Founded by Proto Nail'droga, the Ionlann are wholly devoted to Highcroft as a force for the King. Their jurisdiction stretched across the continent, and sometimes beyond, but they are not common guards. In fact, the forces of Highcroft break down into three factions:
Highcroft Militia: the fighting force of Highcroft meant for international conflicts
The Sky Guard: the pegasi riding soldiers who patrol the skies and are specialists in combating dragons and their kin
Ionlann: a special force devoted to solving specific problems dealing with power entities
When one devotes themselves to the Ionlann, they forego identity and the life they had before. They don the traditional Oso over their faces, a skull-like mask, and stand at the beck of the King, though they also track down and intervene in events on his behalf.
There are a handful of orders within the Ionlann, named after groups from Proto's homeland:
Shadeken: the spies, assassins, thieves, and information brokers
Lightken: those who use divine power in service of the King
Steelken: fighters, warriors, and those who use the blade to doll out violence in the King's name
Glimmerken: the wizards, sorcerers, and arcane focused who delve mysteries
Primaken: those allies of nature and the fist to serve the King
Each order is responsible for a different service to Highcroft, often leading to the orders using each other as resources.
Rather than a name, each Ionlann is assigned a number when they join. When one number dies, it is assigned to the next recruit, making for a confusing accounting and record keeping, which seems to be the point.