The Marcher Barons

'It is important to note that the creation of the Prydian Army actually contributed greatly to the rise of both Yordan and Canlaster. Before the formation of the Army the Marcher Barons had little room for movement, they could hire mercenaries and police their own worlds but the Starvaulters kept them in check. Taking men and women from the planets of the barons and giving them so much training and weaponry only stoked the fires of civil war. Certainly the hundreds of new regiments put down the rebels for several years but then they became rebels themselves as their loyalty was first to their baron and not the throne. Granted not all of the regiments abandoned the throne. Those that stayed loyal have done an excellent job of fortifying the whole Glastonbury system which has kept us safe from the war up to this point but we have very much been the architects of our own demise. We were warned by many but we chose to ignore them all. Kadj Dace got what he wanted, not by the means he planned but by accident of design. Prydia is aflame and none among us can stop it.'

Lord Turnbull, Council of the Addan, Glastonbury Tor 4321IC
 ---

  Marcher Barons in The Ion Age



More than twenty years ago when the Princess Daphne Cyon was a little girl her father King Cyon III died on the battlefield of Fenway Prime fighting to end the rebellion of Baron Bradshaw Reff master of planet Sutton VII. What lead to this was a break down of the system that had seen the Prydian Precinct grow rich and peaceful under the Council of the Aeddan's and an elected King. The Aeddans were selected from the powerful Barons that controlled trade and managed the upkeep of private forces that kept the peace and so on in their own regions of space. Reff decided that he wanted to keep the precious ores and materials that were his annual contribution to the Council and instead of using it to keep of freebooters and help all of the Precinct he would use it to recruit a large army and attempt to hold sway over his neighbouring Barons.

Tension in the huge governmental chamber on New Glastonbury where the Council of Aeddan sat boiled over. Why should other Barons pay the levy when Reff did not? Other smaller and weaker nobles took the chance to stop paying their levies as well. Prydia did not possess an army of any significant size, there was no need for it and it meant that there was no cause for jealousy among the Barons. This mean that the Council and King Cyon III could call upon the elite Starvaulters only to quell Reff. The invasion of Sutton VII was the largest military operation in living memory and while it succeeded it meant the death of the king. This left a vacuum of authority and the young Princess in need of a guardian. Unrest grew and brush fire wars broke out among the Barons. The Council was loosing control.

The Prydian Civil War proper began when on Kendal III a small force of Starvaulters was ambushed and murdered by troops of 'Prince' Edmund Bluefort foremost powerful of the now Marcher Barons. Bluefort openly defied the Council and formed The League of Canlaster. Soon after Baron Reckhard Nevall known as the 'Kingmaker' kidnapped the young princess and declared himself head of the League of Yordan his aim the throne and ultimate power. The whole Precinct shuddered as the peace that had existed for generations was shattered. Yordan and Canlaster clashed and as they did other Marcher Barons formed their own smaller Leagues and private armies some for self protection and others for potential gain. The betrayal was completed when the Gulaine Company, some five million seasoned troops, hired by the newly formed but tiny Prydian Army declared en mass for Canlaster and seized vital planets near the New Glastonbury system.

With only a million in their ranks the Starvaulters could do not more than hold the New Glastonbury system and keep the weakened Council of Aeddan safe while they formed the Prydian Army. The princess was rescued and as she grew her involvement with the army did too. Indeed in the early years of the civil war the Prydian Army did little more than watch but as time passed and the Marcher Baron's weakened planets were slowely liberated by the white and red knights of Prydia.

On more than three dozen worlds the civil war is still ongoing with hundreds of smaller barons battling against the big three of the Prydian Army, the League of Yordan and the League of Canlaster. This is a war for territory and on the whole is it fought in a civilised manner by all. There are precious few worlds and to spoil them would mean less all around to the eventual victors. Fully two thirds of the Prydian Army is involved in the civil war and indeed if it was not for the situation in the Camarthen star system and elsewhere the war might well have been over by now.

While all Marcher Barons are Human and all use the same equipment and armour as the Prydian Army on the whole they do have distinctive uniforms and symbols to mark themselves out from each other. There are too many to list but here are the uniforms of The League of Canlaster and the League of Yordan.

 
The League of Canlaster

The League of Canlaster makes use of the same formations, troop types and weapons as the typical Prydian Army regiment. Their uniform is significantly different though and makes great use of blue shades. In both Retained and Muster the primary colour for armour is a combination of dark or light blue depending on planetary assignment with the darker colour being more sited to urban warfare just like the Yordan. Shoulder paldrons and pads are highlighted in a lighter blue in both cases with banding's on all armour being golden or yellow in colour. Different Barons and Nobles will often add their own crest or livery to the standard uniform in the form of black or purple mottos on the shoulder areas of armour.



The League of Yordan

The League of Yordan makes use of the same formations, troop types and weapons as the typical Prydian Army regiment. Their uniform is significantly different though and makes great use of green and yellow. In both Retained and Muster the primary colour for armour is either a dark or light green depending on planetary assignment with the darker colour being more sited to urban warfare. Shoulder paldrons and pads are highlighted in a light yellow with banding's on all armour being golden in colour. Different Barons and Nobles will often add their own crest or livery to the standard uniform in the form of black or purple mottos on the yellow areas of armour.

If you wish to create your own Marcher Baron and their army then go ahead! Make up their story and their uniforms and take them to battle.