Company of thirty

The company of thirty was the force that Prince Conrad placed under the command of Kemp Corvus in the Sürgün Günlükleri ("Exile Chronicles") campaign, to look into the causes of a rebellion and seek a settlement. The prince first offered a hundred men; his tutor Frederich Barnas argued for a small, fast inquiry, and the number became thirty light riders and archers, with a guide who knew the region and an aide.^{1 2}

Composition

Three days of preparation at Riverguard, during which Kemp's lost papers of lineage were drawn up anew, produced twenty-two legionaries and eight of the prince's own soldiers. Outside that number came their officer, the centurion Malecris, and the three companions: Kemp, the mage Katherine and Ephorus. The soldiers wore their own uniforms, but the mission flew the blue and white sturgeon banners of House Corvus. It had ten horses: one for each of the three leaders, four to draw two war wagons, and the rest for the officer and the baggage. Each wagon was sided with metal plates and could carry ten or twelve people as a sheltered platform for archers. No healer was assigned.^{3 4 5}

Frederich gave Kemp a road warrant for food and lodging on the way and message birds, and a purse of gold and valuable rings was provided for small persuasions. The soldiers marched with sword, shield and pack while the heavier missile weapons rode in the wagons; Ephorus walked, then took an archer's place in the front wagon, so that a mounted drow would not provoke the men. Kemp spoke to the company before it set out.^{6 7 8}

The march

The first two or three days were quiet. The company bought supplies in villages and camped outside them; the legionaries were used to long marches, but the eight other soldiers tired and were taken into the wagons. When a legionary and one of the prince's men were caught gambling, Kemp found that the legion punished it with beatings and extra watches while the other unit did not forbid it; he spared both men the beating, gave them extra work and watches, and had the legion's rules explained to everyone.^{9 10}

The fight with the Bloody Coin

At the Porvis forest house the company camped outside the walls, watching the mercenaries of the Bloody Coin grow to around a hundred. When they took up arms, the soldiers formed a shield wall two ranks deep with archers behind, while a trusted guard was left on the wagon in which the baron's family hid unseen. Pressed by greater numbers, the legion line was pushed back, then stood and pushed forward again, aided by Katherine's fireballs. Two legionaries guarding the family's wagon fell there. Some of the enemy fled and some surrendered; the pursuit was called off and six prisoners were taken.^{11 12 13 14 15 16}

A first count spoke of twelve soldiers lost and eighteen left. On the march the next day it became clear that about five had been left dead on the field, while the others were badly wounded and could not walk, some having lost limbs. The wounded rode in the armoured wagons and farm carts carried the stores; the baron joined the column with six of his household guards. On the road a wandering war priest in full armour, carrying a war hammer, healed the wounded with white light, saying that his god forbade dying before vengeance was taken; such travelling war priests are rare, but valued by armies. At the castle of Sarpyar he went on tending them until his strength was spent.^{17 18 19 20 21 22}

Sarpyar and Tal'gard

During the siege of Sarpyar, Malecris and some legionaries volunteered to meet the rebel leader in single combat, but the priest was chosen. One of the company's legionaries was caught carrying poison meant for Baron Vermont; he said he had been forced to it by threats against a captive kinsman. When the siege lifted, the relieving commander could spare no soldiers but gave each man a horse.^{23 24 25 26}

Eleven legionaries came on to Tal'gard with the baron's household, and were quartered in the courtyard of the Porvis mansion near the guard post, where they were kept in view to lend weight to the council. When a lord asked whether the soldiers in the city meant danger, Kemp answered that they showed the seriousness of the mission and loyalty to the Empire. Five city guards who had let rebels through the gates were placed under the legion's eye to learn discipline.^{27 28 29 30 31}

The end of the mission

The company marched east with the prince and the whole legion and took part in the battle against the hobgoblins. When the mission was over, Kemp shook each soldier's hand and told them he was proud of them, and Malecris and the legionaries returned to the army, leaving the three companions to travel on together.^{32 33 34}