of Eorzea, Azeyma's Shields face the dangers within the city-states as opposed to the threats from without. Because their enemies are not from the Empire or the Beast Tribes, but are members of their own societies, the upper echelons of their association remain well hidden. Often placing themselves directly in harms way as they infiltrate the criminal underworld, Azeyma's Shields seek to bring the most dangerous members of society to swift, and often lethal, justice.

Sometimes dealing directly with the professional intelligence gathering members of The Horn and Hand, their clandestine operations are rarely known to the public at large as the Shields attempt to pervade into, and dismantle, an international criminal organization known only as Zer'maat Five.

As the Shields get closer to their goal, it becomes more and more imperative that their membership remain anonymous. To this end, they will often employ volunteers from throughout the city-states to assist in their operations.

Quote:The Brotherhood of the Broken Blade
One of the three existing factions currently existing in Eorzea, the Brotherhood of the Broken Blade is a structured corps of warriors that take on the threats of the beast tribes in the most complex of situations.

Under the circumstances that an area is threatened by Forgekin and there is no one to counter them, either because the militias cannot intervene, or are too weak to win, the Broken Blades will shoulder the responsibility. Their motivation for this seems to be political esteem and prestige, as they often take on missions with the aim of pleasing organizations such as the Syndicate or the throne of Ishgard.

This does not mean that the Broken Blades are above dishonorable means, however. If it ensures the stability of the realm, their ranks are not above political assassinations, false flag operations, or shady alliances; though, it is with the best of intentions that the Blades step in when weakness, bureaucracy, or corruption poses as big a threat to the cities as does the beast tribes.

To this end, The Brotherhood of the Broken Blade is willing to accept volunteers from among Eorzea's adventurers, so long as they follow the chain of command and serve the best interests of their people.

Quote:The Horn and Hand
One of the three currently existing factions in Eorzea, the Horn and Hand focuses their efforts on non-combative tasks such as intelligence gathering, item recovery, and espionage. These skills are utilized in service of any organization willing to pay for them, as the Horn and Hand are currently overwhelmed by their debts.

Be it at the behest of the other factions, the city-states, or private clients, the ranks of the Horn and Hand are able to masterfully and stealthily navigate the landscape in order to procure rare materials, obtain intelligence, gather evidence, and recover goods thought unobtainable.

It is not all about the pay, however. When lives and land are threatened, the Horn and Hand will not hesitate to assist their allies in any way they can, even it it means losing profits by way of recruiting volunteer adventurers to ensure an operation's success.

With the loss of Faction Levequests in 2.0, these organizations rarely get brought up, but they still exist in the background of 2.0, per the Ashcrown Consortium's involvement in the 2.0 Allied Beastmen Storyline. The Ashcrown Consortium, a secret organization founded by the Sylphs that works very closely with the Horn and Hand, monitors all Crystal Trade across Eorzea and works to restore city-state relations with the estranged Beast Tribes.

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Special Forces in Eorzea.

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