Dogs of War
Caught between the Hundred Kingdoms to the east and the lands of the Russ to the west, the
Polmar Principalities have always acted as a buffer between these military giants. Having been
alternatively occupied by the Tellian Empire until its collapse and then invaded by the Russ until
the Troubles shattered their hopes at overlordship, this land has called to conquerors,
adventurers and raiders since time immemorial.
The vast wealth from its mines, forests and tolls from the trade routes between Russ and the
Hundred Kingdoms have traditionally made the rulers of this region wealthy beyond comparison.
Such is the wealth and influence of this region that both the Hundred Kingdoms and Russ fear it
falling under the influence of their rival even more than they covet its riches, ensuring that its
canny rulers, the self style Princes, could play the nobility of the hundred kingdoms against the
boyars of the russ, securing promises and guarantees of independence from both. This allowed
the local rulers to spend their wealth indulging on their whims: elaborate castles and
fortifications, lavish palaces and the best mercenaries that money could buy. The result of this
was a balkanization of the entire region over hundreds of years of unceasing warfare until today.
The rise of Matej Corvrana and his Black Army has put an end to all of this.
Son to the elected regent of Boronest, Iohan Hunedoara, a ruthlessly competent leader who had
expanded the land, wealth and influence of his mother country through fire and steel, Matthias
received an eclectic, cosmopolitan education. His travels exposed him to everything from the
faded imperial capital of Moskva to the byzantine canals and politics of Argem. He was
educated in the liturgies of the Theist and Deist Church as well as rites of the Old Church of the
Russ and the Gnostic teachings of the Orders. His predilection for the study of history and
fascination with the Tellian Empire was lauded by his tutors, who were rather more nervous at
his interest in the Old Dominion that preceded it. `
Dismissing their feeble objections he petitioned his father to travel south to the City States
where his education could continue without the feeble objections of pratling old men. His travels
brought him to the shunned region of Targovia where he listened to the dry whispers of the
Haemomancers before continuing down south to the Scholae of the City States. Always a
daring and unconventional youth, his now liberated curricula could touch on traditionally
forbidden topics such as the nature of the Spires and what little knowledge there remained of
the Dweghom.
He traveled extensively during his teenage years and early twenties, the only records of his
adventures jealously guarded in his private journals. He returned to Boronest upon being
informed of his fathers death, wishing to pay his respects before moving on, only to find that the
local nobility had rallied behind a petty local Prince, Ladislaus and slain his brother even as his
fathers corpse cooled. They planned to do the same to him at his fathers funeral, but would
soon find out that the man who returned was far from the curious youth who had left his father’s
court. Even as his enemies gathered their men around the cathedral where his father laid in
state, Matej rallied those loyal to his father and with his companions raided the vaults of the
royal treasury. Using those funds, he secured the services of the local band, the Geronese
Bande Nere, and descended upon his would-be executioners in force. By the end of that bloody
day, Matjas remained the only contender to the throne of Boronest.
Despite this inauspicious start to his rule, Matjas showed every sign of being a benevolent ruler:
he laid the foundation for what would in time become the biggest public library in the world,
enacted an edict of Tolerance which allowed people of all creeds, nations and beliefs to settle in
his lands in peace and launched a massive series of public works aimed at improving the quality
of life of his people hoping to bring to them the wonders he had witnessed in his travels.
His edict of Tolerance was notoriously challenged by the local populace when non-humans
sought to take advantage of it: Dweghom apostates were the first to arrive, fleeing the
oppressive regime of their Hold. Far more fascinated by these demi-humans than afraid of
them, Matjas traveled to them to personally welcome them to his kingdom. He bade them
welcome, granted them royal land to settle on and welcomed them as residents and equals
rather than as subjects. While this may have earned him the undying loyalty of these outcast
peoples, it proved to be the last straw when it came to his neighbors’ tolerance.
