The first army I’m working on for my fantasy project is the Grand Duchy of the Black Wolf a rather generic human army with a medieval culture based in the north of the Border Kingdoms region of Generica. I find it always helps me if I come up with a bit of background for fantasy/imagi-nation armies I’m painting so here it is.
History
The History of the Grand Duchy begins in the far south during one of the Kingdom of Armorica’s many dynastic civil wars. Duke Bergnar had backed the wrong claimant to the throne, and as the civil war neared it’s end, his enemies closed in on his lands. Realizing that to stand and fight meant certain death the Duke gathered up his people and fled north into the border kingdoms in search of a new home.
For two years the duke and his followers slowly moved north. The southern Border Kingdoms had no desire to make an enemy of the new king of Armorica while other realms had no desire to allow a powerful Armorican warlord and his warriors to enter their lands. So the duke and his followers were moved on again and again, sometimes in peace, sometimes with armed aggression. Their numbers where slowly whittled away (including the dukes own wife) until the ragtag band of Armorican refugees entered the lands of the Nordvolk Black Wolf tribe.
The Black Wolf tribe had problems of their own. Their lands had been invaded by an orc horde months before and despite ferocious resistance, by the Nordvolk, they had been pushed back with heavy loses to the far south of their lands. Their chieftain had been killed in battle and his daughter, the princess Brunhild, was preparing her people for a futile last stand when the Amoricans arrived.
The two desperate groups realised their was no gain in fighting each other. Instead Brunhild offered the Duke land for him and his followers in return for aid against the orcs. The Duke gratefully accepted. The war that followed is the basis for many a folktale, legend and bard song in the Grand Duchy today. The arrival of the Armoricans turned the tide of the war their heavy cavalry and powerful crossbows giving the humans the edge against the orcs. Legends say that in the final battle Duke Bergnar and Princess Brunhild fought back to back atop a mound of Orcish dead and it was there they fell in love.
With the war over the Duke and the Princess united their two peoples by a marriage alliance and the lands of the Black wolf tribe became The Grand Duchy of the Black Wolf. Over time the two human groups became intermingled to the point where every family can point to Amorican and Nordvolk ancestors and the duchy’s culture is a unique mix of southern and northern.
The Military of the Grand Duchy
At it’s creation the Amoricans brought southern feudalism to the Duchy and this is the mainstay of the Duchy’s army. The Duke set up five Baronies each one based around a fortified town and surrounding land. These where named in the Nordvolk language
Nordburg
Sudburg
Westburg
Ostburg
Wolfsburg
The baron of each of these towns had to provide 25% of his taxes to the Duke and supply a military force for the defence of his barony and the grand duchy. The barony of Wolfsburg is unusual as the baron of Wolfsburg is the chosen heir to the grand duke.
Under Duchy law each Baron must provide one hundred armoured heavy cavalry around 30-50% are minor nobles, called knights, given land in the barony in return for military service and the remainder are up made of mercenaries or the barons personal retinue of family and hangers on. Each heavy cavalry man is, by law, supposed to have two good horses, a mail coat, helmet, lance, shield and sword. though many carry other personal weaponry or add additional armour or even horse barding depend on their wealth.
The Baron is also responsible for providing five hundred “trained” infantry equipment is set down in law as padded/leather armour, sword or long knife, helmet, spear and shield or crossbow. The percentage of crossbowmen to spearmen is left to each baron but 40% crossbow 60% spearmen is common. These infantry come from a variety of sources some are locally recruited men, others mercenaries and a significant number are often heredity career soldiers with sons following fathers into the barons service.
The final military force available to the baron is the militia every able body man in the barons land is eligible, by law, to serve in the militia. The Barons tend to avoid calling out the militia except in emergencies as they are usually poorly equipped, poorly trained and not very enthusiastic. Some baronies militia are better than others those of Nordburg on the wild northern frontier find themselves frequently being called upon to help fight off Nordvolk barbarians, orcs and worse. While the militia of the grand duchies capital Wolfsburg are known for being well trained and equipped. Militia equipment is set down as a spear, knife and shield or knife and crossbow to be provided by the baron. In reality the militia turn out in a ragtag of personal equipment ranging from metal armour, helmets, swords and polearms to clubs and hunting spears depending on the wealth of the individual militia man.
The second force available to the duke are the freemen. When the Grand Duchy was formed many of the original Black Wolf barbarians had no desire to move to the new towns or become feudal vassals as such under the guidance of Brunhild the Duke created the Ducal free lands a large area of land between the baronies that was to be left as wilderness for those of his subjects who wished to carry on a more traditional lifestyle of logging, fishing and hunting.
The Duke though had no desire to allow these freemen to go untaxed so freemen are required to buy a ducal licence each year to fish, cut lumber or hunt. To enforce this and police the Ducal lands the duke created the Land Rangers. These are a paid force of around five hundred rangers, trackers and scouts based in small groups at fortified watch posts whose job it is to patrol the Ducal lands, rooting out bandits, checking on licences and enforcing the dukes laws among the many scattered homesteads, hamlets, coaching inns and logging camps.
The Land Rangers other task is to summon and officer the freemen during wartime. This rural militia are have a number of uses as scouts, skirmishers and raiders well equipped with powerful hunting bows, spears and axes the freemen will often perform hit and run attacks on enemy supply lines, camps and patrols before melting back into the woods and wild land.
The final armed force in the Grand Duchy is the Ducal guard consisting of one hundred elite heavy cavalry and five hundred well trained infantry. Men from all over the Grand Duchy (and beyond) volunteer for service in the Ducal guard but only the best are accepted. They are well trained and full equipped in metal armour.
Over the years grand dukes have also been known to hire mercenaries from all over Generica during times of war these aren’t always human and are often specialists like dwarven sappers or elf hippogriff riders.
Finally no army in Generica can afford to ignore the arcane arts the grand duchy is no exception. During the reign of the third grand duke a College of Magic was created by the grand dukes court mage Kallen Thunderstaff. The college still exists today with the grand dukes court mage also acting as the colleges head master. The college allows the grand duke to deploy a number of mages to support his armed forces.
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