Nobles’ Armsmen

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The Nobles’ Armsmen list is used to represent warbands consisting of hired soldiers under the control of nobles from Murandy, Altara, Cairhien, Arad Doman and Tarabon.  As an Armsmen warband player you must decide in which country your hiring noble resides.  People from each these countries have their own unique histories, appearance and character.  The usual hierarchy of an Armsmen warband consists of a leading hired soldier (known as a Sword-Captain) who controls the noble’s forces in battle, and a lower member of the hiring noble’s house (known as a Minor Noble) stays with the hired force to ensure they carry out their orders and to distribute gold and equipment to the troops.  In general there is no set size for these types of formations - however they generally all follow the same pattern of the richer the hiring noble, the larger their Armsmen force.  Armsmen forces are mostly given the name of their hiring noble’s house.

 

 

Murandy

 

 

“Trust no one but yourself, and yourself not too much.”

- Lugarder saying

 

 

MURANDY

                                                                                   

Just north of Altara and south of Andor lies the nation of Murandy.  The people of Murandy do not respect the political identity of their nation as much as they respect their local nobility.  King Roedran officially rules Murandy, but the actual political power is divided between the all but independent lords and ladies who rule their own little patches of land.  The king seldom has any real control over events in the capital city, much less the rest of the country.  Many believe that the only reason Murandians tolerate a ruler at all is to provide a deterrent against annexation by neighboring nations, for their lack of national cohesion does not stop the people of Murandy from being extremely suspicious of outsiders.  Most see every foreign action as part of a plot.  Andorans are particularly despised, primarily due to a long history of disputes along their common border, although, close to the border the two people are almost indistinguishable except by dress.

 

LUGARD

 

Located in the heart of Murandy, on the banks of the River Storn, the city of Lugard is both capital and trade center for the nation.  Indeed, trade keeps Lugard alive.  Regardless of political disagreements or distrust, freight wagons of every shape and size and nation crowd the large bare patches of ground set aside for them within the city.  Stables, horse lots, and inns outnumber houses and shops, and constant heavy traffic moves through the streets carrying goods to and from Andor, Illian, Ghealdan, Altara, and Arad Doman.

     Lugard’s commercial reputation, though well earned, is tarnished by its equally well-earned reputation for thievery and licentiousness.  Lugarders view any outsider as a fair mark for theft or con game.  The very appearance of the city gives off an aura of disrepute.  Its tall grey perimeter walls have tumbled down in many places to no more than a small token fence and a pile of rubble.  Most of the broad streets are unpaved, and even the paved streets are very dusty.  The grey stone buildings with their bright-coloured tile roofs are always covered with a dull haze of dirt.  Jagged unkept stone walls crisscross the haphazard layout of the city, marking divisions claimed by feuding nobles over the years.  More than once Lugard has actually been divided among such nobles like a poorly carved roast.

 

 

SIGIL

A red bull; the Red Bull.

 

BANNER

The Red Bull on a field vertically striped blue and white; three blue and two white.  Fringed in red when flown where the sovereign is present.

 

CAPITAL CITY

Lugard.

 

 

Altara

 

 

“Lean back on your knife and let your tongue go free.”

- Common Altaran saying

 

 

ALTARA

                                                                                    

Altara faces the Sea of Storms, wedged between the more powerful nations of Illian and Amadicia, with northern borders touching Murandy, Andor, and Ghealdan.  It is unified only in name.  Most of the inhabitants prefer to identify themselves as belonging to a particular town or as being the subjects of a particular lord or lady, rather than a subject of the Queen or a citizen of Altara.  Even the nobles seem to care little for their nation, seldom paying taxes or offering more than lip service to the Crown. 

 

THE UNSTEADY THRONE

 

The Throne of Winds is slightly more than a prize to be taken by the most powerful noble, although many powerful nobles have scorned to take it when given the opportunity.  In the thousand years since Hawkwing’s death, only one house, House Todande, has held the throne for as much as five generations, and when they lost it their fall was so complete that the House has become subservient to all others.  No other House has been able to put more than two consecutive rulers on the throne. 

     Altara has a kind of national character.  Her people, especially the women, are fierce and bold.  They are extremely polite, yet quick to answer an insult with steel.  Highborn or low, man or woman, all are equal on the dueling ground.  This is most evident in the capital city Ebou Dar, center of Altaran culture and commerce.

