Don’t sneer at me, Watcher. I’m here to save your miserable hides. Yeah, I’m getting paid plenty of gold to do it, but why else would I be here? Understand this — the loss of some of your precious gold ensures that this damned place will still be around in the future when those orcs come boiling up out of the hills. Wars are always fought with mercenaries, and we’re as faithful as your gold is good. My blood will run just as surely as yours on this battlefield. Now, do you want to show me a good place for my men to set up camp, or shall I just choose a spot?

— Lieutenant Alishia Brazenpinion, Border Companies

The Margrave's Men

Adventurers and mercenaries from across the Flanaess can be found in the ranks of the famed “Border Companies” that comprise the standing army of the Margrave of Bissel. There are four regular companies and four reserve companies; each is 1,000 strong and contains contingents of cavalry and archers, as well as foot soldiers. Bisselite soldiers are very well equipped and well-armored, with their favored weapons being the lance, crossbow, pike, flail, and sword. Each company has a special squad of 30 to 50 scouts attached when on border duty.

The Border Companies are paid by the Margrave to defend Bissel from outside forces. The Border Companies answer to the Margrave alone, but the mercenaries who compose the Border Companies are not required to remain in Bissel for any specified length of time. A mercenary can choose to leave at any time the March is not under attack, simply forgoing payment from their departure until their return to service. The right of a mercenary to leave the March has allowed many mercenaries to leave Bissel to fight the wars in the Pomarj and against Iuz.