Already leery of his bloody ascension and disdainful of his foreign practices and efforts at
modernization, the Princes of Prno allied themselves with the disaffected local nobility and
declared war upon Matjas ‘the Black’, Apostate of Boronest. Beset by his own nobles and the
full might of a rival Principality, Matjas and his young enlightened Principality seemed doomed.
What nobody had counted on was the sheer ruthlessness and depth of resolve Matjas would
display.
Seizing the property of all the local nobility, even those who had not declared in favor of the
invaders, he proceeded to use his foreign mercenaries to tax his population to within an inch of
their life. As the wealth flowed in, he seemed to be everywhere at once as he hired the best
mercenary companies in the region, oversaw the collection of taxes ensuring that while harsh,
they were not inhuman while fighting a delaying war by garrisoning every castle and contesting
every pass and ford.
Even as his foes closed on him he refused to raise militia, fearing it might tip the common
people against him. Instead he promised the men of his kingdom wealth and land, enticing them
to join his army for regular pay. The vast wealth of his princedom was drained nearly dry as he
armed and equipped these men to the best of his abilities, training them to fight in disciplined
formations to form the backbone of his forces. Those few of the landed elite who joined him
were unleashed upon the unsuspecting enemy not as heavy cavalry for Matjas knew they
lacked the training and temperament, but as brigands and raiders where their youthful
aggression and initiative could shine. Countless died, but wealth and glory shone upon those
who succeeded as their harrying tactics forced their opponents to slow their advance and
reinforce their lines of supply. Their ruthless tactics forced the enemy to continuously double
back and reinforce his supply line, earning Matjas precious months in which to prepare further.
Even as his foes’ advance ground to a halt, he cast his net wider, bringing his state to the edge
of bankruptcy to hire the best mercenary companies the kingdoms of man had to offer: the
famed crossbow bands from Gerona, the grim hoplite maniples of Acheron along with the wild
cossar hosts from the eastern plains. From the troubled lands to the north he has secured the
services of the Normen, cut off from their land and seeking their fortune in these new lush lands.
Listening to these dour veterans, Matjas granted them unprecedented honors, allowing them to
command entire armies and deploy their troops as they saw fit, so long as the schedules of his
campaign were met.
But as the walls of Pruno cracked and fell and the blood of its fallen Princes soiled his blade,
something became evident even to the most jaded onlooker. Tired of their perpetual wars,
hardened and embittered by years of ceaseless struggle, Matjas was a changed man. For the
good of his people, the Princes and their endless petty feuds had to end. He was no longer
interested in fending off his fellow Princes, he now sought to depose them and assume the role
of Czazar, Emperor of the Polmar. A new, tolerant, and enlightened order had to be enforced on
the Polmar principalities and he had the depth of resolve to see it done and the resources and
will to pay the price.
Unburdened by the prejudices and preconceptions of his foes, he has welcomed under his
banner all human and demi humans who would seek haven in his new realm. He has mustered
the disparate forces of the Dweghom outcastes and desperate Drake Hunters in pursuit of
Aghm, who see a future of war unburdened by the strictures of their overbearing culture.
He has stopped hiding the secret to his relentless energy and ability to appear everywhere at
once, openly enlisting the aid of the Red Trafficker of Ruin, a Merchant Prince of the Spires
imbibing his vile concoctions to do away with the need for sleep, enlisting the aid of his airships
to deploy his forces where least expected and paying ruinous sums to deploy the Princes
experimental Preceptor Guards in the thickest of the fighting.
From the north, W’adrhun tribes trickle into his lands selling their skill and savagery in battle to
earn a new land to call home along with precious steel. Here they rediscover their long lost
freebooting kin who abandoned the Tribes and their overbearing Goddess decades ago,
rekindling their kinship upon the altar of battle.
