4/21/2020 Update: Did some revamping and added more elements, still a WIP barring word of the DM.

[hider=The Sovereign Order of Bannerets]
[img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/628811142852247571/684594127622504448/BanneretFlag.png[/img]
[b]Name of Nation:[/b] The Sovereign Order of Bannerets

[b]Territorial Claims:[/b] Assorted Garrison-Monasteries established within willing nation-states.

[b]Species:[/b] Slight Human majority throughout, Volyudki form the Grenadiers' chief majority, but representation of any known species can easily be found.

[b]Population (total and by species):[/b] Approx. 500,000 total, no clear percentage breakdown beyond slight human majority.

[b]Culture and Society:[/b] A sovereign military order founded on monastic traditions and beliefs that "True Honor and Skill Comes from Blind Warfare." That one can only truly prove their martial prowess and military acumen by fighting anywhere and everywhere, without care for political disputes or international bickering. As such, they operate as a unified independent diplomatic and military entity, leasing military forces to governments and private individuals in exchange for the right to establish Garrison-Monasteries and acquire necessary supplies, trade goods, financial subsidies, and useful services. Only those wholly dedicated to this cause are admitted, to ensure true transparency between the Order and their contractors and the sovereignty and survival of the Order.

[b]History:[/b] The Order's history stretches back several hundred years, to more feudalistic times when national militaries were far more disjointed and decentralized, and protection for civilian travelers was almost nonexistent. The Order of the Bannerets began as an affiliation of independent knights and men-at-arms, who owed allegiance to no lord or ruler, and sought honor in battle and protecting others. 

These warriors would band together under the ideals of perfecting martial tradition, while fighting for anyone and everyone who could afford their services. The Order's early history was as a coalition of loosely-aligned equestrian houses and traveler's posts, connected more by a shared code of honor and heraldry than by any bureaucratic structure or chain of command. 

However, as the world grew and advanced, and ruling powers became more able to afford standing armies, the role of the Order had to change. They quickly reformed into a highly regimented, disciplined organization, centralized and on the cutting edge of advancements.

No longer was the Order of the Bannerets' existence defined as a band of lordless knights and soldiers, instead they became strictly defined by their founding philosophy, the Code of Blind Warfare, and a strict regimen resembling a blend of military command and training, and ascetic and monastic lifestyles.

Striking deals with various national bodies great and small, the Order of the Bannerets began to found "Garrison-Monasteries", all-inclusive compounds within which their soldier-monks lived every waking moment not spent in service to a contracted power.

[b]Economy:[/b] The Order's economy is utterly linked to their contractual payments and obligations. Their leasing of forces finance their needs for supplies, goods, services, and payment for their Garrison  Monasteries and their troops. This is both a blessing and a curse, as it allows them greater flexibility in income sources, but also puts them at risk of suffering a serious blow in the event of a major source of income being destroyed or cancelling their agreements.

[b]Army:[/b] The Order's military structure resembles a blend of a highly disciplined modern army, and ancient monastic and ascetic traditions recognizable the world over. Their recruits are drilled in the arts of both military conflict and in acting as guards and escorts for individuals and locales of great importance, but are also disciplined into eschewing much of the trappings of wider life, recreation coming in the form of distinct festive celebrations and individual hobbies and interests. In terms of formalized unit composition, there are four distinct deployments offered to contractors.

[i]The Banneret Guard:[/i] Small retinues and individuals whose training and drills prioritize escort and guard duties, whether those be in service of an individual, a location, an organization, or a patrol route. These men and women are no mere garrison force, however, and have devoted their lives to ensuring the safety and protection of their charges to their last breath, with outsider speculation suggesting they train in the very actions they seek to thwart. Only the most disciplined and well-performing of the Order's troops are permitted into the ranks of the Banneret Guard.

[i]The Banneret Skirmishers:[/i] These forces make up the bread and butter of the Order's military deployments. Drilled to act a vanguard force, these units chiefly deploy in skirmish line formations, acting as light infantry and harassing forces, and opening up ground for the main attack from their contractor's forces, or possibly other Banneret units. These units are generally favored by contractors who don't wish to deploy their own forces in such roles, or seek quality auxiliary screens to their main forces.

[i]The Banneret Grenadiers:[/i] First and foremost assault units, these are the best infantry fighters the Banneret has to offer. Their drills and training condition them for the harsh conditions of close-quarters fighting and violent siege assaults. More candidates for the Banneret Guard are drawn from these units than any others, and this plus their dangerous combat role makes them the most expensive units to lease from the Order.

[i]The Banneret Dragoons:[/i] A holdover from the equestrian and knightly heritage of the Order, these units operate as mounted infantry, using their steeds as rapid transport before deploying into skirmish line formations to engage the enemy. Given their very specialized deployment style, they're generally leased to those who hope for a quick campaign or coordinated strike against a weak foe, and thus need quickly-deployed forces at their beck and call.

