In every mercenary company there are always revered veterans who have lasted with the company for several seasons. Almost mythical figures who have survived harsh battles and missions and came out alive, if not unscathed. And to these men and women cluster the greenhorns, like chicks to a mother hen, looking for advice, tips, and general information. Straight from the horses mouth.
Contents
1. This Post
2. Mercenary Companies
3. Theater
4. Government
5. Opposition
6. Races
7. Magic
8. Sections
Note: If you're looking for the basics on this project, please refer to this thread.
Mercenary Companies In every city across the land, and in most of the larger towns, are tents characterized by the spears acting as tentpoles and stitching up of torn capes and tunics acting as the tent themselves. Inside each of these tents is one or more soldiers and a sergeant, ready to recruit new people for their mercenary company. While the routine varies from person to person, this is what Commander Fera's hopefuls get.
Quote from Recruiting Sergeant »
"So you wanna join a company, eh? You should know it's not all fun and games. We have to recruit often to fill up the gaps left by the dead. That should tell you somethin'. Still, if you're interested...
This is the recruiting tent for Commander Fera's company. You get fed and get a place to sleep. The company pays for the basic armor and weapons for you, depending on what you do for the company. Anything extra is up to you, but we makes sure you're protected. You get company training, and good behavior on your part may mean advancement. Minimum service is four years, at the end of which you can stay with the company, or you can leave with a pension and start a farm or whatever else you wish to do.
So, you in or out?"
This gives a little information for the new recruits, but more details information usually comes from the veterans around the cooking fires during sieges or, more often, during basic training.
Quote from Vetern »
"You may have heard a lot about companies from whichever hickville you came out of. Let me make sure you got this straight and don't go getting funny ideas.
First off, the company has no real name. Commander Fera never Unlike them Crimson Crusaders and the rest, she doesn't hold truck with fancy names and the like. When people hear you're in her company, that's all the name you need to precede you. She runs a well organized company. And the name precedes the company on all battlefields.
We work for money, not for ideals. You may be fighting against your own nation at times. Commander Fera doesn't go for the evil stuff, but the rest is fair game. We often work with and against other companies from season to season. We also work for any number of dukes and duchesses and kings and queens. But don't bother your mind with that stuff. You just do your job, and you get paid. Basic.
Remember, follow the orders you are given. If anything else is needed from you, someone will let you know."
More friendly veterans give a little more information.
Quote from Veteran »
"Commander Fera started this company about fifteen years ago, in the middle of that great war with Minartia. Isadore's forces were running low, though the king still had plenty of money. Never did figure out where that money was coming from... In any case, she got about a hundred guys together and made the company, then sold her services to the king for the war. They were just enough to turn the tide and win the war for Isadore. When the country had its civil war five years ago, and the dukes and duchesses showed up claiming territory, about twenty other companies started up. Commander Fera has had to fight to get us contracts. Due to our track record of succeeding repeatedly, we've gotten a good reputation and we don't have to work that hard to get our contracts. Usually we're defending forts or fighting small wars.
The company itself is one of the better ones. We have our main barracks in Isadore, under the rule of the Queen. You know, the one that succeeded the King when he was assassinated. Yeah, that one. The Commander is in good with her, so we pay little in taxes and have our base set up. The Commander almost has the land annexed into her own country, though that hasn't come through yet. We also have minor barracks and quarters all over the country, paid for out of the Commander's pocket. We sleep there when we're on the march. We have our own quartermasters, our own wagon train. In our main barracks we also have our own tavern. It's practically a town unto itself.
The company's cohorts fluctuate depending on the season. We always have three, but sometimes we split those into smaller ones when we get more recruits. After particularly deadly seasons we go back down to three. Every winter we set up the recruiting stations and train the greens, like you. We also train all winter long, as most contracts aren't held during the winter. We get our first contracts in spring, usually hold up in forts for summer, and get new contracts in the fall.
The company also makes sure to specialize in certain areas. We're one of the most well rounded companies in the land. I'm sure you've heard of Eyrie's Spears? They're another company we work with a lot, they specialize in spearmen and anti-cavalry. Cravolnia's Archers usually do work on forts, specializing in anti-infantry archers. We, on the other hand, have archers, spearmen, some cavalry, mages. You name it, we have it. Our sections may be a little smaller than some of the more specialized companies, but we can also handle the most. Our cohorts make sure to have a mix of everything so they can work alone.
Make sure you remember that the cohorts don't always work together. While we'll never be fighting each other outside of training, we might not always be working together. Cohorts will often take up separate contracts if the contracts don't need the entire company. That's why it's so important that you know how to do your job. There's room for mistakes when we're all working together, but when a single cohort is doing a big job, you need to do it right otherwise people die. Not just you. Your friends, and maybe even lovers. No one wants to lose someone they know. Make sure your friends don't die because you were asleep on the job."
Theater Some veterans are more knowledgeable on the location of the upcoming contracts. But all the veterans know a lot about Isadore, and usually they're more than happy to let the newcomers know. Especially when it comes to the most used battlegrounds.
Quote from Veteran »
"Isadore? Oh, I guess you're not from around here. Well, it's one of the oldest kingdoms of the continent, I can tell you that. It was founded by some farmers... But you don't care about that, I guess. The kingdom started up and was prosperous for a long time. Something like four centuries of prosperity. But the royalty made a rather stupid decision in the last fifty years and created the Parliament to give a voice, and power, to the people. But the more power the people got, the more power they wanted. It soon came to be that war had to be declared by the king or queen, but soldiers could be sent out by Parliament before that had to be done. This caused more than one minor war. Mostly against countries that had been threatening Isadore over the years.