As the tide of battle turns, the Princes of Moronow, Narava and Velonest have joined forces
against this upstart in a Holy League, seeking to stop this Apostate and his Black Army. Alarmed
at this sudden rise in power in such a volatile region, the magnates of the Hundred Kingdoms
and the Scholae of the City States muster their own forces, trying to decide whether they can
stop him before it's too late, or if they should aid him and ensure his friendship in the new status
quo even as the Dogs of War they have unleashed sell their services to the highest bidder.
Meta Information:
The visuals for the human core of the Black Army and the Dogs of War will draw upon historical
references of Eastern Europe during the 13th-15th century: Hungary, Croatia, Poland and
Lithuania. Their inhuman troops will draw their visual lines from their existing factions and will be
playable by them as restricted choices locked behind Masteries.
The Dogs of War will be a combined-arms army as befits their varied background. They will be
able to competently fulfill many roles, but the expensive mercenary nature of their regiments
mean that while hardy, they cannot sustain casualties and will need to exploit their advantages
ruthlessly.
FieldvMarshal
Medium Infantry/Cavalry Character. The rank of Field Marshal is reserved for those
commanders who have earned Matjas’ trust and respect. Although many Field Marshals rose
through the ranks of his own forces, Matjas does not turn away talent, no matter the source. As
a result, one can find men from the Hundred Kingdoms, the Nord realms and even some
Dweghom among their number, which is always in flux as men rise, fall and retire with alarming
regularity.
Mercenary Captain
Medium Infantry/Cavalry Character. By far the most common commanding rank in the Black
Army is the Captain, the mercenary epithet goes without saying. Coming from all races and
creeds, the only thing the mercenary Captains share is their competence as the fiery crucible of
war quickly weans out the weak and incompetent. Each commands a warrior band of
like-minded individuals, though these common bonds seldom overcome racial divides. It is thus
much more likely to see a human Captain leading human forces than, say Dweghom. And vice
versa, but the odd exception has been known to occur.
Sanctioned Sorcerer
Medium Infantry Character. The absence of a formalized school of sorcery in the Polmar
Principalities has long been a serious concern of King Matjas. In order to overcome this weak
spot in his leadership he has been known to employ … less than scrupulous spell casters who
wish to avoid the heavy oversight and control of the Chantry system. Willing to grant them
extraordinary privileges so long as they yield results and toe the rather relaxed lines, he has had
no small amount of success in recruiting some of the most powerful and unorthodox spell
casters to his cause.
Paymaster
Medium Infantry Character. Though few would understand it unless they have lived the life of
the mercenary, the entire force revolves not around the commanding officer, but the Paymaster,
the most trusted and vetted of Matjas’ subordinates. Elected not for their military capacity but for
their intelligence, integrity and commitment to his vision, the Paymaster is Matjas’ ultimate
representative in the army: functioning as ambassador, accountant and logistics coordinator. It
is the Paymaster in the end who most commonly transcends racial barriers, the reality of
mercenary life meaning everybody learns to respect the man with the money. Everybody, from
the most arrogant captain to the greenest recruit, in the Black Army ultimately answers to the
Paymaster and thus, the King.
Dweghom Warriors
Medium Infantry. While it might surprise many to see Dweghom Clansmen outside of the
influence of their Hold and the Mnemancers, it surprises nobody that their most commonly
chosen profession is that of the Mercenary. Absent the harsh rules of their oppressive society,
many Dweghom slowly discover they are incapable of operating within a nonviolent environment
and the lure of battle proves too loud for most. Few argue with the results of this when it
provides them with some of the finest heavy infantry on the planet.
Dweghom Drake Slayers
Light Infantry. While the lure of battle might call to some, others are drawn to more… exotic
pursuits. Few sane individuals would hunt Drakes for a living, but for an outcast Dweghom this
provides the most direct route to the two most common desires: wealth and Aghm. The
Chantries, Hemomancers and Spire Merchant Princes all value the remains of a slain drake
while even the most hardened Mnemancer will agree that slaying a drake earns the perpetrators
Aghm… perhaps enough, in time, to earn his way into society once more. Either way the result
is the same: a group of dedicated monster hunters with little to lose and a great deal to gain…
Merchant Prince Mantis Preceptors
Medium Infantry. While the Sovereign may have discontinued his funding of the Preceptor
Strand lines, he did not explicitly ban research into them. Thus, a number of adventurous
Merchant Princes have resurrected the mothballed program, with varying degrees of success.
