| abstract | - The Skybolts was a mercenary company registered with the Mercenary Guild. Their winter quarters were in the village of Bolthaven in southwestern Rethwellan. They were commanded for many years by Lerryn Twoblades, a well-respected Captain, beloved by his troops. When the mercenary forces hired by Menmelith were routed in a surprise attack by "bandit" reinforcements out of Karsite, Lerryn was killed in the resulting pursuit. The casualties included his second, Icolan, and nearly all his other officers. The highest ranking officer left was Ardana Flinteyes, who took command. Unfortunately for the company, Ardana was not fit for the role of Captain. Without the previous disaster, she never would have risen beyond the rank she held under Captain Lerryn. Rather than use the reserve funds to recover from the lost manpower and supplies, Ardana instead sent the company into the worst sort of job in the middle of winter in Seejay. The troops were ill-equipped, ill-provisioned and demoralized. Between fighting the angry locals, their erstwhile comrades among the scum recruited to fight, and the stupid orders of their employers that were designed to get them all killed so they wouldn't have to be paid, the Skybolts were nearly wrecked for good. Using a mostly ignored provision in the Mercenary Code, Kerowyn severed her contract and left the company. Following her example the rest utilized an even less frequently acknowledged provision that allowed them to remove Ardana as Captain. They returned to Bolthaven and, when she was eventually located, voted Kerowyn in as Captain. Kerowyn served in that capacity for ten years, slowly building the company back up from one company of mounted skirmishers into what was functionally four companies that included mounted skirmishers and horse archers, cavalry and specialists who could handle various forms of sabotage. At Kerowyn's prompting the company was jointly hired by Rethwellan and Valdemar and sent to Valdemar to stop Ancar's invasion out of Hardorn. As a result, Selenay offered the Skybolts an unlimited contract and deeded them the entire border town of Bolton, to which they relocated. Kerowyn, who had been Chosen in the meantime, stayed on as their permanent Captain.
|