 

DUELING

 

The Ebou Dari pride themselves on the ferocity of their women, and on their courage in a duel.  Very few men or women reach adulthood without having fought in at least one duel, and those few are ostracized for being cowardly.  While in many parts of the world men fight duels over women, only in Ebou Dar is it also common for women to fight duels over men.  In both cases the “prize” agrees to go with the winner.  Married women are less likely to be challenged than unmarried ones, and widows who reject another marriage least of all.  Most Ebou Dari women who survive to marry consider dueling scars to be a type of beauty mark.  Altaran women claim that they will only harm a man if they themselves are harmed, threatened or wronged, but by the law the death of a man at the hands of a woman is justified unless proven otherwise. 

 

APPEARANCE

 

Altarans can often be recognized by their dark hair, dark eyes, and olive complexion, but those from Ebou Dar are also easily recognizable by their distinctive attire.  In parts of Altara, especially Ebou Dar, it is the custom for a married or widowed woman to wear a “Marriage Knife” hanging hilt down from a choker around her neck.  When a couple marries, the man gives the woman the knife as part of the ceremony.  He then requests that she use it to kill him should he ever displease her.  High ladies and those of wealth wear a marriage knife of gold and jewels.  Commoners wear one of brass set with coloured glass.

     The necklines of commoners are cut very narrow and deep, while for nobles the bodice has a round or oval cutout, allowing those with marriage knives to show them to best advantage, and those without to show that they are available.  Large hoop earrings are worn by most women and some men.  Men and women alike wear curved daggers through their belts or sashes, and often carry a work knife as well.

     The trademark of an Ebou Dari man is his long, elaborate vest.  These vests are often as brightly coloured as a tinker’s clothes, and are worn alone or over pale shirts with wide sleeves.  Sometimes the wealthy add a decorative silk coat slung about the shoulders, since it is deliberately too small to be worn conventionally.  This “cape” is held with a chain of silver or gold strung between the narrow embroidered lapels.  When the cape is worn a long narrow sword is usually carried in addition to the standard dagger.  Both men and women adorn their hands with rings.

 

 

SIGIL

Two golden leopards, one above the other; the Golden Leopards; the Leopards.

 

BANNER

The Golden Leopards on a field checked four-by-four in red and blue; red is next to the staff on the topmost row.

 

CAPITAL CITY

Ebou Dar.

Symbols include the Throne of Winds.

 

Cairhien

 

 

“Take what you want and pay for it.”

- Saying in Cairhien

 

 

HISTORY

                                                                                    

Cairhien became an independent nation at the end of the War of the Hundred Years.  Her rulers at one time laid claim to a swath of land from Shienar to the River Erinin to the Spine of the World.  Now the land they control covers less than half that area.

     In 566 NE, the Aiel granted Cairhienin merchants the exclusive right to travel the Silk Path from the Jangai Pass through the Aiel Waste.  At the same time they gave her king the Avendoraldera, the only known sapling of the Tree of Life.  The nation grew fat on the trade that lay beyond the Aiel Waste, but the good fortune was short-lived.  The Aiel War of 976-978 NE brought havoc to Cairhien and the rest of the land.  The Aiel burned the city, only her libraries untouched, and took from Cairhien its right to use the Silk Path.

     Cairhien’s fertile farmland had produced more than enough to feed her people, but after the war farmers and refugees from the land along the Dragonwall swarmed for protection to the walls of the larger cities, leaving their lands untended.  With the farms lying fallow, the king was forced to rely on the goodwill of neighbours and their shipments of grain to feed the people.

    

THE GAME OF HOUSES

 

The key to understanding Cairhien’s volatile history lies in the nature of its people.  As a whole they are stern and unyielding, preferring the world around them to adhere to strictly ordered aesthetics rather than natural chaos.  Yet they thrive on the complexities of subtle political intrigue, using the art of misdirection and hidden meanings to gain power and status.  For a Cairhienin, nothing is as it seems; everything has a deeper meaning, a hidden motive.  It was the nobles of Cairhien who took the style of intrigue created by the White Tower, gave it their own twist, and made it into what is now known as Daes Dae’mar, the dangerous and often deadly Game of Houses.     

     It is Daes Dae’mar that is believed to be responsible for most of Cairhien’s disastrous failures.  It is now known that the First Aiel War, as the Cairhien call it, was a direct result of King Laman Damodred’s attempt to play the Game.  He destroyed the Aiel gift to gain position by making a throne from the tree that would be unique in all the world, never guessing that it would ultimately cost him his life.  All members of noble Houses are involved in the politics of the Game from birth, and all must learn the art of misdirection and subtlety.  As a result, every aspect of dress, behavior, and even architecture is very carefully ordered.  Nothing about the Cairhienin nobility is ever spontaneous.

