The Gendarmes of Wallonce

In the Western Kingdom of Wallonce men of means and noble birth serve their lords and King as Gendarmes, armored horsemen able to crush the barbarians and creatures from beyond the Iron Spine mountains with a coordinated charge. To see the glittering armor and fine velvet of the gathered Gendarmes is to witness something both terrible and beautiful in equal measure, and just as there is a dichotomy in their appearance there is also one in the actions of the Gendarmes. For every noble horseman there is a bloodthirsty adventurer, for every paragon of Walloncian virtue there is a swindler of noble birth content to fatten himself on the stipend afforded to him by the King.

The Gendarmes are meant to share a singular purpose but like many things intent is not the same as result. Rather than being an institution with one leader, the King in the case of the Gendarmes, they are instead a loose collective of cliquish nobles, often more loyal to individual lords or in the worst instances loyal to the fattest purse. In the modern age this impulse has been curbed some by strong Lords like High Lord Brathburn of the Western Marches, but the High Lord has a fair number of powerful enemies and those Gendarmes who bristle at his edicts and decrees find ample patronage from those enemies.

Further splintering of the Gendarmes results from the numerous orders of noblemen that gather around certain activities, causes or the authority of influential towns and trades. These "Noble Clubs" do serve a good purpose often, keeping men interested in the arts martial and honing their skills in sport both equestrian and militant. One fine example would be the Order of the Silvered Blade, a militant order whose members pride themselves on skill with swords in full harness, its members often patrol the Western Marches at their own expense with the hope of practicing their craft against the foes of the Medial Kingdoms. Another example would be the Order of the Impassioned Lady, a romantic order whose members practice the courtly arts of dance, poetry, calligraphy and music, while its members may not be the most militant they serve a needed function as courtiers and diplomats.

More controversial orders do exist, orders whose members pursue goals that are not always inline with those of the Kingdom of Wallonce. The Order of the Withheld Guilder is perhaps the most powerful of these and the most dangerous, at odds with almost every other order and despised by many of the most loyal Lords, the Gendarmes of the Withheld Guilder are primarily not of Noble birth, but they have extensive means as merchants, tradesmen, and guild authorities, their only goal seeming to be achieving power through trade and wealth, they have organized and taken up arms so they can refuse to accept certain taxes and edicts. Due to their power over the markets and trade of Wallonce and their ability to muster substantial military force they have not been brought to heel, but it is only a matter of time till there is a reckoning between the Order of the Withheld Guilder and the Throne of Wallonce, whether this will result in a yoking of the merchants or the appointment of a puppet king is uncertain.