Silvershields
Possibly the most elite fighting force in all of Eregoth, the Silvershields are renowned for their discipline, equipment, and tactics.
Structure
All Silvershields are professional men-at-arms, but some are raised above the rest as officers and squad leaders. Those who survive to become veterans invest in fine horses and equipment to join the mounted corps of the company. Officers typically carry whistles and memorize a series of commands and messages that all Silvershields learn to recognize for easy communication across distances. Squad assignments are fluid and dispatched on officer initiative to meet needs in the field.
Public Agenda
While they are a mercenary company that fights for coin, most of the men in the Silvershields joined out of a sense of nationalism towards Eregoth and its people. Despite their connections with House Oakenshield often casting them in a negative light, they are highly respected for their professionalism across the realm and are exemplary soldiers.
Assets
All Silvershields march to battle fitted with full plate armor. Beyond this, the majority of their forces are infantry with sword and shield. Others wield longbows, or use a heavy crossbow from behind a large pavise shield used as mobile cover. The highest ranking Silvershields are elite men-at-arms who ride atop warhorses with full plate barding, wielding greatswords and lances with shields built into their saddles for further protection.
The Silvershields are also famous for their war wagons, which are huge metal-plated carts used as mobile fortresses by sharpshooters, or fitted with catapults for sieges. Each wagon is pulled by a pair of oxen, who also wear plate armor.
History
Originally a mercenary group in the pay of the Eldritch Council of Keldan, the Silvershields switched sides over the course of the war. The original mercenary company earned their name by melting down the silver payments sent to them by Keldan and coating their shields with it, proving their loyalty to their native land of Eregoth. As a result, the Silvershields are the only mercenary company allowed to operate openly within Eregoth's borders on the authority of the crown.
Since then, the Silvershields frequently found themselves under the employment of House Oakenshield, often being seen as their hired enforcers. While this is frequently the case, the Silvershields do not hold formal loyalty to any house or lord other than to Eregoth itself, and consider themselves patriots.
In the days leading up to the Battle of Red Lake, the Silvershields were responsible for the annihilation of Emril, a town loyal to House Fenheart. Lord Oakenshield had convinced them that the town was full of Keldeni spies, and that they were to be shown no quarter. The Silvershields complied, and have garnered a great deal of suspicion since.
With the death of Lord Oakenshield and the collapse of his alliance, the Silvershields march for the capital of Eregoth to regain their bearings and reorganize.
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