About sixteen years ago the kingdom of Minartia, to the south, got annoyed with these minor wars and decided to show Isadore what's what. They sent soldiers and destroyed some settlements. The King didn't want to retaliate until war was fully declared. By the time he got his act together, the enemy was almost upon us. The Parliament sent out the soldiers and fought anyways. The King finally relented and declared war, three months too late. This also meant we lost a lot of supplies and many of the armies we'd need. We were losing badly. Luckily, Commander Fera created the company, signed a contract with the King, and helped win the war. But, due to the King's inability to react, the nobility lost a lot of power with the commoners.
About five years ago there was a civil war in Isadore. The commoners against the nobility. The commoners felt the ruling class wasn't doing its job, the ruling class needed to put the commoners in their place. Unfortunately, the armies were split between ruling class and commoners. The war went on for a while until the King was assassinated. His heir, the princess, took his throne and quickly tried to end the war by giving the Parliament power over war. She could still make declarations of war, and still had many powers, but Parliament also had that power. She also made several dukes and duchesses to make the people happy. It almost worked. But many of the outer provinces of the kingdom seceded to become minor dukedoms. The Queen felt it wasn't worth the time and energy to regain their loyalty. This wasn't a good move.
In any case, the last five years have been almost constant fighting between the Dukes and the rest of the nobility. They can never seem to get their armies up to snuff, so they hire the mercenary companies to bolster their ranks. Lots of new companies sprang up about the same time, too. The neighboring kingdoms, including Minartia, haven't caused much of a fuss yet. But there's a high chance they will. We're just waiting for the other shoe to drop here."
When asked about the land itself...
Quote from Veteran »
"Isadore? We're a fair distance north of the equator. Far enough that the summer is pleasant, though the winters can be brutal some years. Usually we have balmy days that everyone can enjoy. Some summers are a little hotter, where everyone tends to enjoy the watering holes or staying in the shade. Winters come with their fair share of snow, but blizzards are generally only once every few years.
The kingdom is two hundred miles across and one hundred miles up and down. The north breaks the rules of the weather by having winter half the year. It touches the northern ocean, so they have some nasty weather at times. They also have several large mountain ranges, meaning the north is fairly inhospitable for the most of us. Luckily, the castle also happens to be near the mountains, meaning it's fairly easy to keep protected. It's girdled on three sides by the mountains that make it almost not worth attacking. Get fifty miles from the castle and the weather becomes nice. The kingdom is mostly rolling hills and fields that the farmers work in. The south west has a rather fair sized swamp we share with Minartia. There's also the eastern desert that separates us from Quone. Those are irregularities, though.
The further you get from the castle, the more power is given to the dukes. The dukedoms are still technically part of Isadore, considered under the rule of the Queen by our neighboring countries. They don't consider themselves under the Queen's rule, but it's useful so they don't get attacked from outside. Go fifty miles from the castle in any direction and you've hit the edge of the Queen's command. We're about twenty five miles from her, so well within her sphere of control.
We've got the Amer River as the basic river for the kingdom, running north to south. It ends in Betterman's Bog. We usually march next to it. There's plenty of run-offs, but the river has the cleanest water. We mostly have fields and hills to deal with. Defensible and not too hard to maneuver in. No mountains until you get midway into Minartia. We make a point not to touch the desert, either. And the western border is Himaliya, which is friendly towards us. Not much to deal with there. So we're in a pretty good position, overall."
On the subject of the native people...
Quote from Veteran »
"Heh. Isadore is mostly a human kingdom. You may hear a lot about the other kingdoms, and especially the continent to the west, but we're mainly human here. Not that I'm complaining about the other races, mind. But you always know where you stand with a human. There's not much in the way of odd powers you have to worry about.
The northern border has a few settlements of the Aqiualian people. You know, those water guys? Look like they're made of the stuff? They swear allegiance to the Queen, but don't bother much with the rest of us. I don't blame 'em. Still, you'll find some in every major city. Usually the exploring type. They make good archers. Must be that sensitive skin; they know just where the wind is going.
There's also a major Elf city somewhere on the sound side near the bog. They have a small forest down there that barely keeps the city hidden. Most of us know it's there, but I wouldn't fancy going to find it. A bit secretive, them elves. They're more inclined to come into the cities and help out the kingdom than the Aqiuals. Handy with swords and natural magic I hear. I haven't yet fought one, and I don't intend to. I wouldn't mind having one on my side, though."
Government Speech is free within the company, especially about the governments, both local and beyond. The most common subject, of course, is the Queen and Parliament.
Quote from Veteran »
"Psh. That girl? She was too young for the post when she first got it. To be fair, she had ideas, but she screwed it up. See, the kingdom was a full monarchy when it started. Just the King and the rest of the nobles ruling the kingdom. Never a good idea, but it worked for a while. But when the peasants got uppity, the King gave them what he called a Parliament. It's like a giant courthouse for representatives from the cities to speak in. They say what's bothering them, the courthouse makes a ruling by vote, and give the ruling to the King. It wouldn't be a problem if the King hadn't given them specific powers.
Most of the powers are minor things. Trade between cities, who pays for maintenance on what road, how many men from each city goes into the army. Things the King would have to delegate anyways. But power is only friends with power, and the commoners wanted more. The King made a mistake and gave them more. Then, after the civil war, the Queen pretty much sealed the deal by giving the Parliament the power to declare war and control troop movements.
Right now, the Queen herself is almost just a figurehead. Sure, she has power, but she's afraid to use it. She has plenty of money, though. That's the only reason she's still Queen. She could hire any number of mercenary companies to put the peasants in their place. She doesn't, because she doesn't want a war on her hands. She handles trade between the major nations and Isadore, and she handles minor taxes. Her job is mostly just international affairs. The cities take care of themselves.
