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The Sembaran Army

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The defense of the realm and the people within it is a key concern of the nobility and the lords of the manor. The defenses of the realm are broadly organized in two ways:

  • The lord of the manor is obligated to maintain defenses for their village or town. The deca (the tenth of the harvest tax due annually) is dedicated to this purpose
  • The monarchy maintains a professional fighting force of about 7,000 soldiers, divided into four armies: the Army of Mostreve, the Army of the West, the Army of the South, and the Army of the North, plus a small navy of about 20 vessels

These armies are professional, well-equipped, and well-trained and can be brought together into a large fighting force when a serious threat emerges on the border.  In addition to the major garrisons, a number of border castles and fortifications (including the Western Wall of Sembara) are staffed by the military, mostly in the west.

Within the army, the Army of the West and the Army of Mostreve are often seen as the ‘real’ armies, and usually has significant skirmishes every year. The armies of the North and South are where the second children of barons go to have an honorable career with just the right amount of risk.

East of Cleenseau, the local lords of Varbonne, Aveil, and the other baronies of the borderlands are largely left to their own devices, unless a threat so great appears that the Army of the South must ride from Fellburn. But the Plaguelands are largely seen as empty, cursed lands, and no major threat has marched from there in living memory. Plus the Earl of Addermarch is on the border and can defend against smaller threats.

In the south, north, and along the Volta, however, the bulk of the defenses of the border are left to the local lords. Additionally, not all threats emerge at borders – which are after all, mostly uninhabited land. The lords of even the heartland manors are responsible for maintaining a stout manor house that can provide shelter at need, and a wall (if possible and reasonable, this depends greatly on the size of the population). Additionally, the lords of the manor are expected to maintain a reasonable guard, usually a half dozen part-time men-at-arms, but in some border towns, a more respectable troop of two dozen or more professionals. 

Within free cities the city government has similar responsibilities as the lord of the manor.

In order to support border defenses, the military commanders pay an annual sum to certain border lords – barons, lords of the manor, or earls, as the commander sees fit – to help them maintain and organize defenses. These payments can be a key source of patronage, and the twelve company commanders, three watch commanders, and four army commanders are significant and powerful civil servants.