Armies of the Shield Lands

The lands protected by the Knights of Holy Shielding are threatened as they have not been before. Although the Knights of Holy Shielding was established as a bulwark against the disorganized Bandit Kingdoms, the lands are still ruled by a collection of petty nobles.

This means the response to the rising threat of the Horned Society is not as coherent as it might otherwise be with a single leader in charge of all defense. The largest force in the land is, of course, the Knights of Holy Shielding. Drawing in members from across the central Flanaess, the Knights are led by paladins and cavaliers, and are chiefly made up of heavy cavalry.

Levies from the various petty nobles are intended to bolster this force with infantry. As of CY 578, the combined army is as follows:

• The Knights of Holy Shielding

• 1,250 heavy cavalry with lances, wearing plate and shield (knights)

• 1,750 medium cavalry with hand weapons, wearing chainmail (sergeants and esquires)

• Noble levies

• 2,000 medium infantry with pole arms, wearing chainmail and shield

• 1,100 light infantry with longbows

• 2,400 light infantry with spears

For the knights themselves, it is suitable to select figures that are fully armored (what is known as “full plate” or “field plate” in the Unearthed Arcana rulebook). The noble levies that support them can be taken from any medieval Feudal range, such as French or German.