Greylag Free Company
The Greylag Free Company was a company of mercenaries which fought in the War of the Pale Brothers from 1342 to the end of the war. Currently, it is owned by Sir Terrance Tonul and operates under the leadership of Banes. It is under contract to Terrance's half-brother, the Baron of Tonul to guard the Straits of Achn. Most of the company currently is garrisoned at Achn.
Origins
In 1342, three members of the Jade Guard: Sir Dubhe, Sir Avgart, and Sir Thomas the Pale, financed the raising of "a glorious free company which shall owe its service and loyalty neither to land, nor lord, nor kin, but to the Emperor alone." Initial plans were for each man to raise a "banner" made up of 50 "contingents" of ten men each: five contingents of mounted men-at-arms, fifteen contingents of crossbowmen, and thirty contingents of infantry. This would bring the total strength of the free company to: 150 mounted men-at-arms, 450 crossbowmen, and 900 infantry, for a total of 1,500 souls. As members of the Jade Guard, Dubhe, Avgart, and Thomas, could not directly lead the company, so each appointed a deputy to oversee their investment; Dubhe appointed Yarwen the Younger; Avgart appointed Chavor of Brist; and Thomas appointed Kalhan the Rich. Each month the three would rotate command over the entire company.
During the Blessed River campaign, the Greylag Company earned a reputation for ransom-hunting. As the court jester jested, "The Greylags won't get out of bed unless they can capture a Baron, they won't leave the breakfast table unless they are facing a Count, but for a Duke they will cross the continent in a week." Indeed, their conduct earned them an Imperial censure when during the Battle of Saw Mill they completely flanked the opposing forces only to loot the enemy's camp instead of attacking the exposed flank. Regardless of Imperial displeasure, the unit succeeded in turning a large profit from ransoms and loot. All three of the chief financiers of the company were able to use their return investment to buy higher ranks in the Jade Guard. Additionally, during this time the company grew from 150 contingents to 225 contingents, for a total of 2,250 souls.
The siege of Benefry would turn into a turning point for the Company. During the siege, an arrow hit Chavor of Brist in the eye, killing him instantly. After the fall of the city, the enraged Company engaged in a scale of looting, raping, and murder that was notable even for these notorious looters. Meanwhile, Sir Thomas the Pale was also counted among the dead. Sir Dubhe offered to buy Sir Thomas' stake from his widow, who agreed. Sir Avgart, who had advanced to a high station due to the profits generated from the Company's behavior, now found himself in a position where its excesses proved an embarrassment. Sir Dubhe's own cash flow being used up in the purchase of Sir Thomas' share, Sir Avgart instead sold to Kalhan the Rich. What had been a Company led by three "equal" leaders: Yarwen, Chavor, and Kalhan, was now down to two unequal leaders, with Yarwen commanding the purse, and thus the loyalty of 150 contingents and Kalhan 75. Naturally enough, Kalhan had no interest in being the junior partner to his former equal, and so left the Greylag Company with his men, forming a new free company known as the Golden Company.
The new Greylag company acted much as the old. For this reason, during the fall of Pale City, which the Emperor did not want to see sacked and razed to the ground, the company was elsewhere, having been sent on a raid south. The Greylags would continue fighting in Luseysi's Fist for the remainder of the war. By the end, as prospects for ransom and loot dwindled, the Company shrank, the most notorious looters among the first to leave. Thus, by the end of the war, the Greylags were down to 100 contingents.
Achn
With the war over, the Greylag lost its reason for existence. As the company's Imperial Charter stated, they had neither "land, nor lord, nor kin, but...the Emperor alone." Yet now the Emperor had neither need nor want of them. Their old financier, Dubhe, however, still had use for them. In the waning years of the war, Sir Dubhe had been invested with the Barony of Tonul, a materially prosperous though vassal poor region. Not a few of the Greylag found themselves owning a small farm in the depopulated Barony. Those who did not want to give up on the soldier's life were retained in the Greylag Company which was now employed to garrison the strategically significant castles of Bellkale, Achn, and Tonulkale. The Greylag's commander, Yarwin the Younger eventually "retired" into the job of Castellian of Achn, handing over command of the Company to Cehon, who himself eventually handed it over to Banes in 1369. In 1370, with the death of Baron Dubhe, his financial control over the company passed to his illegitimate son, Sir Terrance Tonul, a knight in the Emperor's Household.