The Crimson Auxiliaries
Commander: Ulf Bjarne | Strength: 208 | Type: Elite Light Infantry | Training: Elite | Morale: Elite
The Crimson Auxiliaries are a long-established company of professional Blood Isler mercenaries who have served alongside Rufus Renfrew through many years of campaigning. Although Rufus's recent elevation to Baron has considerably changed his circumstances, the Auxiliaries remain mercenaries rather than household troops, bound as much by old comradeship and mutual respect as by contracts and coin. Their commander, Ulf Bjarne (pictured), is one of Rufus's oldest surviving captains and remains very much a man of the Baron's generation. He nevertheless respects Lady Agnes Renfrew as an experienced commander in her own right and currently serves loyally beneath her command.
Numbering 208 fighting men, the Crimson Auxiliaries are elite light infantry specialising in skirmishing and warfare across broken or difficult terrain. They wear leather or studded leather armour and carry swords, daggers and several javelins. Their most distinctive feature is their crimson-painted helmets, a tradition maintained throughout the company and the origin of their name. The helmets themselves are far from uniform, ranging from simple conical and nasal helms to old and repeatedly repaired pieces that have accompanied their owners through numerous campaigns. Whatever their pattern, each is painted the same characteristic deep red.
The Auxiliaries fight in loose order, spreading across the battlefield rather than relying upon the dense ranks favoured by conventional heavy infantry. They use their javelins to harass and disrupt an enemy before rapidly closing with swords wherever weakness appears. Their methods make them particularly effective in woodland, hills, ruins, settlements and other terrain where tightly formed troops struggle to manoeuvre. They are equally adept at scouting, screening an army's advance, protecting its flanks, conducting ambushes and pursuing a defeated enemy.
Despite their loose formations and somewhat rough appearance, the Crimson Auxiliaries are exceptionally disciplined soldiers. Years of campaigning together have taught them to operate independently without losing cohesion, to withdraw without turning a retreat into a rout and to reform rapidly when ordered. Their reputation for extremely high morale is well deserved; the company has endured circumstances that would have broken considerably larger formations and takes considerable pride in never abandoning its wounded or leaving comrades behind.
At their head is Ulf Bjarne, a mature and immensely experienced Blood Isler warrior who has spent much of his adult life campaigning alongside Rufus Renfrew. His battered red-painted helm is considerably older than many of the soldiers now serving beneath him and is believed by the company to possess magical properties. Ulf has never shown much interest in confirming precisely what those properties might be. As far as he is concerned, the helm has kept his head attached to his shoulders through decades of warfare, which is quite sufficient reason to continue wearing it.
