The Regency A Background Summary By Tony Kenealy Of the Three Great Founding Races of Genayria, it is Man that has become the most diverse, splintering into a large number of colonies, each one developing, over time, their own customs and culture. And of the all the colonies of Man, it is the Regency that is the largest. Built upon a feudal system with ruling families controlling the numerous shires, the Regency has dominated the Northern regions of Genayria since the days before the Drought Wars. Each shire is ruled by a Lord who resides in his well fortified capital city. The numerous Nobles, who can trace their family's bloodline back to the days of the original ruling fathers, garner their wealth and armies from the extensive lands of the shires. They collect taxes from the people, not only in money, but in service in the ranks of their Lord's army. Over the years, family feuds between the Nobles have deposed, and even destroyed ruling families, but there were always others ready to take their place. Yet, even when internal bickering between the families dealt death and destruction within the shires, the Regency's ability to pull together and become a formidable fighting force against outsiders is legendary, pushing aside all personal differences for the good of all. One fact that places the Regency apart from other races, and indeed the other colonies of man, was the discovery and subsequent use of the 'black powder'. When muskets were first deployed at the Battle of Ishtar Pass, the noise alone was enough to scatter the Orc Army, who ran in confusion onto the lances of the great warhorses from the Equus Shire, the greatest of all the Regency's Cavalry. It is said that no Orcs actually died from musket fire, a testament to the inaccuracy of the original weapons, although that is something that cannot be said today. The Regencies engineers took the use of the black powder further, making huge cannons that could fire large missiles into approaching armies, causing widespread panic, confusion and death. The engineers did not stop at the development of the black powder, but also created a steam engine that could power the great cannons into battle. The Steam Charger is a devastating mechanism of warfare, belching smoke across the battlefield, crushing people beneath it's devastating power - not just the enemy, but often unfortunate Regency soldiers who got too close to the great spiked wheels. Although its armour is impenetrable to arrows and the sword thrusts of any brave soul who gets close enough, the Steam Charger is not totally indestructible or reliable. So, the enemies of the Regency are always looking for new and ingenious ways to counteract this formidable weapon. When the Regency army takes to the battlefield, it does so in a great display of colour and ceremony. Each shire, in honour of its contribution to the army, proudly displays it's banners so all will know of it's loyal allegiance. During these times it is normal for one of the Lords of the ruling families to take overall control of the Army, a fact that can cause more feuds between the Nobles, but only after their common enemy is defeated. Honoured Veteran. Heresy Miniatures, painted by Chris Gilders Each shire prides itself on its history and the contribution it makes to the Regency armies. The history books are full of heroic deeds. These deeds can often lead to promotion through the ranks for the greatest of these heroes. This again leads to rivalries between the noble born leaders, and the Captains and officers who have gained leadership through promotion. One such promotion was the leader of the Becketshire regiment. It was at the Siege of Rothar when a regiment of 250 Becketshire swordsmen held off an invading horde of Orcs, who had been sweeping across the Northern Plains. Rothar was a strategic stronghold for two reasons. The first was it's position on the River Tarsis, the largest river controlled by the Regency, and the source of most of its water - take this stronghold and the Regency was crippled. The second was that if Rothar fell, the Orcs had a clear sweep to the capital city of Morroth if there was, then, nothing to stop their swathe of destruction. As, at the time of the attack the main Regency army was dealing with a Chaos incursion to the east, it would not be able to meet the Orc horde before it swept into Morroth. A tactical, and somewhat naïve, error had left Rothar woefully unguarded - or so it seemed. Regency Swordsmen Unit by Chris Gilders In the first wave of attacks, Captain Sirta was killed leaving the regiment leaderless. A young soldier, took control and rallied the regiment to hold the fortress. The Becketshire swordsmen, with their, now legendary, two-handed swords, managed to hold the fortress for 13 days, under the leadership of a non-commissioned soldier called Jerubb Puck, giving the Regency Army time to defeat the chaos incursion and travel through a Ryft Gate to the aid of Rothar. At the end of the conflict Puck was made Captain of the Becketshire swordsmen, and Captain Puck and his regiment has since become a legend throughout Genayria. Any army that has a Becketshire swordsman amongst its ranks is considered a force to be reckoned with. Regency Honour Knights by Chris Gilders