Currently the most successful design belongs to the outlandish ‘Mantis’ strain, much to the
delight of their inventor, the Red Trafficker of Ruin.
Merchant Prince Airship
Medium Monster. Such is the potential margin of profit to be made in the wars that have
engulfed the Polmar Principalities that the Red Trafficker of Ruin has even committed a small
part of his most valuable commodity: his fleet of airships. Beyond the awe and terror that their
appearance can cause, even the smallest of his lighter craft can rain death and destruction
upon the hapless foe below; they can even deploy his forces deep behind enemy lines, although
he is loath to risk his vessels where they might be harmed. He is much happier committing them
to slaughter the hapless foe and disengaging when return fire so much as scratches his
precious hulls…
W’adrhun Buccaneers
Light Infantry. Most W’adrhun tend to implode into an orgy of lust, violence and dissolution when
removed from the familiar confines of their tribal existence. The sheer variety and opulence of
the food, entertainment, and distractions on offer are more than enough to gently reduce these
proud warriors into the dissolute, drunken louts that have slowly begun appearing in human
cities. Buccaneers are just those lucky few who have been rescued by their more worldly peers
and successfully turned this bacchanalian explosion into a stable mercenary career…
W’adrhun Dread Naught
Heavy Monster. There is little that can be said about the dreadful magnificence and twisted
genius for war needed to look upon one of the most dangerous creatures in creation, a
shipwreck and a band of rowdy degenerates and strike upon an idea so outrageous, so
audacious that the enemy will struggle to understand, let alone counter on the field of battle…
City States Mercenary Maniple
Medium Infantry. Many City States supplement their income by forming and hiring out maniples
of professional soldiers to their strategic allies. Some, in particular the grim city of Acheron, are
even less careful of who they hire their troops out to. While few will argue when offered a
chance to hire such competent warriors, a select few scholars and political thinkers are trying to
uncover the motivation behind this suspicious behaviour.
Geronese Arbalesters
Medium Infantry. For years now the Hundred Kingdoms have employed huge numbers of
mercenary crossbowmen in their forces but the cream of the crop, the Geronese Arbaletierri,
have signed a decades long exclusive contract with the Black Army for an absolutely eye
watering sum of money. Safely ensconced behind their towering pavise shields, these masterful
marksmen have honed the process of aiming, shooting and reloading their massive crossbows
to an art form unmatched on the continent.
Normen Housecarls
Medium Infantry. Svarthgalm’s bloody invasion of the Hundred Kingdoms was both a resounding
failure and unprecedented success. While the invasion was ultimately lost and the Nords lost
one of their last remaining Einherjar, the northern coasts of the Hundred Kingdoms were so
ravaged by war that countless Nord families were able to migrate unmolested. Now, centuries
after the event, these self-sufficient communities have thrived and are starting to integrate
themselves into society. Some serve as landing points for further invasions, others have
pledged allegiance to the slowly rebuilding Hundred Kingdoms. A few have chosen a riskier but
more rewarding stance: the road of the mercenary, where their hard-earned skills ensure there
is always demand for them.
Cossar Hetmen
Light Cavalry. Though nominally vassals of the Russ, only the most deluded of Boyars would
hope to control the Cossar population of the Eastern Steppes. The grinding war and growing
instability in the Polmar Principalities have acted like a beacon to these peerless light cavalry
warriors. They see in its shattered strongholds and burnt-out fields a chance to increase their
wealth and expand their holdings at their neighbours expense while getting paid by him to do
so.
