Ishida Family

House Ishida

Origins

The origins of House Ishida are lost to time, but the Ishida themselves maintain a tradition that they are descended from a line of Far Eastern nobles who fled from their homeland generations ago.

Present Day

Under the leadership of Mizuhiro the Ishida have managed to elevate themselves into the ranks of the Atamaran nobility. The ancestral home of the Ishida can still be found within the mountains of Sauvia, though few now dwell there due to warfare and tumult.

During the Great Atamaran War, Mizuhiro saw fit to relocate the family home and its heirlooms to Craigmore. They have maintained an active presence in Atamara ever since.

Heraldry

Ishida heraldic device on round shield

The heraldic emblem of House Ishida is a stylised raven with outstretched wings. It is often featured as an argent charge upon a sable field. Individual nobles may include their personal heraldry or initials. The primary colour of House Ishida is sable, as found on the surcoats of Ishida troops and nobles.

Residence

House Ishida's seat is the Ravenholme, an imposing tower built of smooth black rock. Exceedingly lofty in comparison to the structures around it, the Ravenholme is both a fortification and a residence. Raven Guard prowl the highest floor of the tower, keeping watch on the day-to-days within Craigmore, bows ready to shoot at suspicious characters. Barrack spaces and living quarters have been hewn into the walls of the lower levels, ready to house the Raven Guard companies as well as provide guest facilities for visiting nobles.

The Ishida themselves occupy the upper floors, commanding a spectacular view of Craigmore's plains. Compared to the homes of many noble families, the Ravenholme's interiors tend to convey a dark, brooding ambience. Wall-mounted candles provide a measure of light, as many of the hallways and rooms have little more than arrow-slits for windows. Furs are a common item, both as decoration and for warmth.

The Raven Guard

A Captain of the Raven Guard

House Ishida maintains a standing force known as the Raven Guard. Companies of the Guard are assigned to Ishida nobles when they begin their career, and it becomes the noble's responsibility to see that his or her company is maintained and trained for the inevitabilities of service to realm and family.

The 1st Company

Cataphracti of the 1st Company

Formerly deployed as cavalry, the Ishida preference for infantry has led to a reformation of the Raven Guard's elite.

Bereft of their horses, the men of the 1st Company are now clad in massive suits of plate and chain mail known as Cataphracti armour. Replete with face-enclosing helm and stout shields, these elite infantrymen march resolutely across the battlefield secure behind a veritable wall of steel. Weighed down by their armour, the wielding of a sword is a flat impossibility in such conditions. Instead, each man carries a mace or flail, weapons that aim to deliver maximum impact with a minimum of agility. Indeed it is a testament to their intense training that the men of the 1st Company are even able to fight effectively in their armour. Such quality has often led them to be denoted as special forces rather than mere infantry.

Assignment of the 1st Company is an honour not to be taken lightly. The sheer cost of equipping, training and maintaining the Cataphracti means that the cream of the Raven Guard's crop is usually assigned to the heir of House Ishida. As befits the courage and leadership qualities required for lordship over a noble house, most Ishida heirs will elect to lead a charge alongside their men.

The 2nd, 3rd and 4th Companies

Known as the "battle companies" of the Guard, the men of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Companies are trained to fight as tactical infantry.

Raven Guard infantry tactics revolve around the use of heavy shields. The men of the battle companies are taught to fight in close, defensive formations, locking shields to present a stout barrier of wood and steel against any foe. Wild swings of the blade are discouraged; each warrior is trained to make quick stabs using his gladius while keeping the rest of his body behind his shield.

Equipped with such tactics and clad in scale or mail hauberks, it is a small wonder that the battle companies are known for an almost innate stubbornness. They will always prefer to fight in the box formation, and will almost always fortify their camp, even if they intend to remain in the region for only a night.

Notable Members

- Mizuhiro Ishida, Atamara, Cagilan Empire

- Tetsuko Ishida, Atamara, Talerium

- Himeko Ishida, Beluaterra, Melhed