Slightly OT: how they came to be:
IIRC rught Bogus and friends, who have been part of Illwinter games from the times of Conquest of Elysium II, were characters in p&p rpg the devs played... I think that the system they used was EarthSiege. I'm not sure, though, as I remember that they have played Ars Magica too.
In CoE, sometimes when a battle was called up you was asked whether you want to pay 100 gp for this mercenary company that has decided to enjoy a quick fight. If you paid, they fought for you that one fight. Otherwise, they aided the lone deer or whatever that had just decided to walk through your smallest farm, and which you had decided to get back with that big army that happened to be near...
And in Dom 1 and, nowadays, II Bogus and his friends kill armies of various AIs, make daring attacks to free those pure-blooded virgins you have collected for Illwinter (the spell, most propably
) and ambush your pretender when he is on his way to get some helpful armies to the front.
Through the games and ages, Bogus has been the tough guy making us curse him or, when he decides to kill our enemies, hail for him. Others are a nasty bunch that slaughter your mages, buff Bogus and distract your armies long enough to let Bogus finish them off.
Or if they happen to be in a province with a volcano give a diseased, feeble-minded hoburg very sharp teeth so that he can snatch that ring from his hand...
Some tips:
Charm them!
Wind ride them to your Charmers!
Wind Ride them to defend your castle!
Wish for them and make one your prophet, just to see how other players take it!
