Myrken Militia

The Myrken Militia is an organization of farmers, merchants, and craftsmen who volunteer their arms and their lives in the defense of Myrkentown.

History

According to earliest memory the militia, commanded then by the northerner General Eriks DeMord Sleipner, was loosely based on an actual army. Rank was unofficial, and commanders were elected and removed by their troops. This militia was disbanded after Sleipner’s departure from Myrken Wood in late AR 206, and due to the resulting chaos among members, has not been mustered since.

In AR 205, it was Proxenus One-Eye who took an interest in the Militia - which, starved for leadership, more closely resembled a disorganized and aimless mob than the competent machine which it had been beneath the General's guidance. Proxenus took it upon himself to refine and later command this militia's remnants, and their business became the handling of wide-scale emergencies such as war and drought that the Order of Straka could not capably address. Provided with only limited resources, the militia was comprised largely of footsoldiers armed with spears of crude quality, with light cavalry present only in very small numbers and limited solely to those volunteers wealthy enough to supply their own mounts. Under Proxenus, the militia largely involved itself with the digging of ditches against the fires which plagued Myrken throughout that year, and the reinforcement of key Myrkentown buildings.

After over a year’s inactivity, Myrken native, former farmhand and ex-Brotherhood soldier Agnieszka Kaczmarek was named to the vacant seat of militia Captain, signaling a possible reform of the organization. And so it was: during her time as Captain the Militia developed gradually into a well-organised deployment of volunteer manpower. Each village and town now had its own citizen militia whose members carried out regular training for the defence of Myrken's populace.

Following the abrupt ascent of Governor Burnie in early AR 212, the swordswoman Renea Sundance was approached regarding the development of a new Council seat. She was charged with forming one third of the new Myrken Defense Committee; in addition to Council-related duties, she was to assume the new title of Marshall, continuing and expanding upon Agnieszka's militia-related reformations. Under Renea's capable command the Militia transformed into a surprisingly competent organisation, meeting regularly during off-seasons in an arena created for their use and featuring, for the first time, a contingent of capable and well-equipped archers.

Purpose

The Militia defends the town in times of need and emergency.

The Militia generally does not sally forth to fight battles like the army would; Militiamen are primarily a defensive force, manning walls, patrolling the countryside and protecting their own. They are not meant to be full-time soldiers, and train instead in their free time while pursuing their lives and crafts.

The previous Militia was meant to defend only Myrkentown. Whether this will continue to be the case is still unclear.

Numbers

In past years, the Militia has numbered anywhere between 800 and 5000 volunteers.

Equipment and Training

Militiamen are required to purchase and maintain their own equipment, armaments and protective gear.