The INFANTRY consists of fourteen divisions, each having approximately 100 members. Each division consists of 50 1st-level, 35 2nd-level, and 15 3rd-level warriors; the average level of the infantry is 2nd. Seven of the divisions are armed with short swords, and seven with spears. All of them should be considered specialized in their particular weapon, and all carry daggers as well. All of the infantrywomen are also proficient in either punching or wrestling.

The infantry wears chainmail and leather breeches. They carry small shields and wear armored caps. In melee, Genifari infantrywomen should be considered to have an armor bonus of +6.

Captain Tacaro, a 9th-level fighter, is commander of the infantry. She is a brawny, dark-haired woman who is considered one of the best swordswomen on the island. Reporting directly to her are the Lieutenant of Swords (Jilisa) and the Lieutenant of Spears (Sharo), who each command the appropriate seven divisions. Both lieutenants are 6th-level fighters. Jilisa's sergeants (each leading a division of 100 women) are Mirimo, Jadini, Padri, Líshe, Amaro, Herea, and Caenia. Sharo's seven sergeants are Halliani, Lummaro, Borweno, Hirkka, Sanio, Elli, and Selo. All of the sergeants are 4th-level fighters.

The ARCHERY branch consists of seven divisions, each having about 50 archers. Each division consists of 25 1st-level, 15 2nd-level and 10 3rd-level warriors. Average level is 2nd. Because of Ixinos' terrain, the archers are primarily intended to strike from cover in the trees and hillsides. As such, they are usually armed with longbows, and these are their weapons of specialization. However, they are all proficient with short bows as well, should they be needed for more close-quarters fighting. All archers carry knives as well.

Archers wear little armor, as mobility is their greatest asset, and they usually operate from behind cover. They wear full-body suits of high-quality leather. They do not wear arm or leg armor, but they strap their dagger-sheaths along their shins, so that the weapons can serve as leg protection when not in use. They have an armor bonus of +2.

Captain Maliki is the young commander of the archers. A 9th-level fighter, she is over six feet tall and has knee-length blonde hair which she usually wears in a long braid (she keeps extra arrows stuck into the braid for easy access). Her sergeants, all 4th-level fighters, are named Jili, Isharo, Karia, Vairóme, Irienno, Alquari, and Rildi.

Ixinos has a small CAVALRY: four divisions of 50 light horse each (all are warriors of levels 2-5; average level is 3rd). The island's terrain makes large-scale horseback fighting impractical. Still, the riders' characteristic skill makes them quite valuable as a tactical weapon. They do not carry lances, but bear maces and short swords as well as knives. Since they are almost always fighting opponents who are on foot, they are a quite deadly weapon. At least half of the cavalrywomen have ridden with the She-Wolves.

The cavalrywomen wear full-body leather armor, and their breeches are reinforced with steel wire to protect their legs from hacking attacks by opponents on the ground. They wear no helmets, but carry bucklers. They have armor bonuses of +3, and all have at least 4 ranks in the Ride skill.

The cavalry commander is Captain Karíne. She is a 10th-level fighter with a deep tan and bad complexion who is known for her immense skill as a trick rider. Her sergeants (all 6th-level fighters) are Damali, Lanoro, Erina, and Mero.

The military also maintains five ships (two cogs and three coasters) which patrol the waters to a distance of five miles offshore. They are more of a patrol than a military force, and most of Ixinos' seagoing might is provided by the She-Wolves and their compatriots, the Red-Wave Riders.

The above-described forces defend Ixinos under all circumstances except an organized, large-scale invasion by an enemy bent on conquest rather than simple raiding. Under such circumstances, all able-bodied warriors on the island would immediately be called up for active duty. Within a matter of hours, 15,000 Genifari could be called into the field. Such contingencies are carefully planned for, and there would be no confusion regarding the organization or command structure of this vast army; each woman is acutely aware of what her role is under such circumstances.

The army is seldom called upon to defend Ixinos from anything more serious than a pirate raid. Even the pirates have learned, for the most part, to confine their activities to simple plunder rather than murder. Too often have they experienced the angry retribution of the "she-devils", as the Genifari are commonly called among the pirates. Coastal raids occur mostly on the eastern shores of the island, and amount to a landing (often under cover of night) by a band of armed pirates in a rowboat, who rob one or two houses or shops and then make their escape. Once every two or three years, however, some particularly rash, foolish, or mad pirate captain succumbs to grandiose dreams of conquest and resolves to take Ixinos as his own. In most cases, his experienced crew -- who fear the Genifari with a superstitious fervor -- dissuade him from this course of action (sometimes by throwing him over the side before he can get them all killed). Those who do dare to attack the island are invariably butchered without quarter, as they have been since the days of Kuzello. This, of course, perpetuates the healthy fear with which the local sailors and pirates view the Genifari.

