There is a small religious order of Burdinadin sorcerers (a rare thing to begin with) called The Iron Thirty.
The monks of The Iron Thirty dwell in a monastery in Kartzletan, where they practice their martial arts and seek communion with the Void. Part of their religion is the belief that in order to truly transcend the mortal form and become one with all information, one must accept death utterly, and face it without fear.
Their method of doing this is simple: Anybody, from any country, may come to the monastery and request their aid in war in return for a donation. The monastery will then select thirty volunteers from its ranks, and send them out to aid in the war. The Thirty will only defend –preferably a fort or a city – but they will do so with the express intention of dying to the last man.
They are famous for their siegecraft and knowledge of defense, as well as for their combat skills and their powerful magic. The Iron Thirty have seen combat across Vosca, but these days most of their fighting seems to occur in the Interior Sea and The Slivers, where island forts often come under siege for years at a time.
They can be easily recognized by their silversteel armor and the horsehair crests on their helmets.