Does your setting have famous units of renown, elite brotherhoods and grand orders that are known far and wide?

It is rare for a serf to escape the trappings of his caste, but by His Majesty's decree, all peasant-bachelors from ages 16 to 35 must serve in their lord's army "with bowe and arrowe".
Practise of the bow is both required by law and actively encouraged by state-sponsored competitions, wherein a humble serf may win a sizeable purse for his efforts. Champion archers of sufficient skill (supposedly, they must be able to cut a man's purse at 300 paces with nought but an arrow) are pressed into service as full-time soldiers, serving both as an elite unit of archers, and as commanders of regular archers during war.

They are if they do it for money

The Themistian Knights of the sacred elven lands are an handful at best, but each is worth an army.
Protecting what the legends told to have been the home of the gods when they walked the earth, they hold sacred power and antique artefacts beyond mortals limits.
Distinguished by their holy (and semi-sentient) armour after accomplishing many herculean feats, they dedicate their life to the service of long departed gods.
Actually shameless not-saint-seiya saints that started as a joke, but I'm planing to use them as terrifying antagonists.

Definitely stealing this.

A direwolf is wild - it is reckless, and unreliable - but it can be trusted to run with it's pack, and thereby can be controlled.
No 'civilised' army has ever employed the use of mounted wolves, but the Wildmen under the banner of the Chimera have, to great effect. Though rarely suited to open battle, wolf-riders are the proverbial right hand of guerilla warfare, able to traverse forested terrain at unparalleled speed, to move almost entirely without trace, and to wreck utter havoc upon an enemy's most vulnerable positions and supply-lines.

The landless knights of the prince of Alonguin. Originally formed by the son of a relatively minor prince in one of the major empires they were originally drawn from the biggest and strongest men from each village his father had dominion over. The princeling then trained and equipped these large and strong men with full suits of armour, lances, war hammers, and horses.

During one of the numerous conflicts in the region the knights proved themselves extremely capable and slowly grew in number allowing men in any town they crossed through to challenge a champion, and if they won they would be accepted into the knights fighting unarmoured with spare weapons until they could be properly fitted with armour. After the princeling succeeded his father he named his son leader of the knights , who continued their practices often selling themselves as mercenaries during times of peace.

Despite the names some knights do eventually gain lands and titles either by the prince of Alonguin or as thanks by some lord they are serving under, and as they are conventional servants of the prince of Alonguin nothing inherently mandates that one be landless to serve. Many young peasant boys dream of having the knights pass through their village and defeating a champion as it is the only way for the vast majority of peasants to climb the social ladder. Although not allowed to take their family with them initially, upon becoming settled in the unit most knights return for their families.

The Band of the Summer Moon, aka 'Night Drinkers', 'White Hands', or the Black Banner
>Elite warriors drawn from all across the constituent tribes of the Iztacan who have been inducted into a military society sworn to the Exiled God. They proudly decorate their panopolies with handprints of white paint and coyote motifs in His honor, for just as the Exiled God gave up everything for His people so shall they, if need be.
As vanguards they serve as scouts, heralds, runners, & escorts - ensuring armies can remain in constant communication.
In pitched battles they serve as fearsome shock troops or as bulwarks to fill broken lines.
In the case of retreat the Black Banner always tarries behind at the very rear of the army, harsssing/ambushing and slowing the enemy so their comrades can escape.

Probably the most famous military unit in my setting's recent history is the Desten, who are an elite military brotherhood in the dominant empire on the continent. They're not technically subjects, they're more like a semi-autonamous religious order dedicated to kicking people's heads in who view the head of state as a living deity.

That being said, they've gotten the shit kicked out of them in the war that most of the campaign has turned into, so their star is fallen, possibly all the way into the sea.

The Holy Order of the Pale Torch. It's not clear how members are chosen and membership lasts for life (and involves being made immortal).
They fight devils.

One word.