To actually conquer Ixinos would take a truly impressive mustering of military might. The Genifari are essentially xenophobes who take an almost religious view of combat-readiness. The island is relatively small, and they have had over fifteen centuries to become initimately familiar with its every nook and cranny.

The She-Wolves

The She-Wolves are a mercenary company comprised entirely of Genifari. Outside of their own land, they are by far the best-known representatives of their culture.

The group's official name is the Sisters of the Bronze Dawn. The nickname "She-Wolves" was first applied to them by the pirates of the Sea of Fallen Stars, not only because of their ferocity in battle, but also because of the efficient, wolfpack-like group tactics they employ with almost supernatural precision (especially from the point of view of the chaotic pirates). Although the group's members don't use the name "She-Wolves" themselves, they don't take offense at others doing so -- it adds to the atmosphere of menace that they try to maintain around themselves.

The She-Wolves was created in 1276 D.R. by two retired adventuresses, Rizieki and Finvazano. These two fighters are remembered as folk heroines, not only in Ixinos but in Turmish as well. During the invasion and conquest of Ixinos in 1245 D.R. by the blue dragon Anaglathos and his forces, Rizieki and Finvazano headed guerrilla bands that made life hell for the invaders for a matter of five full weeks after the rest of the Genifari had been beaten into submission. After they were finally captured, the dragon decided to punish them with humiliation rather than death. They were carried back to Turmish as slaves, and forced to serve as half-naked dancing girls in Anaglathos' court -- and as rewards for whatever brutish mercenary captain happened to be in the dragon's favor at any given time. They endured this existence for two years.

In 1247, Anaglathos was slain, thanks in large part to inside information the two women had been covertly providing to agents of the freedom fighters led by the paladin Corwin Freas. Both were present at the final battle, still clad in their dancing-girl costumes. Rizieki blinded the dragon's left eye with a hurled dagger, and Finvazano took his right eye with an arrow. The blind wyrm was then quickly dispatched.

The two warriors were instrumental in rebuilding Ixinos' military after the occupation, as advisors to the War-Matron Heshea Truespear. One matter of great concern to them was the fact that young Genifari did not have the opportunity to gain true combat experience except when the island itself was under attack, and their very homes in immediate peril. Also, since few of them ever left their home island, they had no understanding of the nature and motivations of their potential enemies.

To correct these deficiencies, Rizieki and Finvazano, in the 1250's, began leading relatively small bands of Genifari adventurers (warriors and spellcasters all together) on campaigns around the Vilhon Reach area. These ranged from caravan guard duty to traditional dungeon-delving to support operations for their Emerald Enclave allies. The campaigns with the Enclave took them on excursions into the Nunwoods, Chondalwood, and even the distant Gulthmere Forest. For the first time, Genifari had the opportunity to become rangers.

By 1276, the number of Genifari requesting places in these adventuring bands had become so large that the two founders decided to combine all their recruits into one large group, which could either operate as a single unit (giving the women training in large-group military operations), or could split up into smaller bands for the honing of personal combat skills. Named the Sisters of the Bronze Dawn in honor of their patron goddess, Lathea, the group initially consisted of about 100 members. By 1300 it had expanded to 160, and in 1358, following the War of the Iron Legion and the Time of Troubles, it expanded to its current size of 240 women.

Rizieki died in 1279, the victim of a poisoned orc-arrow. Finvazano retired from the She-Wolves in 1280 to succeed Heshea Truespear as War-Matron of Ixinos, a position she held until her death in 1297.

The current leader of the She-Wolves is Theia Heithalata, an 11th-level paladin of Tormo. She assumed leadership of the company in 1357, and was immediately called upon to lead it through a time of dire crisis as first the Vilhon, then all of Faerûn erupted in chaos. When it was over, she rebuilt the She-Wolves into the force it is today. Theia is assisted by her two aides, the archer Hundela zu'Enmi (NG hf F7) and the spearwoman Aena Lemi (LG hf F6). Theia, Hundela and Aena are the only full-time members of the She-Wolves.

Membership in the She-Wolves rotates; there are over 600 women on Ixinos who belong to the group, though only 240 are on active duty at any given time. Genifari of any character class who have demonstrated exemplary abilities and discipline may be accepted into the company, usually after having completed at least their first scheduled year of regular military service on Ixinos.

The She-Wolves are divided into seven units. Each is commanded by one of its members, popularly chosen by all of her comrades within the unit. When the leader's time comes to rotate out of the She-Wolves (usually after one year), another leader is chosen. Theia may remove any unit commander who proves to be unsuitable. All of the commanders report directly to her.

The units are: