The twenty Palleseen soldiers

The twenty Palleseen soldiers are a military escort posted to protect Sage-Archivist Ochelby during his passage through the Anchorwood, and they exist in the record only long enough to be destroyed. They are a unit of twenty men, armed with batons, disciplined to the point of firing in unison at their employer's spoken command, yet in the single engagement recorded for them the volley they deliver against the Anchorwood beasts pressing upon the party proves insufficient to hold the creatures back. Most of the twenty are eaten in the ensuing assault, and the texts record no further detail about what, if anything, survives of the escort.

Their significance to the series is structural rather than personal: they function as a measure of danger, demonstrating that even a Sage-Archivist's armed guard cannot be relied upon in the Anchorwood, and that the beasts of that region can overwhelm a disciplined volley in a single pass. They appear in no other volume and receive no individual names, making them a collective unit defined entirely by their brief, violent function.

The Group

Composition

The unit consists of exactly twenty Palleseen soldiers, posted as an armed escort to Ochelby for the duration of his transit through the Anchorwood - City of Last Chances, ch 2. No individual members are named, and no internal hierarchy beyond the single point of command exercised by Ochelby himself is recorded. Their armament is specified only as batons, and their nationality as Palleseen; no regiment, rank structure, or factional division within the twenty is indicated - City of Last Chances, ch 2.

Purpose & Method

The twenty exist to protect Ochelby during his passage through the Anchorwood - City of Last Chances, ch 2. Their method of protection is formation fire: upon Ochelby's command the twenty level their batons in unison and discharge them against whatever threatens the party - City of Last Chances, ch 2. In the one recorded instance of this procedure, the volley strikes the Anchorwood beasts but fails to halt their advance, after which the beasts close and the escort is overwhelmed - City of Last Chances, ch 2.

Standing

The twenty answer to Ochelby's direct command; he gives the order to fire and they execute it in unison - City of Last Chances, ch 2. No higher military authority, institutional chain, or political mandate is identified in the text. Their standing is purely that of a protective detail assigned to a single travelling Archivist, and after the beasts' assault, no further reference to the unit or its command structure appears - City of Last Chances, ch 2.

History

City of Last Chances

The twenty Palleseen soldiers serve as the armed escort of Sage-Archivist Ochelby, a body of men posted to protect him during his passage through the Anchorwood - ch 2. They are disciplined enough to hold a line at their employer's command: when Ochelby gives the order, the twenty level their batons in unison and fire - ch 2. Their weapons discharge against the Anchorwood beasts that press upon the party, but the volley proves insufficient to hold the creatures back. The beasts fall upon the soldiers, and most of the twenty are eaten - ch 2. What survives of the escort after the beasts' assault is not recorded; the note confirms only that the majority do not.

Relationships

• Sage-Archivist Ochelby - Ochelby is the employer and sole commanding authority of the twenty; they form his armed escort through the Anchorwood and act on his direct spoken orders. Their relationship is purely functional and lasts the duration of a single encounter before the escort is largely destroyed - City of Last Chances, ch 2.

Tags

1. palleseen-soldiers · #military-unit · #escort