Couseln

he Blakfort Royal Army has seen its fair share of arcane warfare and as such deploys a decent number of battlemages into battle. They are the Couselns and provide much needed magical support for their fellow Patrons on the battlefield.
Even though Couselns are best known for their knowledge of the arcane, they receive the same training as common soldiers and as such are not to be underestimated in hand-to-hand combat.

Equipment

Armor

Every Couseln is outfitted with standardized armor that is produced throughout the realm at various locations. This armor is identical to that worn by Patrons, but given their unique status within a Ericius, Couselns are offered higher pay and can afford to augment their gear to better suit their needs. Instead of the standard Patron armor, Couselns usually wear the following:

• Firstly, Couselns usually wear a set of padded armor that is thinner, but harder than those of Patrons. This grants them added protection against missiles, which is a far more common threat to a Couseln than blunt force weapons. This padded armor also lacks the overlapping above the upper legs of the Couseln as that extra protection is fulfilled by other pieces of armor.
• On top of their padded armor, Couselns usually wear long sleeved hauberk that extend down to their ankles. Whilst it is far heavier than the standard hauberk of a Patron, it offers far more protection, especially on the arms and legs of the Couseln.
• On top of their armor, Couselns often wear brightly colored surcoats and a more impressive cloak.
• As they are often far from their opponents and can protect themselves by magical means, Couselns often forego their helmet and gloves, which allows more situational awereness and precision when casting spells.

Weapons

Even though all Couselns receive the same training as Patrons, they rarely use their martial abilites during a fight. For this reason, they only carry a few weapons for self defense, if the need arises.

• Similarly to a regular Patron, Couselns also carry a longsword with them made in Cirflucas.
• Many Couselns can afford to buy extra weapons that are mostly for show. The most common of these types of weapons is an ornate dagger. These instruments of death are rarely used.

Miscellaneous

In addition to the miscellaneous equipment of a Patron that all Couselns also carry with them, they have a few extra pieces of gear neccessary for them to fulfill their functions as part of an Ericius.

• As Couselns are most often wizards, they require a spellbook. This piece of equipment is usually their most precious possession and as such, rarely carry it into battle. Most Couselns prefer to memorize a few spells each morning and only use those during a day. When garrisoned, Couselns are rarely sent on patrols, so their spellbook is always close at hand.
• Also as a must for spellcasting, Couselns carry a component pouch or an arcane focus with them. Whilst the latter is more common amongst Elven Couselns, the former is overall more popular, as some spell consume components, which neccessitates a component pouch anyway.

Duties

Couselns fill an important role in every Ericius. As the only ones capable of spellcasting, all arcane duties fall on them. Thanks to this however, most Couselns have a less busy schedule compared to Patrons and are often accompanying their Stovigin on errands and provide council to them. Some examples of their arcane tasks:

• Detecting magical traps and effects
• Identifying magical objects
• Countering long-term magical effects, such as hexes and curses
• Providing magical communication between Stovigins during battles
• Providing long range magical communication between Battalions
• Using and maintaining Teleportation Circles
• Repairing heavily damaged items
• Relaying orders during battles

Qualifications

In order to become a Couseln, one must be at least 23 years of age (regardless of species), must be fit enough to become a Patron and must be capable of spellcasting. Couselns can not apply at any garrison, they must go directly to the Austium garrison and be accepted by the Marshall themselves.
Once a new recruit has been accepted, they undergo the same training as a regular Patron and are then assigned to a Tent. Couselns don't share Tents with Patrons and are often part of the Stovigin's Tent.

Skirmish Tactics

Couselns are rarely in danger themselves during melee fighting, so their primary focus is on evading ranged attacks. Outside of the battlefield, Couselns are rarely in danger at all, so their behavior in smaller skirmishes is not as predictable. There are two distinct patterns that emerged throughout their existence however.

• More experienced Couselns usually understand that they won't be under attack more than a few times a day, so if they eliminate the threat as soon as possible, they will have time to recuperate. So they unleash everything they have at their opponents in order to defeat it quickly.
• Younger Couselns are usually less confident in their abilities and don't know whether they'll have time to rest after a skirmish, so they tend to be more cowardly and often prefer to run and ask for help rather than face an attacker head-on. They usually resort to lower level spells during a fight as they want to reserve their magical energies for emergencies.

Type

Civic, Military, Generic

Reports directly to

Stovigin

Related Locations

• Blakfort Kingdom

Related Organizations

• Blakfort Royal Army