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Organization
When the original mercenaries arrived in Terengaria (the landmass that encompasses Weldwyn, Merceria, and the Twelve Clans), they were organized into groups, each led by their own leader. These groups ranged anywhere from a dozen warriors to more than two hundred and fifty. After they moved east after their defeat in Weldwyn and began settling, these companies became more organized, leading to a formalization of rank and structure.
The organization that was widely used in Merceria divided the entire army into individual companies. By design, these contain an official strength of fifty men, though they are often lower due to illness, injury or lack of recruitment. Companies typically include one or two sergeants and a captain, neither of which counts towards their overall numbers. Thus, in reality, there are 52 or 53 men in a company.
Any higher rank structure was minimal. If an officer controlled more than one company, they were referred to as a commander. In Weldwyn, the army is led by the king or his delegate, often a prince or trusted noble, but in Merceria that responsibility usually fell to the position of the marshal-general.
In the early days of Merceria, the king would designate a trusted leader to marshal his horse or foot, leading to the adoption of the rank Marshal of Horse, or Marshal of Foot, but later, after realizing the importance of using combined arms, these positions were replaced by the marshal general, who had the power to call on all forces of the kingdom.
This organization remained in place in Merceria until the recent reforms of Queen Anna in 963, which are detailed in Burden of the Crown.
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