Warhawks Guild
A Clear Need
The Warhawks Guild was formed as a coalition of mercenary commanders who found common cause in establishing a certain standard of behavior for and between mercenary companies in the conduct of war within the Arrhynsia mainland. It also allowed for specialization of mercenary units and referrals to other mercenaries when complimentary disciplines were deemed necessary for certain tactical situations.
Typically, mercenary units in Arrhynsia were hired by city states or small countries whose financial interests and resources exceeded their citizenry's ability to staff a military of significant size. These sovereign states were not immune to conflict and aggression, and were often subjected to it more often than larger states simply because of the high concentration of wealth combined with the manpower shortage that they obviously suffered compared to larger more militarized countries. This vulnerability drove a rich market opportunity for well trained military troops such as the Zol dak. By hiring out their conflict management to professionals, small rich states were able to defend themselves and more efficiently resolve their disputes with other states.
Of course, relying on outside troops, in particular troops that you hired to ruthlessly kill your opposition while not building a significant internal military left these states vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous mercenary armies. It was a significant risk and frequently occurred that some of these mercenaries, once hired, would hold the state who hired them to ransom, or would ransack the country which had trusted them and allowed them inside their protective perimeters.
The Warhawks Guild provided an essential service in acting as a trustee or guarentor of the behavior and code of conduct of the mercenary troops that belonged to the Guild. Mercenrary armys that joined the Warhawks Guild and then violated the rules of the Guild were hunted down and killed by other member units. This enabled states to hire Guild units with confidence that they would remain intact after the resolution of their war. Guild member mercenary armies were able to charge a premium for their services - a premium that most city states were willing to pay in order to maintain their state's integrity through the wars they were engaged in.
The Discipline of Excellence
The guild also serves as a a training facility for member troops who wish to improve their skills. Basic training of recruits is the responsibility of the mercenary troop captains, but advanced training, in particular cross training outside the specialty of one's contracted unit can be hard to come by. The Guild provides a reasonably priced source for well qualified instructors who provide training and a set of sparring mates who are also invested in acquiring the skills that a troop is interested in learning. As cross weapons training and advanced training in tactics, logistics and leadership skills provide opportunities for advancement, the Guild does a brisk business in skills training in many disciplines of war. Training prices for Guild members are significantly lower than for outsiders, incentivising Guild membership for high potential future officers.
In this sense the Warharks Guild serves exactly the same functions as any other trade guild - guild membership acts as a guarentee of quality, codes of behavior, and performance of goods and services delivered by guild members. The reputation of the Guild is such that members with Guild training are hired outside of the mercenary community where the Guild originated and have become a training ground for military arts across the entirety of Arrhynsia. "Warhawk training" or experience is a resume item worthy of notice for an Arrhynsian military troop regardless of his current liege.
Comments