Janissaries.

shit dude, I was trying to refine my fire archer idea but, Janissaries would fit really good. mind if I take that idea?

>muh praetorians

Ugh.

bump

The elitist of the elite.

Yes and I'd love to tell you about them, but I would teased.

Mounted archers, with boomerang axes instead of compound bows, would be the best way to describe how the Trebestanos fight in battle. There's nothing particularly special about them beyond this besides the fact they're 10 feet tall and their horses are proportionally larger. They're essentially mass-produced half giants bred to be premium mercenary units for their clans (mountain fiefdoms numbering about thirty). They have been known to work together to scale walls or even use their horses to jump over walls, but such feats are rare because of their renown for horsemanship on the plains.

Bone magic and manipulation of bone is key to their size & ability to function. They're the same weight as an average sized man because their bones are altered at a very young age, they ultimately weigh far less than one would expect someone of their height and size. Horses are similarly manipulated to increase their size to fit the Trebestanos. The downside is that Trebestanos will die younger than their average clanmates, due to frequency of the battles they fight being much higher than average and because the bone manipulation ritual taxes the rest of their bodies. Eventually their bones will begin 'eating' the flesh around them. This is an incredibly painful process with no cure. Suicide is high among Trebestanos at around the age of 40, making it a desired goal to die in battle before the 'Eating Years' begin. Sterility is high as well.

Their code, which extends across clan boundaries, is to never fight their own clan in battle, to never take personal vendettas beyond contracts when clans are contracted on both sides, and to never steal a horse. Horse theft is punishable by death but is held by a inter-clan system with a jury composed of those outside the involved parties. Outside of their clans, they're well respected for their ferocity in fighting and commitment to their contracts, going above and beyond what is expected frequently.

Yes, about seventeen of them. Mage-hunters, orc-hunters, prophecy gatherers, laser-invoking knights, amazons etc.

what is it with you faggots and the word ugh

i.imgur.com/2IHIgGX.jpg

The dʒoðorii are my not!Varangians. The guards of the Sjedʒ, they are a mercenary company on long-term retainer. They are names as such not for the colour of their arms and armour, but for the fact they are mercenaries. Each traditionally carries a single gold coin.

If their bones are lighter, won't they suffer from broken bones in battle really often? I can't imagine that's ideal for soldiers.

Depends if they just have lighter bones, or lighter and stronger bones...

Birds and dinosaurs have far lighter bones than mammals, but their bones are also much much stronger, hence why dinosaur species would routinely grow as big or bigger than elephants and birds can get absurdly big and fly excellent while bats in comparison are pretty shitty fliers and small.

The Sons of Ivan. A former general who left his empire when they refused to go to war with the nation that threatened their very way of life. Now, the Sons of Ivan are known as some of the most talented swordsmen in the world, always willing to work against the nation that Grandfather Ivan despised.

in my current campaign there's...

>The Inquisition of the Royal Guard
less Imperium of Man or Spanish style Inquisition, more like renaissance FBI agents or CIA. They're best skillset is actually investigation related than direct combat. They're still tough fighters.

>Notharbor Militia
Tiny island colony founded primarily as a military outpost. They've got the best gear, train for the roughest conditions, and are currently led by a dragonborn who still has fresh memories of leading his people against armies. Kind of the 'low end' of elites, but Northarbor militia are basically like fighting Swiss Guards.

>The Silencers
The Thieves Guild's top assassins. Basically sent to quiet any loose ends. They're assassins so they actually aren't that great in a head-on fight to be fair. Problem is getting them into a head on fight where you aren't already poisoned or something.

8th Auxiliary Dragoons Company - 'Fortuna's Own'. Experts in low intensity, asymmetrical warfare, e.g. frontier wars, raiding, local suppression, etc.

