The Mercenaries - Discussion

Discussion in 'Roleplaying Forum' started by Wolfsbane, Feb 22, 2011.

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  1. Wolfsbane

    Wolfsbane Well-Known Member

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    In this game the players will be part of a small band of mercenaries who travel around the world, led by the contractor (the GM), doing missions. It's a very simple idea and there is very much freedom involved. The contractor will not be directly involved most of the time, and the most important task the GM has is to present the different obstacles the players must overcome in order to succeed with the mission. The goal of this game is not necessarily to write a hundred posts about combat, but rather to portray your mercenarys growth.

    We will be playing in one of two scenarios:

    Scenario 1 is in a fantasy medieval world. The only race you can play is human, but there will be goblins, griffons and dragons to deal and interact with.

    Scenario 2 is in a mundane medieval world, no fantasy involved.

    If you're interested, post a reply and tell me which scenario you'd prefer.
     
  2. Zanza

    Zanza Well-Known Member

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    I like scenario 1, i kind of failed last time we tried a scenario 2 world.
     
  3. Arthgon

    Arthgon Well-Known Member

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    I think I will go for Scenario 1. In which world is this playing?

    PS: Just wondering, but no Der Hafen Part II?
     
  4. Wolfsbane

    Wolfsbane Well-Known Member

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    I will pesent the world shortly.

    I might continue with Der Hafen, but right now I've lost interest in it. Feel free to play on, though.
     
  5. Rain-Dog

    Rain-Dog Member

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  6. Wolfsbane

    Wolfsbane Well-Known Member

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  7. Zanza

    Zanza Well-Known Member

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    Scenario 1, unless you want to do something entirely different. Shame the numbers have dwindled, another werewolf game would of been fun.
     
  8. Jungle Japes

    Jungle Japes Well-Known Member

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    I'd play scenario 1 if there's no magic involved, just fantastical creatures. Also, a rule against uber-skilled players. No level 24 grand master ninjas or anything like that. Just regular guys with limited training who signed on with a mercenary band, and have to use their wits and be resourceful if they're going to survive. Think D&D level 5 or 6.

    Yes, I'm looking at you Arthgon.
     
  9. ytzk

    ytzk Well-Known Member

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    I'm in. What Japes said.
     
  10. Wolfsbane

    Wolfsbane Well-Known Member

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    People seem interested. Here goes:

    Middenheim

    [​IMG]

    Nations of Middenheim

    The Vroki Dominion
    The Vroki Dominion consists of a number of independent towns and villages who forms a decentralised, leaderless nation. There is no government and no military. The Vroki are a proud people with an ancient warrior tradition. Almost every Vroke has in some point in its life been involved in a battle or duel. The Vroki warriors both are famous and infamous all across Middenheim; famous for their awesome skill but infamous for the marauding Vroki longboats who stalk the various rivers and shorelines of Middenheim. The Vroki are firm believers of the old ancestral worship.

    When Vroki go to war, they usually form up in regiments, also known as boats (because of the size of the regiments and the fact that Vroki warriors often are tied to boats), clustering in a big shieldwall which moves towards the enemy at a fast pace while some of the warriors hurl throwing weapons or shoot arrows towards their foes. The Vroki are usually equipped with chainmail, round shields, open metal helmets and axes or swords.

    The Snakefolk Territories
    The lands of the snakefolk are also known as the great marshes because of the various swamps and wetlands which covers it. The territories are filled with some of Middenheims most dangerous and poisonous creatures, and because of the fact that travel other than by foot is nearly impossible there, few outsiders ever set foot there. The snakefolk are generally happy with the isolation which leaves them alone and able to pursue their endless tribal wars and conflicts. The people here live in tribes, a tribe being the families tied to a settlement. These tribes are involved in a constant war, which has been raging since before anyone remembers. The snakefolk are practitioners of the old ancestral worship.

    The snakefolk fight in small, loyal bands of clan warriors. The only strategy is to use ambushes or traps, nothing else. Usual equipment consists of bows, throwing weapons, spears and clubs. Armor is almost never used.

