Overview
Most war chronicles Coen has read sing of brave knights and their shining feats. But he knows war is nothing like that. Sellswords fight many battles, faithful to king or knyaz only while the coin flows. When the pay stops, they hunt for new work — and when none appears, they turn bandit, preying on the very folk they were hired to shield.
They pillage and raze villages, murder and torment peasants. And they are far worse than ordinary troublemakers, being seasoned fighters, dulled by all the battles they have survived.