Scions of the Battlemistress

Scions of the Battlemistress is a mercenary faction operating across Ahlus.

## Description

The largest independent mercenary guild in the continent, the Scions of the Battlemistress were founded just under a hundred years ago by retired veterans from the Arkenviir Legion, Fonteyne's Forces and members of the similarly-named and recently dissolved band of Rydooni mercenaries known as the Battlemistress' Chosen. Bolstered by drop-outs or individuals otherwise dispassionate about other martial groups, particularly those of guards and city watches from across the continent, the Scions of the Battlemistress claims to have several hundred members scattered in various roles and methods of employment across Ahlus.

Though the majority of its members are trained purely in the use of martial weaponry, armour and tactics, there are a few amongst their number that possess magical prowess, whether arcane in nature or gifted by the arcane. Regardless, there is no standard uniform for the Scions of the Battlemistress, but it is traditional that for each year's service another leaf is tattooed with red ink to the individual's temples or brow, so that by in time they soon possess an imposing laurel wreath crown that denotes their level of experience. Some decline to partake in this tradition, but risk being mistaken for a new initiate in doing so.

## Goals

The Scions of the Battlemistress exist to provide their members with a way to create steady income with their skills and competency, whether serving as guards for nobles and other figures of authority or roaming from town to town clearing out bandit dens and collecting bounties.

The Scions provide a place for all, provided they bring with them a requisite level of prowess, and so many amongst their ranks are individuals seeking to place a troubled past squarely behind them, serving personal ideals of prosperity or wider beliefs in the impact of a sword wielded well and for the right reasons.

## Tenets of the Scions of the Battlemistress

* The Battlemistress breathed the spirit of victory into your lungs at the time of creation. To yield is to ignore the calling for which you were shaped.
* The flash of a swift blade can mollify a threat before it starts to loom. Act with conviction and confidence in all that you set yourself to do.
* An individual is bound by their honour. Act in line with the stipulations of any contract you have signed, or you may find your quill long dry before you have a chance to place your mark on another.

## Relationships

The claimed independence and widespread dispersal of the Scions of the Battlemistress has led to a continued sense of anxiety for governments across the continent. The more learned amongst them have long cautioned their colleagues on the similarities between the group and the Eventide League, a mercenary band that attempted to coup the Realms of Atralran, Gawylthlan, Lachlen, Sunstone and Codorne in one simultaneous plot, their scheme stopped only by the efforts of Xorithromlax the Glimmer Knight. Intelligence organisations operated on behalf of the major governments of the continent have kept continued tabs on the Scions for this reason, but have not as of yet uncovered any evidence to suggest a similar conspiracy is at play.

Conversely, many across the continent actively seek out the Scions to hire as guards for their manses, as retinues for journeys through the wilds between settlements, or as trainers for their own kin. Many trading guilds hire small contingencies to patrol alongside their caravans, and the Radiant Triumvirate has repeatedly used members of the Scions to aid Glimmerguard troops in clearing out swathes of jungle to facilitate further construction and expansion.

## Characters

Offering greater personal freedoms that other military organisations, the Scions of the Battlemistress attracts a wide range of individuals to their ranks, either on a long term basis or for a few fleeting contracts. Some never intended to find themselves seeking membership, but found themselves in need of income with only their martial prowess to fall back on, whereas others instead aspire to join the ranks directly, instead of the indirect route followed by many others still.

All large organisations are only as fruitful as their ability to manage their logistical needs, so even if an individual isn't martially-skilled, they may find a place with the Scions as recruiters, bookkeepers or messengers.

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