Parliament is almost what it was made to avoid. The people inside it are pretty much nobles to themselves. Less and less are they listening to the people. Due to the Queen, it's kept in check enough so the corruption is low and money isn't constantly flowing to the delegates. Still, they're not doing a particularly good job. It might be that they're fighting with the Dukes on certain things. I'm not sure. Still, they have power, and they'll use it. It just seems to take a while."
On the subjects of Dukes..
Quote from Veterans »
"Right, the Dukes. Some of these guys are actual nobility from before the civil war. About half. The rest of them were granted titles by the Queen in order to stop their cities from fighting. It was a decent idea. But the Dukes used their newfound power, and right for a small army, to take over the cities and establish dukedomes. It's not quite legal, and, to all the other countries, they're still part of Isadore. But they may get enough power to pose a threat the country itself.
Each Duke considers himself ready to rule the entire country. They've been amassing power and money for five years. Mostly they fight among themselves for right of conquest, to own each other's lands. Trying to build up enough backing to attack the Queen herself. Or, so the rumor goes. They're all smiles to everyone else, but they attack each other viciously. Of course, there's also bandits to deal with, which is the only reason they get armies at all. But the Queen can't stop all this fighting without intervening personally, and that would just start a war.
The Dukes all remain as legal as possible, doing whatever they can to avoid giving the Queen a reason to turn everyone against them. It's really a sense of balance that keeps the outer regions from devolving into full out war. A Duke must make peace with all his neighbors, both near and far, and gather power and support before launching even a tiny war against a neighboring dukedom. Without this, the rest of his neighbors would launch on him and take him down while he was weak. So far, only two dukes have been completely defeated and their towns annexed. Anastasia was the victor there. She's a tough old bird... I don't fancy the Queen's chances if she has to go against her."
On the subject of neighboring kingdoms...
Quote from Veteran »
For the most part, our neighbors are just kingdoms. Minartia's king is a tough dictator, and he's not giving away much in the way of power to anyone else. I'd call him a Sultan, really. Lots of harems, likes to indulge himself. However, he's tough and hasn't lost his edge. He has plenty of armies at his disposal and is just waiting for a chance to attack. I wouldn't put it past him to take advantage of the Duke situation soon.
Quone considers itself an Empire as opposed to a kingdom. Their Emperor is the head of a thousand year long dynasty. They like to brag that they were working on philosophy when we were still trying out fire. They're the only ones older the Isadore itself. They're a pretty stable country that doesn't seem ready to start conquest. While they have soldiers and magic over there, they don't seem inclined to use it. They seem to want to talk about life and living more than anything. Of course, the desert between us and them stops fighting pretty well. They've got a hundred layers between the Emperor and the outside world, taking care of every little thing. Not like our Parliament, though. He has total power, he just makes other people do the work. Smart guy, I have to say.
Last is Himaliya. Their government is more like our Parliament without a king or queen. Pure power to the people. They don't have much more than a token army, so they aren't interested in fighting. Their bordering mountain ranges keep them safe. I hear it's a nice place to live. They call their government a 'Republic'. I'm not quite sure what it means, but they seem happy. They keep themselves to themselves, so I'm not too sure about them, tell you the truth. I haven't had a chance to visit.
Opposition Other than the minor wars between the Dukedoms, there isn't much in the way of conflict in the world right now. But it seems as if Isadore is poised on the knife's edge. A little teetering either way could cause something rather large.
Quote from Veteran »
"It's a very quiet time for Isadore right now. Sure, the Dukes will wage war with each other with mercenary help, and, yes, the Queen is still a bit leery about them attacking her. But all is in peace at the moment. But it's kind of uneasy. Many of the veterans, like me, are waiting for the other shoe to drop. And there's plenty of places to start, too. Minartia could attack at any time, probably when the Dukes get tired of the queen and attack on their own. That'd be one hell of a mess. Quone seems to be a peaceful lot, but Empires always get tired of being stable and want to advance. Besides, there are rumors that they're out of metals and need to start getting others. Trading only goes so far. Himaliya is still quiet and out of the way. They haven't made any indication they want to advance just yet. But there are disturbing rumors..."
Pressed for more information, specific veterans often can tell a bit more about each faction.
Quote from Veteran »
"The Queen, now, she's one to watch. See, she knows she's in a bad position. With the Dukes demanding more power, and the outside influences able to advance at any time at all. If I was her, see, I'd go on the offensive. Prove to them I'm not going to go quietly. She may very well do this. She's a lady to watch, no doubt. And if push comes to shove, I'm sure we'll be on her side.
Quote from Veteran »
"The Dukes are currently only waiting to attack Isadore itself because they're too busy with each other. But they may decide to band together to spread the wealth a little better. I doubt it, but there's always that chance. All of them against the queen is pretty bad odds. But, me, I'm watching some of the Dukes. I won't name names yet, but there are a few that look likely to take over the others. And when a single Dukedom becomes big enough, that's when we'll have trouble."
Quote from Veteran »
"Now, me, I'm scared of Minartia. He's made no bones about wanting to take over Isadore, and he's even attacked already. And he's just the kind of man to attack us when we're weak. So if the dukes start causing trouble, watch for Minartia. He'll take over in an instant in one fell swoop."
Quote from Veteran »
"Age comes with its own troubles, all us veterans know that. Aches and pains. Quone is having its own. As much as they brag about being so much more sophisticated than us, and how they've been around longer than us by many times, they have to deal with the drawbacks of that. Part of it is lack of resources. They're pretty much mined out right now, which is something we'll have to deal with soon. Isadore still has plenty of resources. That'll cause a problem. And an emperor never has trouble with recruitment."
