The Sanguine Shroud

A truly terrifying name for a terrifying force. The name was given to them by their enemies in the Empire of Iyanus, they do not call themselves the Sanguine Shroud. What some call the Sanguine Shroud is actually not a true military division at all, not in any official sense. Instead, it is simply a loose collection of Halfling rogues, rangers, and druids within the Daragon Republic. A simple evolution of the Halflings natural stealth and abilities in nature combined with the ingenious inventions of the Gnomes. 
In the beginning of the Republic's history the Dwarves hired companies of Halflings to act as scouts, skirmishers, and ambushers for their armies. This turned out to be one of the best decisions the Dwarves could have made. The natural need to explore had made the Halflings masters of most terrain, able to move whole armies around the enemy to strike from their rear. In addition to their predilection for stealth and nature, some of these Halflings even have access to druidic magics. These were invaluable assets in their role as scouts and ambushers. Able to suddenly release hordes of nature beasts upon unwary groups of Iyanians, grow tangling vines in an instant to disrupt and slow the enemy, and even healing magic to fix any injuries gotten upon the field.
Then things changed. A gnomish family had figured out a way to create handheld explosives. No one knows what these devices are made out of or even if they are whole mechanical in nature. All they know is that they go boom, and in a BIG way. Soon enough these devices found themselves in the hands of the Halfling mercenaries. Suddenly their role in the war had changed. While they still show their worth as exceptional scouts, their abilities as ambushers had just gotten an upgrade. Suddenly whole companies of the Empire were being destroyed in great gouts of fire and thunder. Stories told around a campfire at night surrounded by terrified visages of men told of numerous patrols through seemingly empty hills, ravines, and forests. Out of nowhere these patrols found the very ground around them restraining them in their tightly packed formations. Before any orders could make their way from their Commander's lips, shadows appeared all around them.....each one hefting a small sphere like a juggler's ball. At first this only left the soldiers confused....until those spheres landed at their feet. They had but a split second to wonder what was happening before the world was filled with the flash of the sun and a sound like they Gods themselves were shouting their displeasure. Next thing they knew, 90% of the company was splattered around the area in a shower of blood and body parts. With the Halflings long gone by the time the dust settled, it fell to the few uninjured survivors to pick up the pieces and limp their way home. Whatever military mission they had been sent on long since abandoned. 
Thus they gained the title of the Sanguine Shroud. So called for the rain of blood that falls upon the survivors of their ambushers, covering them like a death shroud. Even better for the Daragon Republic, and to the detriment of the Iyanians, those who did survive these ambushes frequently never saw combat again. Even if they got lucky and remained uninjured from the blasts, their psyche would never fully heal. No soldier could walk away from something like that and keep a hold of their sanity. Some were discharged from the army for their mental instability that no amount of magical healing could make whole. Some chose death on the battlefield, breaking the shield wall's formation in order to rush towards the peace of their enemies blades. Still others simply left, deserting their posts and dropping their colors in a bid to escape the horrors they had witnessed. These men were not looked for very hard after it became apparent that their combat effectiveness was essentially zero.
So the horror of the Sanguine Shroud will continue striking fear into the hearts of men. The stories told and retold countless times around a campfire on dark, moonless nights. Woe be to those who find themselves marching through the wilderness when the Sanguine Shroud is on the hunt.

Type

Military Order