Medium cavalry/mounted infantry force made up of exiles, soldiers of fortunes, and adventurers - basically French Foreign Legion. Well enough armoured but with inferior breeds of horses - they're meant to be more 'mechanised infantry', but serve the role of cavalry well enough if they don't go up against anything 'hard'.
Their banner and 'patron goddess' is of Fortuna, she of luck and fortune. As such they are fond of gambling.

In my current campaign, they are waging a frontier war with the drow client settlements on the border with the kingdom. The company has swelled with escaped drow slaves, family of drow victims, etc looking for revenge. Shared hatred has created an almost cult-like camaraderie between dragoons. Horrific war crimes and vicious fighting is common (basically Vietnam war). All dragoons must crop a drow ear to earn a place in the company.

(pic related, its their banner)

The Lunar Kingdoms' Beast Cavalry units ride on unusual beasts they wrangled and tamed from the deep jungles where they set in.

Usually they rode on large, hardy, nigh flightless birds for their natural mobility in the jungles, outmanuvering most cavalry that tried to attack them there. One also involves a gigantic beast resembling a huge boar with monstrous tusks which they planted a canon on its back along with their gun crew, saddled on it. Both of its sides have also what appears to be archer nests where they shot arrows to anybody that gets close to the beast. The beast itself is barely tame and used to smash through walls for a siege or through enemy ranks.

Their tamers however could be described as something in between foolishly brave and absolute madmen. The giant beast itself could take a few of those tamers' lives before it's ridable and controllable even if they don't mind it

yes

The Gargantuan Knights are a legion of desert-dwelling knights who live in the palace of the Gargantuan Queen, the self-proclaimed Goddess of Bounty. Serving as the Queen's personal knights, they dress in armor shaped after her Graciousness' rather "gracious" form, making them appear to be incredibly obese. The arms and armor, all stupendously large and designed to be used against mobs of invaders, is a very lightweight mithril that's covered entirely in gold leaf, making it completely resistant to magic. It's said the gold that plates their armor was created by the Queen herself, able to turn anything into gold with a snap of her fingers. Due to their duties, they rarely leave the palace, and due to the desert's immense heat, they rarely leave in their armor.

More commonly seen are the guardsmen, dressed in pure white shrouds with gold threads, that patrol the desert trading capital. Any insinuation that the Queen is not a goddess is considered a crime worth at least eviction, but some of these guardsmen take it to heart. A rage boils in them, and they shiver with divine wrath, with blows seeming to pass through them like a knife through water. Guardsmen who are seen to quake in fights are quickly promoted, and some are even taken into the Queen's personal Black Guard, who live in the palace at all times, doomed to get their only glimpses at sunlight bouncing off her Graciousness' gold belly for the rest of their lives.

>14th Terrestrial Shock Battalion- 'The Birmingham Butchers'
>Among the first units to lead the charge during the Interplanetary War. Their role as an elite, 'tip of the spear' unit necessitates the high performance, reliable equipment, and as such, this unit has been equipped with the best mecha the foundries of Noez can produce, machines befitting of their highly skilled pilots
>Participated in the Battle of Mare Imbrium, where they utterly trounced an ELF unit defending the city, eliminating any resistance to Noez occupation in the span of an hour.
>Their infamy stems from their actions during the invasion of Britain, where they shot down military and civilian evacuation craft alike. Their occupation was also similarly brutal. The 14th Shock's fondness for retaliation operations in response to resistance actions resulted in over ten percent of Birmingham being leveled. It is believed that they destroyed another twenty percent during the intense fighting over the city
>Branded as war criminals by the ELF, they demanded the commanders of this unit face military justice, after the war, only for many of them to mysteriously vanish, with the Noez government being very tight lipped on this matter. They've remained similarly quiet when mecha bearing the 14th Shock's colors have appeared in the ranks of New Noez fighters.

Knights of Saint Maknakill. Interchangeably called the Templars or the Paladins, the latter due to their history in France. A Scottish king became mad with power and took all of the British Isles. Among his military was an extremely gifted captain named Reynald Maknakill. Reynald rose the ranks quickly and was so brutal and effective that he was adopted by the mad king.

