1875-10-25: The Mercenary Market
The Mercenary Market
IC Date: 25 Octobre, 1875 IE
Related Information: Mercs Recalled

A month ago, mercenaries hailing from the Free City State of Four Corners were recalled back to their home territory, an action that was not accompanied by much explanation. Since its founding at the closing of the Thirty Years War, Four Corners has become the premiere base for sell-swords, its Ministry of Blades setting the standard for their organisation, conduct and a myriad of other details throughout the Civilised West.

While Four Corners has now voluntarily ceded this role, the demand for mercenaries has hardly abated. And so, what were formerly secondary mercenary pools have now come to the forefront.

With the peace dividend from the end of the War of the West in 1874, many former Kentairish soldiers seem to have taken the opportunity presented by the withdrawal of Four Corners's sell swords to form their own companies; the rapidity of their formation indicates that it is almost certainly sponsored by the autocratic government of that Principality.

Alongside their brethren, the Raging Bull Company of House Venantius, an Eastern Galenthian lordship made up of exiled Kentairish mercenaries have also been given full employ. One of the conditions of their continued provision of sell swords was that they were subject to orders from the Kingdom of Galenthia in exceptional circumstances - it seems that they have been given orders by someone in that southern Kingdom. The Raging Bull Company has thus given Gens d'Korbina notice that when second annual contract is up in Novembre, that it will be returning home to Galenthia to fill that gap left by the departure of Four Corners soldiers.

More surprising, perhaps, are the mercenaries coming from elsewhere. Notably, the Principality of Alezzo which was formed by the losing side of the Second Galenthian Succession War (and claimant to the throne Viktor Romante) has turned its fusion of Galenthian and Parthian soldiers into fine sellswords. For the last several years, they've worked in the far south, but now appear to also be moving up to fill the void. Alongside Alezzo are newcomers such as various crews from Ryalta and clans from White Hall, specialising, rather predictably in maritime matters, though both have other contignents for sale.

It remains to be seen what level of professionalism that these different groups offer compared to the tightly controlled mercenaries of Four Corners. One thing is certain - any void in a violent world is bound to be filled.

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