Mythic Vistas: SpirosBlaak - Property Is Theft!

This chapter contains a few of the Archduchy’s more notable
organizations. GMs may use them as key elements in their campaign
or merely as background plot elements.
Barbas Fusiliers
First marshaled at Kannis during a summer of protracted wood elf
raids nearly four centuries earlier, the Barbas Fusiliers were formed
from expert marksmen with forest skills matching those of the elven
invaders’, individuals capable of using the elves’ own tricks against
them. Since, the Barbas Fusiliers served as scouts for the citadel,
patrolling the lands for miles and keeping a lookout for raiders,
bandits, and other threats. Several times since their founding, they
marched to war with the legions, serving as spies, scouts, and
skirmishers, but they are most effective when in their native woods.
The Fusiliers limit their membership to natives of the region who
can prove their loyalty, bravery, and knowledge of the local area and
woods; additionally, their members must meet the Fusiliers stringent
marksmanship requirements.
Crimson Company
Members of the Crimson Company wear white robes with crimson
striping and sashes over their armor. With a tradition reaching back
to the reign of the first pontiff, they steadfastly guard the See of Vas,
filling both practical and ceremonial roles. A full platoon always
guards the Pontiff himself, even if not always visible to those in holy
ruler’s presence.
Nobody except the Pontiff and members of the Crimson Company
know how new members are selected or where they are trained.
All company members are without family and have no ties to the
community outside of their glorious position with the See. They are
stalwart bastions of faith who are steadfastly loyal to the Pontiff.
Dark Riders
Formed in Nonum soon aer the kav inflicted horrors upon the village
during the Clan Wars and strengthened aer the Shiblight troubles,
the Dark Riders are a secret society of humans that expanded their
hate to include all races other than their own. Marked by a taoo of
three black, tapering thorns spiraling toward the right on the same
axis, these twisted men and women plot to make the Archduchy safe
for humanity. Not all such plans involve killing, but the Dark Riders
make no secret that genocide is the preferred method of victory.
New members are recruited, and a sponsor brings the candidate
into the organization. The reason for all the secrecy is because
membership is illegal in the Archduchy. The Dark Riders survive
due to their limitless wealth and well-placed contacts that ensure
officials look the other way when needed.
The Ducal Legions
The ducal legions consist of 1,000 common, self-sufficient legionnaires
and their command staff. Each legion is divided into two cohorts of
five maniples each, with each maniple containing two centuries of 10
phalanxes of 10 men each. The legion is designed so every soldier can
carry his own weapons, personal gear, and share of camp equipment,
thereby foregoing the need for a heavy support staff, except on long
campaigns. A junior centurion—who follows the commands of
his century’s centurion, reporting directly to the maniple’s seniorcenturion—leads
each phalanx. Each of the five senior centurions
serves the legion’s commander, the tribune, who are in turn directed
by the region’s prelates and the generals above them.
Specialized legions, such as artillery, cavalry, and musketeers,
typically consist of only 400 men divided into two cohorts of four
maniples (for a total of eight maniples). Cavalry and musketeer
maniples contain five cadres of 10 men each, while siege or artillery
maniples separate into cadres of one to three siege engines or field
pieces, respectively, depending upon their type.
The individual duchies maintain and pay for their own legions,
which fall under their command unless summoned to duty by the
capital, along with fulfilling their usual annual requirement of levies
to the Archduchy’s legions. All legionnaires are well-trained fighters
and they bear the colors of their home upon their sleeves and cloaks
with pride. Most ducal legions split between outlying patrols and
garrison duties. The duchies maintain their legions at the best
possible strength their coffers and populations allow, as no duchy
wants its neighbor to have greater military power than they have.
Each duchy arms its legions slightly differently. For instance, Vas
outfits its fighting men in polished breastplates with longswords,
shortspears, and large metal shields to match, whereas SpirosBlaak
prefers chainmail, longswords, halberds, and no shields. Variations
are as follows.
Archducal
Volunteers and conscripts fill the individual ducal legions. Each
duchy is responsible for meeting its tithe of trained soldiers,
resulting in units trained in a dozen different ways with a dozen
different (and oen uncomplimentary) weapons. Because of their
motley nature, Archducal legionnaires rarely ever come to work
properly together as a unit before their term of service ends and
the soldiers are returned to their home forces. In truth, they are
effectively lile beer than irregulars. As such, the ducal legions
oen fill their tithes with troublesome men, conscripted for various
criminal infractions. These units get the worst assignments and are
treated badly by the regular ducal forces.
Askalan
Askalan’s infantry legion uses long spears and wears studded
leather armor, allowing them to perform complex maneuvers known
to baffle opponents. The city’s siege legions employ odd mechanisms
capable of tearing down, blasting through, or detonating the
steadiest of fortifications—when they function, that is.
Dreij
Dreij’s infantry legions use longswords, scale mail, and steel shields
for close work. Sure-riding cavalry legions cover their flanks. One
cavalry unit is a light, carbine-wielding unit employing hit-and-fade