"The Militia Councils are a compromise we don't have to make, but we really should. If I were to round up all the young men of a town on another crusade, I'd be rightfully blamed if little Billy came home with no legs. The Town Militia Council sends me Billy, they're as culpable as me and more likely to send me more meat for the grinder later should it be needed. Even if that means I get a mix of the louts, drunks, and those few heroes foolish, naïve, or bored enough to risk it."
~
Margrave Arronax Skinner,
Elector of
Cambreath
Raise the Banners
When an
Edler requires an army, they typically send out heralds to let settlements and warbands know of their obligations. These
Recruiting Sergeants will have a quota set out in their papers for each settlement or warband.
Edlers typically prefer to hire mercenaries and call allied warbands to raising militias, but there are rarely enough professional warriors on hand to form a true army by themselves. The professionals are regarded as an easy assignment for a
Recruiting Sergeant.
To raise a
Balatar or volunteer force from a settlement, a
Recruiting Sergeant typically has to work with a Militia Council. A Militia Council is often a tribunal, with the
Sheriff, the
Magistrate, and at least one representative of the
Manerets to serve their interest. These councils are notorious for sending troublemakers and wastrels off to war and preserving the best of the youth of the town, and it is up to the
Recruiting Sergeant to negotiate with them in pursuit of their obligation. If the council is particularly intransigent, the
Recruiting Sergeant may go around them and take their plea directly to the youth of the town, encouraging strapping young men to march away with them through persuasion or guile.
On the Road
Once a force is raised, the
Recruiting Sergeant either brings them along their route or marches with them back to the muster. Along the way and once they arrive, the
Recruiting Sergeant sets about drilling the men and training them in combat. In between training sessions, the
Recruiting Sergeants will travel around the encampment discussing the upcoming campaign with all recruits and other
Recruiting Sergeants, to ensure a cohesion of intention.
When the
Edler is satisfied with the bulk of their army, they coalesce units and decide on a marching order, and they're off to war.
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