Laus
Jun 12, 2017 1:23:15 GMT -6
Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Jun 12, 2017 1:23:15 GMT -6
Overview
Laus is a very particular march, well known for many qualities. It has a long history of corruption, an abiding respect for power as the only relevant metric of power, a near-eternal belief that they should be the guiding hand of Lycia, and a predictably high level of aggression that somehow, they keep on getting away with. Much of Lycia knows that they are power hungry to a degree and rumors of Lausian shenanigans are as numerous as the stars in the sky - they were behind the assassination of the last Thrian marquess, they are in league with Etruria, they are in league with Bern, they are about to invade Santaruz - but the marquess of Laus is no fool, nor are his people, and there will never be any evidence of any wrongdoing. No, Laus plays a different game, one born of a longstanding desire to shirk their atrocious reputation as a distant runner up to Ostia's leadership and the belief that they could do it better. That Lycia would be safer under Laus's protection, not the failed Ostia.
The truth is hard to pin down, but what is certain is that Laus is not just a regional villain, despite its seedy reputation. Her knights are proud, her people believe that they can be more - that they can help Lycia become something more - and no matter what Santaruz says as it rails against them, it is true that Laus is pushing to help unite Lycia against external threats. Hiring mercenaries, training its forces, organizing the LCO in secret; they may not be the good guys exactly, but they're not the bad guys either, at least as they see themselves. SOMEONE has to lead the new Lycia, after all. Is it so wrong to want to do it themselves? What are a few pebbles in the way of the river of history?
But if it were ever proven that they had truly been involved in the assassination of a ruling marquess, things might change.
Military
Laus's military is fairly strong, mostly revolving around solid quality cavalry, ranging from medium to light mounted units albeit lacking the armored apocalypse that are the Araphen heavy knights. They also utilize a very large force of conscripted infantry that are poorly trained and of mediocre morale, but similar to Araphen's archers - quantity is a quality all its own.
However, Laus's massive mercenary recruitment efforts and good relations with certain Caelin warlords have allowed them to field one of the largest armies in Lycia, catapulting them to superpower status on par with Araphen and Santaruz. While they don't have much for coordination, they have a LOT of guys and the mercenary forces and their own cavalry are all fairly well trained and champing at the bit for a fight.
That said, it isn't all sunflowers and rainbows. Overflow undead from Ostia commonly make it to Laus, and between terrible mercenary discipline, the fact they hire literal bandits as mercs, monsters roaming the countryside, and normal bandits to boot, Laus is definitely one of the more dangerous places in Lycia overall. It is a harsh territory, full of cold men with colder hearts, with danger and possibility at every corner. Perhaps ironically, modern Laus embodies itself better than ever before - it remains to be seen if it will finally rise above its former reputation or finally crumble under the weight of its own failure.
Relationships
Laus is a very particular march, well known for many qualities. It has a long history of corruption, an abiding respect for power as the only relevant metric of power, a near-eternal belief that they should be the guiding hand of Lycia, and a predictably high level of aggression that somehow, they keep on getting away with. Much of Lycia knows that they are power hungry to a degree and rumors of Lausian shenanigans are as numerous as the stars in the sky - they were behind the assassination of the last Thrian marquess, they are in league with Etruria, they are in league with Bern, they are about to invade Santaruz - but the marquess of Laus is no fool, nor are his people, and there will never be any evidence of any wrongdoing. No, Laus plays a different game, one born of a longstanding desire to shirk their atrocious reputation as a distant runner up to Ostia's leadership and the belief that they could do it better. That Lycia would be safer under Laus's protection, not the failed Ostia.
The truth is hard to pin down, but what is certain is that Laus is not just a regional villain, despite its seedy reputation. Her knights are proud, her people believe that they can be more - that they can help Lycia become something more - and no matter what Santaruz says as it rails against them, it is true that Laus is pushing to help unite Lycia against external threats. Hiring mercenaries, training its forces, organizing the LCO in secret; they may not be the good guys exactly, but they're not the bad guys either, at least as they see themselves. SOMEONE has to lead the new Lycia, after all. Is it so wrong to want to do it themselves? What are a few pebbles in the way of the river of history?
But if it were ever proven that they had truly been involved in the assassination of a ruling marquess, things might change.
Military
Laus's military is fairly strong, mostly revolving around solid quality cavalry, ranging from medium to light mounted units albeit lacking the armored apocalypse that are the Araphen heavy knights. They also utilize a very large force of conscripted infantry that are poorly trained and of mediocre morale, but similar to Araphen's archers - quantity is a quality all its own.
However, Laus's massive mercenary recruitment efforts and good relations with certain Caelin warlords have allowed them to field one of the largest armies in Lycia, catapulting them to superpower status on par with Araphen and Santaruz. While they don't have much for coordination, they have a LOT of guys and the mercenary forces and their own cavalry are all fairly well trained and champing at the bit for a fight.
That said, it isn't all sunflowers and rainbows. Overflow undead from Ostia commonly make it to Laus, and between terrible mercenary discipline, the fact they hire literal bandits as mercs, monsters roaming the countryside, and normal bandits to boot, Laus is definitely one of the more dangerous places in Lycia overall. It is a harsh territory, full of cold men with colder hearts, with danger and possibility at every corner. Perhaps ironically, modern Laus embodies itself better than ever before - it remains to be seen if it will finally rise above its former reputation or finally crumble under the weight of its own failure.
Relationships
- Thria hates their guts but is forced to rely fairly heavily on Laus for aid so there is a major trade agreement between the two marches in which Laus provides food, medical aid, and sometimes forces in return for Thria's famous metalworking. As Thria's state continues to balkanize, this has further strained relationships. There is no love between the two even beyond their historically mediocre relationship.
- Tuscana is arguably Laus's best ally in the region; playing to the cowardly marquess's fears Laus buys most of their ore and weaponry in return for military support against the monster menace ripping it apart. And Laus certainly has the manpower to spare.
- Laus makes great use of Caelin's warlords for hired forces and occasionally even training, and in return doesn't have to worry too much about their borders with Caelin; Caelin's actual authorities hate Laus with a passion
- Khathelet is about as fond of Laus as Laus is of having a satellite state propped up by their second greatest rival at their doorstep. Spoilers: they do NOT care for each other. At all. If not for the Lycian League, they would likely be in open warfare.
- Formerly completely ignored the effectively worthless Ryerde, but as Ryerde continues to modernize Laus has begun to make more overtures which Ryerde's new marquess mostly tries to avoid, though the brutal reality of the tenuous situation in western Lycia has forced some basic trade agreements and a cool but not antagonistic relationship.