    The Kingdom of Dunjunni
    The Dunjunni live on a great prairie on the northern and central parts of Middenheim. They live of their horses and cattle and are a nomadic people, save for a few cities. Dunjunni horsemen are famous across all of Middenheim for their skill, even though it is said that Asker horses are faster and stronger. The Dunjunni have been at war with the Norjunni for as long as anyone can remember, and even though the reason for the war is long forgotten, the passion with which it rages has not faded at all. The Dunjunni are practitioners of the old ancestral worship.

    When the Dunjunni go to war, they ride out in small close-knit bands consisting of family or close relatives. These small bands then pursue and harass the enemy for days before finally launching the actual attack. A typical Dunjunni warrior is equipped with a bow, spear and/or some kind of throwing weapon. There are some who uses light armor like leather or padded cloth, but it’s fairly uncommon.


    The Kingdom of Norjunni
    The Norjunni of the northeastern highlands and mountains have the best organized military in all of Middenheim. Because of the scarcity of game, fruit or decent farmland, most Norjunni joins the army or becomes a craftsman at a low age. Almost all Norjunni has served in the army at some point in their life, mostly because of the promised three square meals per day but also because of the pay, which in some aspects is better than the pay which the artisans receive. The Norjunni was once a clanfolk much like the Dunjunni, but has changed much since the ruling clan, the Tvilkers, erased the opposition almost three hundred years ago. The government is very militaristic, and pretty much every minister or otherwise important political person also has a high rank in the realms army. The Norjunni are all devoted followers of the Temple of the Sun.

    The Norjunni army consists of two kinds of soldiers, the infantry and the longbowmen. The infantry is equipped with big board shields and short stabbing swords and usually carries chainmail, while the archers carry longbows and chainmail. The strategy involves either a great shieldwall or a slow but steady advance beneath a never ceasing storm of artillery.

    The Kingdom of Askers
    The Kingdom of the Askers is the beating heart of Middenheim. The land is perfect for farming, there is cattle in abundance and other resources like timber and iron is easy to find as well. The Askers are divided into two casts, the aristocrats and the peasants. The aristocrats are the only ones who are allowed to own land and property. They even own the peasants. The peasants, on the other hand, has no rights at all. The aristocracy consists of four great houses which are then divided into a multitude of families. The families control small or large patches of land, like villages and towns. The Askers are devoted followers of the Temple of the Sun.

    The Asker army consists of two different kinds of soldiers, the militia and the knights. The militia is made up of drafted peasants from every settlement, and is required to outfit and train itself. It is usually made up of a large mob of soldiers equipped with crossbows and spears, dressed in padded cloth or nothing at all. The knights on the other hand are the aristocrats elite mounted soldiers. They are highly trained in the art of war and are equipped with heavy armor such as full plate of lamellar constructions. The knights use a wide variety of weapons, with the sword and the spear being amongst the most usual ones.

    The Free Town of Granhaven
    Granhaven, also known as Bloodhaven or Thieftown, is a neutral city which lies on the shore of lake Gran between the Kindom of Askers and the Kingdom of Dunjunni. Because of its neutrality, Granhaven has become home to the outcasts and misfits of Middenheim. People who consider themselves as adventurers or merchants, or who simply have nowhere else to go, flock here like flies to cowdung. The town is home to two important companies, which have considerable influence in the other nations of Middenheim; the Sword Company and the Granwalder Trade Federation.

    The Sword Company is a large company of mercenaries who lend manpower to wherever it’s needed. Employees are housed in so-called swordhalls (big houses which function as a soup kitchen and a sleeping area), with no income other than the food and lodging they receive for the labour they perform every day for the company (like carrying things or clearing the company stables from horseshit). This goes on until the employees gets hired by a contractor, a senior member, who is allowed to carry out jobs for the company. You will all be part of such a group. The mercenaries are then sent all across Middenheim on all sorts of missions and are often well paid by the company.

    The Granwalder Trade Federation is Middenheims largest trade organisations and has caravans and facilities in all of Middenheims larger settlements.


    Fantastic Creatures

    Elves (Trolls)
    Elves are mystical, mythical creatures who are said to live only in the deepest parts of the great forests. The elves are pale, beautiful but also terrible creatures that are said to shine with an unearthly light. They are also said to be able to do magic; songs, dances and words which can bewitch and enslave other beings. The elves ate considered dangerous and, in some places evil. People tell stories of farmers or hunters who have been abducted by elves, never to be seen again. Elves are called trolls by the Norjunni and the Askers, because of their religions word for magic (which is trolldom).

