Pirazzo's Lost Legion

"And as the Skinks sank back into the Swamps in defeat, Lord Xtloli instructed his temple Guards to attack one more....This Time a cloud of shards from the plunderer's machines slung our warriors like clouds of enraged hornets and they too were forced to retreat"

- Skink Scribe Manquixipolata on the Battle against Pirazzo's Lost Legion

Pirazzo's Lost Company is a band of Dogs of War Mercenary company that had made legend for being the few armies in the world to have set foot in the lands of Lustria, and Live! Not only has his men survived most of the journey, but he has become fabulously wealthy with the wealth he gathered in Lustria, and is now a very famous Mercenary Captain employed by the many rich and wealthy of the lands. It is said that his Legion fought for the mysterious and magical Lizardmen of Lustria and fought for their ruler the Slann Xtloli by trailing the Mercenary Company out of the ruined city that the Mercenaries have plundered, and luring the Mercenaries with treasure and food into the lands of the Vampire Coast, where there he fought against the evil undead of the great swamps. He knew that this is what his "employer" wanted him to do, and as such, his very effective fighting force devasatateed the undead hordes, and manage to grab a ship and sent sail for home.....with a large cargo of untold treasure of course! He was so wealthy that one of the Merchant Princes of Tilea tried to assasinate him to steal his wealth.

Pirazzo's Lost Legion is all that remains of the expeditions sent to Lustria by the Merchants of Tobaro. The regiments in Tobaro from among the reckless poverty-stricken youths of the city. The Promise of untold wealth to be found in the jungles of Lustria was a temptation none could resist and they joined by the droves to be part of this magnificent expeditions.

History
"ARE YOU A POVERTY-STRICKEN YOUTH?.......Do you want richest beyond your wildest dreams?.....JOIN PIRAZZO'S LOST LEGION......(trained in Lustria)....Recruiting now at the sign of the Upturned Half-ling.....WE KNOW WHERE THE GOLD IS!"

- Recruitment Poster for the Lost Legion's

Fernado Pirazzo was hired to command one of three regiments of the expeditionary force. Although young back then, he was already an experienced mercenary captian skilled in the arts of war. Before the expeditions embraced, he trained his men in the use of both pikes and crossbows, the two traditional weapons of many Tilean mercenaries, foreseesing the conditions the regiments would encounter in the deep damp jungles of Lustria. No sooner had the expedition arrived in Lustrian waters that it ran into trouble. When all the mercenaries had disembarked, the sailors of the ships, who were also mercenaries, weighted anchor and abandoned them, taking the pay chest of the three regiments with them! Of course, a precaution against an opposed landing, the pay chest had been left to last! Pirazzo"s had advised against this, but has been outvoted by the other two mercenary captains. Now the mercenaries realized that he was by far the best leader and the other two regiments mutinied. Their incompetent and unfortunate captains were cast adrift in the mangrove swamps and the mercenaries joined togather as a single regiment under Pirazzo's command, calling themselves the "Lost Legion".

Everybody knew that obeying Pirazoo's orders was their best hope of survival, and so no one objected when he insisted that the troops remained encamped on the coast until everyone is trained to use both pikes and crossbow. After several weeks all the bad elements among the stranded mercenaries were either dead, executed, or had split off unto the jungles, to their inevitable doom, in small groups. The rest were all trained to Pirazzo's exacting standards and all men he could rely on to obey his orders. Now he was ready to lead them into the interior for Adventure, Riches or Death!

After a grueling march, the Lost Legion came upon some Lizardmen ruins. Cautiously they entered the ruined city and soon found gold and gems in various vaults and chambers. As the mercenaries were marching out again, laden with treasure, the Lizardmen launched a series of ambushes on the causeway and amid the spawning pools of the ruined city. Thanks to Pirazzo's foresight in training his men to use crossbows and pikes, none of the enemy could get at the regiment in enough numbers to force them off the causeway. Their first ambushes met with a hail of crossbow bolts, while the second ran into a mass of pikes. In the afternoon, the Skinks met with crossbowmen valley again and again, and later the Saurus were repulsed by the Pikes. The losses among Skinks and Saurus were terrible and soon the ponds were choked with scaly corspes. Just when head, thirst, and fatigue were almost beyond endurance, the Mage Priest called off the attack. The enemy seemed to have the awnser to both his skirmishers and his shock troops and so he had to think of more cunning tactics. In the pause, Pirazzo's found himself considering the possibility of striking a deal with the Mage Preist to serve him as a mercenary and ultimately to return home rich. It was a strange as if the idea had been put in his head from somewhere else. Quickly he ordered his men to put down their loot and retreat along the causeway. He was obeyed without question, though it broke the men's heart to leave all those treasures of Gold!

The Regiments marched back into the ruins and made camp in the plaza to await events, although Pirazzo's did not know what to expect. When the sun rose, the sentries were amazed to see not only the piles of treasure returned to the mercenaries, less the biggest and best tables of gold, but also heaps of food and great gourds of refreshing water. The Plaza was lined with Saurus Warriors, permitting only one way out of the ruins...to the south. The Lost Legion took the loot, the supplies and the road appointed to them. The Legion marched for many weeks to the south. They did not encounter any more cities, but did find futher piles of supplies along the route. Eventually they entered a eerie landscape full of fetid swamps. Here they were attacked by the Zombie Hordes of the Vampire Coast. Now it was clear that the priest had sent Pirazzo's Legion against their most dreaded enemies. The Lost Legion fought valiantly and defeated the Undead wherever they met him. At last they reached the sea. Here the Mecenaries filled their knapsack with treasure from shipwrecks which they found scattered along the coast. Then, taking the best timbers, they repaired teh most seaworthy of the decaying hulks and put to sea.

Just when the hullk was on the verge of sinking, Pirazzo sighted land. It was the Coast of Araby. Not long after the Lost Legion marched inland, they were hired by one of the emirs of the corsairs who were afriad of what Pirazzo and his men might do if he didn't hire them. Since then, Pirazzo's Lost Legion had fought its way across Araby, Sartosa, and into Tilea once more serving many master's, wining great wealth and recruiting the reckless and adventurous to the regimental banner.

Source
Warhammer Regiments of Renoun  pg  8 -10