Editing Swordsworn

{{Cleanup|reason=review needed|date=September 2023}}
{{Update Needed|[[Era Digest: Dark Age]]|[[Field Manual: 3145]]|[[Era Report: 3145]]|[[Turning Points: Irian]]}}
{{InfoBoxFactions
| crest = [[File:Swordsworn -Brigade logo.png|center|200px]]
| factionname = Swordsworn
| year = [[3134]]
| timeperiod = [[Dark Age Era]]
| classification = Coalition
| systems = 
| capital = 
| rulertitle = [[Duke]]
| military = unknown
| secretservice = unknown
}}
The '''Swordsworn''' were a pro-[[House Davion|Davion]] Military Coalition that operated in the [[Republic of the Sphere]] from [[3132]] to [[3136]].

==History==
===Formation===
After [[Devlin Stone]] withdrew from public life in [[3130]], [[Aaron Sandoval (32nd c.)|Aaron Sandoval]], Lord Governor of [[Prefecture IV]] of the Republic, grew increasingly disillusioned with the state. His personal loyalty to Stone, encouraged by his father [[Mark Sandoval|Mark]], did not extend to the Republic as a whole. As time passed, his grandfather [[Mordecai Sandoval-Ito|Mordecai]]'s tales of [[House Davion]] grew more appealing, and [[Corwin Sandoval]] worked to shift Aaron's loyalties. In the wake of [[3132]]'s [[Blackout]], as the Republic fell into war, Aaron made his move, declaring for House Davion and forming a separatist faction, the Swordsworn.<ref name=FDSwordsworn>''Swordsworn'' Faction Dossier</ref><ref name=EDDAp20-22>''Era Digest: Dark Age'', pp. 20-22: "Swordsworn"</ref>

On top of Aaron's personal guard, the Swordsworn attracted many recruits close to Aaron and/or loyal to the [[Federated Suns]], some more won over by Aaron's rhetoric of freedom and prosperity and his record of pro-working class policy, as well as some simply hoping to be on the winning side of the conflict. Their initial focus was on securing Prefecture IV for the Suns, with interest in parts of [[Prefecture III|III]] and [[Prefecture V|V]] as well.<ref name=FDSwordsworn/><ref name=EDDAp20-22/>

===Liao Incursion===
In late 3134, Sandoval saw an opportunity to claim more worlds for House Davion, deploying a large number of Swordsworn troops to [[Prefecture V]] to contest the Capellan Confederation's Incursion into the Republic.

====New Aragon====
By August, elements of the Davion Guards and Ghost Legion were deployed on [[New Aragon]], fighting a brutal battle against Capellan troops for control of the planet.  The local militia force was in disarray after losing their Legate in the fight. Duke Sandoval and his cousin Commander Erik Sandoval-Groell coordinated their troops to route the Liao forces off planet.<ref>''Fortress of Lies'', pp. 1–29: Duke and Erik Sandoval fight with Davion Guards and other units fight off Liao invasion of New Aragon.</ref>

It wasn't until late October when the last Capellan forces left on planet were hunted down. In a notable battle, Commander Sandoval-Groell accompanied Ghost Legion BattleMechs on a 'Mech hunting expedition in the arctic reaches of New Aragon. With five BattleMechs, they were able to overwhelm a lone downgraded Clan ''[[Tundra Wolf]]'' that tried to elude them by fleeing to the ice region.<ref>''Fortress of Lies'', pp. 37–43: Commander Sandoval-Groell and the Ghost Legion hunt down a ''Tundra Wolf'' in arctic area of New Aragon. Noting this was among the final victories for total control of the planet.</ref>

After securing the planet, rumors that the Duke had been lost on [[New Canton]] begun to circulate among the Swordsworn forces. The Duke's DropShip had been heavily damaged by an explosion during liftoff and he was presumed lost in what appeared to be an assassination attempt. However, the Duke was revealed to be alive, having escaped the doomed DropShip in a ''[[Black Hawk]]'' BattleMech equipped with [[improved jump jets]]. The bulk of the Swordsworn forces on New Aragon headed to the next Incursion hot spot on [[Halloran V]].  Duke Sandoval briefly met up with his forces at the Swordsworn fleet staging area in the [[Pleione]] system.  There he named the Davion Guards' commander, Justin Sortek, as Campaign Commander for next assault against the Cappellans while the Duke and Commander Sandoval-Groell were assigned on a diplomatic mission to seek allies and strengthen the coalition.<ref>''Fortress of Lies'', pp. 97–99: Duke tells Erik that he is naming Sortek to head up campaign against Liaos on Halloran V.</ref>

On Halloran V, the Swordsworn were able to repel the Liao forces, and were then sent to [[St. Andre]].

