Royal Guard (group)

Royal Guard is the predecessor of the Kingsglaive in the Final Fantasy XV Universe. Its members make an appearance in Final fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn where they are fought as opponents.

Profile
Royal Guard has both male and female soldiers. They dress in all black in a uniform whose style would later be associated with the Kingsglaive and conceal their faces. The Royal Guards use the monarch's magic, allowing them the power to warp.

Story
The Royal Guard presumably guard the island of Angelgard both from intruders and to see that the "Adagium" locked within will not escape. Verstael Besithia leads a team to Angelgard in M.E. 721 to free the Adagium—none other than Ardyn Lucis Caelum himself—they are attacked by the Royal Guard. When defending himself from the assault Ardyn discovers he can exude daemonic energy from his body to daemonify others and view their memories in the process. Ardyn uses his superhuman powers to dispatch the Royal Guard before passing out and being taken to Niflheim by Verstael.

Seven months later Ardyn has recuperated enough to learn about the state of the world and his own situation. Verstael's laboratory is attacked by the Royal Guard who are on orders to kill Ardyn. Ardyn's shaky mental state has him hallucinate the members of the Royal Guard as his brother Somnus Lucis Caelum, and destroys them.

In M.E. 734 Ardyn infiltrates Insomnia to weaken the Wall and kill King Regis. His rampage through the city is interrupted by the Royal Guard, though he easily reigns supreme, daemonifying the opponents one by one.

In M.E. 741 King Regis establishes the Kingsglaive, which appears to have replaced the Royal Guard.