Miletian Mercenaries

Mercenaries of Miletia

The mercenary companies of miletia draw their origins from the first days of the miletian expansions, The first cities had been raised and the mythals were in development, the countryside though was still a violent and dangerous place, The wildlife was aggresive and the lack of any real government mean that banditry ran rife through the lands.

Every hold or village outside of one of the great cities employed a small standing force of soldiers, The objective was to make the taking of the village cost any invading force more than they would make from the sacking, Still "Danegeld" payments to bandits for free passage were common.

Over time these forces became more and more skilled through a legcay of combat and experience, eventually in some areas their military capacity far outweighed the value of the small towns and fortresses they protected, At this time they began to leave the towns in search of money and plunder.

The great cities seeing these soldiers willing to fight for Coin began to use their economic power to wage war on each other through the mercenaries.

One city though "Theolus" made the mistake of hiring mercenaries they could not pay, In their wars against Lutphen and Groningen they took a contract with many thousands of mercenaries only to refuse payment and hide behind their walls.

The mercenary companies joined forces against their former employers and even made alliances withother companies for plunder rights, Over the next ten years the seige of Theolus led to the complete destruction and sacking of the city, It stands now as only a ruin.

The other cities saw the destruction of Theolus and having themselves had trouble with cowardly and dishonest mercenaries arranged the first City Summit, They invited the captains of the 100 greatest mercenary companies and there forged the laws and guidines that guide the mercenary companies to this day

The founding documents are called the "Scriptures Administratus Militarum" and cover days worth of minor rules and ettiquite, The basics of the agreement are known to every man in Miletia.

First is the penalty for violating the law, The company that does so will never be hired by a city again, its people may not set foot on their soil and no hold or village may grant the sustenance or aid, The only way to redeem themselves i to lay down their banner and offer the heads of their officers as penance.

Secondly is the rule of withdrawal, When a mercenary company takes a contract they agree on a Blood Bond, This is the minimum losses a mercenary company can sustain before they are allowed to petition for surrender or withdrawal, The higher the blood bond, the higher the price.

Third is the duration of penance, anyone who is part of a surrender is forbidden to raise arms for a year and a day after their surrender, Anyone found breaking this rule will be cast out of the company they are in and will have their dominant hand severed.

Fourth is the rule of employment, a company may not hold two contracts at the same time, nor may they hide the identity of their employer, the most common way to follow this rule is to fly the standard of their employer beneath their banner.

Nearly two hundred years after the scriptures where written their enforcement became a recurring issue, At this time the second summit of cities was called and a company of mercenaries was selected on permanent contract to enforce the rules of scripture, The company chosen was by no means the largest but was arguably the best suited for the job.

To found a mercenary company a commander must have a recognisable banner and gain enough recognition in combat to draw the attention of potential buyers.