Buzatian Guard
Composition
Manpower
Optimal Deployment: 500 to 700 active personnel, plus about 150 reserves
Minimum Functional Deployment: 200
Non-Combat Support Staff: Mess Teams, Horse-Handlers, Fletchers, Smiths, Runners, and Healers
Equipment
The Buzatian Guard uses practical, sturdy equipment:
- Standard-issue blue-and-iron uniform coat
- Leather brigandine with iron plates
- Round shield marked with the Duchy sigil
- Bedrolls, rations, and flint kits
- Lanterns (oil-based; Buzatia hasn’t adopted electrical lighting)
- Cloaks designed for Buzatia’s cold climate
- Basic medical kits and charcoal-based disinfectant wraps
- Spirit markers carried by some units for dealing with supernatural threats
Weaponry
Primary weapons:
- Short sword (Buzatian steel, single-edge, practical shape)
- Spear (used in phalanx-style formations)
- Crossbow for mid-range combat
Secondary:
- Boot knife
- Throwing axe (optional; popular with forest-region units)
Certain Guard detachments receive training with:
- Wolf-lances (reinforced polearms used in the forested north)
- Binding ropes treated with herbs for capturing possessed or cursed individuals
Vehicles
The Guard uses no heavy vehicles. Their mobility comes from:
- Horse units
- Two-wheeled supply wagons
- Mountain ponies for regions near Wolfden and the Haunted Hills
Transport is utilitarian to move troops, carry supplies, and maintain communication routes.
Structure
The Guard divides battalions into:
- Companies of 80–120 soldiers
- Platoons of 30–40
- Squads of 8–12 (standard patrol units)
In the field, a Shield-Lieutenant commands companies, while a Banner Sergeant commands squads. If the command structure collapses, the Guard follows a strict doctrine:
The Buzatian Guard fits under the larger Duchy military but functions autonomously during internal unrest or border skirmishes.
Tactics
Known for discipline and methodical movement:
- Shield wall formation in tight quarters
- Phalanx spear charges
- Crossbow volleys from elevated positions
- Encirclement tactics using town layouts
In forest terrain (as around Wolfden), they use:
- Silent approach lines
- Track-based pursuit
- Wide flanking movements
The Guard is rarely flashy but extremely reliable.
It was originally formed to counter guerilla-style rebellions and maintain order in remote regions.Training
Training emphasizes:
- Endurance in cold climates
- Maintenance of weapons
- Forest navigation
- Discipline under pressure
- Familiarity with basic spiritcraft countermeasures
- Civil-order enforcement
- Tactical restraint during public unrest
New recruits complete a three-month probation as Greencloaks. Veterans train them, not officers. It’s an old Buzatian tradition.
Logistics
Logistical Support
Support provided by:
- Buzatia’s supply corps
- Local quartermasters in towns
- Duchy caravans for long deployments
Food, arrows, spare parts, and bandages must be supplied weekly. Cold-weather units receive special winter kits.
Auxilia
- Forest trackers (contracted; often from Wolfden or nearby villages)
- Herbal healers from Buzatia’s monasteries
- Light cavalry on loan from Mesch
- Spiritbinders during supernatural events
These auxiliaries are not part of the Guard but accompany them when needed.
Upkeep
Moderately high due to:
- Iron and steel production
- Uniform replacements
- Horse upkeep
- Winter gear manufacturing
- Continuous training cycles
Costs are funded by the Duchy through taxes on timber, ore, and trade routes.
Recruitment
Recruitment focuses on:
- Rural youths seeking steady pay
- Hunter families with tracking experience
- Sons and daughters of existing Guards
- Veterans retiring from other forces who want lighter duty
Applicants must pass:
- Basic literacy
- Endurance tests
- A public oath ceremony to the Duke/Duchess
History
Founded in 48 AE during a period of border unrest, the Guard was originally a volunteer force created to stabilize northern villages. Over centuries it:
- Became the Duchy’s backbone for lawkeeping
- Fought in several local rebellions
- Served in the Riverline Wars as auxiliary infantry
- Provided escorts for envoys (including the ill-fated Wolfden envoy in 1812 AR)
Their reputation grew after multiple displays of calm discipline during riots and invasions.
Historical loyalties
The Buzatian Guard has always been loyal to:
- The Duke/Duchess of Buzatia
- The Duchy’s military command
- Local towns needing defense
Their deployment outside Buzatia is rare and only done by direct order from the ruling house.
Table of Contents
Stand the Line, Buzatia
Traditional cadence of the Buzatian Guard(Call)
Who stands watch when the night grows cold?
(Response)
We stand the line, Buzatia.
(Call)
Who keeps faith when the winds turn bold?
(Response)
We keep the line, Buzatia.
(Verse 1)
Steel in our hands and the blue on our backs,
Marching the long road steady.
Fields to the north and the hills at our flank,
Shields up high and ready.
(Chorus)
Hold the line, hold the line,
For the Duke and for the land.
Should the wild cross our path,
We rise as one, we stand.
(Verse 2)
Fog on the stones and frost in the dawn,
Our boots know every mile.
Trouble comes quiet, creeping along,
But we’ve met worse with a smile.
(Chorus)
Hold the line, hold the line,
Let no fear take command.
When the shadows press in close,
We rise as one, we stand.
(Bridge – Chanted)
Blue for honor.
Iron for might.
Steel for the oath we swore tonight.
March through hunger.
March through rain.
Buzatia’s Guard will hold the chain.
(Verse 3)
When the bells call out from Mesch’s high spire,
Or from Wolfden’s distant town,
We answer swift, through mud and mire,
With shields that never bow down.
(Final Chorus)
Hold the line, hold the line,
Till the mountains fall to sand.
For the Duke, for the folk,
For the strength of Buzatia’s land.
We rise as one, we stand.
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