 

THE FEAST OF LIGHTS

 

The only time the Cairhienin reserve breaks is during the celebration of the Feast of Lights.  For two days all propriety is gone, as are all social barriers between nobles and commoners.  The Cairhienin seem determined to make up for a year of careful etiquette with two days of wild abandon.  One of the tenets of the holiday is that any man can kiss any woman and any woman any man.  As a result it is common to see nobles and commoners sporting together in various states of undress.  Music and dancing will often fill the streets.

     At the end of the Feast, everyone returns to their own class and resumes the mask of reserve, with no repercussions for anything that might have occurred during the holiday, and no acknowledgment that anything did occur.

 

THE ARMSMEN

 

The Cairhienin people are shorter and more pale-skinned than Andorans, though with darker hair, and the dark colours they prefer contrast with their fair skin.  The military of Cairhien wear coats of black or dark blue or green.  Officers wear slashes of rank across their coats much as nobles do, but they shave the front of the head and often dust it with white powder, leaving the hair hanging long at the back.  Both officers and soldiers wear plain armour, with bell-shaped helmets and gauntlets.  Until the Shaido War, the nobles who commanded the soldiers did not shave their heads, leaving that to the common-born, but after it many nobles who had “seen the wolf” took up the practice.  Regular soldiers wear their hair cut short in a basic bowl cut.  The Cairhienin use short banners called Con that are harnessed to their backs to mark officers’ personal retainers.

 

 

SIGIL

A many-rayed golden rising sun; the Rising Sun.

 

BANNER

A many-rayed golden sun rising on a field of blue.

 

CAPITAL CITY

Cairhien.

Symbols include the Sun Throne.

 

 

Arad Doman

 

 

“A man who trades with a Domani needs three sets of wits.”

- Warning against foolishness

 

 

ARAD DOMAN

                                                                                    

Arad Doman lies between the Mountains of Mist and the Aryth Ocean, just north of the Almoth Plain.  Though the plain is officially unclaimed, Arad Doman has long maneuvered for control of it against Tarabon.  The Domani believe they are descendants of those who made the Tree of Life, but it is the Domani women that are legendary.  Copper-skinned and exceedingly graceful, they are said to be able to twist a man around their wrist with a look, and imprison his heart with a single smile.  The clothes they wear are considered scandalous by most other standards.  Their dresses cover their bodies from neck to toes, but are barely opaque and cling to every curve, revealing nothing while hinting at everything.  Only the women of the Sea Folk move with more sensual grace than the Domani, and no other woman can compare to a Domani when it comes to practicing the art of seduction, which mothers begin teaching daughters in girlhood.  Most Domani merchants are women, and the nation owes its wealth to their success.  Few men will come off the victor in trade with a Domani woman, but they often consider losing worth the experience.

     The capital of Arad Doman is Bandar Eban, also their trade center.  Though the Domani do not like to travel the sea, Domani merchants carry on major trade with the Sea Folk, and then disperse the goods to inland consumers.  They also trade heavily with Tarabon and Saldaea.

 

APPEARANCE

 

Domani men are recognizable by their long, thin mustaches and earrings.  Both men and women of nobility wear jewelry engraved or embossed with the symbols of their House.  As much as women are known for their beauty, the men are known for their temper.  It has been suggested that it is dealing with Domani women which gives them such a temper.  Others say that it is eating with sursa (two thin sticks held in one hand used to pick up slivers of food).

 

 

SIGIL

A silver hand grasping a silver sword by the blade, point down; the Sword and Hand.

 

BANNER

The Sword and Hand on a field of four green and three blue horizontal stripes.

 

CAPITAL CITY

Bandar Eban.

 

 

Tarabon

 

 

“The best secret to reveal is the face behind a lady’s veil, the most deadly is that of an Illuminator’s spark.”

- Saying in Tanchico

 

 

TARABON

                                                                                     

Tarabon, a sizable nation on the Aryth Ocean, lies just south of the disputed Almoth Plain.  Taraboners call themselves the Tree of Man, and claim descent from rulers and nobles of the Age of Legends.  In the years when Almoth lived, it was even rumored that Tarabon actually held either a branch or a living sapling of Avendesora.  Their banner was designed originally to celebrate that fact and their claimed heritage, with its blue sky, black earth, and the spreading Tree of Life to join them.

