Another band of mercenaries, the Scarlet Swords are a large standing army for hire. They are not interested in the politics of the nations, only concerning themselves with those at war and those able to pay for their services, which they offer to the highest bidder. Loyalty means little to them outside of their ranks, they hold no political agenda and only seek coin. The gather intel only in the way that will help them win battles, and are not interested in the trading of secrets and smear campaigns like other groups.
The Scarlet Swords are perhaps the greatest strategists on the continent. They are guided by the Scarlet Knight, who provides them with strategic wisdom. Since they are interested in gold and reputation only, they do what they can to ensure victory, and nothing extra, a razed kingdom cannot hope to bounce back, and that means they would have destroyed a potential buyer. A distracted warrior is a dead warrior, so the Swords do what they can to keep their minds sharp. Many Swords take a partner Sword, with whom they sleep in order to keep their libido low. They are not interested in taking trophies in form of women and children, but will kill those who stand in their way.
The Scarlet Swords is a very decentralized faction, operating far and wide without a central base of operations. There is, however, an intense hierarchy and adherence to the rules and bylaws of the faction. Failure is not tolerated by the group, no matter the seniority or merit; regardless of how long the member has been with the group, no matter how well they’ve done in the past, and no matter how many soldiers they command, failure is punished; the worse your failure, the harsher your punishment.