Quote from Veteran »
"Himaliya's one that I've been stewing over for a while. They've been quiet, but they're also stewing over something. Rumors say that they've worked out a weapon greater than magic. And any weapon like that is one you don't want to start messing with. I'd be wary about them. They may decide that weapon is good enough to take on everyone else. However, I hear their parliament is fairly peace-loving, and their research is going towards helping people. Maybe I"m just paranoid."
Races Isadore is mainly populated by four races. In order of population magnitude, they are: Humans, Elves, Halflings, Aqiuals. While plenty of rumors will be given by everyone about everyone, the best information always comes straight from the source.
Quote from Human Veteran »
"Okay, so humans are the biggest part of the Isadore population. We're everywhere. We didn't come first, though. Any of the other three can tell you that they came before us. I hear they tend to fight over which one actually was the first to show up on the land. Regardless, we have a tendency to spread. We're easy to spot, too. Average height is somewhere around five feet, eight inches. Weight... Well, that varies. We live to about sixty years old before we begin to die off. The others, they take a while to die. We die the earliest, which may be why we're so good at spreading ourselves. Now, humans aren't really better at much than the rest. The elves and the rest will tell you how good they are at their various skills. No, humans aren't better than the rest at those things. We're about average. What we're good at is learning. We pick up on things much faster than the others. That's why we're often in mercenary companies, too. We can fill any slot without a problem, and can pick up on new jobs if an opening comes about. Pretty handy, I say. We live all over the country, so you'll see us everywhere. We mostly live in cities, and in houses."
Quote from Elven Veteran »
"The elves occupy a distinctly smaller section of land than the humans. Our population is less than half theirs, which has something to do with it. We don't like being cramped together the way humans do. Elves enjoy their personal space. We live in the forests, with the trees. Our houses are grown right out of the wood as opposed to being cut from it. It's a common magic we practice. We have a higher affinity for animals than the other races do, though that doesn't mean we have any power over them. Simply that we've spent time in their home and that they've acclimated to us. The elves have a range of hair color, though many tend towards a silvery hair. Usually, this is a sign of old age. Elves live for many hundreds of years. We hold the dubious honor of being the longest lived of the four. We're built tall, usually cresting six to seven feet in height. Tall, yes, but wiry. We're more agile than the rest, and we use that for our swordsmanship. Elves are known for their skill with the bladed weapons such as swords and daggers. We adapt to them easily, and our combat is akin to dance with them. As for the rest, well, we're nothing special. About equal with the humans on the rest of the aspects. We're often on the front lines of the companies when we choose to join them. That's all you truly need to know."
Quote from Halfling Veteran »
"The term halfling applies to several races that have the same general traits. Those traits are, of course, being short and dumpy. We don't really mind; most of us have interrelations anyways. There are plenty of us around, just mostly underground or hidden away. The revealed population only makes up a very small amount of the Isadore community. Now, all halflings have a few things in common. We're all short, under four feet tall. Good for not getting hit by many swords, you know? Second, we're all fairly rounded out. The above ground halflings tend to eat very well, peaceful as they are. The dwarves, as another examle, are almost all muscle and chainmail. They work a lot underground. Mining, mostly. They have this thing for gold... But, yes, we all look fairly alike. Now, let's see... There's a tendency for red hair among the people, too. The dwarves are particularly strong from all the work they do in their mines and the like. When they join a side, you can be sure legs will go missing. With their axes (a racial weapon of preference) and other weapons, they do a lot of damage. They're also fairly good at metalworking. The true halflings, the ones that live aboveground, are more inclined for agility. A lot of running from larger predators have kept them fast and agile even though they're fairly large. They tend to do some of the... Let's call it 'extracurricular' work. Things better left unsaid. The dwarves live in underground cities attached to their mines while the halflings live in sleepy hamlets in the vicinity of lakes and rivers."
Quote from Aqiual Veteran »
"Ah, so you're interested in the Aqiuals, eh? Not surprising. We're the race with the least population in Isadore, and we tend to be a little secretive. But sure, why not? I've got nothing to hide. See, Aqiual are a race who spend most of our time in and around water. Our villages, which are buildings tethered together and build on logs, are always on shores. When the tide rolls in they float on top of the water. They migrate sometimes, and the group doesn't mind one bit. We've grown to be transparant, with our internal organs hidden in a special way. Part magic, part just bloody mindedness. We're also slightly blue, as you can see. Helps to blend in with the water, making us good hunters. Our eyes are pure black which helps to see in the murky depths. We also see just fine on land. Our hair is silver, since we have no use for pigmentation. Our skin is much more sensitive than the rest of the races since we have to feel the currents of the water to be able to swim as we do. This also helps on land. It helps us determine air currents, similar to water currents. Because of this ability, we're excellent at archery and other ranged combat. We stack up about average in other ways. We also have a slight problem speaking, as I'm sure you can hear. We're used to clicks and other sounds underwater, since talking isn't an option, and common on land is quite a different set of sounds entirely. Still, we get along fine, and our archery is applauded in every company in the land."
Magic Mages are often feared within companies, as their magic can be deadly powerful. Any recruit will hear a mouthful from a veteran who has seen the power of a mage.
Quote from Veteran »
"Mages. Every company has them, because they're useful. They can sometimes do more damage than the fighters can. Wielding the power of the elements to hurt their foes, creating illusions. Even fighting with darkness. That makes me afraid to sleep at night. They usually don't make good fighters because of the concentration needed to cast spells. But sometimes, a mage is so good with their element that they can sling a fireball while going toe to toe with fighters, swinging their own sword. Battlemages. Hope you never face one."
If they press for more information on the magical arts, the more learned will step forwards.