     Once a great trading nation, Tarabon was a major source of fine rugs, dyes, fireworks, and other luxury items, but the nation has recently fallen on hard times that threaten to destroy its commerce. 

 

KING, PANARCH AND ASSEMBLY

 

Tarabon is nominally ruled jointly by a king and panarch, who are both elected by the Assembly of Lords.  The King and the Panarch are equal in authority.  The Panarch collects taxes, customs, and duties, controls the Civil Watch, and oversees the lower courts.  Her personal guard is the Panarch’s Legion.  The King is responsible for spending the collected revenue properly, controls the army, and oversees the High Court.  His personal guard is the King’s Life Guard.  The only major political duty of the Assembly of Lords is the election of both King and Panarch.

 

TANCHICO

 

Tarabon’s capital city may be one of the oldest surviving cities on the continent.  Tarabon’s historians claim that part of the Panarch’s Palace was built as far back as the Age of Legends.  They cite a wall bearing an ancient frieze depicting animals no living man has ever seen, as well as the numerous skeletons of these animals on display there.  While doubtful, this antiquity would help substantiate their claim as descendants of that Age’s nobility.  There is no doubt that the Panarch’s Palace, seated atop one of Tanchico’s loftier hills, is a wondrous construct.  Its central hall is lined with rows of white columns and lit from tiny carvings in the wall just below the ceiling and contains a grand display of all types of ancient artifacts, unmatched anywhere.  The exhibit includes priceless cuendillar figures, rare sculptures, and even an angreal.  It is open to the public, noble and commoner alike, three days a month as well as on feastdays.

     Larger than Tear and possibly Caemlyn, Tanchico is spread over the steep hills embracing Tanchico Bay at the mouth of the River Andahar.  This great harbor is usually crowded with ships of all kinds.  Three separate peninsulas jut into the harbor, the Verana to the east, the Maseta in the center, and the Calpene nearest the sea.  These peninsulas are guarded by a dozen fortresses that surround the harbor.  Each of the peninsulas has a “circle” or assembly area among its buildings.  The smallest of these, the Great Circle on the Calpene peninsula, can hold thousands of people to watch horse races or displays of illuminations.  The largest arena is the King’s Circle, located on the Maseta.  The Panarch’s Circle is slightly smaller than the King’s Circle and is located on the Verana, as is the Panarch’s Palace.

     Due to the recent trouble, the area on the Calpene near the Great Circle has become a haunt for homeless refugees.  All the shops in the area have permanently closed.  Cutthroats and thieves have always been a part of the city, but now they nearly rule the streets.  Nobles’ bodyguards have become a necessity.

     Claimants to the throne are a constant threat to the fragile balance of power.  The heads of those who are caught are placed on spikes above Traitors’ Steps on the Maseta, but there is no certainty that such measures will help this old city, or Tarabon, survive.

 

THE GUILD OF ILLUMINATORS

 

The Guild of Illuminators holds the secret to producing illuminations, or airborne fireworks displays.  The group founded their first chapter house in Tanchico, and later went on to establish one in Cairhien as well, though both have now been lost.  They usually serve lords and kings by providing great entertainments of illuminations, but also sell lesser fireworks to others. 

     Illuminators protect their secrets at all cost, even unto murder.  No one not born into the guild is allowed access to their knowledge.  Each chapter house - none are known to exist at present - is run by a Mistress or Master of the House who is answerable to the guild for anything that happens within the house.

 

APPEARANCE

 

In Tarabon it is considered impolite to completely reveal one’s face except when eating or drinking.  As a result, both men and women wear a transparent veil across the face.  When anonymity is required, they may even don a mask to completely hide the features.

     Taraboner men often sport facial hair under the veil in the form of a thick mustache, and wear a dark cylindrical cap on their thick dark hair.  Both lords and commoners wear baggy white trousers and coats embroidered with scrollwork on the shoulders, though the lords’ coats are usually of finer material and their much more elaborate embroidery is often gold.  Loose-fitting shirts with embroidered chests are worn under the coats.  Occasionally the trousers are embroidered as well.

     Noblewomen veil their faces, but they do not believe in hiding their figures.  Most wear clinging gowns of thin silk that are almost as revealing as those worn by Domani women.  Peasant women also prefer thin fabric, though their dresses are usually made of drab wool, quite coarse in comparison to their betters’.

