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The Army of Mostreve

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An army

The Army of Mostreve is the name used by many in Sembara for the three Guard Companies of Tyrwingha:

  • The Iron Guard, soldiers and knights sworn to the service of the monarch
  • The Color Guard, the fey-touched knights sworn to the Oracle of the Riven
  • The Twilight Guard, the fey-touched warlocks sworn to the Oracle of the Riven

Legend says that the Color Guard and the Twilight Guard date to ancient days, and were founded in the court of Archfey Ethlenn herself. The army is responsible for the defense of the borders of Tyrwingha, and in times of need the monarch can summon their earls and swell the Iron Guard by thousands.

In less troubled times, the three guard companies are established in five garrisons:
* the garrison of Cyfarthfa, north of the Rhewin, near the Tyrwinghan Road
* the garrison of Garn Tyrn, in the Maerwyns near the source of the Daran
* the Maerwyn Garrison, in the southern Maerwyns
* the garrison of the Aben, in the ~Tyrwinghan Hills~ near the headwaters of the Aben River
* the garrison of Deganwy, in the western ~Tyrwinghan Hills~, near the headwaters of the Llanfen

Additionally, an ancient training ground and barracks on the shores of Tywynn Bay still serves as a headquarters and training barracks, especially for the Color Guard.

Each garrison houses around a hundred soldiers, organized into Camps of between 15 and 20. Each Camp is commanded by a Campwarden, and is in turn divided into three Hands of 5 - 7 soldiers, commanded by a Palm. The Iron Guard is the most numerous within the garrisons, and each Hand is usually a mix of Iron Guard and the warlocks of the Twilight Guard. However, each garrison hosts one or more camps of the Color Guard, typically named for a color (i.e. the Red Camp of the Aben or the Green Camp of the Maerwyn). These are shock calvary, usually fey-touched, and can be a fearsome force on the battlefield.

The garrison is commanded by the Council of Camps, which consists of three members: the Iron Warden, the Color Warden, and the Twilight Warden. In times of crisis or battle, one of the three wardens is elected to serve as the Voice.

History

The Color Guard and the Twilight Guard have been fixtures in Tyrwinghan storytelling and legend for as long as stories have been told, and many believe that they date to the earliest days of Tyrwingha.

When Derik I became king of Tyrwingha, he organized the Iron Guard to fight Avatus, and although the size and structure of the Army of Mostreve has varied, it has existed in some form since Derik I.

The current garrison system was established during the Blood Years in the aftermath of the Great War. During the Third Hobgoblin War (Sembara) many of the Army of Mostreve joined with their Sembaran brethern to fight in the west, and in the aftermath during Cece’s long reign, a number of veterans of the hobgoblin wars continued to serve in the Iron Guard, and during this period some degree of cultural mixing occured, although the Twililght Guard and Color Guard remained uniquely Tyrwinghan.