The scene opens up to a dark, rowdy tavern in the small town of Ushgar. A haggard, aging bard sits at the head of one of the many long tables in the establishment. Scars, burn marks, and arrow wounds are visible throughout his body, the look of a veteran obvious in his features.
The bard glances over his audience
“So… What story shall we start with? Mind you I’m not in a mood to do anything for free…”
An adolescent boy in his teenage years gathers his courage, nods over to the friend sitting adjacent to him, and runs over to the bard, whispering something in his ear.
The storyteller’s eyes widen for a second, before returning to their usual, lazy regard.
“So boy… You really want to know the story of how The Dark Company began? The mercenary unit that causes the blood to freeze even in the most powerful of Kings? The boldest of heroes?”
The bard quickly realized that the cacophony of voices, sounds, and laughter abruptly stopped with the mentioning of that infamous name. Every pair of eyes was on him now, with almost manic interest. The bard looked down on the table, deep in thought. He knew this was a story best left alone. However...
“The story begins in The Alabaster City, in Tysus - As a collection of most singular, unique individuals find themselves recruited into a squad of the Fifth Echelon mercenary army…”
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Hello everybody! This is a role playing game I have been thinking of for a while now. It will take a lot of roots and inspiration from The Malazan: Book of the Fallen series and A Game of Thrones/ A Song of Ice and Fire.
It is be a medieval fantasy war role play combined with quests and adventures.
The role play will be about the history of our fantasy world's, Mirhandia's, most renowned, infamous, and deadly mercenary army: The Dark Company.
The Dark Company, however, did not start off as an army. Not even close. The founders of the company were a squad of talented and ferocious soldiers who worked under several other mercenary companies, fought in numerous campaigns, and completed a myriad of adventures. Through all these conflicts, they gained fame and attracted a following of soldiers, allies, and other assets which helped them create the army they will become.
Our players will be the members of the squad, which will embark on their first journey together.
This will be a medium fantasy setting. Yes, there will be mages. There might be dragons. However, everything has to be in realistic boundaries. You will not be able to incinerate battalions of soldiers with your sorcery. There are limits to those sort of things. Every squad/army also has it's own mage cadre or squad mages attached to it.
The mood of the role play will be dark, with cynical army/soldier humor mixed in. There will be tons of cursing, gore, and violence.The Dark Company is not a group of noble, just knights who will fight to save a woman's virginity. We are in the grey. Surely, some members will be more humane, more merciful then others, while others will have a different outlook on the world. At the same time, we will not plot some plan to destroy humanity...
This role play will be located in the world of Mirhandia.
The detailed map is here.
Just a brief skim through of how the cultures are in Mirhandia.
The hub of kingdoms around the Jadelyn Empire, as well as those nations around Suratar can be considered a late medieval time Europe. The Jadelyn Empire is considered as one of the more powerful nation of Mirhandia. The natives there are similar to Europeans.
Below Tysus, as you go down to to the Tetrarchy of Klanat, think the Middle East/Arabian sort of vibe, when they were at their peak. Golden domes, skilled archer riders, that sort of stuff. The natives there, you guessed it, are a darker skin color just like the natives of the Middle East.
To the west of the south-west of the Tetrarchy, arround Dissor, we have a kingdom coalition of kingdoms and countries which are mostly covered in forests. The people here are of a more lithe, taller build, with tanned skin and slanted eyes. Some of the greatest archers in Mirhandia come from those parts. Also, a non-human rice similar to elves dwell in those parts, although very secluded.
To the west of that, Xenth and Athet. Athet, and half of Xenth, are covered by expansive jungles. Think of the African jungles. The people here are dark ebony skinned. The second half of Xenth is a desert.
North of Xenth, that whole continent has similar physical attributes and culture as of Asia. To be precise, Japan/China.
I would like the squad to consist of several roles.
- THE MARINES. - "Marines never play fair - they just play to win."