     Household servants wear wool, but of a finer quality than that available to most peasants, with the sigil of the House embroidered on the breast.

 

 

SIGIL

A golden tree with a thick bole and spreading branches balanced by roots below; the Tree; the Golden Tree.

 

BANNER

The Golden Tree on a field vertically striped red and white; four red and three white.

 

CAPITAL CITY

Tanchico.

Symbols include the Throne of Light.

Choice of Warriors

 

All Armsmen warbands must include a minimum of three models. You have 500 gold marks to recruit your initial warband. The maximum number of warriors in the warband may never exceed 15.

 

Sword-Captain: Each Armsmen warband must have one Sword-Captain.  No more, no less!

 

Minor Noble: Your warband must include one Minor Noble.  No more, no less!

 

Veteran Armsmen:  Your warband may include up to three Veteran Armsmen.

 

Armsmen: Any number of models may be Armsmen.

 

Marksmen: Your warband may include up to five Marksmen.

 

Starting experience

 

A Sword-Captain starts with 20 experience.

 

A Minor Noble starts with 4 experience.

 

Veteran Armsmen start with 8 experience.

 

Henchmen start with 0 experience.

 

 

1 Sword-Captain

 

65 gold marks to hire

In most lands, noblemen and women do not personally lead their Armsmen to battle under normal circumstances.  Instead, they hire a professional soldier, almost always a commoner, who is responsible for both the training and leading their Armsmen.  This soldier is called a Sword-Captain.

 

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
Sword-Captain	4	4	4	3	3	1	4	1	8

 

Weapons/Armour: A Sword-Captain can choose equipment from the Armsman Equipment list.

 

SPECIAL RULES

Leader: Any warrior within 6” of the Sword-Captain may use his Leadership characteristic when taking Leadership tests.

 

Sword Forms: A Sword-Captain may choose three sword forms when hired and may choose additional sword forms instead of a new skill. See sword forms rules for details.

 

0-1 Minor Noble

 

50 gold marks to hire

Minor Nobles are usually relations of the hiring noble.  Their job is to stay with the hired force to ensure they carry out their orders and to distribute gold and equipment to the troops.  They are usually forced into this task through family disagreements or if they are seen as a challenge to the hiring noble’s position as head of the house.  Alternatively, they are young foolish nobles who seek adventures and treasures.

 

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
Minor Noble	4	3	3	3	3	1	3	1	7

 

Weapons/Armour: A Minor Noble can choose equipment from the Armsman Equipment list and the Marksman Equipment list.

 

SPECIAL RULES

Sword Forms: Most Nobles consider themselves expert swordsmen, but in truth they only manage to handle a sword slightly better than the average soldier.  Nobles usually pick up a few tricks when practicing their sword techniques.  To represent this, a Minor Noble may choose a single sword form when hired and may choose additional sword forms instead of a new skill.  See sword forms rules for details.

 

Wealthy:  After each game the Armsmen warband gains an extra 2D6 gold marks added to its treasury, which may be spent as the Nobles’ Armsmen player sees fit. 

 

0-3 Veteran Armsmen

 

35 gold marks to hire

These men are the loyal veterans of a noble’s forces.  They may have been awarded this title for some brave or commendable act, succeeding against the odds on the battlefield or by showing great loyalty in their hiring noble times of need.  Veteran Armsmen can be picked out from other Armsmen as they are more experienced in war and are more skilled with the weapons they carry.

 

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
Veteran Armsman	4	4	3	3	3	1	3	1	7

 

Weapons/Armour: Veteran Armsmen can choose equipment from the Armsman Equipment list.

 

Henchmen

Armsmen

 

25 gold marks to hire

Armsmen are soldiers who owe allegiance or fealty to a particular lord or lady.  They are the main driving force behind any noble’s warband, and have usually had extensive training in the ways of war by the Sword-Captain hired by that noble. 

 

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
Armsman	4	3	3	3	3	1	3	1	7

 

Weapons/Armour: Armsmen can choose equipment from the Armsman Equipment list.

 

0-5 Marksmen

 

25 gold marks to hire

Marksmen differ from other Armsmen in that they have been specially trained to use missile weapons. They position themselves on the battlefield to make best use of their ranged weapons, but aren’t afraid to engage any that slip through the lines.

 

Profile	M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld
Marksman	4	3	3	3	3	1	3	1	7

 

Weapons/Armour: Marksmen can choose equipment from the Marksman Equipment list.

 

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