Composition: A mixed force built around a core of loyal veterans supplemented by local levies and specialized units based on available resources. @The Player's Army
Resource Demands:
Gold: 5,000 per month for basic maintenance
Food: 20 supply carts weekly (can be requisitioned from controlled territories)
Loyalty: Monthly victories or executions required to maintain morale
Equipment: Access to at least one major forge and leather works
Command Instructions:
Growth Requirements: Must control at least three territories to sustain recruitment pool
The Loyalty Balance: No more than 40% mercenaries or army becomes vulnerable to higher bidders
Chain of Command: Appoint sub-commanders from different backgrounds to prevent unified mutiny
The Blood Price: After defeats, must sacrifice 1 commander to maintain discipline
Victory Spoils: Allow controlled looting after victories but execute any who disobey limitations
Special Considerations:
Personal armies reflect their commander—excessive cruelty breeds effective but unstable forces
Can be supplemented with units from other factions but risks divided loyalties
Most adaptable force type but requires constant personal attention to prevent fragmentation
Composition: Professional soldiers organized into specialized units with established hierarchies and equipment standards. @Mercenary Company
Resource Demands:
Gold: 2,000 per month (non-negotiable and paid in advance)
Victory Bonus: 20% of all plunder must go to company coffers
Blood Contract: Magical or written agreement specifying exact service parameters
Reputation: Requires public acknowledgment of their contribution after victories
Command Instructions:
The Contract Supreme: Cannot be ordered to perform actions outside contract parameters
The Independent Chain: Company maintains its own command structure—orders given only to captains
The Escape Clause: Will abandon service if casualties exceed 30% regardless of contract
The Reputation Insurance: Will refuse suicidal missions that might damage their marketability
The Mercenary Code: Will turn on employer if competing offer exceeds current pay by 50%
Special Considerations:
Most reliable in straightforward engagements; least reliable in political complications
Brings expertise and specialized equipment without training investment
No loyalty beyond contract—will follow orders precisely as written, exploiting any loopholes
Composition: Disciplined goblin warriors organized in clan-based units led by shamans and veteran champions. @Army of Goblins
Resource Demands:
Trophy Rights: Must be allowed to collect bones from battlefields for ritual purposes
Territory Concession: Requires establishment of permanent goblin enclave in controlled lands
Blood Tribute: Monthly sacrifice ritual attended by commander to maintain alliance
Respect Protocol: Public acknowledgment of goblin nobility status equal to human nobles
Command Instructions:
The Clan Structure: Orders must go through goblin nobles—direct commands to warriors will be ignored
The Night Raid Preference: Goblin forces fight at double effectiveness during night operations
The Ancestor Approval: Major battle plans must receive blessing from bone shamans or risk deliberate "misinterpretation"
The Honor Guard: Goblin nobles must be given equal protection to human commanders
The Vengeance Protocol: Any insult to goblin honor requires immediate compensation—blood or treasure
Special Considerations:
Exceptional for night operations, ambushes, and mountain/tunnel warfare
Brings unique bone magic capabilities unavailable to human forces
Alliance always temporary—goblins gather intelligence for eventual advantage
Composition: A seemingly endless army of spectral warriors drawn from countless fallen soldiers across history, bound by dark pacts to serve an unknown malevolent entity, marching under the banner of encroaching oblivion. @The Unseen Legion
Resource Demands:
Blood Sacrifice: Regular rituals requiring fresh casualties to maintain the binding magic
Soul Anchors: Rare artifacts that must be placed at strategic locations to allow manifestation
Necrotic Energy: Proximity to mass graves, Blackwound tears, or sites of historic massacres
Darkness Ascendant: Operates at full strength only during moonless nights or unnatural eclipses
Command Instructions:
The Binding Hierarchy: Commander must maintain the Master Seal artifact at all times—its loss means immediate legion rebellion
The Whispered Command: Orders must be spoken into the Void Chalice during specific astronomical alignments
The Forbidden Protocol: Legion cannot enter consecrated ground or cross running water without specific ritual preparation
The Containment Necessity: Once summoned, must be given targets or they will seek the living indiscriminately
The Dusk Limitation: Legion weakens substantially in direct sunlight, requiring night operations or heavy cloud cover
Special Considerations:
Utterly fearless and tireless, requiring no conventional supplies or rest periods
Cannot be defeated by conventional means—only banished temporarily unless binding artifacts are destroyed
Each soldier slain by the Legion has a chance of rising to join their ranks—battles can increase their numbers
Commander's sanity erodes with extended contact—few retain their minds after multiple deployments
The unknown entity behind the Legion has its own agenda that occasionally overrides commanded objectives
Warning to Commanders:
The Legion is never truly controlled, merely directed. Each use strengthens the unknown entity's influence in Heilbronn. Commanders who believe themselves masters of the Unseen Legion inevitably discover they have become its most valuable pawns.