These are light/medium armored individuals who have a nack for versatility. Think of a hybrid between shock troopers, special operations, and heavies. They can use many different weapons - you pick which one your character favors. They usually carry crossbows as well, but sometimes bows. The marines will later become the unique backbone of The Dark Company army, a type of soldier which many other hosts will try to mimic, but few will succeed. Unlimited places in the squad. - THE HEAVIES - "When the Master Sergeant gave me a shield and a sword and told me to spar, I just dug in, and stood there. After two hours, he gave up"
These are the heavy armored, shielded soldiers that just simply won't budge. They usually take point during operations or battles. They can keep a large number of enemy at bay. Unlimited places in the squad. - THE SAPPERS - "Sappers were considered the deranged part of the army. To constantly work with these explosives... It is of little surprise, that when an army arranged their camps, everybody kept well clear of the sapper tents, just in case things went awry."
These are the wild, deranged soldiers which are connoisseurs of the grenado business. They deal with the primitive explosive charges and technology that is available in the setting of the world. Some of these explosives can cause a lot of damage, especially if done right. Sappers in an army can turn the tide of any battle, and can even the odds if the enemy army has more mages then you. There are several type of explosives, all varying in their uses and radius of the detonation. There will be explosives that you can attach to the crossbow arrow and lob at the enemy. These explosives, however, come from the far outreaches of Mirhandia, as only one culture of people have the secrets to craft them. They will be expensive, and sometimes rare. You will have a limited supply at every engagement, so best to use them wisely. A limit of two sappers in the squad. If there's more, the chances are they will blow us up - THE MAGES - "Witness"
Countless armies in Mrihandia have fallen in the tens of thousands simply due to a lack of mages. In some battles, all mages do is counter each other, while letting the soldiers battle it out on the field. The skill and power of sorcerers in Mirhandia varies greatly. There will be Head Mages, at the head of armies, who could destroy thousands, and there might be squad mages who can only do simple things, such as talk to animals. Regardless, I do not want any overpowered mages at the beginning. Pick a talent, and stick with it, and as we go on through the story your power, along with others, will expand and you will become the deadly, renowned founding mage of The Dark Company that you are. A limit of two in the squad. - THE HEALER - "So after losing a game of cards at the encampment, Stumpy threw a knife at the Ninth squad marine soldiers, impaling his hand to the tree. I don't want people to think that just because I'm here, Sergeant, does like that can happen"
The physical healing of wounds, with bandages and medical tools are left to the Cutters. These medics, as you can tell from their namesake - often cut off body parts when the wounds are too grievous. The healers, however, are those few who have a natural talent in High Iskar. Iskar is the concentration of magic that deals with healing and rejuvenation. It won't be able to heal you when you have your head cut off, but it is a damn useful skill for mending serious wounds and illnesses. Although physically healed, the injured person still has to rest for a day or two, as this sort of magic puts a serious toll on both the healer and the patient. High Iskar treatment allows individuals to live for hundreds of years beyond their life span. We will meet many renowned, famous human figures who are pretty damn old. High Iskar is a potent magic that only a few are born with affinity to, and even less are able to master. Therefore an individual is limited to only that path of sorcery. Meaning, you cannot be a practitioner of High Iskar and be able to control fire as well. Healers can also be very capable fighters, and are often marines. Armies usually only have a handful of High Iskar practitioners, so it would be overwhelming if more than one practitioner is a member of the squad. Limited to one.
The only race allowed will be human. There will be other races in the role play, but they are separated from humans. The grand majority of the population of our world, will be human.
Magic: There is a certain way magic will behave in our role play. Every type of magic, be it Darkness, Shadow, or Light, has its own ‘warren.’ A warren is another realm which stands for the magic. The Darkness warren, for example, is a pitch black world. When Mages use their magic, they open up a portal, invisible or not, into that warren and summon the power from it. They basically transfer the darkness from its original darkness warren, into our realm. Each realm has a throne. That throne is occupied by the god of that warren.
These warrens run parallel with our realm, but not exactly. Meaning, if it takes you 5 days to travel from point A to point B in our world, you can actually open your warren, enter that world, and travel in it in a parallel path to ours. You can walk for a day, and then exit the warren – appearing at destination B in only a day, as opposed to the 5 days it would take you in the mortal realm. There are cons to this, however, as these warrens are their own world, and can contain their own dangers.
