Destroyers

The Destroyers were a mercenary company based in Halabar in Halruaa. They specialized in providing artillery support, both mundane and magical, to regular armies. They were commanded by Daltim Flamefist, a noted mage, psionicist, scholar, and noble of Halruaa.

History
Daltim Flamefist was the noble-born son of an Elder of the wizard-ruled realm of Halruaa, and he had ambitions to become an Elder himself. However, he first had to gain experience, and to this end, he became the commander of the Destroyers, often leading them into battle.

The Destroyers became involved in the civil war in Tethyr in the 1360s DR. While there, Daltim's Tome of Fire went missing, presumed stolen, as he was unlikely to have forgotten or lost it.

Membership
The Destroyers kept a standing army. It comprised some 50 members: 15 mages (wizards and sorcerers), 15 psionicists, and 20 fighters. The mages and psionicists were all of low-to-middling rank and specialized in destructive magical schools and psionic disciplines. The psionicists were some of the best known mind mages in Halruaa. The fighters were lightly skilled warriors whose task was to operate catapults and other heavy weapons. The troops were generally lawful in nature.

Tactics
The Destroyers were a very specialized mercenary unit, providing artillery support for more regular armies. They fielded heavy artillery, such as catapults and ballistae. They also employed magical and psionic assaults, with which they could soften a foe's defenses prior to a main attack, or eliminate them outright. The Destroyers themselves wielded a variety of weapons, while many elite members also possessed magical or psionic items.

Contracts
Being a law-abiding group, the Destroyers honored all contracts they made. However, upon expiry of their contract, it wasn't unusual for them to then accept a contract with an enemy of their previous employer, even if it involved attacking them. They preferred missions that kept them in the field, but occasionally operated as besiegers.

The Destroyers charged 750 gold pieces per day for their services. They would go as low as 50% if a mission opposed Thay or the Red Wizards.

Leadership
The Destroyers were commanded by Daltim Flamefist, a powerful mage and psionicist who was also an influential noble of Halruaa and a noted scholar of fire magic and psionics. He was supported by an oligarchic council.

Headquarters
Though they were a roaming army, the Destroyers were based in Halabar in Halruaa,  and were the only mercenary company to make their home there.

Relationships
The Destroyers bore a special enmity for the Red Wizards of Thay, though they did not make the reasons for their hostility known. In any case, they would take contracts against Thay for as low as half their usual rates.