    Dwarves
    Not much is known about the dwarves of Middenheim, other than that they live in the deepest parts of the various mountains and that the items they craft from iron are of almost magical quality. A dwarven shield never breaks, and a dwarven sword never needs sharpening.

    Dragons
    The dragon is the ultimate predator. It is essentially a four-legged lizard with wings capable of breathing fire. A full grown dragon is a little bit bigger than a very large bull, and has scales which are as tough as iron. The dragons live exclusively on Mount Surt and are highly territorial and aggressive. Some Vroki warriors has made the killing of a dragon their goal in life, and the ones who succeed are revered as legendary warriors worthy of song.

    Harpies (Sirens)
    Harpies are small, winged bird-women who live in the trees of Askerwald and Westwald. They capable of very simple speech and tend to imitate humans whenever they get the chance. Despite their normally aggressive behaviour, the harpy is a natural scavenger and wouldn’t attack a child if it wasn’t already dead. They are uncommon but not rare, and it isn’t unheard of that some hunters have captured and tamed these bird-creatures as pets. Vroki seafarers call them sirens.

    Griffons
    The griffon has the body of a lion and the wings and head of an eagle. It is a predator which lives in small groups on the Dunjunni prairie. The griffon is territorial but not as aggressive as the dragon. The only time a griffon is certain to attack a trespasser is when it feels that its cubs are threatened. Griffons are at the top of the food chain and as such isn’t afraid to attack and eat anything, including humans and livestock. The Dunjunni has special warrior hunters who specialize in hunting and killing the griffons. These hunters are usually clad in the feathers of the griffons they have killed.

    Lindensnakes
    Lindensnakes are huge, pale, poisonous snakes that live in the Snakefolk territories. These massive snakes can become as long as 20 metres when they’re fully grown, and has such a strong poison that it kills a man within seconds. The snake also has the ability to adapt its appearance to its surroundings, like a chameleon, which makes it a complete nightmare to come across in a marshland or swamp.

    Seaserpents
    The Seaserpent of both the northern and southern starsea is a distant relative to the Lindensnake. The seaserpent bigger than its cousin (it can get as long as 30 metres), but cannot change its appearance and is not poisonous. Both Vroki and Asker fishermen are terrified of catching the attention of one of these behemoths when out on the big blue, and most that gets caught never return to land ever again.

    Goblins
    The goblins are a semi-intelligent species of humanoids which live in the mountains if the Norjunni highland. They are small, squat, ugly creatures with pale skin and black eyes. They are obsessed with metals and wage constant warfare on the Norjunni miners in conquest of the precious metals of the mountains. The goblins sometimes become such a problem that the army or the sword company is called in to solve the mess they cause. Goblins are, their intelligence aside, gifted blacksmiths and craft beautiful and functional items out of copper and iron.

    When goblins fight, they usually do so in traps where they try to lure their enemy into a small cavern or passage with little or no chance of escape. Their warriors consists of three types of troops; shieldbearers, spearmen and archers. The shieldbearers only job is to keep the large and heavy copper shield up in the shield wall which protects the spearmen. The spearmen hide behind the shieldbearers and tries to stab the enemies from behind cover. The archers stand in the back and shoot arrows over the shields, preferably at the enemy. Goblins use no armor save for their helmets, which are large conical things with stylised heads on the top. The heads are put there in an attempt to fool the enemy onto shooting to high when trying to hit the face on the helmet instead of the goblin wearing it. For some reason, it rarely works…


    Religion

    Ancestral Worship
    This is as easy as it sounds. If you’re part of this belief, you worship your ancestors. Some people have altars. Other have little idols they carry with them. Some simply offer prayer. The idea is to give your ancestors praise so that they feel at peace in the afterlife and leave the living people be. Ancestors who aren’t worshipped enough are said to bring terrible misfortune on the offender and his/her family. The dead are buried in the ground, so that their bodies might reach the afterlife in one piece. To burn a corpse is a terrible sin or offense.


    The Temple of the Sun
    The Temple of the sun is a monotheistic religion which is centered around the great sungod Edun and its teachings. The two most important rules of the faith is to only believe in Edun, and to listen to the words of the priests. Dead bodies are burned so that their spirits may reach Edun in the sky.


