Merc Leader
The Merc Leader heads a squad of four mercenaries who wait in the Barracks. They fight in your next battle for a fee paid up front: “And the harder it is, the bigger the payment.” The Barracks door opens after you give Herbert the Faith he asks for in Fighting Spirit Required.
Hiring them
Talk to the leader and choose Pay for a battle. The price is shown on the answer and paid in money. It covers one battle: the squad stays paid until you win a battle, and then you have to pay again for the next one. A lost battle does not use up the payment.
Each win also raises the price of the next battle:
| Battle | Price |
|---|---|
| 1st | 5 silver |
| 2nd | 7.5 silver |
| 3rd | 10 silver |
| 4th | 15 silver |
| 5th | 20 silver |
| After that | 1 gold |
What paying gets you
- Barracks quality. While paid, each mercenary adds his armour plus his weapon to the Barracks quality: 1 + 1, so 8 for the four. Unpaid, they add nothing. This is what makes the quality of 12 in Herbert’s Swords and Bell reachable with only two barricades.
- Defence power. Before a battle, the paid mercenaries appear as a squad that is always on, and their 8 counts toward the battle’s defence power. The first battle needs 12.
- Fighters. They join you on the battlefield.
Notes
- Pay before you report to Herbert. Swords and Bell checks the Barracks quality at the moment you answer, and unpaid mercenaries count as 0.
- Herbert hints at this. When he sets the task he says it “isn’t happening without that squad of Hired Swords on board”. Without them you would need six barricades instead of two.