Quote from Veteran »
"Unlike the old times, and perhaps in other countries not as attuned with magic as we are, magic isn't confined to scrolls. It doesn't like staying in writing and often seeks to escape with disastrous results. Isadorian mages, instead, learn to attune themselves to their element. Then, with study of the element, they learn to change their spells to suit their needs. Water mages, for example. They will study the effects of temperature on water. They may study a geyser for some time to learn how to add heat to their spells. Then they may go up to the frozen north to learn how to change their water to ice. Then they may travel to one of the great lakes or oceans to learn how to add placidity to the spell. Once more they'll travel, to a raging river or waterfall, to learn how to add tremendous pressure to blow an opponent over. They spend a lot of time studying and learning. It does them good. I wish some of the recruits did the same with their sword training."
No one but the mages themselves, however, can give the best information and advice about being, and becoming, a mage.
Quote from Veteran Mage »
"There are precious few in our land that are naturally gifted with magic. It takes a special mind to be able to attune to nature to use its wonders in battle, or for everyday use. Those that can do it? I praise them for their genius. But for the rest of us, we must find an instructing mage that can put us in rapport with nature. Sometimes, it takes years. Sometimes hours. Depends on the mage and the student. When they gain that rapport they can learn how to make their spells. Thus, even a brute-force fighter can learn magic. Be wary, though. It takes more time and energy for each new element you wish to learn. Just like you must spend much time training if you want to learn archery and swordsmanship, you must spend much time learning to control fire and water. There are precious few who learn to wield more than a small handful of elements."
And, for information on particular schools of magic, the best information comes from the practitioners themselves. Each mage will give the same set of advice, to begin with.
Quote from Veteran Mage »
"You'll quickly learn that all the elements are alike in two skills. First, you must learn how to control the size of your spell. A novice caster will only be able to throw small fireballs, tiny lightningbolts, or minor gusts of wind. An expert can set a field aflame with a twitch of a finger, call judgment from the heavens, or make hurricanes that level towns. There's also a measure of control you must learn. Control in shape and form, yes, but also concentration. The more control you have, the more you can shape and move your element. Making ice daggers requires much control on your part, as does making a sword of darkness, or a perfect illusion. And, without control, you cannot cast magic while in the heat of battle. You'll lose control and lose your spell. Or, possibly, your life. Every mage must learn control of their element. Every mage must learn to control the size of the spell. Plan to spend some time doing so."
But, when pressed on specific attributes of the elements, each mage will regale you on what their chosen element can do.
Quote from Fire Mage »
"So ye wish to learn fire, do ye? Listen well. Fire comes in two flavors; heat, an' smoke. You probably already ken aboot size. Heat is aboot how hot the spell burns. A wee bairn like you could likely make a red fire tha' burns to the touch. I, though, can make blue fire tha' melts the skin from bone. Smoke is tha' greasy stuff tha' hurts the eyes an' burns the throat. The more ye ken aboot smoke, the more the stuff billows and blows from yer spells. Study fire, the sun, an' torches for heat. Smoke from rollups an' stoves."
Quote from Water Mage »
"Water is an elegant element. You'll be studying it well, as it's finely tuned when you use it right. Temperature is a major thing, as water has three forms. Ice, water, and steam. You knew that. Ice is cold and hard; you can make weapons of it. Water flows, yes, but it hurts in force. Steam burns to the touch. Then you must learn force of water, water pressure. Water can be as calm as a lake, changing as the sea, or as rough as river rapids or a water fall. The more you know, the more powerful the flow. Study the north and south for temperature, or simply your icebox or kettle if you're lazy. The ocean, the lake, and the waterfall will teach you pressure."
Quote from Wind Mage »
"Wind is mighty hard to control, I'll tell you that much. You must learn to control speed, but you also must control pressure. Speed is, of course, how fast the air moves. With high speed you can push entire armies over. Or perhaps level forests, or move houses. Pressure is how dense the air is when it moves. Too little of it will give you light gales that hit their entire body. With enough speed, they may get pushed over. Compact it enough and you'll be able to step on it and hover, if you like. You could also make it a cutting wind and destroy armor. Not good against the flesh, but you'll have to deal with that. Speed is best seen in gales and breezes. Hurricanes if you can find them. Pressure, well, check canyons and open plains."
Quote from Lightning Mage »
"Lightning is a shocking magic. Sorry, little joke there, ha ha. Lightning has two thing to learn: current and bolts. Current is simply how hard of a shock it is. Low current is a little prick on your finger that stings like a mother. High current could kill ya. Bolts is a study of number of strikes as well as positioning of the strike. Low skill gives you command of one lightning bolt, usually from your hand. High bolts skill could give you up to ten bolts in one spell which could come from your hand or the heavens. Study currents in lightning, or by rubbing rocks together, or woolen socks against floors. Anything that gives a shock. Bolts, well... You'll have to learn to count, and watch thunderstorms. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you on that."
Quote from Earth Mage »
"The earth magics are simply about moving rocks around for various purposes. Nothing particularly special. The two attributes of earth are density and weight. The first gives you control over how hard it is and how compact it is. You study the same thing for both. Low density is usually soft rocks, probably mud, or gravel. They don't take many blows, but there's lots of it. High density are diamonds and the like. Big rocks, hard rocks. They could be armor for you in a pinch. Weight is all about how heavy it is. Good for crushing people. Low weight, you can lift. High weight, you can't. Simple as that. Study mud, gravel, diamonds and granite for density. Weight goes from pebbles to boulders, or anything that weighs a lot."
