​Battlefield Role: Light Infantry
Weapons: A Longsword and a Shield.
Outfit: Steel open helmet. Bringandine corset over a heavy suit of chain mail.
Skill level: Proficiency in sword fighting.
Affiliation: Every region of Arandolia has them.
Doctrine: Usually, Athena's Way of the Warrioress
Strengths: Swordmaidens are highly dependable, agile and very disciplined amazon fighters for such low-ranking soldiers. They are great against any other light infantry units.
Weaknesses: They can't fight in equal footing against much heavier troops, especially mounted ones.
Swordmaidens
Swordmaidens are the best low-ranking amazon units that can be commonly and widely found throughout the entirety of Arandolia. The sword requires more skill than the spear, more practice than the axe and more courage than the bow to be wielded, so only the best-fitting commoners are accepted within their ranks. It is a great honour for any low-born amazon to be a Swordmaiden, and actually a real chance of socially ascending to the higher classes through their courage and hard work.
It is not uncommon to see the bravest and the most skilled Swordmaidens being promoted to regiments of heavier units or even to command posts, so many women join their ranks so they can perhaps make a name for themselves. Many are those who actually manage to do so, while others at least manage to save enough money from their decent payments to buy a house, a small shop or a little farm to retire themselves comfortably after a couple of decades of service.
However, there are also those who don't manage it, either because of an early death on the battlefield or due to actually wasting all their hard-earned money in drinking and fucking around instead of saving up for the future.
On the battlefield, the life expectancy of a Swordmaiden isn't the best, but it is far from the worst. They wear enough armour to save their asses in many occasions, though casualties amongst their numbers aren't as low as amongst the heavier infantry units. They are also often sent into rather dangerous situations due to their quite versatile battlefield roles, so luck is quite an important factor for their career's ascension. Many of those who survive and become heavier units, commanding officers or retirees collect a lot of scars along the way.
So their faces bear the marks of a life of hardship, but that's a mark they wear proudly, without even a hint of shame from their humble beginnings and always boasting themselves about how they got where they are through their own hard-earned respect!