The Bronze Shields were a Hellean mercenary company. In the early tenth millennium they set forth from Iaramnae in the employ of a disgraced former triumvir with the aim of carving out a new realm away from the Hellean peninsula. They wandered for several years, first through Razgovir and then into the Aban Steppe, where the last of the triumvir's money finally ran out. The Bronze Shields drove him away from their ranks, yet chose to stay on the steppe rather than return to their native lands.
With their employment ended, the Bronze Shields scattered. Many remained in a settlement they had conquered, renamed Pantaleon after a former commander. Others scattered into the nomadic targai tribes of the steppe. The descendants of the mercenaries have left a lasting legacy on the culture of Abanir, especially around Pantaleon, where Hellean influence in food, religion, clothing, and architecture are quite pronounced.