Brains not Brawn is a piece of fiction for Ironfire: The City of Steel, one of the supplements for Cities of Sundara, which is available in versions for 5th Edition and Pathfinder.
Callen and Drexla made their way through Ironfire towards the centre of the city, stopping as they arrived at Stone Pole, both to take a look around, as this was the heart of mercenary activity in the city, and to grab a drink at the Ashes.
“Look!” said Callen, nudging Drexla, as they stood watching a duel on the square around the district’s titular Stone Pole. “Isn’t that one of the Crimson Sergeants watching?”
Drexla glanced over at the figure in red and gold and affirmed that indeed it was.
“I want to get into the Crimson Company,” proclaimed Callen. “Maybe if I challenge someone to a duel and fight it whilst the sergeant is watching, that will improve my chances.”
The rather more experienced Drexla looked at her younger friend, remembering some of her own youthful exuberance, and the mistakes it sometimes led to. She wondered what would be the best way of putting things, then decided that the truth was better than honey coating everything. Callen was a competent fighter, but needed to learn more.
“Look, lad,” she stated. “The Crimson Company gets a lot of applicants, as you well know, as we’ve seen the crowds outside the Scarlet Chevron. They, and any other mercenary company worth its iron, for that matter, are not just looking for people who can fight, and certainly not those who can just fight a duel. And that’s even assuming you’d win. Who would you challenge and why? Remember, you need a reason for a duel, and I’ve seen more than one fool pick a fight with what they think is an easy target only to find out they were sadly mistaken.
“Good mercenary commanders want, and need, more. They don’t want someone who will pick a fight just to show off. Because mark me, picking a fight in front of a Crimson Sergeant is showing off, and the sergeant will know that just as much as I do. A mercenary needs to be able to use their brain as well, for more fights are won with brains than unthinking brawn.”
Drexla looked at Callen’s now somewhat crestfallen face. “Cheer up lad,” she said. “You’re competent and competency does speak for itself; you just need a little more seasoning. Now, how about I buy you that ale we came here for?”