This is the full background for the Stirland -Sylvania Volunteer Regiment I hope you enjoy
The best way to start the story is to begin with the commander of the Stirland - Sylvania Volunteer Regiment, Otto Von Gossfreid. Otto Von Gossfreid born 2497 is the third son of Nils Von Gossfreid who was himself a third son. Otto is very minor nobility just barely better than a peasant he had no money and his only valuables were armor, a fine sword, and a horse well past her prime, as the third son Otto is not likely to inherit and must raise himself up by hard work and ambition, but unfortunately he was a lazy layabout content with long naps and low company. Otto was not a bad guy and was actually very likable but was undependable and unmotivated. Otto's only real quality was that he was a swordsman without equal at least in his local area. During the Storm of Chaos Nils and his sons Nils II, Karl, and Otto marched were to Middenheim to help defend the city. During the initial local muster and the march to the assembly area in Wurtbad, Otto's habit of showing up late to officers meeting and formations and his nonchalant attitude about military discipline caused him to be reassigned to lead a detachment of 15 vagabonds, misfits, and malcontents that were supposed to pass for spearmen. At the head of his new command he received orders to march East to Niedling to guard a river crossing an assignment with no chance of glory. When they arrived at the crossing they set up camp and posted sentries, discipline was lax and the men mostly drank and gambled when not on guard and it was not uncommon for sentries to sleep at their posts on their 9th night there, they were attacked by a raiding party of Beastmen coming south from Talabecland and Otto fought bravely slaying 10 of the beasts and was the sole survivor narrowly escaping death after one of the attackers knocked him unconscious with a club and he fell down a hill into the undergrowth concealing him the the enemy. His lost his left eye from the blow to his face and returned in shame to his commander at Wurtbad he was relieved of command and set to wandering from one seedy tavern to the next until the spring of 2525 when he was recalled for service
In 2525 Otto's brother Karl was serving as an administrative officer in Wurtbad and was overseeing the formation of a Regiment that was to be composed mainly of Sylvanian peasant refugees with a small number of hardened Stirland regulars. No nobleman who was respectable was willing to command the regiment of exiles, Otto's name was submitted as a possible commander and was accepted. When Otto arrived in Julbach to oversee the training and formation of his new command he was determined to redeem himself and show Karl that his was right to have faith in him. They were not considered proper soldiers but Otto was not a proper commander.
The Regiment had orders to march to the Border Princes and secure support and allies for Alberich Haupt-Anderssen and Stirland, unofficially he was told to create a State that would act as a client kingdom and would oversee the Electors interests there. So began Stirlands campaign in the Border Princes.
Otto was given a free hand in accomplishing his mission and was allowed to campaign as he saw fit and use whatever resources he had at his disposal. The unit would receive only token support from Wurtbad and the men were to be paid on more of a profit sharing basis each man received a certain amount of the loot based on position and rank. Otto knew that every place he chose to attack must have something of value, mines, orchards, vineyards, etc , they must also possess a fortress to act as a strong point to secure the area. The First place he attacked was a small settlement south of Karak Izor, it had a fortified barracks, two villages, good productive fertile land, and orchards. He captured the Kingdom by climbing the barracks walls alone at night killing the sentries and opening the gate letting troops march in and capture the entire garrison. He captured his next kingdom which was little more than a fortified vineyard by tunneling into the wine cellars and sneaking up into the villa killing the King his troops surrendered and joined Otto. He has since consolidated his little empire and has had to fight off Goblin raids and has recruited a mercenary company Jagers Independent Company of handgunners and he has also raised local militia consisting of many Bretonnian exiles that settled the land around 2503.
Jagers Independent Company of Hand-gunners is a unit commanded by Caspar Jager a former Hand-gunner from Middenheim and veteran of the Siege of Middenheim. The unit is composed of veteran Hand-gunners from all across the Empire and Marienburg, including Middenland, Middenheim, Hochland, Bogenhafen, Norland, and Marienburg.
The Thing about my army is that they are supposed to be an unwanted misfit unit, refugees commanded by a disgraced officer fighting in a far off land, paying themselves in war booty, with the state sending only occasional replacements and supplies, the elector would have nothing to lose and if they were successful he would gain a client kingdom in the south. For the Elector its a low risk investment, for Otto Von Gossfreid and his Exiles its a fools errand.
I hope this was able to explain the army a little better
The most Important thing to me is that the army doesn't become a hodgepodge of unrelated units. I want my army to remain at its core a solid empire infantry force made up of Stirlanders the only exceptions being Jagers Gunners and 1 or 2 units of Bretonnian Men At Arms. I want to use the Brets to represent my Local Militias but I cant decide if I should use them as Spearman or Free Company, what do you all think so far ?
