PICOTS

The Picots (pronounced Pee-Ko's) are a royalist faction in Beaugencie led by Guillaume II de Picotaine, Duc de Picotaine and Marshal of Beaugencie, called Chembaut. They support the continued prosecution of the war against Albelond and believe that the Albish must be driven completely from Gennish territory.

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The faction takes its name from Picotaine, where Marhsal Chembaut’s power and support are strongest, though Picot sympathizers can be found throughout the kingdom. Their greatest support lies in Picotaine itself and in the invaded lands of Caronne, where Albish occupation, raids, and the loss of fortified towns have made talk of compromise deeply unpopular.

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MARSHAL CHEMBAUT

Guillaume II de Picotaine, Duc de Picotaine and Marshal of Beaugencie, is better known throughout the kingdom by his sobriquet, Chembaut. He is a veteran of numerous campaigns and has spent much of his adult life in the field, earning a reputation not merely for personal courage but for an unusually sharp instinct for movement, timing, and the disposition of men.

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Chembaut is not a commander who enjoys remaining behind walls or directing a war entirely through messengers. Whenever circumstances permit, he prefers to remain close enough to the fighting to see the ground for himself, question scouts directly, inspect roads and crossings, and judge the condition of his troops without relying entirely upon reports from subordinates. This habit has made him particularly effective in confused campaigns where information is incomplete and armies are constantly moving.

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He is known for acting quickly once he has made a decision. Chembaut will tolerate long periods of waiting when he believes patience advantageous, but when an opportunity presents itself he has little hesitation in marching hard, abandoning baggage, changing direction unexpectedly, or forcing exhausted troops onward in order to reach an enemy before they are prepared. His victory at Flodham Field is characteristic of this tendency.

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Among his own soldiers, Chembaut has a reputation for severity without needless cruelty. He expects orders to be obeyed promptly and has little patience for indiscipline on campaign, particularly looting carried out without permission or soldiers abandoning formation in pursuit of plunder. At the same time, he is known to share many of the hardships of a march and is rarely accused of demanding from his men something he himself would refuse to endure.

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He is less comfortable at court. Chembaut is perfectly capable of navigating noble politics, but has little enthusiasm for prolonged ceremonial life and is impatient with councillors attempting to direct campaigns from Loury. This impatience has contributed greatly to his present difficulties. To his supporters it is proof that he places the defence of the kingdom above court intrigue. To his enemies it demonstrates an alarming unwillingness to accept political restraint.

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Chembaut is nevertheless deeply conscious of rank, honour, and reputation. He takes insults seriously, remembers both loyalty and betrayal, and maintains a large household of knights, squires, servants, messengers, and veteran retainers accumulated over years of campaigning. Many of the men closest to him have served beside him for decades, producing a fiercely loyal military household that forms the nucleus of the wider Picot faction.

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Despite the animosity surrounding the present war, Marhsal Chembaut appears to hold genuine respect for his principal opponent, Lord Robert de Marman. He considers Robert one of the few commanders capable of repeatedly anticipating his intentions, and their contests have acquired an almost sporting quality. A clever Albish manoeuvre is as likely to earn Chembaut's admiration as his anger, provided it was achieved honourably.

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Away from war, Chembaut is considerably less imposing than his reputation suggests. He dislikes elaborate display, prefers practical clothing and equipment when travelling, and keeps a relatively plain table by the standards of a great duke. Horses occupy much of his attention even outside campaigning; he breeds and purchases good riding animals obsessively and is known to remember a particularly fine horse long after forgetting the name of the man who sold it to him.

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He is not an especially pious man by reputation, though he observes the rites expected of his station and maintains the patronage of churches and religious houses within Picotaine. His devotion is conventional rather than fervent, and he is more likely to attribute victory to good reconnaissance and disciplined marching than to miraculous intervention.

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Chembaut is now one of the most celebrated and controversial men in Beaugencie. To the Picots he is the kingdom's best hope of defeating Albelond. To the Aubinists he is a dangerously powerful magnate who has allowed military success and personal prestige to place him increasingly beyond the control of the royal court.

