Voltan Free
Companies
Voltan Free Companies are independent
bands of mercenary troops and are usually well-respected defenders of the Duchy.
Free Companies are typically used to augment standing Voltan forces in times of
war and often specialize in forms of combat that require longer periods of
training that is not available in the form of a mobilized militia. Such
companies are often formed at the end of periods of conflict, when men-at-arms
are no longer needed by their respective governments.
For a Free Company to be formed, the
Duke of Volta requires that a charter be submitted to the Ducal Clerk of
Records. The charter must provide details of the structure of the Free
Company in addition to naming the Company's leader as well as any sworn
allegiances the Company may hold. Free Companies sworn into the service of
a Baron, Earl, or Duke may manage an estate within said noble's domain. In
such cases, the leader of the Free Company is considered to be a vassal of the
noble and is accorded all of the associated rights and privileges of such a
position, which may also include being named a Knight or a Lord. In times
of war, Free Companies sworn into the service of a noble serve under that
noble's military command.
The
following Free Companies have been recognized as fully chartered in the Duchy of
Volta and sworn into Baronial service:
Barony of Anym
Murphy's Rangers
The Trellheim Irregulars
Barony of Cathym
The Feared
Thorgrim's Company
T'Shok's Band
Barony of Dinsdale
The Azure Flame
Bolton's Brigade
The Brothers of the Broken
Circle
The Greencloaks
Barony of Zarkym
The Caravaneers
Thunderhammer Company
The following Free Companies have been recognized as fully
chartered in the Duchy of Volta with no current sworn allegiances:
The Emerald Legion
Frostguard