[b]Navy:[/b] The Order's naval capabilities are solely based on what contract arrangements can be formulated and organized, meaning it is directly linked to their buying and negotiating power. It is not uncommon for contracts to stipulate that the leasing nation or entity must provide transportation for the forces they lease to the location they're needed. The Order's forces are also not suitably trained and outfitted for serving as Marine Infantry, and thus contracts requesting such are generally overturned.

[b]Traits:[/b] 

[i]Lines of Communication:[/i] The Bannerets have devised a means of communication between their Garrison-Monasteries that allows messages to be sent via a mix of electronic wiring and light-based optical signals which are then transcribed into text by a typing device upon arrival. Referred to as "Transwire Mail", this system is currently kept close to heart by the Bannerets, as it allows communication to travel across the continent far faster than by courier.

[i]Without Nation or Ideology:[/i] The Sovereign Order of Bannerets believe that real battle can only come from being willing to fight for anyone or any cause, and so they offer their services as career soldiers to such. The entire organization's design is built around this, with all members being capable field troops beyond their daily duties to the order. The only requirements for joining are a willing mind and a capable body. Members are welcome from any nation, race, gender, or religion, and individuals from across the known world can be found within their ranks.

[i]The War Economy:[/i] Although the Bannerets can and do offer their services as guards and escorts for individuals and private businesses, their lifestyle comes from warfare, and it is easily what they rely on. War, both the threat of it and the active fighting of it, keeps the Order alive, and without it, they would quickly need to restructure or disband.

[i]The Army Without Borders:[/i] The Garrison-Monasteries that serve as the homes and encampments of the Bannerets are both a blessing and a curse. Their existence as independent land makes establishing contracts across the known world in multiple locations at a time a cinch, but it also means they have no unified core territory to return to in the event of disaster or tragic loss. Contracts negotiated by the Bannerets often specify that if the home Garrison-Monastery of the contracting units falls under risk of danger, the units will withdraw to defend it, even if it means a breach of contract.

[i]Ignoble Warfare:[/i] While the history and namesake of the Bannerets are intertwined within the historical cultures of nobility, knighthood, and equestrianism, there are members within the Order's higher command structures who feel that the darker side of warfare is just as important as the side fought upon the field of battle. Rumors abound beyond the walls of the Garrison-Monasteries that the Banneret Guard, elite troops trained to act as bodyguards and personal honor escorts, are trained in the arts of spycraft, assassinations, and kidnappings in order to understand exactly how to prevent such techniques. These rumors claim that those in training are contracted out illicitly in order to fulfill these tasks in real situations to test the full resolve of the members.

[b]Foreign Relations:[/b] The Yuukoman Principality - The Order's headquarters is located within the capital city of of Yuukoma, and the nation's histories are interlinked, with the Bannerets' history protecting those unable to fend for themselves linked to the Yuukoman Uprisings

[hider=Rolls:]
(Swapped Tech of 1 with Magic Dev. of 20)
Land Area: 1
Land Fertility: 12-2=10
Social Development: 18
Technological Development: 20-2=19
Land Power: 17+1=18
Naval Power: 5
Economy: 16-1=15
Magical Reserves: 1+9=10
Magical Sophistication: 15-5=10
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[hider=Capabilities: TBD]
[b]Societal Development:[/b] The Order's internal power and social structure will likely shift away from the current mindset linked to monastic philosophy and noble heritage, and begin to resemble more of a traditional military mindset, but still linked to the idea of service to warfare without nation or ideology.

[b]Technological Development:[/b] The Order's current specializations in skirmish and assault troops, as well as escort and guard duties, will likely lead to technological developments benefiting asymmetrical and unconventional warfare, while their developments off the battlefield will likely focus on reducing the issues of long-distance transportation and communication.

[b]Economy:[/b] The Order will likely to begin selling their technological advancements as an extra means of cashflow, and should their current level of membership and Garrison-Monasteries become unsustainable, downsizing and consolidating to a new central location will likely be a must.

[b]Land Power:[/b] The Bannerets will likely continue to service their contractors as skirmish and asymmetrical warfare specialists, devising new and unique tactics and strategies to remain at the forefront of this side of the battlefield, while the faction who seek to endeavor into the darker side of conflicts will likely to expand their offers of international espionage.  

[b]Naval Power:[/b] The Order's lack of naval focus will likely continue, as they seek out other means of circumventing this issue in an effort to emphasize their focus as primarily supplemental army units.

[b]Arcane Sophistication/Religious Strength:[/b] The Order's irreverence towards a universal religion or usage of magic will continue as normal, with such topics still being left to the discretion of individual members.
[/hider]

Other: [url=https://imgur.com/a/MsZQKNu]Uniform Mockups and unit descriptions[/url]
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