Quote from Light Mage »
"Light magic is simply using light for things you need. It's not holy magic. That's something very different. Light has two properties you play with. Intensity and color. Intensity is how bright the light is. Low intensity is generally like candle or firelight; the kind of witchlight you hold in your hand to see your way in the dark. High intensity is blinding beams of light to hurt your opponents. High enough intensity can be used like a sword. Color is used for illusions and the like. The higher your skill with color, the more colors you can actually use, and the more fine you can use them on your illusions. Low color means you can simply make colored light which, while pretty, isn't helpful. High color means you can make a picture of a man with individual colored threads in his shirt. Intensity can be learned from candles, fireplaces, and the sun. Color is learned from anything colorful. Study hard, and you can create a new you."
Quote from Dark Magic »
"Dark magic is using shadows for yourself. No, it's not evil. Evil magic... We don't use it. The darkness is used in two ways: concentration and solidity. The concentration of the darkness is how hard it is to see through. Low concentration is shadows on a summer evening. High concentration is the stuff you find in caves, where you see nothing at all. The darkness can also be used as a weapon. Solidity hardens it to be used for swords or projectiles. But remember, you can only do this where there's actually darkness to use. Your own shadow is usually good for that. You'll always have a little, but you're more powerful in the dark. Learn concentration by studying shadows, and the quality of light at dusk and night. Solidity... Well, you'll have to figure this one out on your own."
Talking to healers can teach you about healing magic.
Quote from Healer »
"Healing magic is only temporary. I can't stress this enough. It only temporarily heals you so you can keep fighting. Then you need to let your body do its work. Think of it this way. Healing magic is like painwort: painwort takes away the pain for a few hours. But when it wears off, the pain is still there, and you'll have to deal with it on its own. You can keep taking it, but the pain just doesn't go away. Healing magic is the same way. Eventually, you will have to lay there and wait for the wound to be stitched. Anyways, there's two skills for us healers. Speed of casting, and duration of spell. Speed is simply how fast you can heal a wound. Important in battle. Low speed takes several hours to heal mortal wounds, while keeping the patient from dying from them. High speed, on the other hand, says you can stitch a broken bone in less than a minute. Duration is, simply, how long the healing will last. Low duration means a wound will probably only stay closed until they can get to the medic's tent. High duration will let the fighter fight for a day or two before it's time to get stitched up. Study both and you'll do fine. Just remember, get them to the medics. You can't do it on your own. Speed and duration are tied with your body. Learn speed by running every day to increase your speed, so you understand how speed works. For duration, run long distance daily, or anything that tests your endurance, to learn how hard it is to handle it constantly."
Finally, there are the two minor schools of magic. Buffs, and debuffs. Any mage can tell you about them.
Quote from Veteran Mage »
"Ah yes, the supplementary schools. They're not actually elements. They're simply effects. Used on their own, they're fairly weak. A poison spell can't do much, since you're just throwing a gob of poison. How will it get inside of them to do its insidious work? Stunning spells, blinding spells... Doesn't work like that. And you can't simply strengthen a warrior with a buffer spell. You need something to strengthen them with. So you use the school in combination with an element. Put poison in your water, then get it in an open wound. Or perhaps blind them with smoke from a fireball. Or strengthen their blows with wind at the back of their sword. Or strengthen their armor with the power of the earth. See? For actual effects, talk to my partner."
Quote from Debuffer Mage »
"The debuffing school is all about hurting your opponent. There are five skills to learn. Poisoning does one of two things. Either it saps their strength over time, making them weaker and easier to hurt. Or, it makes them increasingly sick. Poisons can be found all over. Learn their effects. Blinding effects make it so your opponents can't see. Be it smoke from a fire or water in the eyes. Close your eyes and learn how to fight without sight. Then you'll learn how to force others to do the same. Stunning effects will paralyze your opponent, by lightning to shock them or cold to stop them from fighting. Have this done to you, and you'll know how to do it to others. Slowing effects will slow down your opponent. Ice freezes their limbs, or mud sucks at their feet. Try fighting in water, or similar, to learn how to slow an opponent. Lastly is confusion, which muddles their thoughts and helps them confuse friend from foe, or even what they need to do in the first place. Every morning, try to cast a spell. The fuzzy mind from sleep will teach you confusion. My friend here knows about the other school."
Quote from Buffer Mage »
"Buffing spells are meant to help your allies fight. Simple as that. A strengthen spell will use your element to add more power to their blows. It will increase the weight of their sword when it's swung, while not making them carry heavier equipment. Or perhaps have the wind add more speed to the blow. Lift some weights and see what real strength does. A hurry spell speeds them up, with the wind at their back or surer footing on the ground. Run with a fair wind or slide down a slope for this one. Elemental damage spells will do just what they sound like; they add the damage from your element to their blows. Shocking damage, or perhaps cold damage. You decide. Simply work with your element to learn this. Focusing spells will help the mages, giving them less to deal with so they can cast better. Wind to block sound, earth to block blows, or light to dim the sight of battle. Sit in a silent room to learn focus. Warding spells use your element to strengthen the armor of allies. The earth may harden up the armor, while fire may burn foes it touches. Wind may dull the blade so less damage is dealt. Study armor in all its forms to learn how to strengthen it."
Sections The company is divided into sections so that the people who do similar things can work together and learn from each other. Very few missions are performed in-section because most missions require multiple types of people—fighters to attack, mages to cast spells at range, etc. When you join the company, you join the appropriate section of your cohort
Physical Fighters
Quote from Veteran »
One thing you ought to know, newbie, is that you got to train hard to be a fighter no matter what weapon you got. Doesn’t matter if you can aim an arrow through a man’s eye socket if you can’t shoot it more’n ten yards. Everybody who uses a weapon has to work their muscles and develop the strength they need to fight. Learnin’ to use your weapon’s important, but just workin’ out and developing muscles is important for everyone.
