Wildegards

The Wildegards (from wilderness + gardts, the Vrei word for 'people') were once the knights of the Imperial Cavalry, but also eventually became forest rangers and patrollers of the Fallo and Danderillon. Their patron saint was Bellerophon of the Danderillon. Historically, the term referred to any horseback knight the Empire levied upon towns of 500+, and paid for by taxing any landowners who owned more than 20 acres. 
They were altruistic and often worked in close collaboration with city authorities when the cities needed frontier and wilderness experts. They responded to all sorts of disturbances, helped people in need, controlled forest fires, carried out search and rescue, acted as game wardens, surveyed the land, and more. They often travelled in groups and were never without their hardy horses, which they formed lifelong bonds with. 
== Founding and Origins ==
Wildegards were a natural development in a continent of mostly wilderness and frontier. In the first few centuries TE, private mercenary companies of rangers made lots of money escorting trade caravans between Euluskan Empire settlements in the Fallo, due to the distances and dangers involved. Over time as the land was settled further but with still great distances between, they were made official by an imperial charter of the Empire in 86TE. 
* Every town was required to train one Wildegard knight per 500 inhabitants
* Every landowner who owned over 20 acres (a baron) would be taxed to help fund this.
The charter 86 that made them official also stopped them from staying as private mercenaries, because now the cities paid them a wage. This practice persisted even through to the 1900s TE (200s PGW) - the Wildegards were funded by the Three Cities (Carmogan, Datria, Halcyon). 
== What does a Wildegard carry? ==
A typical Wildegard carried a lot of gear, because she would often spend weeks and weeks without going anywhere near civilisation. She would fit everything she needed on her person, her horse, and in enchanted storage containers. Also, I've been painting a lot of cavalry miniatures lately so I'm intimately familiar with what horseriders carry.
=== Weaponry ===
A Wildegard would carry a surprisingly diverse array of ranged weaponry to maintain a controlling presence at a distance whilst mobile. Some was for hunting, some was for defense, others were versatile.
* A sturdy, reliable shortbow. Used for hunting game and being quiet. She would also carry a quiver for it, which might include a few special arrows like blunt tips, noisemakers, or flashbangs.
* An arquebus (specifically the Decimus Serite Needle-Thrower). Resembling a long flintlock or short musket, this firearm was powered by a large glowing blue-white crystal. No one was entirely sure how the crystal worked but it was incredibly reliable and inert. The arquebus fired short crossbow bolts which it could hold a few of. This was their main weapon - it could be used one-handed on a horse.
* A broad knife and sharpening block, used for skinning, woodcarving, and close combat.
* Some (not all) might carry a King Mazander Over-Under pistol in cavalry draw. A loud, messy, inaccurate two-barrelled flintlock pistol, only good as a last resort since it took a while to reload.
=== Tools and Equipment ===
* A lariat rope (lasso) for wrangling animals or runaway enemies
* A small shovel with one serrated side, to be used for digging and sawing.An oxhorn, for calling aid over long distances or announcing her presence
* A bullseye lantern which could be narrowed and used to transmit light signals from hilltops as well as investigating in the dark
* A pouch of golden powder that, when thrown into a bonfire, created a plume of golden smoke. This was given to people as a means of alerting any local patrols to danger or assistance needed.
* Maps, a compass, a spyglass or maybe binoculars.
* A camping kit including a woolen bedroll, tent kit, blankets, etc
* A mess kit including tin cups, coffee pot, grill, waterskins, etc
* A medical kit with antivenoms, stimulants, sedatives, horse medicine, etc
* A kit for taking care of her horse, including brushes, spare reins, stirrups, horseshoes, etc.
* A leather pouch of holding kept on her chest, which held provisions (dried salted meat, fruit, nuts, water, coffee), horse feed, spare cloth, leather, oil, torches, firearm ammunition etc - basically anything else she might need in here.
And then, of course, she had her trusty horse, with whom she'd bond for life.
Category:Factions
Category:Militaries