Peripatetic and Mendicant Liberation Army

The Peripatetic and Mendicant Liberation Army or PMAS (Περιπλανώμενος και Μαντικός Απελευθερωτικός Στρατός), formerly the titular 2^nd Brigade of the Constancian Liberation Army, is a militant group in nominal allegiance to the Free State of Constancia, a Euran liberation movement whose activities are directed against the Imperial State of Constancia and the Raspur Pact.

Doctrine

Dissatisfied with the failures of the earlier insurgency, which saw the forces of the democratic resistance hemmed into a dwindling portion of Razjania by Operation Paramount (1698 AN) and Operation Landslide (1706 AN – 1708 AN), the PMAS opted for a dual-track strategy of maintaining small and dispersed fighting bands in the countryside whilst focusing upon training cadres of mendicant preachers who can be surreptitiously introduced into government-held population centres, there to propagate the democratic movement by gaining converts in the households of regime members. By first turning the kuls, then the servants, the children, and then finally the women of the household, the mendicant campaign seeks to either subvert regime officials to their cause or else compromise them and gain access to useful intelligence thereby.

Organisation

Structure

Reported by the State Protection Authority, as of 1713 AN, and based upon information from debriefed captives

• Army Council
  • Chief of Staff
  • Quartermaster
    • Auxiliary Support Company
  • Directorate of Indoctrination
    • Field Recruitment Team
    • Field Training Camp
  • Directorate of Internal Security
  • Directorate of Operations
    • Active Service Unit
  • Directorate of Propagation
    • School of Mendicants

Leadership

As befits an underground and clandestine organisation, the identities of the leadership of the PMAS remained, as of 1713 AN, obscured to outside observers. The PMAS, formerly the 2^nd Brigade of the Constancian Liberation Army, appeared to have eschewed the former brigade hierarchy in favour of a simplified leadership structure where a Chief-of-Staff is supported by a Quartermaster, who is second in command with responsibility for logistical matters including the custody of armaments, and four directors, who are respectively responsible for indoctrination, internal security, operations, and the propagation of the liberation doctrine in the cities. Together, these members of the leadership cadre form the PMAS "Army Council", subject to a "General Council" or "Synod" formed from delegates amongst the membership of the PMAS.

The General Council of 1713 AN, held somewhere in the Razjania region of Constancia, was, according to available sources, characterised as a mutinous assembly of rebel fighters who endorsed the decision of the 2^nd Brigade's leadership to break away from the CLA. According to debriefed sources, the rank and file membership of the PMAS is divided, as best as possible, into "hundreds", with each hundred being responsible for electing a delegate. The officers chosen to fulfil the roles of Chief-of-Staff, Quartermaster, and the directors, received their first mandate for a year, renewable at the next annual synod. It is not known whether provisions exist for the postponement or deferral of a general council if matters of operational security were to intrude.

Membership

The State Protection Authority, in 1713 AN, estimated the strength of the PMAS to be less than three thousand men and women under arms at the time of its splitting away from the Constancian Liberation Army, with a low level of confidence being assigned to a figure of 2,314 "active hostiles".

Operational history

The group is known for its unconventional tactics and its use of guerrilla warfare to disrupt the enemy's operations.

Despite its small size, the PMAS has proven to be a formidable force. The PMAS's membership is comprised primarily of individuals who are known for their nomadic lifestyles and their reliance on alms for survival. These unique characteristics have allowed the group to move quickly and stealthily, making them difficult to track and neutralize.

Despite its successes, the PMAS has faced numerous challenges in its fight for liberation. The group has been targeted by Imperial State and Raspur Pact forces, who have launched numerous counterinsurgency operations against it. The group has also struggled to gain widespread support from the Euran population, as many are wary of its militant tactics.

Despite these challenges, the PMAS remains committed to its cause. Its members continue to fight for the liberation of the Free State of Constancia, and they show no signs of backing down.