Free Company Militia

"They might look like an undisciplined rabble to you Sergeant, but a man fights twice as hard when he's defending home and hearth"

- Captian Edwalst von Hilde

Free Company Militia are an unorganized groupings or regiments of Militia from neightboring towns or villages that have taken up arms, willingly or not, to serve alongside the armies of the Empire to defend the lands of their birth. Whilst the mainstay of the Imperial Army consist entirely of professional soldiers like Swordsmen, Halberdiers, and Spearmen, it's armies are often bulked up by a large portion of Free Company regiments. Some of these regiments consist of Mercenaries, but much of it consist of local militias and levied servicemen to fight as a support unit should the need for quantity over quality be required. Many if not all of these Militia's are outfitted with a motley variety of weaponry and armor that are more often then not provided by the individuals themselves. On rare occassions, some of these Militia groups consist of retired grizzly veteran State Troops that have settled down many years ago, and it is their wisdom and courage that had held many Militia regiments together. Most of the time however, these regiments consist of inexperienced villagers with little to no combat training, and can only be readily identified by a few scraps of tatty clothing, which may sometimes have a resemblence of a uniform of some kind, and often incorporate elements of the state's official colors.

Equipped with mostly makeshift armor and weapons, which will include assortments such as bows, spears, swords, clubs, and particularly in rural communities, simple farming equipment like pitchforks or grain-scythes. Those their lack of conviction for a cause can be questionable, especially during a campaign that these Men have little to no buisness in being in, when the armies of the Empire's foes invades the lands of the Empire, their lack of conviction can grow into zealout devotion in their efforts to ensure that their homes and families shall not suffer a horrifying fate.

Source
Warhammer Armies: The Empire (8th Edition) -- pg 39