Mercenary

A mercenary is an independent soldier who has no official allegiance to any lord or country, but who instead hires out his services for payment. They are most commonly known by the term "sellsword", as they sell their services with a sword. The quality and reputation of sellswords ranges across a very wide spectrum. They are often professional soldiers, moving from one temporary contract to the next, though particularly poor-quality sellswords might just be a gang of untrained thugs.
Mercenary is outlawed in the Kingdom of The North but that does not stop individuals from travelling to Eirus, where it is not, to be come a mercenary. There are a few cases of Eirusi Mercenaries in-hire in the Kingdom despite the vast distance between the two continents and the overall anti-mercenary and anti-Eirusi opinion of the Lords of the Realm. Provided that he survives that long, a veteran sellsword may become a highly skilled fighter. A sellsword that has significantly distinguished himself in combat may even be rewarded by being anointed as a knight, though this is very uncommon. Knights tend to look down on sellswords, especially Aqorisi men who leave and become sellswords, due to their usually low-birth and their reputation as outlaws.
There are several companies of sellswords, who fight only for money, and hired to fight an enemy. These sellsword armies often switch sides or abandon their employer when they realize that their patron is losing a battle or when the enemy offers them better coin. Becoming a mercenary is a prospective, albeit dangerous, way of gaining wealth in the world. Disgraced Knights of the Kingdom who flee in-exile to Eirus typically find themselves as sellswords.
== Sellswords ==
== Sellsails ==
Sellsails are mercenary sailors who engage in naval battles. Sellsails are the captain and crew of a boat, whose service is the actual operation of their vessel. Of course, the crews of many sellsail ships are also proficient in combat during boarding operations and coastal raids. Sellsails are quite frequently pirates who have decided to make quick money by hiring out the services of their ships during a current conflict, and in return charging far more than they'd normally make in their usual raiding activities. During peacetime, they usually go right back to being regular pirates. There is one major sellsail company that is a full-time company, similar to the sellsword companies.
Notable Sellsails:
* Admiral {Titus Dacien}, a Ronorumene sellsail and leader of the Crimson Sails company who later became the Admiral of Ronorum and fought in The War of The Bears.
Sellsail Companies:
* The Crimson Sails, the only notable sellsail group that operates as company. Famed for their skill in naval battle and ruthlessness.
== Sellsword Companies ==
* Sons of Steel
Category:Mercenaries
Category:Professions
Category:Eirus