Janissaries History

Ancient Janissaries

          The order of Janissaries was founded when the Sultan of Ost en Ungol decided to clean the overpopulated dungeon out.  Facing several hundred executions a day, the head executioner proposed an idea to the Sultan.  Why not put them under some priests for control and sent out like a foreign legion (Ost en Ungol is mostly isolationists).  The Sultan agreed.  And so the chance to live was offered to some prisoners, when the prisons were full; or when they were needed.

          So the prison armies were formed, under the direction of the Church of Ungoliant.  And these armies have been sent out on every type of crap mission, some even returning to Ost en Ungol with enough loot to buy their freedom back.

Local Janissaries

          Janissaries are units mostly comprised of prisoners released from the dungeons of Ost en Ungol after they swear loyalty to the Sultan, placed under the direction of nobles, commoners who wind up generals, or anyone else the Sultan deems.  Every unit has a priest of the spider god as the second in the chain of command.

          The Janissaries' first appearance in the know world was a scouting party under the direction of Bane Sheikeale (an minor noble and ex palace guard from Ost en Ungol) and a priest of the Spider God, Ungoliant (Corinth Flavius III).  Corinth convinced Bane Sheikeale to take his troops to the ancient homeland of the Flavians, the Plains of Corinth.

          Bane Sheikeale was placed in command of this unit in a drunken gamble with another noble.  He was caught gambling and being drunk while on duty in the Sultan's Palace.  His punishment was to be a Janissaries commander.  He was commissioned by the Sultan to lead a unit deep in to foreign soil to see if he could find vast treasure.  If he returned with enough, his tour of duty would be over.

          Corinth earned his place in the Janissaries partially by having his lost elves, the Larensti,  assonate his opponents within Ungoliant's priestly Order; but mostly for getting caught.  Him and his elves were to be sent on a tour of duty that would be suicidal.  But after leaving the Great Wall's protection, he convinced Bane to forget his suicide quest and lead his troops to Corinth's homeland; where he was assured there would be treasure located in the ruins.  Lies mostly.

          On the journey Bane Sheikeale went insane, probably because of the slightly increasing amounts of poison Corinth was slipping in his drinks.  Bane decided to start a new empire with himself as Sultan when he arrived.  Corinth just kept increasing the amount.

          When they arrived they found the ZoSo Company still occupying the Plains.  Bane Sheikeale (now calling himself Sultan Sheikeale) fought the ZoSo's, in which the victories were touch and go and the defeats all to easy.  After  several encounters, Sheikeale snapped and wandered out of camp and was never seen again.  Corinth finally got the dosage right.

          Corinth turned the remaining Janissaries and Larensti into raiders, pillaging villages out of the protection of the ZoSo's; but never far away.  Waiting for  a good opportunity to strike.  And for reinforcement Janissaries to arrive, dispatched by Corinth's promises of treasure to the Sultan (He had a messenger sent back with some raided loot and promises of more).

          However, the ZoSo Company fell into internal troubles, ending with many top officers leaving to pursue their own interests.  Corinth quickly swept in on the almost abandoned plains.  While overseeing the Janissary’s construction of a lodge, Corinth and Vars sailed down the ocean's coast to meet with the lord of a neighboring barony, Baron Corneilus of Redlar; on the bequest of some unknown messenger.  There were promises of Gold.

          It turned out that Corneilus was helping a pirate steal gold from  mines he had "won" in a rigged tournament.  It was money though.  So after fighting past some semi hostile elves, and some really hostile barbarians Corneilus and Corinth got some gold.  But when the elves and barbarians started to ally themselves, both decided to take profit and run. 

          Corinth then sent some of that money back to the Sultan, but used most of it to support his growing forces.  He finally had control of his grandfather's land, but that was just the beginning.