Corps (Core (the p and s are silent))
the Armies of the Old North
The term 'corps' begin in early Novyum as organized bands of mercenaries. In many ways, these early corps were what modern people call adventuring parties, a group of men, and sometimes women, that would do a task for pay. Over time these parties grow, and many become associated with a home city.
By the Lakorthian Age, these corps were so integrated into Novyum society that had become the proxy army of most regional leaders. Wars between cities and states were fought in small skirmishes by the corps. Corps would raid territories for plunder or defend their own against rival corps. These corps were often considered more thugs for hire than soldiers however, and it wasn't until the Corps Wars this changed.
After the Corps Wars, the corps become completely government sanctioned guilds. Rules were laid down for the corps, as were punishments and privileges. For example, corps members could carry arms in cities of Novyum, where most laws prohibited the practice. Corps, however, could no longer target civilians and noncombatants.
The corps structure vanished with the rise of the Republic of Lakorth and its organized state armies. The term has resurfaced in the modern day, however. Mercenary bands began using the term during the Novyum Civil War. A way to sound less like brutish swords for hire, and more like a professional fighting force. Some every are.
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