About the Guardsmen
"Many armies have risen up in defence of the various provinces of Britannia but throughout history none have achieved quite as much and for quite as long as The Guardsmen Militia. Whilst many wars have been fought, many comrades lost and many more enemies felled, our fight is not yet over."
So you want to know about the Guardsmen? Well, they're not just soldiers. The Great Plague might have left Yew in tatters but the Guardsmen Militia are picking up the pieces and providing services to the great Yewish public.
You won't find a better band of soldiers anywhere. You hear people raving about the Royal Guard but this lot would take them apart in a jiffy. It's not that they're better equipped — because you can see they ain't — they just turn any obvious disadvantage into an advantage. That armour they wear makes them more aware of their own mortality; none of them can afford to be heroes because chances are they'll buy the whole bloody farm if they try it.
So they follow their orders, they don't take unnecessary risks and they do what is essential to win. People hate them for it but most probably admire them in secret. These lads have turned 'going without' into an art form and woe betide anyone who thinks less of them because of it.
Just imagine what they could do with an infinite supply of money and state-of-the-art equipment! Yet I can't help but think they'd just throw it all into a dark room and forget about it.
Thinking of joining? Well, they're a great bunch of lads but to be honest by the look of ya, you'd be bloody lucky to even shine their boots.
Welcome to Stonekeep (circa 2013)
"Good evening traveler and welcome to what remains of Stonekeep. I hope our humble tavern will meet your approval, even if the rest of the Keep's comforts are scarce. You must understand the guardsmen who patrol and administer the area have decidedly spartan taste, especially since the plague tore our land apart. My father tells me that they were once only a handful of peasants dedicated to the defence of Yew. Yew was far smaller back then but a thousand times more dangerous. The lessons those rag-tag volunteers learned in the violent backwater that was once Yew allowed them to not only crush resistance within their borders but also to expand their territories. For a while, life was good. We prospered and we enjoyed freedoms of which we'd never dared dream — then the plague came. Stonekeep ain't what it used to be, but it will be again one day."
Source: grd-europa.co.uk (2008, 2013)