    Characters

    I'm looking for characters who are pretty new to the trade; sure, you may have been in battles and you may have killed some people before, but your main occupation in the company thus far has been labour in the stables or somesuch business. There is no magic. You may not have dwarven items. You may not have pet Harpies. I want you to be regular mercenaries from somewhere in this land, preferably with some juicy background and a good reason for abandoning your life for becoming a soldier of fortune.
     
  11. Arthgon

    Arthgon Well-Known Member

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    I agree with those rules. But you are wrong about my characters. Any of my characters were not super human or grand masters in magic or battle. They had their flaws and limits.
     
  12. ytzk

    ytzk Well-Known Member

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    Shall we post characters here?

    I'm thinking a poor peasant of Norjunni who joins up because (1) you eat better, (2) you get weapons and, (3) you get buddies with weapons to watch your back.

    The fourth son of a blacksmith, he is good at making fire, sharpening blades and assessing the value of arms and armor. He is also a self-confessed coward.

    Luckily, he is an excellent cook and a resourceful scrounger and therefore a welcome squad-mate on the road.

    His personal victories include: (1) getting the fuck away from his abusive father, (2) concealing the fact that he soiled himself during his first battle, and (3) looting a baggage cart during a skirmish and, in time for the victory, preparing a chocolate pudding with plum sauce, which is still legend among the survivors.
     
  13. Zanza

    Zanza Well-Known Member

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    Name: Winchester “Che” Wright

    Age: 25

    Gender: Male

    Height/weight: 5'11"/90kg

    Nationality: Kingdom of Askers

    Proficiency: Sword and shield

    Background: Originally from Norjunni, the Wrights family moved to the Kingdom of Askers in search of a life for their children that wouldn’t result in joining the army. For years they worked for a fairly mediocre family as farmhands and when Winchester was of age he too did his share around the farm. Not content with being a peasant all his life he eventually left the farm and travelled to Granhaven to make a name for himself. He had very little training in the martial arts, mainly from his father who once served in the Norjunni army. He took what little training he had and applied to work at the Sword Company. Though his skills as a warrior weren’t amazing the company saw a better use for him until he could prove himself, the swordhall’s chef.
     
  14. ytzk

    ytzk Well-Known Member

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    So we have two cooks? That means we can afford to eat one during a siege.
     
  15. Zanza

    Zanza Well-Known Member

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    I started writing him up yesterday, unfortunate timing we both posted at the same time, though looking at yours you aren't sure what you want to be. That being said there would be more than one cook at the swordhalls, whether or not they would send them all out though is a different question.
     
  16. ytzk

    ytzk Well-Known Member

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    Quartermaster was what I was aiming for, rather than chef per se. Still, if an army marches on its stomach, two chefs on rotation should be welcome.

    Let's face it, scrounging a good meal would have been one of the deciding factors in medieval wars.
     
  17. Zanza

    Zanza Well-Known Member

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    I think the cook goes better with the coward background, you can have it. I will figure out a new profession.
     
  18. ytzk

    ytzk Well-Known Member

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    We're all in the same profession, it's just the chores we gravitate towards when we make camp.

    He's not unusually cowardly, but openly admits to his fears. I'm thinking of the fat recruit in Game of Thrones, in the Brotherhood. What's his name?

    Anyway, he can be relied upon in a fight, he's just too honest to pretend that he's not scared.
     
  19. Jungle Japes

    Jungle Japes Well-Known Member

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    Lawrence Weatherby

    Age: 24

    Male

    Ht/Wt: 5'7"/180lbs

    An Askersman and a peasant, carpenter by trade. Drafted into the militia, he deserted after learning that his best girl had been sold to a certain slimy aristocrat for his own unscrupulous purposes. Became a mercenary with the intent of making his fortune and returning home to settle accounts with Lord Halfpence. However, he has been on the trail for some time now and seen only enough coin pass between his fingers to keep food in his mouth and clothes on his back. Still, he's certain his big break is coming soon. Just a few more jobs and things will turn around...
     
  20. wobbler

    wobbler Well-Known Member

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    I'm in, gonna get a character up and running soon.
     
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