While the white-garbed Prophets of Kalistrade embody the world’s view of Druma, the black-garbed members of the Mercenary League stand as the second image conjured in the minds of foreigners. Formed in the centuries leading up to the signing of the Kerse Accord, the Mercenary League has long since acted as Druma’s military and personal protectors for the nation’s Kalistocratic populace. Today, over 2,500 years since its founding, the Mercenary League remains one of Golarion’s most professional and well-maintained military organizations.

GMs may use their own physical die to roll things, BUT MUST BE UPFRONT WITH PLAYERS.

The mostly forgotten Meritocracy of Jelheg resulted from the brief succession of several of dwarven-controlled Druma’s southern settlements. The nation lasted only a short while before the dwarves turned their attention to Jelheg and won a decisive battle that shattered the fledgling nation.

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In the aftermath, disenfranchised Jelheg soldiers often sold their services as bodyguards, and many prophets saw these battle-tested soldiers as ideal security. It was a visiting dwarven dignitary who first coined the group’s title, discussing with a prominent prophet business partner how impressed they were with “the league of mercenaries” the associate had assembled.

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The conglomeration of prophets known as the Promise of Kalistrade, which had been using its considerable wealth to engineer Druma’s eventual succession from dwarven control, recognized the necessity of a standing army and came together to further shape the Mercenary League into a formal organization.

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While Jelheg’s citizens had passion and skill, they lacked proper funding and resources—a void the Promise of Kalistrade quickly filled. Expert dwarven-crafted arms and armor were funneled out of the Five Kings Mountains and distributed throughout the seemingly innocuous lodges that had sprung up across Druma’s major settlements, finding its way into the hands of Mercenary League soldiers. It was during the months and weeks leading up to the signing of the Kerse Accord where the Mercenary League encountered its first real test.

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For the first time in their history, the group’s soldiers found themselves deployed as both a police force and a military deterrent. Within days the whole of Druma shifted to the prophets’ direct control, and the Mercenary League ruthlessly stamped out any attempts at resistance. This is believed to have been instrumental in convincing leaders from the Five Kings Mountains to sign the Kerse Accord instead of risking a direct conflict with the clearly battle-ready and trained Mercenary League.

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Since that time, the Mercenary League officially sealed its compact with the Prophets of Kalistrade by signing an everlasting contract with the Kalistocracy. The league’s first lodge, located within the city of Prophet’s Home, is recognized as the Mercenary League’s foremost training center, while Kerse houses the Mercenary League’s current headquarters. Every major Drumish settlement now contains at least one large structure dedicated to managing Mercenary League operations within that region. Within the past 3 centuries, the Mercenary League has expanded its influence outside of Druma, and the organization maintains a handful of outposts in disputed territories or locations with a major Kalistocratic presence.

Almost every member of the Mercenary League begins her training in Prophet’s Home, the league’s birthplace and most expansive training grounds. Members join as cadets and undergo rigorous training regimens from battle-tested instructors and expert consultants. Aptitude testing is one of the first major trials a cadet goes through, and such tests quickly showcase what aspects of the league a given cadet can be placed in.

Despite the Mercenary League’s notoriety as personal protectors for the Prophets of Kalistrade, the organization also maintains several other departments, such as espionage, research and development, political officers, and several more esoteric divisions. Many cadets end up training in combat proficiencies and in the role of personal protector. Every recruit completes her training as an individual equally capable of protection detail for a very important person or membership of a full army acting on a national scale.

Completion of training comes with the cadet’s promotion and the assignment of an armored coat, the eponymous “black jacket” that also acts as the common term for a Mercenary League soldier. Along with instruction in combat techniques, Blackjackets also receive severe mental conditioning as a result of training with political officers and skilled analysts. Regardless of the exact methods, the desired results are always the same: a capable soldier who always follows orders but can amorally analyze tactical situations and determine the most efficient course of action.

Commanders manage the Mercenary League’s policing affairs across Druma, with each major settlement boasting one such ranked individual. Directing the commanders are a cadre of marshals who oversee Druma’s overall security needs and manage operations taking place outside the nation’s borders. The high marshal, based out of Prophet’s Home, answers only to the high prophet and remains responsible for the Mercenary League’s overall health and effectiveness. The high marshal holds authority over any prophet-sponsored operation, and she can countermand the orders of prophets in the interest of the nation. This power ensures that no prophet ever attempts to exert too much authority over the organization, as historically, the high prophet typically sides with the pragmatic decisions of the ranking high marshal.

The Mercenary League currently handles several ongoing operations both within and around Druma, as well as some far beyond the nation’s borders. The following are just a small sample of operations currently underway.

Auriferous Armada: Commissioned within Absalom’s vast harbor, the Auriferous Armada is a vast trade fleet used to bounce between Casmaron and Garund before embarking on a longer journey to the Tian Xia metropolis of Goka. Dozens of ships make up the armada, with the Mercenary League providing military support against piracy and other intrusions. A secondary detachment of Blackjackets meets with the docked ships when they complete the circuit in Absalom to escort any major trade goods back to Druma via caravans or river-bound barges.

Edict of Preparation: As much an operation as a direct order, High Prophet Kelldor issued the so-called “Edict of Preparation” demanding the Mercenary League double its recruitment and training, taxing the League’s already rigorous standards. Though the reason for this change remains unknown, the high marshal has also amassed a growing cadre of expert orc and undead hunters.