Purple Army of Wyrsia

The **Purple Army of Wyrsia**, colloquially known as the **Purple Army**, is a loose organisation of Republican-aligned ideological loyalists, irregulars, and Wyrsian defectors. The Purple Army was founded by Sir Mylton Maxworth, a former Wyrsian Knight-Commander who defected during the 1211 AW Stavia Campaign of the Republican-Wyrsian War. It operates in the Republic of Southern Wyrsia and -- previously, to a smaller extent -- the Protectorate of Woodhall.

The Purple Army mainly focuses on keeping order as guards or reservists and has largely been kept off the battlefield despite government attempts. With the recent outbreak of the Woodhall Campaign and War for Wyrsia, Purple Army elements in recaptured Monarchist Wyrsian territory have turned to widespread guerrilla warfare.

## History

Following the outbreak of the Republican-Wyrsian War during the opening stages of the Great War, the Stavia Campaign of 1211 AW rapidly bogged down around the Highlands of Death, as many Fühlgartian invasions had done in the past. However, new technologies, particularly the use of rifles and airships, allowed the Republic of Fühlgart to make costly but solid progress where their offensive would have stalled in previous ages. One Wyrsian Knight-Commander, Mylton Maxworth, who had long been disillusioned with the Wyrsian monarchy and the leadership of General Richard Trappike, defected during the Stavia Campaign.

Together with a small unit of like-minded subordinates, Maxworth took control of Treewatch Castle on the right flank of the Highlands' Central Line and subsequently surrendered it to the Fühlgartian forces under Ulrich Luftschwert. Following this defection, Maxworth and his fellow defectors were assigned as reservists alongside other foreign units, primarily Crestian mercenaries. During the time, Maxworth proved to be an ideological loyalist and -- after thorough vetting by Group Zero -- was given the green light to be made into an asset.

Following the establishment of the Republic of Southern Wyrsia and the Protectorate of Woodhall, Maxworth proposed the creation of a supporting irregular force of Republican loyalists that could collaborate with local Fühlgartian forces garrisoned to maintain order. The Fühlgartian commander at the time, Kurt Gervanger, General of the 9th Army, agreed to Maxworth's proposal, leading to the creation of the Purple Army in 1212 AW.

The Purple Army experienced an initial surge in growth as collaborators flocked to its ranks for ideological or pragmatic reasons. Countless small though disorganised groups popped up, usually operating only in small areas with little overlap. While Maxworth was technically the leader of the Purple Army, many local commanders had direct control over their irregulars, with some smaller bands not having a leader at all. The reception to the Purple Army was mixed amongst the Wyrsian people. Some viewed them as spineless traitors, others were just happy that local troops were there to defend rural areas that would have been overlooked by the Fühlgartian garrisons. As can be reasonably expected from a disorganised military group, standardisation in equipment, training, and discipline was non-existent and usually up to local commanders. Some Purple Army groups became known for their professionalism and harmony whereas others became infamous as boorish knuckleheads in uniform.

The Purple Army mainly served as town guards, police forces, or reservists in Wyrsia for the duration of the Great War. It wasn't until the death of Jan Luftschwert and the subsequent outbreak of the Second Fühlgartian Civil War that they were called upon for proper military service for the first time. With Fühlgartian garrisons being recalled, Southern Wyrsia and Woodhall were left woefully unprepared for a Monarchist invasion, which is exactly what happened with the Woodhall Campaign in 1228 AW, which saw the Protectorate of Woodhall destroyed and the Kingdom of Wyrsia reclaiming part of its old mainland borders. With Gert Brokmann scrambling in Southern Wyrsia to prepare a defence, he urged Maxworth to organise his forces to serve on the battlefield. This proved difficult, as most Purple Army groups were only interested in defending their homes, not serving in a national campaign. Most Purple Army elements ignored Maxworth's call to arms.

Since the Monarchists began to push further south with the outbreak of the War for Wyrsia, the Purple Army has only been attached to Southern Wyrsia's armies in token amounts, with Maxworth largely losing control of the army of which he is the figurehead. This has been a large headache for Gert Brokmann and the recently arrived Fühlgartian reinforcements in Southern Wyrsia under Tobias Pfeilmacher and the 4th Army. While the Purple Army does fight the Monarchists on its own terms, often as guerrillas behind enemy lines with the aid of their local knowledge, there have been an increasing amount of calls to outright disband the organisation and conscript its members into the regular Southern Wyrsian military if this strings of internal chaos continues. While the Purple Army does occasionally show up to battles in small amounts, they are more an annoyance than a threat to the Wyrsian royalists. If the bickering with more contemporary Republican bodies continues, it is increasingly likely that the Purple Army will be disbanded and integrated -- with force, if need be.

## Organisation

The Purple Army of Wyrsia is heavily disorganised. While Mylton Maxworth is technically at the head of the entire army, most local commanders have complete control over their units -- if units even have a commander, to begin with at all. Cooperation between Purple Army elements is often minimal, with most of its troops focused on local defence.

Due to this nature, the Purple Army does not have official ranks which leads to an often confusing mess of ranks and titles that vary from one unit to the next. Where one officer may style himself a captain, another, more extravagant, one may refer to himself as a general. Other groups take a more liberal approach where every man is equal, with no officer leading them.

The Purple Army does not have a headquarters, though with Maxworth spending much time in Southern Wyrsia's capital, the city of Stavia has become a de facto headquarters. However, most units are completely unaccountable and don't care about orders from above.

## Service Record

* Epilogue Wars
	+ Woodhall Campaign
		- Redmile - Defeat
		- Clechwood - Defeat
		- Thorne - Defeat
		- First Luver - Victory
		- Second Luver - Defeat
		- Ashwood - Defeat
		- Wicktra - Defeat
		- Woodhall - Defeat
		- Mellowwood - Defeat
	+ War for Wyrsia
		- Sunkissed Glade - Defeat
		- Sunfort - Ongoing