"War is good."
- —Fritz Roseman, captain of the Sellswords mercenary warband[2a]

A mercenary captain of the Old World
Mercenary Captains have unique profiles. They are individuals after all and, more likely than not, remarkable members of their race with charismatic personailties and a strong grasp of military tactics and strategy in the wars of the Old World. As such they are almost certainly going to be tougher, stronger, more lucid, more brutal, or, in some other respect, superior to a run-of-the-mill mercenary soldier.[1a]
Mercenaries that have found themselves down on their luck could take work on a merchant vessel or a ship on a voyage of exploration. Neither are ideal due to the dank conditions and lack of freedom. Also the basic pay is not always the best and some voyages can last for years. Free passage may not be ideal but there is a fate far worse. Press gangs are a constant threat for the unwary in any port, coastal town or city. Tilean captains are the most notorious for this practice when they become short of crew.[3a]
Condottieri[]
Of the other Tilean States, only the Republic of Remas recruits its own citizens, selling the right to recruit to contractor-captains called condottieri for a period of service, after which they are free to seek work elsewhere.[4a][Note 1] Reman officers are steadfast, and their years of training have offered them excellent leadership,[5a] tactical and strategic skills.[6a]
It's also thanks to the efforts of these individuals that the worship of the goddess of war and strategy, Myrmidia, has spread in the northern regions of the Old World, even to remote cities such as Marienburg. In fact, Myrmidia is popular in the southern realms of the Old World as a patroness of military officers and all who rely on thought and planning over blind force.[6a]
Notable Mercenary Captains[]
- Daddallo - Leader of the Birdmen of Catrazza[1]
- Luka Braganza - Leader of the Braganza's Besiegers[1]
- Bronzino - Leader of Bronzino's Galloper Guns[1]
- Leopoldo di Lucano - Leader of Leopold's Leopard Company[1]
- Maximilian Damark - Leader of the Marksmen of Miragliano[1]
- Fernando Pirazzo - Leader of Pirazzo's Lost Legion[1]
- Ragged Ricco - Former leader of Ricco's Republican Guard[1]
- Roderigo Delmonte - First historic leader of the Alcatani Fellowship[1]
- Vespero - Leader of Vespero's Vendetta[1]
- Voland - Leader of Voland's Venators[1]
Notes[]
- Note 1: Condottieri (Italian: [kondotˈtjɛːri]; sg.: condottiero or condottiere) were Italian military leaders during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The definition originally applied only to commanders of mercenary companies, condottiero in medieval Italian meaning 'contractor' and condotta being the contract by which the condottieri put themselves in the service of a city or lord. The term, however, came to refer to all the famed Italian military leaders of the Renaissance, Reformation, and Counter-Reformation eras. They served Popes and other European monarchs and states during the Italian Wars and the European wars of religion. In Warhammer, the term is used in its real-world meaning, but confusingly also to indicate Tilean Condottieri, heavily armoured knights and the Condottieri of the city-state of Remas, which share many similarities with an Italian condottiero.
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Dogs of War (5th Edition)
- 1a: pg. 21
- 2: White Dwarf 225 (US)
- 2a: pg. 31
- 3: Town Cryer 28
- 3a: pg. 25
- 4: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition: Up in Arms (RPG)
- 4a: pg. 53
- 5: Town Cryer 14
- 5a: pp. 20-26
- 6: Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 1st Edition: Marienburg: Sold Down the River (RPG)
- 6a: pg. 68