The T’Lana Esh
of Yori (Regina 0510)

The name T’Lana Esh has different meanings in different contexts. Historically, the T’Lana Esh were the tribes of Yori’s Northern Wastes, an arid region north-west of Devil’s Fork. Today, the T’Lana Esh are Yori’s secret service … comprised of the School, the Hand of God special forces company, and the Intelligence Directorate.

The School

In their heyday, the T’Lana Esh tribes were eight nomadic ‘Kels’ (or families), each with several hundred members (mostly Zhurphani).  They moved independently from oasis to oasis, never staying long enough to deplete the local water supply, and were known for their religious zeal and puritanism.

Excess population among the Kels would journey south through Monterra (Devil’s Fork), on a pilgrimage to the Orlot (a mythical holy land).  Such pilgrims were always very devout and would serve as missionaries (proselytizing the Wakshe religion).

For the most part, cooperation between Kels was strong.  But this changed in the 11^th year of Slaan (approximately 600 Pre-Imperial) with the so-called coming of the Sixteen Magi (now thought to be a passing band of Vargr explorer-traders) and subsequent civil war amongst the Kels.  After that, the surviving kels started to die out.

Today, only the Asak Kel survives.  It still maintains the original way of life, except now it also provides a mix of training in desert survival and religious fundamentalism for select trainees from the army.  For this reason, it is sometimes called ‘The School’.  Successful trainees go on to join either the army’s special forces company, the fanatical Hand of God, or the Intelligence Directorate.

The Intelligence Directorate

The Intelligence Directorate’s primary purpose is intelligence gathering and counterespionage, but this also blurs into serious crime investigation.  It is interested in any one and any thing that could be a threat to world security.  It does not require a warrant to perform surveillance activities (including wiretapping and computer hacking).  It will undertake sabotage, abductions, and assassinations, when necessary, though if the target is criminal in nature, it prefers to hand over arrest and prosecution to civilian law enforcement.  The current Director is Advisor Oscar Sero.

The Hand of God

The Hand of God is a company of picked men detached from the regular army and under the control of Advisor Lim Farrell. It is composed of a section-sized HQ (for planning, training, and research) and four independent combat “Sabres” (platoons). A sabre is composed of a squad-sized command post (8 men) and 4 “Troops” (sections). Each troop is seconded from a different battalion type (Scarland, Desert, and Mountain). The fourth troop (Air Troop) is mixed, but all members have previously been seconded to an aerospace group. A troop is composed of 4 “Patrols” (teams) plus a captain and troop sergeant. It’s a repeating organizational pattern modelled after a hand: 4 fingers and a thumb … four and a half patrols make a troop, four and a half troops make a sabre, four and a half sabres make the Hand.

Soldiers enter the Hand for a 4-year term. The first year is spent training, the other three are spent gaining experience (typically as a mercenary on either on Efate or Ruie). They then return to their original unit for a minimum of another 4-year term in which they are expected to impart their skills to the other soldiers.

In keeping with the Holy Slayer heritage there are a number of traditions:

• First, you cannot apply to join the company; the company picks whom it wants to join. Selection is based both on skill and on religious faith and piety.

• Second is a vow of silence: While it may seem strange given their mentoring role after service to the company, nevertheless a soldier in the Hand will never speak of their time with the company. Swearing the Oath of Silence involves an initiation ceremony, and soldiers who have done it refer to themselves as “of the Oath”.

• Third is religion. While the Hand is a modern-day military unit, it is still modelled on the Holy Slayers. A fanatical belief in what they are doing is paramount. So too is purity of spirit (no drunkenness while on leave). And no distractions from outside allegiances (no marriages or long-term relationships).

• Finally is Vengeance. The company demands total loyalty of its members up to the point of death. In return, members of the company are rewarded with absolute loyalty to them by the company. Betraying a member of the Hand is like betraying the whole Hand.

Although drawn from the regular army and organised along military lines, the Hand do not usually fight on the open field. Their preferred modus operandi is urban warfare … disguised as civilians, ambushes, hit and run, snipper attacks, surgical strikes, assassinations … ideally using only one patrol (with a second as backup/reserve but rarely needed).