Military forces

The Helerin Archipelago is home to a number of island nations, each with its own military traditions, structures, and strategies shaped by their geography and political landscape.
The key nations each have distinctive military forces. These forces range from organised standing armies and navies to decentralised militias, with naval power playing a critical role in many of the archipelago's conflicts and defences.

Overview

Each nation in the islands approaches military organization differently, largely shaped by their geography and political circumstances. The Realm of Forbin, as the dominant power, boasts the most structured and expansive military, with a strong emphasis on naval superiority. In contrast, more fragmented regions like the Mar Mabon Townships rely on local militias and warlords for defence.
Naval power is especially important across the archipelago, where maritime trade and island defence are essential to survival. Fortifications, particularly coastal fortresses, also play a significant role in securing the islands from external threats and internal unrest.

State forces

Forbin

The military of Forbin operates under the supreme authority of the Golden Golden King, supported by high-ranking officers, regional lords, and local commanders who oversee territories and installations.

Forbin’s strategic focus is maintaining dominance in the Helerin Archipelago, securing trade routes, and consolidating its hold on Teros following the War of Salvation.
Forbin's armed forces include a small standing army commanded by Lord Velmarn, supplemented by regional militias raised by the Lords Guardian. Specialized units such as the Royal Guard, led by Commander Arnas, provide elite protection for the Golden King at the Palace in Holdras. Forbin’s Peacekeepers, numbering 12,000 soldiers, maintain order in Teros and operate semi-independently under the Grand Commander, Garra Nortis.

Forbin's naval forces under Lord Barran are a critical component of its military strategy. The Eastern Fleet, based in Mintrass, secures the Sea of Fair Winds and supports the Peacekeeper occupation of Teros, while the Western Fleet in Hapros protects routes to Remon and the Seynan Islands.
Fortifications such as Fort Jalus, White Keep, and Northwatch form a network of strongholds across Forbin’s territories.
See also: Military of Forbin

Remon

The military of Remon is a key pillar of the kingdom’s identity, with supreme command vested in its king, Dastan III. Day-to-day operations are delegated to high-ranking officers, regional rulers, and local captains, who oversee territories and key installations.

Remon's culture highly values martial strength, with military leaders and heroes enjoying significant honour and prestige. The kingdom's strategic priorities focus on maintaining parity with the Realm of Forbin and safeguarding its borders, though its westernmost position in the Helerin Archipelago minimizes exposure to external threats.
Remon's military forces include regional garrisons, a naval fleet, and specialized units such as the Palace Guard. The Grand Commander of Remon, Lady Jurashan, leads the armies and oversees local garrisons stationed in towns and forts, which can be supplemented by conscription during wartime. The Palace Guard, an elite unit commanded by Commander Forchamen, protects the royal family and the Royal Palace in Harsann. The navy, under the leadership of Lady Tenatheen, operates primarily from the capital, with additional fleets stationed at Jaltra and Laknas.

Strategic fortifications, including castles and outposts, bolster Remon’s defence. These include Castle Biltar on the southern coast, Fort Dayn guarding the Straits of Jaltra, and Laknas Keep in the north. Each serves as a vital hub for regional stability and military operations.
See also: Military of Remon

Mar Mabon Townships

The Townships rely heavily on mercenary forces to compensate for their lack of a unified military structure. Each town and city maintains its own modest guards and militias, but these are often insufficient to handle larger threats or expand territorial influence.
Wealthy merchants and rulers frequently employ mercenary bands, whose loyalty is tied to the coin rather than any particular township. Notable among these are the Mabon Jackals, a swift and brutal force led by Vinara Sollindin, and the Blackstaves, a small but formidable company of mages under the leadership of the Channeler, Ollend Kalaboss. These groups are instrumental in both defending city-states and conducting more aggressive operations, such as raids or the suppression of local unrest.

Naval defence is a critical concern for the townships, given their reliance on maritime trade and the ever-present threat of piracy. The cities of Argonsa and Orbont maintain small fleets to patrol their waters, but these are often supplemented by hired corsairs or mercenaries with naval expertise. This transactional approach to defence contributes to the volatile nature of Mar Mabon's coastal waters, where alliances and enmities can shift overnight.
Pirate havens such as the town of Bellos blur the line between legitimate defence and outright brigandry, further complicating the region’s military landscape.
Fortifications such as Castle Varathis and Gathansin's Citadel of the Serpent, provide strategic strongholds for the townships. However, their effectiveness is limited by the fragmented nature of governance and the inconsistent quality of their garrisons. Reliance on mercenaries, while offering short-term flexibility, underscores the inability of the townships to form a cohesive military strategy.

This patchwork of militias, naval forces, and mercenary companies reflects the broader disunity of the Mar Mabon Townships. While individual cities may secure their interests through the use of hired blades and mages, their mutual distrust and competitive nature hinder any meaningful collaboration. As a result, the townships remain vulnerable to both internal discord and external threats, with their military strength scattered and their loyalties often for sale to the highest bidder.
See also: Castles and towers of Mar Mabon

League of Mar Miskun

The military of the League reflects the island's fragmented governance and decentralized power.
Without a unified standing army, each town and city maintains its own militia or guard force, typically commanded by local rulers such as Lady Yennithir of Penstrarn or the Dukes of Ashanok. These forces are funded and equipped locally, and their size and quality vary greatly depending on the wealth and priorities of the region. While these independent forces are often sufficient to maintain order within their respective territories, they can come together under rare circumstances when the League faces significant external threats.

