The Janissaries
The Janissaries on wikipedia
The Janissaries ("new soldiers") were a group of elite troops formed in 1365 as the personal guard to the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. They quickly expanded to form the core of the standing army. Recruited from Christian boys, mostly prisoners of war, they trained under strict discipline with hard labour and in practically monastic conditions, breeding in them a fanatical, almost religious, loyalty. Fierce warriors, they were among the first standing army to institute wide-spread use of firearms. As time went on and their influence increased they became more of a threat to the sultan than a protector and, in 1826, their corps was disbanded.
Recent exposure, however, has taught our Intrepid Explorers that the Jannisaries are still very much in operation; a cadre of them, armed with knives and webley revolvers, crossed into Romania and attempted to assassinate Ruthven Vaneko. Though our heroes foiled the attempt, each man died, choking on his own tounge, before he would reveal who sent them or the reasons for their assault.