As much as you need strength, though, agility’s also important. Bein’ able to dodge yer enemies’ weapons will keep you alive longer ‘n give you a better chance to kill them. Don’t spend all yer time buildin’ bulgin’ muscles and forget to spend some time runnin’ obstacle courses and sparrin’ with your friends. The more you learn to dodge, the better odds o’ you staying with the company longer—alive.
Though everyone who uses weapons needs some strength and agility to get by, you also need to learn ‘bout your own weapon. You gotta learn how to hit ‘nstead of just wildly swingin’ the thing around, and you gotta learn to hit hard so that when you connect, you can kill. Doesn’t matter what weapon you use; you have to train yourself to get the most accuracy and damage outta every attack. The best way t’ train depends on your weapon. Lots of melee fighters just spar with their weapons to learn accuracy and hit dummy targets to work on damage. Archers have people throw stuff for ‘em to shoot to learn accuracy, ‘n they shoot trees or other targets to get that damage. Keep in mind, though, every weapon is different. If a master one-handed swordsman ‘tries to use a bow or even a two-handed sword, he’ll fare no better than the greenest recruit—no better ‘n someone like you.
Speakin’ of one- and two-handed, you gotta know right at the beginning: Each style’s a little different. One-handed fighters kin use shields, so they can block more easily and save themselves. Two-handed fighters use the same kinds of weapons to hit harder and more accurately, but they’re more likely to get hurt. And you hafta decide which way you wanna fight right at the beginnin’, or else you’ll have to start weapon trainin’ over when you change your style.
Melee Fighters
Quote from Veteran »
Ah, the melee men. You got to be good with a close-up weapon to fit this group—they use swords, axes, maces ‘n daggers, but that’s about it. They leave spears and such for the formation fighters. Basically, these guys deal with the close-range stuff, slashin’ and smashin’ the people who try to get in their way and keepin’ the mages and archers from getting beaten to death. Make no mistake, though, a well-trained fighter can kill near ‘bout as well as a mage, ‘n he can do more without needin’ people to back him up. Mages kin have trouble when people can run right up to ‘em and stab ‘em. Fighters don’t.
Quote from Veteran Swordsman »
So you want to wield a sword, do you? Good choice of weapon. They don’t hit so hard as maces or axes, but you can hit faster because they aren’t so heavy. Also, you don’t have to just swing with a sword—you can block enemy attacks with it. Be a bit careful with parrying, though. Unless you train extensively in it, you’ll have trouble successfully blocking people and you’ll have even more trouble when you try to counterattack. Still, don’t learn so much about parrying that you forget to work on your accuracy and power with your weapon. Sword training’s all about balance, friend. Remember that if you decide to join our ranks.
Quote from Veteran Axeman »
Axe fighting’s a hard profession, stripling. You can hit pretty hard with a good axe, but it’s a little slow…you have to swing, reset, swing, reset. Now, if you train in axe fighting, you can learn to speed up your attacks; a master axeman can strike almost as fast as a swordsman, and he can hit much harder because an axe is heavier. It takes a long time to develop that speed, though, and you can’t forget to work on your accuracy and power during that time or it’ll do you little good. If you do put in the work, though, you could do pretty well here, provided you survive long enough.
Quote from Veteran Dagger Fighter »
Now, daggers are a bit tricky to work with. You can certainly hit faster than anyone else—you don’t have the long reset time of the other melee weapons because your dagger’s so light. Unfortunately, that also means you can’t hit nearly as hard. They leave gashes and rip limb from limb; you leave deep cuts or stab wounds. If you train hard, though, you can learn to use those small wounds to your advantage. It only takes a small cut to hamstring a man or rip his jugular, after all. Don’t get overconfident about that, though; you still have to learn to hit with your dagger and hit hard, and it takes a while to learn to reliably hit those vital spots. Oh, one more thing: you can’t wield a dagger in two hands; you have to use two at a time instead. This lets you try to hit twice, but without the extra damage or accuracy of other two-handed weapons. Think carefully before choosing this path.
Quote from Veteran Mace Wielder »
Oh, a mace is a fearsome weapon. A single hit from a mace can send an enemy flying, while the other weapons just cut them a little. In fact, if you train hard with a mace you can learn to do that really easily; your hits can send people sprawling, making it much harder for them to fight back or defend themselves. However, as powerful as a mace is, it’s pretty hard to strike with. After all, you can’t swing it very fast or change its path mid-swing, so enemies have time to try to get out of your way. Training for accuracy can help deal with that problem, but don’t forget to learn to hit hard and knock them down. That’s what a mace wielder’s supposed to be good at, after all.
Ranged Fighters
Quote from Veteran »
If you decide to be a bowman, get ready for some rough trainin’. Sure, bowmen can hurt people, and they don’t even have to be nearby to do it. But y’ have t’ train hard t’ get any kind of accuracy at decent range, and you’re a goner if an enemy can get inside your range. If y’ train yourself to be agile enough, y’ can learn to hide pretty well ‘n you can snipe enemies ‘n be in less danger, but it’s always risky ‘nless you have a have some melee fighters with you, just in case.
Quote from Veteran Longbowman »
Archery is a noble occupation, young one, and learning to use a longbow is the noblest form of archery. We use only our muscles to power our bows, so we can’t hit as hard as crossbowmen. We can, however, shoot much faster. A crossbowman can fell one enemy, but a good longbowman can provide cover fire for an entire area. If you practice with the longbow, you may eventually develop the skill of shooting two or more arrows at once. It will take time and training to make these extra shots accurate, and as with all weapons, you must also train yourself to be accurate and deadly with the longbow and you must develop your own strength and dexterity to complement that mastery. If you devote the time and do all the training, however, you can gain enormous potential to kill.
