Freeglade Lancers

A Freeglade Lancer attacking the shrykes in the Battle of Lufwood Mount.
"The Freeglade Lancers were the elite - the toughest fighters and the most skilful riders - and they had a proud history."
—The Nameless One

The Freeglade Lancers were elite soldiers who rode on prowlgrins, protecting the Free Glades in the Second Age of Flight and Great Glade in the Third Age of Flight. They were part of the security force of the Free Glades in the Second Age of Flight and part of the Great Glade Militia in the Third Age of Flight.

History

Second Age of Flight

Minor Skirmishes

From the beginnings, when the Free Glades had been nothing more than a modest settlement in the Deepwoods, the Freeglade Lancers patrolled the borders of the town. They asked newcomers to identify themselves by asking for code-words like "Friends of Earth and Sky", prevented Deepwoods animals like logworms of the Silver Pastures from entering the settlements and handled minor skirmishes with marauders.[1]

Battle of Lufwood Mount

The Freeglade Lancers played a vital role in the Battle of Lufwood Mount. They arrived late, having been called by the Librarians to help them and the Undertowners against the Shrykes under Mother Muleclaw the Third's command. By intervening, the Freeglade Lancers ensured the survival of everyone participating in the Third Great Migration.

War for the Free Glades

The War for the Free Glades was a massive clash between the Free Glades and an alliance of the Foundry Glades and the Goblin Nations. The Freeglade Lancers did not take part in the Battle of the Great Library, but fought in both the Battle of New Undertown and the Battle of the Barley Fields. After the Freeglade Lancers failed to destroy the Glade-Eaters, the Ghosts of Screetown and the Sky Pirates from the Armada of the Dead managed to drive Hemuel Spume into the boiling lake, killing him and destroying all the Glade-Eaters. For the final battle on the barley fields, Ghosts, Pirates and Freeglade Lancers united against the Goblin Nations, helped by Banderbears. Hopelessly outnumbered, only the mostly peaceful revolution of goblins themselves turned the tide for the Free Glades.

Skirmish at Wooded Crag

A ferocious pack of skulltrogs in the Southern Fringes attacked the Free Glades in the Skirmish at Wooded Crag, but one splinter of the Freeglade Lancers managed to defeat them, although not without casualties.

Battle of the Phrax Glade

The Battle of the Phrax Glade was a clash between the Third Roost of the Freeglade Lancers and the Death-Cheaters and Hammerhead Goblins employed by Lentil Spume, Squive and Sister Blackbeak. Alarmed by the arrival of a Nameless One at the Free Glades, the Fifth Splinter of the Fourth High Branch troop was sent to investigate the Foundry Glades and discovered the Phrax Glade, which was then ordered to be destroyed by the entire Third Roost.

Third Age of Flight

When the Free Glades evolved to Great Glade, the Freeglade Lancers were joined by other armed forces. Alongside the Great Glade Guard, the Phrax-Marines, and the Old Forest Scouts, they formed the Great Glade Militia. Originally based in the Ironwood Stands in the Free Glades, the Freeglade Lancers moved to the Old Forest District. The popular song The Charge of the Freeglade Lancers remembered the original Freeglade Lancers[2].

Battle of the Midwood Marshes

As part of the Great Glade Militia, the Freeglade Lancers fought and won the Battle of the Midwood Marshes against the Hive Militia. An attack on the flank of the Hive Militia by the Freeglade Lancers finally defeated the already weakened Hive Militia.

Goblin Wars

The Freeglade Lancers fought and successfully defended in the raids and skirmishes of the goblin wars that happened around 500 ᴇ.ʏ.

Armour

Second Age of Flight

Early Freeglade Lancers patrolled in tooled-leather armour, often scratched from previous battles, that protected both rider and mount and carried long ironwood lances and crescent-shaped shields.[1] The Freeglade Lancers wore white shirts emblazoned with a red banderbear.[3] Cadets wore green collars, indicating they had not yet been blooded. A distinctive helmet covered both neck and the cheeks. Arms and legs were protected by sumpwood pieces.[4]

Third Age of Flight

Wearing the now traditional green and white checkerboard collars and white tunics showing the red print of a banderbear, the Freeglade Lancers were an impressive sight. The leather armour was exchanged for more withstanding iron- or copperwood protections that resembled the Knights Academics' heavy armour. The long ironwood lances that gave the Freeglade Lancers their name were still the main weapon of the Freeglade Lancers, but the shields disappeared. As Phrax Weapons evolved, the Freeglade Lancers were additionally equipped with twin phraxpistols. All of the Freeglade Lancers also carried a long, straight sable with them as to fight on the ground if necessary in battle.[3] The Freeglade Lancers were in charge of the Thunderer, the most powerful phrax weapon at that time.

