Zurn'Kadeth, The City of Soldiers

""In all of the world of Asteria, there is no military to compete with the might of Zurn'Kadeth. There may be armies which are larger, there may be hordes of goblinkin or orc-kind which can outnumber the fighting men of Zurn'Kadeth and there may be navies which boast more ships, but none can match The City of Soldiers for sheer martial prowess. For a thousand years, the Fighting Battalions of Zurn'Kadeth have trained, drilled, and honed their skills and their strategies in wartime and peace. It is therefore fortunate for all of Western Urlein that the Code of Zurn'Kadeth prevents the Strategos from wars of conquest.

History of Zurn'Kadeth

Zurn'Kadeth is actually an amalgamation of two different cities. Zurn was originally on the western bank of the River Ruun while Kadeth rested on the eastern bank. For generations the two villages warred with each other until a barbarian invasion in the year 773 YR forced the militias of both to work together in order to survive. After beating back the invaders for the last time, the elders of both villages decided to join together permanently and built what would eventually become the Great Ruun Bridge.

In the year 842 YR, in response to the call for fighting men to repel an invasion of titanspawn from the Sundered Hills to the west, the Ruling Council of Zurn'Kadeth founded the first three of the Fighting Battalions. Organized to be 600 men strong, each battalion would be commanded by a Sword-Captain who would answer to the Strategos of Zurn'Kadeth, the appointed general of the military forces. So successful was the campaign that the Fighting Battalions were requested by other city-states and kingdoms. So began the tradition of Zurn'Kadeth fighting for coin in Asteria's wars.

By 901YR, the Strategos had grown so powerful that the Ruling Council was "encouraged" to grant permanent dictatorial powers to the office, ceding much authority to the Bearer of the Golden Spear. Strategos Malaak Urgosh, a daughter of one of the oldest noble houses in Zurn, delegated to the council the authority to propose new laws and hear the petitions of the plebs in the city and to nominate from amongst the aristocrats who would sit on the council seats. She dictated that her longtime aide-de-camp Janus Whitehall would be the Proctor of Zurn'Kadeth and in charge of all logistical needs the battalions might have. The Council enthusiastically agreed to her changes and in one move, gave up most of the control of the city and surrounding countryside into the hands of a defacto queen.

In 1053YR, there was an attempted coup by two battalion commanders and a cadre of nobles on the Ruling council. This coup was prevented largely through the use of a neglected corps of wizards as seers and infiltrators. Once the mutineers were dispatched and the commanders drawn and quartered before the full assembly of troops, the Strategos Jiimansa Stoneheart codified the traditions of the Fighting Battalions into a set of laws called the Codex Legalis of Zurn'Kadeth, more commonly referred to as either The Codex or The Code. This Code would apply to civilian and soldier alike and guide life in the City of Soldiers. It also proved to Strategos Jiimansa the value of an extensive spy network and reliable magical support. Quietly, she created a department of agents, secret police, and infiltrators all trained in the arts of stealth and information gathering - the so-called "Black Battalion". With considerably more fanfare, Jimansa also created the Companies Arcane, auxiliary units of wizards that would be seconded to standing Battalions according to the needs of their campaigns.

Modern Zurn'Kadeth

In the current year 1297YR, Zurn'Kadeth is a model of efficiency and order at the cost of personal freedoms. Unlike other cities within the region of Western Urlien, there is no tradition of open debate or protest in the City of Soldiers. While soldiers will vent their spleens while in their cups and aristos may engage in political intrigue in their parlors and salons, public dissent is rapidly squelched by the Civic Battalion and the secret police of the Black Battalion. Seditious writings or firebrand speakers are quietly eliminated to allow for the general appearance of unity in the city.

Architecture tends towards the utilitarian with decorations usually falling either into the categories of propagandist murals and geometric design work. Those who live within the city itself are usually either assigned to the Battalions or working in service to the Battalions. There are very few casual visitors to the City of Soldiers and the Civic Battalion likes it that way.

The current Strategos of Zurn'Kadeth is Yenda Steelborne, an officer and soldier whose line stretches back to the time when Zurn and Kadeth were still rivals. Her choice for Proctor, an orcish halfbreed who calls himself Gauth One-tusk, attends to the day-to-day running of the city. Having an orckin in charge of the strongest city in the region scandalized the aristocrats and terrified the plebs. The soldiery was unconvinced until Gauth single-handedly put down a riot in the most notorious tavern in the Roisters. From that point forward, not a single fighting man of Zurn'Kadeth questioned the wisdom of Strategos Yenda's choice for Proctor.

The might and prestige of Zurn'Kadeth comes from the fact that they are not only a mercenary army, but the best trained, best equipped and most motivated mercenaries in the world. The Code is very specific on this point - "''No Battalion of Zurn'Kadeth shall muster forth from the city but in defense of the State or for contract of gold." ''Zurn'Kadeth controls lands within two days ride of the city walls; by law and tradition, they will send their Battalions no further without a signed contract of service.