Quote from Veteran Crossbowman »
If you wanted a powerful ranged weapon, recruit, you should definitely get a crossbow. We don’t fire as quickly as the longbowmen, but every one of our shots can kill. The only thing that can really save someone from a crossbow shot is strong armor or magic, and if you train hard with a crossbow you can learn to shoot through armor like it’s not even there. Armor piercing only works well if you’ve already trained yourself with the crossbow, though. Make sure you’re an accurate shot and know how to shoot for maximum damage, and you’ll be the bane of nearly all your enemy melee fighters.
Formation Fighters
Quote from Veteran Spearman »
Currently, we spearmen are the only formation fighters in this company. We don’t run as many missions as the typical melee fighters do, because we don’t fight nearly as well one-on-one. We focus on working together. We all use long spears and shields, and we fight in formation, usually a phalanx. We’re used whenever the company needs to fight a major battle or a small war, not when some merchant needs protection. However, spearmen have to train just like everyone else. You need plenty of strength to wield a spear well, and you have to learn to thrust accurately and as damagingly as possible to hold up your part of the formation. If you train with a spear, though, you can use that thrusting to your advantage—you can learn to thrust so hard you go through an enemy and impale the one behind him. This takes a lot of practice, but if you want to be a proper member of this section then you have to learn how it’s done.
Mages
Quote from Veteran »
Mages ‘r a pretty big section, ‘cause there’re so many different kinds of ’em. Some of ‘em specialize in healing, stayin’ behind the fighters ‘n helping ‘em stay alive long enough to finish the fight, but these have their own section the fighters, make ‘em stronger so they can hurt the enemy more. Lots o’ mages, though, like to just learn to use their spells. Mages have the same troubles as archers; they can’t use their magic if an enemy’s right on top of ‘em slashin’ and yellin’. Mages have t’ either stay behind the fighters or learn spells to wall themselves in, but if they can manage that they can hurt enemies real bad.
(More on Mages in the magic section)
Healers
Quote from Veteran »
Healers don’t fight near ‘bout as much as the others. Some healers come to the battle, mostly the magical ones, so they can help the fighters Most of ‘em, though, stay in the company barracks and tend to wounded fighters who come in after combats. Never forget, newbie, that magical healin’s only a short-term thing. After a while, that fake flesh dissolves, and then y’ got to see a normal healer—but if you’re lucky, you’re back to the barracks by them. Healers have ta train in magical healing, of course, but also the regular healing as well. Some even train in the healing of the mind. The more skilled, the less scars they leave.
Ambassadors
Quote from Veteran »
Heh, they call themselves ambassadors. Sneak thieves and slimetongues is more accurate if you ask me. Oh, I’ll admit they get the job done; well-trained thieves can steal just about anything they want, and the diplomats have kept this company out of a few ugly places in the past. Still, they can’t really fight and we all know it. They have their uses, and if you wanna join them it’s your business, but personally I think you’d be better off trainin’ with a sword. If you do join their section, though, keep your hands to yourself. If we catch you stealing from other members of the company, you’ll wish you’d stolen from a civilian and been caught by the police. In any case, they learn the art of stealth and quicksilver tongue, among others. And you best know that they're always watching.
Contents
1. This Post
2. Mercenary Companies
3. Theater
4. Government
5. Opposition
6. Races
7. Magic
8. Sections
Note: If you're looking for the basics on this project, please refer to this thread.
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In every city across the land, and in most of the larger towns, are tents characterized by the spears acting as tentpoles and stitching up of torn capes and tunics acting as the tent themselves. Inside each of these tents is one or more soldiers and a sergeant, ready to recruit new people for their mercenary company. While the routine varies from person to person, this is what Commander Fera's hopefuls get.
This gives a little information for the new recruits, but more details information usually comes from the veterans around the cooking fires during sieges or, more often, during basic training.
More friendly veterans give a little more information.
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Some veterans are more knowledgeable on the location of the upcoming contracts. But all the veterans know a lot about Isadore, and usually they're more than happy to let the newcomers know. Especially when it comes to the most used battlegrounds.
When asked about the land itself...
On the subject of the native people...
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Speech is free within the company, especially about the governments, both local and beyond. The most common subject, of course, is the Queen and Parliament.
On the subjects of Dukes..
On the subject of neighboring kingdoms...
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Other than the minor wars between the Dukedoms, there isn't much in the way of conflict in the world right now. But it seems as if Isadore is poised on the knife's edge. A little teetering either way could cause something rather large.
Pressed for more information, specific veterans often can tell a bit more about each faction.
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Isadore is mainly populated by four races. In order of population magnitude, they are: Humans, Elves, Halflings, Aqiuals. While plenty of rumors will be given by everyone about everyone, the best information always comes straight from the source.
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Mages are often feared within companies, as their magic can be deadly powerful. Any recruit will hear a mouthful from a veteran who has seen the power of a mage.
If they press for more information on the magical arts, the more learned will step forwards.
No one but the mages themselves, however, can give the best information and advice about being, and becoming, a mage.
And, for information on particular schools of magic, the best information comes from the practitioners themselves. Each mage will give the same set of advice, to begin with.
But, when pressed on specific attributes of the elements, each mage will regale you on what their chosen element can do.
Talking to healers can teach you about healing magic.
Finally, there are the two minor schools of magic. Buffs, and debuffs. Any mage can tell you about them.
My helpdesk should you need me.
The company is divided into sections so that the people who do similar things can work together and learn from each other. Very few missions are performed in-section because most missions require multiple types of people—fighters to attack, mages to cast spells at range, etc. When you join the company, you join the appropriate section of your cohort
Physical Fighters
Melee Fighters
Ranged Fighters
Formation Fighters
Mages
(More on Mages in the magic section)
Healers
Ambassadors
My helpdesk should you need me.