the White League art

Here's the latest map for the Atlas Elyden. I came across the work of Chris Karnezis and got in touch to license this image in particular as it really looked close to what I've had in mind for the HQ of a mercenary company that operates across the Inner Sea, so I wrote up this entry for it to include in the Atlas. Hopefully, I'll get to work with him again in the future.

This is the low-res version available to everyone.  Become a Patron at the Acolyte tier for access to my back-catalogue of High-res, PSD and textless maps. That includes the High-res version of this map, as well as the textless version.

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Today the White League is amongst the most renowned mercenary companies in the Near Hemisphere, operating around the Inner Sea and Sea of Orrida, though they are far more than just soldier-for-hire. The League was responsible for the foundation of the ubiquitous White Bank, whose pale-fronted chapters can be seen in most cities in southern Llachatul and northern Sammaea, and both institutions are now well-established and known to even workslaves and helots across the Twin empires and beyond.

The League operates chapters in the aforementioned region where their services can be bought. This includes work as personal security, guards, soldiers, and their services can be bought by anything from individuals to businesses or nations.

Though once they wore full plate famed for its white enamelled design, this has since been replaced with more modern styles of armour, though they continue to favour white ablative armour protecting their chest, shoulders and faces, with high-ranking members bearing intricate filigreed designs and woven tabards displaying their personal heraldry and the colours of their chapter. Some chapters do employ hardsuits as well as softsuits and hermetic suits for use in Atramentally-tainted regions, though in many cases, their equipment is beginning to change in accordance with modern military design.

The White League

The League has its roots in Dhalona, where it originated as a knightly order in 1192 RM, sworn to defend those without the means to do so themselves. They operated through alms donated by those they served, though as time went on, these donations became less voluntary and an expected compensation for their work. They often protected pilgrims heading south on the Shadow March, though for the most part served as guards for commercial caravans and other business ventures.

From there, the league expanded across Parthis as well as across the Sea of Taramar into Tartak and Jurras. In most cases they offered to pay a yearly tithe to whatever power controlled the lands they settled, in return for the right to sell their services. To entice their hosts they also offered to aid their armies in battle, should the need arise, at a discount. This saw them spread even further west and east over the coming centuries, where they attracted new members and clients.

The League grew in power over, with its soldiers, known Free Companions, becoming a common sight in most market places and accompanying patricians and merchant caravans. In some cases the private forces of entire Patrician Houses came to be made up of thousands of Companions, and even some nations, most famously Parthis in around 2200 RM, became heavily reliant on their services.

As a result, the White League began to wield extreme political power and influence, and chapters could play opposing powers against each other, letting warring nations know that the other side was thinking of  employing the League, allowing them to enter a bidding war for their services. Not only that, but many a battle was won by the League changing sides at the last minute after receiving a better offer from the opposing side. This made the White League unpredictable to work with, and over time those who offered the League lands and titles (either through marriage or as gifts) became its favourite partners.

The Korachani empire began to take note of this and in 2374 RM besieged the city of Utor in Karakhar, which was a League stronghold. Other League territories were attacked, as well as chapters and their auberges across the empire and beyond. This led to the near annihilation of their forces, causing the League to abandon many of its strongholds across the Inner Sea, returning to Sammaea, and in particular Parthis, where they remained strong. Elsewhere, the surviving chapters scattered and though most retained the name White League, relations between them and their surviving strongholds in Parthis became almost non-existent and the splinter chapters either died out or were eventually reabsorbed by the main chapter in Parthis.

One of those splinter chapters came to be known as the Brothers Vengeant in 2453 RM and they devoted themselves to opposing Korachan, selling their services to enemies of the empire. They went on to play a vital role in the Sundering of the empire in 3705 RM, fighting for Sarastro, before their eventual dissolution by the White League itself in 3913 RM.

By around 2910 RM the League, helped by the White Bank, had established itself once more, particularly in northern Sammaea - including Parthis, Tartak, Taraha and Vaalk. And in around 3400 RM the White League entered into an agreement with Korachan, though they can still sell their services to other powers with the proviso that they cannot engage in open conflict with Korachan or against Korachani territories, with Korachan threatening it will withdraw its investment in the White Bank if this agreement is not upheld.

Its influence in Parthis continued to increase and in 3406 RM, following years of slow deliberate effort, the White League was able to oust the leadership of Tethra, instating the Alabaster Council, coming to rule all of Parthis and its dependencies. - white league takes over tethra, founding the alabaster council. Soon after this the Parthisan Republic was established, which would rule PArthisan territories on the behalf of the Alabaster Council, though this period of rule ended in 3701 RM, when the Alabaster council was disbanded and the league itself was exiled from Parthis, as the Secular Republic it had helped establish grew more powerful. Since then the League has been allowed back into Parthis (with the White Bank threatening to withdraw it from Parthis if it did not accept the League back), though it is now based in the Fortress of Taslagor in Tartak, with a new iteration of the Alabaster council ruling from there.

The White Bank

As the League became more popular, its leadership, until then decentralised and with differing tents and policies from chapter to chapter, began to coalesce into something more coherent. By c. 1500 RM chapters had opened offices in most cities where they already maintained barracks where they could change and store money for their clients. This led to the League offering moneylending services, which proved to be very popular, eventually leading to the first preceptory of the White Bank appearing in Abimoloch in 1592 RM. The League warriors offered protection to the preceptories and businesses using the Banks’ services, particularly in relation to the movement of money and trade across borders, securing them great wealth and, perhaps more importantly, influence across all social classes and hierarchies.

This notoriety only increased over the years, and the White Bank began to make use of promissory notes as banknotes, leading to the widespread use of paper money amongst businesses and merchants around the Inner Sea by around 2400 RM, with the practice becoming commonplace in everyday trade by around 3000 RM. This and the issuing of bonds allowed Patrician Houses as well as royal families and nations to invest through the Bank, allowing them to bankroll armies, expeditions, and new industries. The many League agents scattered across Llachatul and Sammaea also served as a vital information network for the Bank, allowing it to learn political and financial information before its rivals, giving it more of an edge.