Military Organization

The head of the Zurn'Kadeth military is the officer called the ''Strategos. ''While no part of the Code forbids a male from holding the office, it has been tradition for over two hundred years that the Strategos of Zurn'Kadeth be a woman. A truly impressive record of successful campaigns and military victories seems to bear out the wisdom of this notion. The Strategos holds absolute command over the military, directing campaign strategy and accepting contracts for service on behalf of the city. It falls on her shoulders to provide for the active soldiers, the mustered out veterans on pensions and the non-combat citizenry.

The organization of the armed forces of Zurn'Kadeth revolve around the idea of the Fighting Battalion, a group of 600 soldiers which commanded by a Sword-Captain. The Battalion is then subdivided into three groups of 200 soldier lances commanded by a First Sword, then further into four 50 man spears led by a First Axe''. ''Spears are divided as their commanders require to accomplish whatever mission parameters are put in front of them. The count of soldiers for all of the Battalions includes the officers and their staff. This is due to the fact that the Code requires officers of all ranks to fight in battle with their men, removing much of the resentment of the foot soldiers for martinet officers which other armies suffer from.

Currently, there are ten Fighting Battalions which make up the army of Zurn'Kadeth. These are: Additionally, there are four Companies Arcane of 100 wizards each. These are: Due to the relative scarcity of arcane practitioners, there are more individuals from well outside Zurn'Kadeth's sphere of influence in the Companies Arcane than in any other section of the military or civilian hierarchy. While certain latitude is given to the members of the Companies Arcane due to different cultural ideals and a certain consistent independence of thought, insubordination or sedition is still punished swiftly and harshly.
 * 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Crimson Battalions - Heavy Infantry
 * 1st, 2nd and 5th Emerald Battalions - Light Infantry Skirmishers
 * 1st and 3rd Cobalt Battalions - Archers and Siege Artillery
 * 2nd Vermillion Battalion - Cavalry
 * Astral Company - Divination Specialists
 * Basilisk Company - Miscellaneous Arcane Specialists
 * Chimera Company - Transmutation Specialists
 * Dragon Company - Evocation Specialists

Unspoken of but well known to the senior officers is the cadre of several hundred individuals who report to the spymaster of Zurn'Kadeth. This "Black Battalion" is made up of spies, saboteurs, agents and informants who are the eyes and ears of the Strategos in places she cannot be seen. The actual identity of this spymaster is a matter of state security and for anyone outside of the Strategos and her handpicked liaisons to know it is certain death.

Civilian Life

Life within the walls of Zurn'Kadeth is orderly if not peaceful thanks in large part to the Civic Battalion. This is the police force and inspectors of the city, all of whom ultimately answer to the Proctor for their conduct and effectiveness. Most of the members of the Civic Battalion are former members of the Fighting Battalions who have mustered out of service. This gives the "civics" a level of organization and discipline that most city guards can only envy.

Zurn'Kadeth does a brisk buying trade of supplies and material, but produces very little in terms of crafts or goods. This is because most of the artisans and craftspeople who live in the city fulfill contracts with the Proctor to supply the army and what little is left over from those enterprises are generally sold within the city itself. While there are certainly artisans who produce works of art for discerning eyes, those individuals are few and far between as the market for such frippery is small in a city dedicated to the arts of war.

Notable Features of Zurn'Kadeth

The Roisters - Most of the lawlessness and vice in the city is contained to a section of dilapidated buildings and hovels along the eastern banks of the River Ruun, south of the Barracks and just out of sight of the Mustering Field. Taverns, brothels, gambling dens and flophouses line the filthy streets of broken paving stones. The civics only come into the Roisters when a riot or plague threatens to break out and spill into the surrounding city and the punishment details who keep the rest of the city clean give this area a wide berth. The Roisters are allowed to exist because the Strategos and Proctor both understand that soldiers need a place to spend money and be outside the discipline of their units. These energetic warriors can either behave like unruly children in the Roisters or they can do it all over the city. Better to have it contained to one place than a hundred, goes the logic and so all of the gangs, thieves, cutthroats and ne'er-do-wells congregate on the banks of the Ruun.

Great Ruun Bridge - The Great Ruun bridge is a massive span which joins Zurn and Kadeth into a single civic entity. Wide enough that three full battalions can march abreast while in formation, the Great Ruun Bridge allows merchants and goods to pass from the mostly civilian east bank of the Ruun to the Barracks and Armory districts on the west. Citizens of Zurn'Kadeth bear a token which allows them free movement back and forth across the bridge while outsiders have to pay a toll each direction. This has created a flourishing guild of porters and teamsters who will move cargo and people across the bridge for less than the tolls would be.

The Mustering Fields of Zurn'Kadeth - South of the city are large flat plains, perfect for the growing of crops for the hungry mouths of thousands. Sadly for the covetous farmers, this will never happen as these are the Mustering Fields of the Battalions of Zurn'Kadeth. On their grass covered earth, recruits learn their trade, mock wars are fought, parades are marched and occasionally executions are undertaken. It is said that more blood has been spilled on the Mustering Fields than anywhere else in the whole of Asteria. Whether or not this is true, only the gods whose temples lay on opposite sides of the fields know for certain.