Twenty-four years ago a group of battle-seasoned soldiers deserted a losing campaign at the massing of winter. Rather than surrender or scatter, they rallied under a charismatic tactician named Miguel Santinez. He organized them into a disciplined corps that traded martial service for spoils instead of pay. Miguel's first major triumph came when he negotiated protection contracts with a failing port city, promising to stabilize the docks in exchange for quarters and privileges. That port became their hub and source of legitimacy. A watershed moment came eight years after founding when a rival noble hired an army to crush them. Miguel chose to abide by a negotiated surrender instead of open slaughter, trading hostages and territory for recognition and a municipal charter for a so-called 'Auxiliary Constabulary'. That compromise turned them from mere deserters to a semi-legal force embedded in civic structures.