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THE GENNISH WAR

The Picots believe that Beaugencie remains capable of defeating Albelond and that negotiations conducted from a position of weakness would only reward invasion. To them, every town surrendered and every tract of land conceded would encourage the Albish to demand more.

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Marshal Chembaut’s supporters therefore argue that the Marshal must be allowed to conduct the defence of the realm without continual interference from the royal court. They regard military policy as the responsibility of those actually commanding armies in the field, and view attempts to restrain Chembaut from Loury as dangerous meddling by men too far removed from the fighting.

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The prolonged Siege of Fontregny has become one of the clearest symbols of this position. The city has resisted the Albish for nearly a year, tying down the greater part of their invading army while Chembaut remains mobile in the surrounding country.

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His most recent victory at the Battle of Flodham Field, where Albish reinforcements were decisively defeated upon their own soil, has greatly strengthened the Picot argument. To Chembaut’s supporters, Flodham is proof that Albelond is neither unbeatable nor beyond being driven from Beaugencie entirely.

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THE AUBINISTS

The Picots’ principal rivals are the Aubinists, led by Enguerrand d’Aubin, Duc de Rivelon.

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Aubinist calls for negotiation are regarded by the Picots as cowardly and defeatist. Their opponents are frequently dismissed as armchair tacticians and back-seat commanders who would rather surrender the King’s rightful lands than endure the hardship required to defend them.

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The Picots are particularly suspicious of Aubinist influence over the young King Renaut IV and the royal council. They fear that continued pressure from Loury may eventually force the Crown into negotiations at precisely the moment when Chembaut believes the Albish position can still be broken.

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These accusations are often exaggerated. Many Aubinists are themselves experienced soldiers and commanders, but the bitterness of the conflict has left little room for such distinctions.

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THE MURDER OF HUGUES D’AUBIN

The political dispute became openly violent following the Murder of Hugues d’Aubin, younger brother of Enguerrand d’Aubin.

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Hugues was killed in Loury by an unidentified member of Chembaut’s following after insults exchanged between rival soldiers in the streets suddenly gave way to fighting. Chembaut himself was inside the royal council when the killing occurred, but his enemies nevertheless blamed him for allowing the hostility surrounding his household to grow unchecked.

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The murder transformed political rivalry into armed conflict. Retainers, household troops, and local supporters of both factions increasingly began settling disputes by force, while castles and appointments became objects of open contest.

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The Aubinists made the first overt military move by seizing Chastel-Roux, a small Picot fortress, though the castle was later retaken.

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LOYALTY TO THE CROWN

Despite the severity of the conflict, the Picots do not consider themselves rebels against Renaut IV.

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They claim to fight in defence of the King, the kingdom, and the integrity of Gennish territory. Their quarrel is not with the monarchy itself, but with those around the Crown whom they believe are undermining the war effort and preventing Chembaut from carrying out his lawful duties as Marshal.

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Picot forces therefore continue to march beneath the Cross of Saint Beraut, the common royal field sign of Beaugencie.

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THE WHITE CURB BIT

Picot supporters identify themselves by a white horse-bit badge, a symbol taken from Marshal Chembaut’s personal heraldry.

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The badge may be made from wool, cloth, metal, or whatever material is available, and is commonly worn upon the chest, sleeve, hat, or equipment. There are no standardized Picot livery colours, and the horse bit itself serves as the principal visible sign of factional allegiance.

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A man wearing the white bit is understood to be declaring not merely support for Chembaut personally, but support for the continuation of the war and resistance to Aubinist influence over its conduct.

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PRESENT DAY

The Picots presently enjoy renewed confidence following Chembaut’s victory at Flodham Field.

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At the same time, their position remains precarious. The Albish army under Lord Robert de Marman still surrounds Fontregny, the wider invasion remains unresolved, and the conflict with the Aubinists continues to consume men and attention that might otherwise be directed against Albelond.

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For the Picots, however, Flodham has vindicated the central belief upon which the faction has built itself: the Albish can still be beaten.