In the old days of monarchy the city of Acryn controlled a great army, loyal only to the Crown. This force was used to protect the city and the surrounding towns and quell any disorder within the city itself. But the citizens of Acryn grew discontent with their rulers and massed their own force, marched to the great palaces and overthrew the monarchy. In the days following the rebellion a great many changes occurred. The old army was disbanded, its warriors scattered as new forces were formed. The task of keeping the peace was given to the newly established City Watch, the Commander of which being chosen by the ruling council of Acryn. Some of the old warriors however saw no place for them in this new organisation and many split off, forming various mercenary groups.

The City Watch is led by the Commander, who appoints captains to assist in the Watch's two duties: the defence of Acryn from external threats, and the enforcement of the law in the city.

Since, and indeed even before the rebellion Acryn has been a restless city, a city divided on its stance towards its rulers. Rumours abound as to plots here and there, the overthrowing of the council and the noble houses, a new government of the people, or even the re-establishment of the rightful lines of Kings and Queens of old, a myriad of hearsay and gossip. The City Watch are to maintain the peace, and as such must keep an eye on these rumours, and quell them whenever possible.

The City Watch are also in charge of dispensing justice within the city. They devote much of their time to finding murderers, thieves and vandals and other such criminals, dragging them before representatives of the council for judgement before punishing them. For minor offences a criminal may be merely fined or imprisoned for a short length of time, but for more dreadful deeds they may be flogged, beaten or even executed.

After the Upheaval the streets of Acryn have become far more dangerous. Threats to the peace range from thieves seeking to take advantage of the recent chaos to Flux creatures having crawled out of long abandoned buildings, and the Watch's guard must remain ever vigilant.

The Commander designates one captain the title of the Shield of Acryn, whose is in charge of the protection of the city and its lands. In times of peace this involved deterring bandits and marauders from the surrounding towns. In times of war however, the job is quite different. As the city has no official standing army, one must be massed from the ranks of the City Watch, the noble houses, the churches (particularly those of the Leader and the Warrior) and the mercenary companies. The Commander is placed in charge, with the Shield as second in command.

Since the upheaval the nature of the threats to Acryn has changed dramatically. The City Watch patrol the edge of the consensus, repelling any creatures that the Flux spits out and protecting the valuable farmland surrounding Acryn.

Being a port city, Acryn boasts extensive docks and a mighty fleet, at least before the Upheaval. The Upheaval has made sea travel much more dangerous, to the extent of which few ships passing beyond sight of the shore ever return, and some are lost even in shallow waters, as horrors of the sea frequently appear out of the Flux, great krakens and whirlpools rising up to drag ships into the deep. This inherent risk has made much of the Navy rather redundant, and many ships have been refitted to catch fish, staying within sight of the city itself, well within the consensus (although often still flying the old flag, a crescent moon against a red background). The smaller ships are also used to voyage down the great river, to trade with the riverside towns on the way to the lake Miquil and the city of Margush, the river routes themselves being firmly parts of the consensus. Finally much of the navy is now used to keep contact with the islands to the east of Acryn, being within sight of the main city and close enough so that a journey can be made with a competent wayfinder on board.

For the lost. For the Fallen.

Bearing the emblem of a single Raven's wing upon a grey background, The Circle of the Broken Wing remains the largest of the mercenary companies formed after the rebellion.

Known for being one of the more structured and disciplined fighting forces of its type, the Circle maintains a rigid hierarchy. Promotion must be seen to be earned, never bought. In what some could consider an exception to this, the Circle accepts any of noble blood who seek them out; typically those who have fallen on difficult times, gifting them positions of value due to their birthright.