The League’s naval capability is its most formidable military asset, with Ashanok and Penstrarn both hosting their own modest fleets stationed at the coastal cities of Ashanok and Penstrarn. Thought small, these are well-equipped, and are primarily tasked with protecting maritime trade routes and defending against corsairs - a constant threat in the waters surrounding Mar Miskun.
Fort Hassar on the western coast and other key coastal strongholds provide additional patrol capabilities, ensuring the safety of merchant vessels and maintaining the League's control over its vital sea lanes. Merchant-funded ships often bolster these efforts, reflecting the close relationship between the League's military and its powerful trading interests.
Fortifications play a critical role in the League’s defence, with castles and towers in its towns and scattered across the island's rugged landscape. Prominent examples include Penstrarn's High Keep, the Bastion of Kunkana, and the Round Keep of Ashanok, each serving as both military strongholds and centres of local governance. Other fortresses, such as Fort Hayil in the north and the Tower of Tarinor, protect vital trade routes and border regions. These strongholds are often staffed by garrisons loyal to the local rulers rather than any central authority, highlighting the challenges of coordinating defence across the League.

While the League's military forces are limited in scale and fractured by design, they are adaptable and fiercely independent, much like the towns and cities they serve. The League relies heavily on the leadership of its local rulers, such as Fittar Mobinn of Kunkana and Sothya Lerraspa of Halfway, whose ability to navigate the island’s shifting alliances and threats has proven critical to the League’s survival. Though this decentralized approach can lead to inefficiencies, it also reflects the League’s enduring commitment to autonomy and its determination to remain free from the influence of larger, more centralized realms like Forbin and Teros.
See also: Castles and towers of Mar Miskun

Seynan Islands

The military capability of the Free Peoples of the Seynan Islands is shaped by their decentralized governance and the challenges of defending a widely scattered archipelago. Lacking a standing army or central command, the Islanders instead rely on locally raised militias to protect their communities. Each town maintains its own force of guards, with the largest settlements, such as Seyn Ferra, Seynin Fant, and Seyn Truna, fielding the most capable contingents. These towns also boast small defensive keeps or bastions, serving as both administrative centres and rallying points in times of crisis. Militias are primarily tasked with defending against pirates and raiders, the most immediate threats to the islands.

Naval defence is the cornerstone of the islands' military strategy. The Seynan Islanders are expert sailors, intimately familiar with the treacherous waters surrounding their home. They use fast, maneuverable boats and guerrilla tactics to outwit and outmaneuver larger and better-armed foes. Fishing fleets can be swiftly mobilized into makeshift naval forces, providing a flexible and pragmatic approach to defence. This reliance on speed, knowledge of the seas, and community cooperation has allowed the Seynan Islanders to maintain their independence despite their limited resources.
Fortifications are sparse across the islands, with no major strongholds built or maintained by the Free Peoples themselves beyond the small keeps in the larger towns. The most notable fortress in the region is Torbanan, controlled by Forbin, which guards the Olbrint Strait. Other ruins, such as the Tower of the Tides, stand as echoes of past conflicts but offer little in the way of current military utility. The Seynan Islanders instead rely on their natural defences, using the rugged terrain, hidden coves, and shallow waters of their islands to confound and repel invaders.
While the Seynan Islands lack the formalized military structures of larger realms, their resilience and adaptability have ensured their survival in a harsh and unpredictable world. Community cooperation and a shared determination to remain free from external domination are the pillars of their defence, making them a fiercely independent and resourceful people.
See also: Castles and towers of the Seynan Islands

Teros

The once-mighty realm of Teros is a fractured land, its power broken by defeat in the War of Salvation. Twenty years ago, the sorcerer queen Yarivona led an ambitious invasion of Realm of Forbin and Mar Mabon, with aggressive incursions elsewhere in Helerin. Her defeat at the hands of Trybon Fane and his allies shattered Teros as a unified state.
The southern reaches of Teros now lie under the control of Forbin’s Peacekeepers, who enforce their rule from the capital, Olnath, and a network of fortified strongholds. In contrast, the north remains a chaotic patchwork of free territories, tribal lands, and wilderness. The city of Persothan, nestled in the Festermere swamps, maintains a tenuous independence, operating more as a self-governing city-state than as part of the Terosian realm.
In the south, the Peacekeepers present themselves as a stabilizing force, yet their governance is marked by corruption and brutality. While they maintain order in key settlements and trade routes, their influence diminishes in the rugged hills and arid plains of the interior. To the north, resistance movements, opportunistic warlords, and defiant local rulers challenge any semblance of centralized authority. The Wastes are home to many such figures.
Mercenaries play a significant role in Teros’s fractured state, both in the south and the north. While wealthy merchants and nobles hire mercenary forces to safeguard their property, others employ them for more aggressive ventures, including raids or reprisals. Bands such as the Vizrin Stonescales, led by the Boma warrior Kalgodan Harr, operate across southern Teros, often working for the Peacekeepers or ambitious local rulers. In the north, mercenaries are more likely to ally with rebellious factions or warlords, adding to the region’s instability.

For the people of Teros, life is shaped by the region’s harsh landscapes and turbulent politics. The arid south, dominated by Peacekeeper rule, sees its resources drained to support Forbin’s interests. In the north, resilience is paramount, with survival depending on the ability to navigate shifting alliances and avoid the dangers posed by both the wilderness and its inhabitants. Though the realm no longer functions as a unified power, the spirit of Teros persists in its people’s struggle to endure and reclaim what was lost.
See also: Castles and towers of Teros

Mercenary forces

Mercenaries have been used throughout Helerin's history to supplement (or even replace) traditional military forces. Loyalty is bought with coin, and so is often negotiable and unreliable.
Since the War of Salvation, mercenaries are most commonly used to protect the interests of wealthy nobles and merchants.
See also: Mercenary groups