====First Battle for St. Andre====
On St. Andre, Sortek positioned the Swordsworn to confront House Liao's push into the Prefecture. In December the Duke dispatched Commander Sandoval-Groell to take command of troops on planet.  Sortek's forces and the Capellans had both arrived in-system by the 12th, with Sortek landing his troops at an ancient [[SLDF]] Fortress, Fort Ravensgale. The remote base, located in the planet's isolated arctic regions, kept Sortek's forces from engaging the bulk of the enemies.  The Capellans landed in the heart of the planet's populated continent of Georama.  These invaders quickly pushed the defending Swordsworn troops out of position and took the planetary capital of Jerome within days of fighting.  The Swordsworn were weakened by Sortek's reluctance to fully commit his troops, fearing a trap.  Isolated in the Arctic region, Sortek's forces ran low on fuel and ammunition.  Inbound on a DropShip, Commander Sandoval-Groell attempted to advise Sortek on tactics, but struggled with limited intelligence due to his distance from the world.<ref>''Fortress of Lies'', pp. 228–229, 241–242: Swordsworn activities prior to St. Andre fight for the planet.</ref>

After landing on planet, the Commander was able to organize a better defense as the Capellans began to marshal their forces on the shores closest to the Ravensgale cliffs.

The Capellans began a three-pronged assault against the Swordsworn on Christmas Eve. Liao Aerospace forces were unwilling to risk flying through the Fort's powerful array of aerospace defense towers, so the attackers planned an amphibious assault through the tiny seaport settlement of Port Archangel to penetrate the base's defenses and silence the towers. Capellan DropShips waited in orbit as reserves to support the ground offensive. Waves of Capellan BattleMechs emerged from sea having deployed from a special commercial ocean vessel, rushing for the shore through heavy fire from the Swordsworn's coastal defense batteries.  Following the 'Mechs was a combination of VTOL and hovercraft forces.  After overwhelming the port defenses, the Capellans landed heavy ground combat units via ferry in an attempt to infiltrate the base's narrow vehicle tunnels.

Despite being pushed back, the Swordsworn mauled the incoming Liao forces, causing significant attrition of the attacking force. However, the Capellans still managed to penetrate the base's interior perimeter, and the defense towers fell one by one in the face of the Liao onslaught.  When all were lost, the waiting DropShips descended from orbit and hot-dropped their cargo of 'Mechs.  However, the Swordsworn were saved when it was revealed that the Duke and his forces had overwhelmed the Liao's DropShips and landed in their place, rescuing their beleaguered comrades on the ground.

After overwhelming the Liao invaders, the Duke's additional forces dropped off supplies.  Liao troops at the fort and Georama retreated from the planet. The Swordsworn also learned that the Capellans had stripped a considerable amount of their defenses to conduct the invasion of St. Andre.  Using salvage from the battle, the  Swordsworn begin to assemble a second army while the Duke continued with his efforts to build a coalition.<ref>''Fortress of Lies'', pp. 246–252, 262–287, 290–291: Siege of Fort Ravensgale and the aftermath</ref>

====Service for the Suns====
After the death of Duke Sandoval, his remaining forces shifted his support to Erik, becoming a de facto regular unit of the Suns', his personal command.<ref>''The Damocles Sanction'' ch. 1</ref>

====Operation Dawn and Solar Flare====
At the dawn of the [[IlClan Era]], the Swordsworn followed Erik to [[Argyle]], as preparation for their participation at [[Operation DAWN]], the liberation of [[New Avalon]]. They fought under Erik's command for all the battle.<ref>''The Damocles Sanction'' ch. 1-8</ref>

==Organization Description==
Under the leadership of former Lord Governor of Prefecture IV Duke [[Aaron Sandoval II|Aaron Sandoval]] the '''Swordsworn''' were one of the factions to break away from the [[Republic of the Sphere]] in the early [[3130]]'s following the widespread collapse of the [[HPG]] network. They were later absorbed into the [[Federated Suns]].  After the events of [[Fortress of Lies]], the Swordsworn is also co-led by Duke Sandoval's cousin, Commander [[Erik Sandoval-Groell]].

==Composition Description==
The Swordsworn were organized into three [[Combined Arms]] [[Regiment|Regiments]]. These regiments loosely contained enough units to be considered fully functional regiments. When first organized, these units were centered around roughly a company of BattleMechs and civilian/militarized IndustrialMechs, with large numbers of vehicle and infantry forces filling out each of the regiments' ranks.

These regiments were referred to as:

* [[File:Swordsworn Davion Guards logo.png|80px|Davion Guards' Insignia]] [[Davion Guards (Swordsworn)|Davion Guards‎‎]]

* [[File:Swordsworn Ghost Legion logo.png|80px|Ghost Legion's Insignia]] [[Ghost Legion‎‎]]

* [[File:Swordsworn Princes Men logo.png|80px|Prince's Men Insignia]] [[Prince's Men (Swordsworn)|Prince's Men]]

==Color Schemes==
The Swordsworn uses Davion green and blue. Varying swaths of blue are used to denote rank and elite status.<ref>''MWDA: Miniatures''</ref>

==Notes==
* Due to lack of published information, various information regarding specific actions of Prince's Men and the makeup and number of regiments themselves remains unknown as of this writing.

* The original Swordsworn came from Republic worlds, but after rejoining the AFFS, their replacements came, almost exclusively, from Federated Suns' worlds.<ref>''The Damocles Sanction'' ch. 1</ref>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[The Damocles Sanction]]'' (novel)
* ''[[Era Digest: Dark Age]]''
* ''[[Faction Dossiers (MWDA)]]''
* ''[[Fortress of Lies]]'' (novel)
* ''[[MechWarrior: Dark Age]]''


[[Category:Swordsworn]]
[[Category:Factions]]