Units

The organizational structure of the Freeglade Lancers in the Second Age of Flight

The units in the Freeglade Lancers where called splinters. Each splinter consisted of 10 Freeglade Lancers. 5 Splinters made one troop, 25 splinters one branch, 75 splinters one Tree Company and there were 4500 Freeglade Lancers in one Roost. In total, there were 22 500 Freeglade Lancers at the Ironwood tree.[3][5]

Rufus Filatine, for example was in the Fifth Splinter, High Branch Troop of Scartree Company in the Third Roost. Corporal Hudder was in the First High Branch Troop, Silverbark Company, Third Old Forest Roost.

Every tree company was assigned one waif signaller who communicated orders from the marshal or commander simultaneously to all Lancers, making it possible for the Freeglade Lancers to act as one unit and to quickly react when confronted with new challenges. The waif signaller also warned of possible dangers and maintained high spirits in his unit.[4]

The different units were led by different ranks. There was for example the title of captain, corporal and commander. Most of the Freeglade Lancers were Gnokgoblins, although there were also many Mobgnomes, Lop-Eared Goblins, Slaughterers and a few Fourthlings.[4]

Training and education

All Freeglade Lacers had an excellent relationship with their prowlgrin as in battles, expertise in riding was required. The training began with branch-riding and ironwood jousting. The Freeglade Lancer-to-be gripped his legs around a lower branch of the great ironwood tree and had to remain seated when the branch was bounced up and down and the rider was attacked by Ironwood Pinecones. To train using the lance, the trainee sat in a swing dangling down a branch and tried to hit a target, which, when hit, would hit back. When this first stage of training was completed, the Freeglade Lancer would get to learn how to care for a prowlgrin and then select one from Rembit's roost.

To prove themselves, the young Freeglade Lancers had to be blooded to get their caros. The blooding took place in a battle where one proved to be curageous and a valuable part of the Freeglade Lancers. Those without their caros were called cadets.

Lancer Salute

Freeglade Lancers saluted one another by putting one hand on the red banderbear badges emblazoned to their tunics, paired with the declaration of "Freeglader!".[6]

Role in the Edge Chronicles

Role in The Last of the Sky Pirates

When Rook and his fellow Librarian Knights-elect entered the Free Glades, they met two patrolling Freeglade Lancers, Steg and Glock.[1]

Role in Freeglader

Rook Barkwater joined the Freeglade Lancers after his skycraft, the Stormhornet, was destroyed when he was shot down over Screetown in Vox. He successfully fought in the War for the Free Glades, later becoming a famous commander.

Role in The Blooding of Rufus Filatine

Rufus Filatine, the son of Xanth Filatine joined the Freeglade Lancers as a cadet of the Fifth Splinter, High Branch Troop of Scartree Company in the Third Roost. His best friend, Tam Whytewinter, earned his boards in the Skirmish at Wooded Crag when Rufus was ill.[4] By playing a vital role in defeating Lentil Spume in the Battle of the Phrax Glade, he earned his boards.

Role in The Immortals

Nate Quarter Slip observed the Freeglade Lancers and the Great Glade Guard when they prepared the Thunderer. Nate and Eudoxia Prade were involuntarily part of the First and Second Low Town Regiment of the Hive Militia but deserted as soon as possible during the Battle of the Midwood Marshes, meaning they didn't have to confront the Freeglade Lancers. Nate met Corporal Hudder when he was visiting his uncle, Quove Lentis.

Role in The Nameless One and Doombringer

Tillman Spoke had been a Freeglade Lancer before he planned to open his own prowlgrin stables in Hive. This earned him a lot of respect by Cade.

Role in Weird New Worlds

Blatch Helmstoft had been a Roost Marshal of the Freeglade Lancers in the Battle of the Midwood Marshes. He had fought against Hedgethorn Lammergyre who was part of the Hive Militia, but later became good friends with his former mortal enemy.

Role in The Descenders

Felicia Adereth, the personal bodyguard of Quove Lentis, was a Freeglade lancer. She had been drafted aged thirteen, and slowly rose through the ranks. She caught the attention of the High Professor of Flight when she quickly and efficiently dealt with a minor uprising.[7] She served under Quove Lentis until a failed attack against New Sanctaphrax that threatened her position. She arranged the capture of Nate Quarter, but felt that Lentis was not handling the situation well and wanted to put herself in control. Felicia poisoned his wine and attempted to shoot him, but he killed her with a throwing knife. [8]

Notable Freeglade Lancers

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Last of the Sky Pirates, Chapter 11: Stormhornet: Lake Landing
  2. ↑ The Descenders, Chapter 6
  3. 1 2 3 The Blooding of Rufus Filatine, Chapter 2: The Skirmish at Wooded Crag
  4. 1 2 3 4 The Blooding of Rufus Filatine, Chapter 1: The Nameless One
  5. ↑ The Blooding of Rufus Filatine, Introduction
  6. ↑ The Blooding of Rufus Filatine, Chapter 5: Pursuit
  7. ↑ The Descenders, Chapter 11
  8. ↑ The Descenders, Chapter 31
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