The Catholic church despised the Scots and thus saw an opportunity. The pope ordered that the Scottish heir go on a crusade all the way to Damascus and thus cripple Scotland's military.

Maknakill took a massive company of crusaders and departed, cutting a path through Europe and capturing Damascus while outnumbered two to one. At this time, France was pushing back on the Scots and laying waste to their forces.

Like Divine Judgment, Maknakill returned, now over forty years old, leading a small force of battle-hardened veterans. They turned the tide swiftly and France fell to Scotland within two years.

The knights and their descendants formed a fraternity dedicated to rooting out Heresy and defending the Maknakill bloodline. Reynald himself never saw the throne of Grand Scotia. Late in life he opted to travel to the new world, two hundred years before the expedition of Columbus would have arrived. Man could not fell Maknakill. A God took him to eternal rest via a lightning bolt at sea.

>Scots
>Accomplishing anything

In my setting I have a "totally not the Byzantine empire" and it has magic janissaries, All wizard warriors and shit.

>Byzantine janissaries
Triggered.

Can you even be a field general at age 40 effectively?

>all peasant-bachelors from ages 16 to 35 must serve in their lord's army "with bowe and arrowe"

Fun fact: this was actual law in medieval England. There's an account of a man coming to a battle with bow and arrow. Not arrows - arrow. One.
He shot it in the general direction of the Scots and promptly turned around and went back home.

Here's that bit

How do they stop from going soft and corrupt like the actual Praetorians did?

>year of our lord 1300
>being a rules lawyer

Hugh fitz Heyr is a motherfucking hero

>>being a rules lawyer

demons in the sewers

>byzantine empire
>magic janissaries

each of the twelve national military units have an elite force of 10,000 highly trained warriors.

They don't

>Doppelteilers
I guess, you derived that from the Doppelsöldner, Landsknechte, that earned twice as much for fighting in the first row
"Doppelteiler" sounds very strange and wrong though, because it's an odd combination of words and grammatically wrong ("Doppelteiler" would be both - singular and plural in german).

The Vitus Guard are probably the oldest continuously serving military organisation on the continent having been founded to protect the first temples of the god of life and magic Vitus in the first major urban Human civilisation of Ander.
Almost 6000 years later they still fulfil the same function, guarding the holy places of vitus all over the continent, though their HQ is still the great cathedral of Vitus in ander and draw their recruits almost completely from this area.
New members are recruited at a young age and checked for any sign of physical or mental weakness, however their faith in vitus must be all but unshakable. Their entire life consists of near constant military drills and prayer, being completely devoted to their duties to the point they are not allowed to have a wife or raise a family of their own.
In battle they fight in much the same way as they have always done, in a tight phalanx of heavy infantry with large shields and long spears. Though rather outdated by modern standards their equipment has more or less kept up with the times, consisting of finely decorated steel plates with mail covering more vulnerable areas (similar to pic related but with mail coverage over the gaps).
They are rarely (if ever) deployed in offensive wars, save for on occasions when the message of vitus needs to be 'forcefully' imparted on a population.

(TL;DR classic spartans mixed with a medieval military order)

Cryptkeepers, A subsection of a knightly order serving the god of death (Lawful neutral rather than evil death), Cryptkeepers are Paladins who grew old in their service and was allowed to stay behind on the material plane as undead, Rather than filling their corpses with negative energy the lord of death allows them to feed on their own souls to animate themselves, Why? Because serving in a knightly order dedicated to death isnt on the top list of a knights wishes so he bends the rules a little to keep the numbers up. Carrying relics from their days as a paladin these men are stationed in crypts or at graveyards tending to them and killing the shit out of any necromancer cunt who wants to raise the dead, Should they be overpowered they are granted leave to search and destroy the perpetrator with the implacable resolve of the undead.