Weaver Crystal Knights
Heavy Brute Cavalry. Many wondered at the harrowing beauty of King Matjas’ favourite
concubine, but only a few could have imagined the truth. After the death of his wife, Matjas saw
little benefit in continuing the charade and revealed Verbena Talea to be an Exile of the Weaver
Courts, a princess of some sort among that alien race. The cries of outrage were quickly stilled
when she committed her personal retinue of over a hundred Crystal Knights to his protection
and cause. These eerie warriors loom over even the tallest knight, riding otherworldly steeds no
human could hope to master. Their hardened amber armour chips and cracks with each blow,
sapping it of power behind it only to heals and repairs within minutes, rendering its wearer
almost impervious to all but the most powerful of blows.
City Guard
Light Infantry. Matjas Hunyadi famously exempted the peasantry from the onerous taxes and
levies they had traditionally been subject to. In their place he levied a significant tax on each city
and used it to arm, train and reward a City Guard capable of upholding the law during
peacetime and defending the city during war time. Originally reviled as a blatant power grab
over the traditionally independent cities, dissenters were slowly silenced when the degree of
professionalism and impartiality these centrally funded guards retained. Ensuring that the City
Guard was well trained, led and equipped by taxes that he levied, rather than the local city
council, Matjas ultimately provided himself with an able fighting force while severely
undermining the power of those same self-serving Councils.
Black Legionnaire
Medium Infantry. Relentless drill and savage discipline have allowed Matjas to pioneer mixed
formations in his order of battle. Half the force is armed with crossbows (the regular variety,
unlike the heavy arbalests of the Geronese) while the other half is armed with pikes. Relentless
training and drill have allowed these formations to function as a single unit: the crossbowmen
unleashing volley after volley into the advancing foe, only to be surrounded by a sharp hedge of
pikes at a moments notice should enemy cavalry threaten the formation. While other kingdoms
have witnessed his innovative tactics sought to replicate them, they lack the funding and
professional mindset required to ensure the full time employment of his mercenary core that is
needed to drill the troops to this level.
Hedge Knights
Medium Cavalry. More so than any kingdom, save perhaps those of Galania and
Galania-Trans-Sinia, Matjas has championed the establishment of tourneys and jousting
competitions with healthy subsidised victors’ prizes all year round. Originally considered one of
odd fixations and ignored for it was no doubt a curious move in a mountainous country without a
chivalric tradition, the genius of this manoeuvre became evident when a few years after its
establishment as countless displaced and unlanded knights from the Hundred Kingdoms
descended on his lands, providing him with a deep pool of talented heavy horsemen to
incorporate into his army.
Targovian Battle Thralls
Medium Infantry. When blood is a resource as valuable as silver, Dannonian Battle Thralls are
the physical remains of those individuals who simply went into too much debt for their finances
and body to handle. Inured to pain, utterly fearless and inhumanly strong, they would make the
perfect soldier if there were any will in their empty husks. Despite the notorious consequences
of excessively draining one’s body of anima and blood, the Haemomancers of Targovia have
found human greed and folly to be a never ending source of recruits.
Wise and world weary from his youthful adventures, Matjas has shown the depth of his
conviction and the lengths to which he is ready to go by treating with the Haemomancers of
Targovia for a force of a thousand Battle Thralls. While the rest of the world decries them as
monsters and tyrants, Matjas found them to be fair, if ruthless, rulers.
Winged Hussars
Medium Cavalry. Few forces have developed and truly earned the towering reputation of the
Winged Hussars of the Polmar Principalities. Originally poorly led bands of uncoordinated
lordlings willing to risk death for a fleeting chance at wealth and glory, the crucible of war forged
these reckless youths into one of the most formidable forces in the world. Such is the power of
their reputation that they have recently taken to leaning into it, covering their armor and
weapons in the bones of the fallen, or styling their armour after the infamous heraldry of the
Impaler. Entire enemy formations have shattered and run at the mere sight of these terrifying
apparitions bearing down on them.
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