Gods: As I mentioned before, each warren has a throne, which is occupied by the god of that warren. There are many temples in Mirhandia paying tribute to a god of their choosing. The god chooses, among the mortals, a High Priest. That is the head of that priesthood across Mirhandia. He has the closest connection with his god. A god may choose a Mortal Sword, which is a chosen mortal which he will use to indirectly fight or influence certain aspects of Mirhandia. At the beginning, no player in our squad is allowed to be a Mortal Sword.
Here is the catch: Some are gods, and some are god ascendants. There were gods that have been around since the beginning of time. Sometimes, however, if a god dies, the throne becomes vacant. A mortal may ascend, and take the throne for himself, becoming a god. For now I will not specify which gods are ascendants.
There are individuals who are semi-ascendants. Meaning they have gained superb power or abilities. Combined with High Iskar treatment, as I previously stated, these individuals may also live for very, very long periods of time.
Names of Gods:
HOOD – “KING OF HIGH HOUSE DEATH” God of Death
TRAKE – “THE TIGER OF BATTLE” God of War.
AMMANAS- “KING OF HIGH HOUSE SHADOW” God of Shadow
ANOMANDER – “KING OF HIGH HOUSE DARKNESS” God of Darkness
OSSERIC – “KING OF HIGH HOUSE LIGHT” God of Light
POLIEL – “GREY GODDESS” – Goddess of Disease
MAEL – “KING OF HIGH HOUSE SEA” – God of the Seas
BURN – “MOTHER OF EARTH” – Goddess of the Earth
AURELIUS - "FATHER OF TE WIND" - God of the Wind/Weather
OPONN - "JESTER OF CHANCE" - God of Luck/Chance
WARREN NAMES
Ruse Warren - Water/Seas
Healing - High Iskar Warren
Earth - Tennes Warren
Light - Thyr Warren
Stone - D'riss Warren
Shadow and Illusion - Meanas
Fire - Telas Warren
Darkness - Rashan Warren
Air/Wind - Serc Warren
If a normal soldier’s most valued possession is his sword, then the sapper’s is definitely his Moranth munitions. The chemical techniques and secrets used to make these munitions are only known to the strange people of Moranth. Munitions are therefore very valuable and should not be emptily wasted. Sappers go as far as to sometimes even hide or lie to their officers about the amount of munitions they have left. They value them more then their own children... There are several type of munitions.
Burners were composed of glass cylinders filled with a different type of explosive than other munitions, comparable to real-life incendiary grenades. Upon detonation, burners created a fireball designed to burn enemy troops and supplies. They were less deadly than Sharpers but could be used more strategically to create havoc among the enemy. They were frequently loaded onto large crossbows to allow for more range, and were often used in conjunction with crackers to demolish fortifications.
Crackers were a very specific variety of explosive used for the demolition of buildings. They were the most durable form of munition, able to be hammered without detonation, comparable to a block of real-life military C-4. They were made of fired clay, shaped like cones or wedges that could be hammered into cracks or gaps in walls. Crackers exploded with a loud cracking noise, leading to their name.
Cussers - Filled with a yellow powder and shards of iron, cussers were the largest, most volatile and most deadly of the munitions, comparable to a real-life satchel charge in potential destructiveness. Their name came from the only adequate reaction to their effects - cussing. Cussers required much more delicate handling than other munitions as they were extremely difficult to use on an enemy without also affecting the user. Attempts to launch them using catapults caused them to detonate, as did using a conventional crossbow to deliver them, and they could not be thrown by hand as the blast radius was too wide for the thrower to clear after launching one. Due to their limitations, several alternative methods of delivery and detonation were developed:
1)The most common method of delivery is launching with a modified crossbows. The crossbow is much larger than a conventional bow, and uses a special cradle to hold the munition. These have an effective range of approximately 30 paces, which is close enough that one needs to take cover from debris.
