Knights of the Rat King
When the Rat King chose to ally with the Iron Works, he did not lack for soldiers. The Knights of the Rat King assembled from three sources: the standing army of the Kingdom, mercenaries willing to fight for pay, and social climbers who saw profit in war. They gave themselves the name and set about enforcing the Rat King's will across the Rum Coast.
The standing army formed the core. These were formalized troops organized into squads under captains, trained in tactics and battle discipline. Captain William Palmer led one such squad, personally commissioned by the Rat King to build a fighting force. The standing army was the most dangerous component of the Knights: disciplined, well-equipped, and loyal to the Kingdom.
Below them operated the mercenary bands. Less formalized, often dirtier, and better suited to guerrilla warfare than pitched battle, these groups traveled to settlements to carry out the Rat King's directives. They hunted postal workers under bounties from the Iron Works, set bombs in towns, and collected intelligence on seditious activity. What they lacked in discipline they compensated for with willingness to go wherever the pay led.
The Knights' operations during the Regicide era (~117 DC) included direct assaults on postal offices, spy networks sent to assess the loyalty of settlements, pursuit of refugees fleeing the Kingdom by land and sea, elite assassin squads equipped with poison teeth to prevent capture, and coordinated bombing operations using skirmisher teams. Their identifying mark was a red bandana or cloth tied on the arm. Messages left on their victims read: "With My Kindest Regards, The Rat King."
Many Knights believed they were in the right. Destroying the Iron Works' enemies meant preserving their own way of life within the Kingdom. Others fought for nothing more complicated than coin.
The standing army formed the core. These were formalized troops organized into squads under captains, trained in tactics and battle discipline. Captain William Palmer led one such squad, personally commissioned by the Rat King to build a fighting force. The standing army was the most dangerous component of the Knights: disciplined, well-equipped, and loyal to the Kingdom.
Below them operated the mercenary bands. Less formalized, often dirtier, and better suited to guerrilla warfare than pitched battle, these groups traveled to settlements to carry out the Rat King's directives. They hunted postal workers under bounties from the Iron Works, set bombs in towns, and collected intelligence on seditious activity. What they lacked in discipline they compensated for with willingness to go wherever the pay led.
The Knights' operations during the Regicide era (~117 DC) included direct assaults on postal offices, spy networks sent to assess the loyalty of settlements, pursuit of refugees fleeing the Kingdom by land and sea, elite assassin squads equipped with poison teeth to prevent capture, and coordinated bombing operations using skirmisher teams. Their identifying mark was a red bandana or cloth tied on the arm. Messages left on their victims read: "With My Kindest Regards, The Rat King."
Many Knights believed they were in the right. Destroying the Iron Works' enemies meant preserving their own way of life within the Kingdom. Others fought for nothing more complicated than coin.
