Armies of the Scarlet Brotherhood

For now, the Scarlet Brotherhood is working behind the scenes, whispering in ears rather than fielding armies of their own. Indeed, the Monks of the Scarlet Sign do not have armies made up of their own members, but rather the Brotherhood acts as leaders and commanders for troops mostly drawn from Hepmonaland, the Amedio Jungle, and the Olman Islands (plus an unusually large number of monsters and purpose-bred mutant forms).

Their troops are either of Olman, Touv, or degenerate Suel tribesmen stock. A small number of purebred Suel troops are kept to man those few publicly-accessible places in the Thilvanot Peninsula, such as the port of Kro Terlep and various coastal forts and strongholds. Mercenaries are sometimes employed there or elsewhere in the Flanaess, and usually cunningly through third parties acting as intermediaries.

As of CY 578, these armies were still growing and had not yet been deployed in the field, but the following can be taken as a rough approximation of the forces available to the Brotherhood at this time. Such troops would be used as garrisons in their Hepmonaland outposts, or gathered on the Okalasna Plateau, awaiting the time to strike.

It should be noted that it is impossible to state numbers of these troops with any assuredness. Thus, the numbers below should be taken as very rough approximations, and should be treated with caution.

• Suel troops

• 750 light infantry with longbows

• 300 medium infantry with spears, wearing chainmail and shield

• Suel tribesmen from Amedio and Hepmonaland

• 500 light infantry with slings

• 800 light infantry with longbows

• 3,000 light infantry with swords and javelins, with shields (skirmishers)

• 2,000 medium infantry with spears, wearing padded armor and shield

• Olman slave troops

• 1,500 medium infantry with swords, wearing padded armor and shield

• 2,000 light infantry with spears and shields

• Touv slave troops

• 2,000 light infantry with spears and shields

• 500 medium infantry with sword or axe and shield

Olman troops can be depicted on the tabletop using a combination of Aztec and Mayan figures. Touv soldiers can be represented by sub Saharan Africans, which can be found in some Colonial wars ranges, but care should be taken to make sure that none of the figures are armed with firearms.

Suel tribesmen from Hepmonaland and the Amedio Jungle can also be represented using African, Mesoamerican, or American Indian figures (painted suitably pale to reflect their Suel heritage). Command stands should all be populated by red hooded and robed figures, of course; many lines of fantasy figures for RPGs will have suitable miniatures.