2)Remote donation is also a popular technique. A cusser or group of cussers is planted near the target. The sapper would then retreated out of range and fired a crossbow loaded with a sharper or burner into the region causing the cusser(s) to explode.
3)There is also a fuse technique. A cusser was rigged with a drop of acid that slowly dissolved the clay coating while the sapper retreated out of range. The amount and placement of acid affected the timing of the explosion and was a rare art with little room for error.
4)Trip wire - This was used in ambushes and traps for enemy troops. A tripwire was stretched across a path tied to a cusser on each end. The cussers were balanced on a nearby object. When an enemy sprang the tripwire, the munitions fell and detonated. This was not practical in open areas nor during daylight.
5)The Drum - A legendary method of deploying cussers used only by the most experienced of sappers, which mimiced a land mine. Holes were first dug in a chosen pattern, depending on the area. Cussers were then shaved down on one side until the clay was paper thin. A sharp stone was then placed on the thin area and the cusser was buried. When the enemy approached, their footfalls resonated through the ground causing the stone to puncture the clay and detonate the cusser.
Sharpers These were the most commonly used type of explosive by the armies, due to their versatility. They were small cones composed of fired clay and contained shards of metal designed to act as shrapnel. They were small and light enough to throw without causing damage to the thrower, comparable to a real-life hand grenade. Sharpers were so named because of the sharp shrapnel they produce. They were also commonly loaded onto large crossbows to be fired at distant targets.
Smokers As the name suggests, smokers released large clouds of smoke, akin to a modern smoke bomb. They were used tactically to create confusion.
The squad will at first consist of a Sergeant, me, in order to keep the story going, and a Corporal will be appointed. No hard feelings but the corporal will be appointed some time during our first adventure. The Corporal should be a good, efficient role player. In the general sense, it is sort of an empty rank. It is someone who takes over if the Sergeant dies. As we will become a closely knitted group of soldiers, bound together by hardships and battles fought together, the hierarchy will mean less and less. The shots will still be called by the Sergeant and through the Corporal, but it will be a casual thing to curse, joke, or sometimes second question the higher ranked squad members. One of the edicts of The Dark Company will, however, become the fact that every soldier has the ability to give his own input, feedback, and advice. It is that basis, among many others, that will make it so successful.
Although I can see how I'm coming off as very nit picky or strict, I will allow people to add to the world and story as they see fit. The more the players bring of their own to the plot, the better of a role play we will have! I will try not to force us in any strict direction or event, but rather it will all be depending on our actions as a whole, and the opinions of every squad member. Example : We are attached to a certain army, and therefore we will have to march with them to the engagement they hired us for. The Dark Company will later be famous for almost never dropping out or failing a contract. However, if squad mates feel a certain way about the conflict we are in, and would like to deal with it in another way, we will change the plot to reflect that. Don't want to accept a certain contract? Don't like the army we are fighting for? Feel like the quest we are on is pointless? We are in a world with boundless opportunities, and can go about it in many ways.
RP Quality should be casual to high-casual.
The character sheet is posted in the IC, in an 'in game' format.
Post all your character sheets in the OOC.
Only start posting in the IC after I make my double post, after the squad has been filled up and positions have been arranged.
When creating your biography, feel free to use locations from our world map, or come up with new cities. The world, however, stays the same. Meaning the countries and their borders should not be violated. I also urge you to use your motivation to describe the region and culture you were born from. I will adapt to your stories and they will begin forming the world we will be playing in. I only ask of you to keep with the gritty, dark tone of the role play, and remember that this is a medium - fantasy role play, so no flying lions, ponies, or unicorns. Keep it real to it's setting and tone.
Additionally, I want to state that none of us, as of yet, are semi-ascendants. We possess a much higher level of skill and ability then others, but we are still quiet fallible. We might be getting hurt if we are thrown into the fray. It is up to us to work together, help each other, and come up with strategies to stay alive and survive encounters.
As we go on there is definitely potential of us becoming stronger and stronger, or even becoming semi-ascendants.
The Dark Company Archives include the names and background information of each member of the squad.
