Guardsmen Militia

The confident and vain Marksmen believe that the only true and noble way of fighting is that of the archer, and so they train to master this art — how to hit a foe, as well as how to make best use of their skill in battle. They feel that the fray and chaos of the melee is below their stature, and that the way to kill a foe should be an arrow through the heart. They do not refuse to melee, but rather prefer the use of their sturdy bows.

Uniform and Armament

• Marksmen wear chain armour, as it gives them more room to use their bows.
• The only exception is the arms, where they wear plate golden arms.
• They do not wear coifs but instead a feathered hat and a cloak, both in the same colour as the guardsman kilt.
• For weaponry they strongly prefer a bow, crossbow or heavy crossbow, but may wield one-handed melee weapons or axes in combat as well.
• Golden bucklers may also be handled, but Marksmen would only do so in situations where the bow cannot be used.

Roleplaying a Marksman

• Marksmen are calm and rational in their ways.
• Marksmen drink wine, often cooling or heating it. They have great knowledge in winemaking, able to taste where the grape was held and of what year the wine is.
• Marksmen do not like ale, and only drink it in the utmost emergency.
• Marksmen detest close combat, and would only resort to it to save themselves. Due to this dislike, they look down upon those who take glory and pride in melee. The Besieger division in particular receives a good number of taunts and insults regarding their brutish battlefield ways.
• Marksmen in battle often group themselves into one deadly unit, efficiently picking off one target at a time.
• To keep foes at a distance, they often carry hay or carpentry tools to make boxes, laying out barricades to clutter the battlefield. Knowing where and when to place barricades is considered an art amongst Marksmen.
• Marksmen are the sworn defenders of Stonekeep, more often found near the compounds than other divisions — shooting down stray attackers and showing younger guardsmen how to behave.

Sample Quotes

• "No thank you. Only Yewish brew for me."
• "Move a muscle and have it pierced, savage!"
• "Pah! I think not!"
• "Oh, but look! Dirt on my cloak... Clean it up, Trainee."
• "If your wits were half as sharp as this bolt, you'd take your leave, and quickly at that."
• "Aim for the heart! This man is charged for murder!"

Source: grd-europa.co.uk (2009) and guvadan.net (2007)