Most Gloranthan armies are recruited in the following ways:
Tribal militia. Members of the local community perform military service as part of belonging to the community. Among the Sartarites and Praxians, this is the main form of recruitment. Most are farmers or herders, and return to their livelihood when the campaign is over.
In Sartar, the militia gathers at the tribal assembly and practice martial exercises. In the Lunar Provinces, militia is an important part of the Provincial Army (or Native Furthest Corps), but they are not much employed in the Heartlands outside of the Antelope People.
Mercenaries. Soldiers that serve for pay are the foundation of the Lunar Army. They are recruited for a term of years, and are typically paid in coin, food, and board.
There are also mercenaries among the Sartarites, particularly the Humakt cult. These warriors fight for a living. As the Hero Wars continues, mercenaries increasingly replace tribal militia as the backbone of the Sartarite army.
Companions. Many charismatic figures gather warriors around them – called companions or friends. These are personally loyal to their leader and serve out of that loyalty, rather than for pay or for community defense, although that may certainly play a role in that loyalty.
The core of Argrath’s forces are his companions in the Sword Brothers, Bullocks, and Twin Spears, as well as those in the fledgling Sartar Magical Union. In the Lunar Empire, the Bloodspillers (Jar-eel’s personal regiment) and the Full Moon Corps can be thought of as companions, rather than militia or mercenaries.
I suspect the make-up of the militia reflects the makeup of the Orlanth cult. Mostly male but quite a few women. Plus add in followers of the other war gods.If you read page 26 of the Lightbringers carefully, you’ll see that Orlanth initiates end up all serving in a militia.
As an aside, a very long time ago I wrote my Bachelor thesis on the rise and functioning of mercenaries in the 30 years war and later during the later French Revolutionary wars. So it is a subject I am not without some broader background.
Are there any equivalent of professional, state soldiers that aren’t militia, mercenaries or companions employed by Sartar, the Lunar Empire or other Gloranthan nations? As an equivalent of the Imperial Roman Legions? Roman legions? No. And remember, the Roman legions of the Late Republic and Empire WERE mercenaries. The Civil Wars proved that – the soldiers served who paid them (and who made it clear they would take care of them). Or as Crassus put it, “A man is not rich unless he can raise an army at his own expense”.
So if we think of the Roman imperial system, it used mercenaries but tried to ensure that there was only one possible paymaster. That broke down often enough to show that the legions were ultimately mercenaries. Note that for my purposes, the Roman legions of the Late Republic and Principate are mercenaries.
Note that the Lunar Empire is not what we would consider a state, It is a personal possession of the Red Goddess, with the Red Emperor as her regent, subject only to her.
And as we know, foreigners can and do join Lunar standing regiment. Terms are of 25 years, afterwards you are pensioned off with a plot of land and enough capital to set yourself up for the rest of your life and with a tidy additional sum for children. Shorter terms for five years is possible but there is no pension.
In a few years we will soon discover who these regiments are actually loyal to – it is certainly not an abstract Lunar “state” as there is none except the Red Emperor.
How about the ”weapon thanes” serving the clan chieftains? if you notice, I don’t use terminology like that in the RQ materials. So I assume what you are talking about are either bodyguards of the chief or his companions.