Manticores

"Torch the wicked, light the world" - Manticores' motto

The Manticores, known often as the Paragons, Silver Sentinels and Warrior Kings, were an elite unit in the Miratine army during the Wraith War; widely regarded as the greatest in Bara's history. Founded by Nariah Greenfort, the Manticores recruited from already famous warrior cultures from across the globe, from the Myrinese Ironhearts to the Skanian Icewalkers. The Manticores were designed to be mythic paragons of heroism - each Soul-fashioned with pioneering sorcery and fed through a godly training regime. The world's greatest generals, mystics and craftspeople assembled to build an unrivalled fighting force.

Originally, the Manticores were made to be an invincible field army, designed to crush Wraiths consistently in pitched battles. This would serve to inspire confidence in the world, to show them the light of Bara was not yet exstinguished. Over time, the Manticores diversified themselves: training sub-groups that specialised in more shadowy operations and the safeguarding of royalty.

Founding
This goal they completed brilliantly; earning their first victory at the Battle of the Eclipse, where a force of a hundred Manticores repelled a legion of Wraiths, without a single fatality.

Armour Equipment
Manticores were granted with the greatest panoply of war possible at the time. Thanks to the stress the war put on Bara, scientific advancement exploded, much of which was dedicated to outfitting the worlds greatest warriors.

Armour
Originally, the Manticores were crafted a standard suit of full plate armour, fit to be impervious in pitched battles. This raiment was named Griffin Plate and became the Manticores most iconic look. At the time of its forging, alloy battle armour often left open areas protected by leather or other hardy substitutes; Griffin plate was different in that, combined with a mail undercoat, it completely covered the individual. The alloy itself, Ichorite, was a state-of-the-art material that was lightweight, intensely durable and was comprised of such a concoction of metals it could not be bent with magic. This made Manticores juggernauts of war: clad head-to-toe in perfectly weighted body armour that allowed for lightning-fast movement.

The mail in the coat beneath was forged from Looping Steel, a subterranean crystal that naturally grows in arcs, so it could be hammered into sheets of mail with little effort.