An Introduction to the Ilk
Dread Ilk is a world that resembles the classical hell. Jagged outcrops of rock dot a landscape of red sand and lava rivers. The sky is black, save for a hazy red moon which bathes the landscape in an unnatural luminance. Long ago the Ilk was colonised as a prison world by an ancient race of interplanar travellers. It was here that dangerous criminals and prisoners of war from conquered worlds were sent. However, as the empire began to crumble the colony was abandoned and the prisoners were left to fend for themselves on a seemingly inhospitable world. But through sheer tenacity, a debauched yet prosperous society rose from the scorched wasteland.
The government, if it can be called that, consists of a despotic consul of provincial lords who bicker almost ceaselessly over land and title. The consul is presided over by a nameless figure who is said to be the one true ruler of the Ilk, however next to nothing of this 'overlord' is known to the common folk. While racial divides do exist, the ethnic diversity of the Ilks inhabitants is less of a cause for problem than would be expected. As prisoners, the ancestors of the current generation were all considered equally worthless, and this equality has been passed down over the centuries.
Being that the entirety of its population are the descendants of criminals, the Ilk is a place of cruelty and violence. Laws are few, power is god, and the belief that the strong may do as they please has created a society in which every day is a constant struggle for survival.
Characters
Lucia Teronis – Firenewt Ranger 5
Lucia served 4 years in the Imperial Army, first as a messenger, later as a military spy. Her last year was spent chasing down the rebellious Minotaur Tortoise Clan, of the Sharan Desert, whose chief had long resisted Imperial claims to suzerainty. Her involvement in such a singularly unprofitable affair, when plunder-rich wars are common in the Ilk, is something of a mystery. When asked about it she answers that it was the naiveté of youth, but may indeed have had her own reasons for fighting the Minotaurs. Since the end of the second war of ascendency she has persued a singularly mercenary career, including a brief stint in the Minari Strife. Her animal companion is an owl named Carlo.
The Bagman - Uthuk Y'llan Cleric 4
The Bagman, or “Bag” to his friends, earned this moniker thanks to his gruesome habit of shrinking the heads of his victims, and carrying them with him in a hessian sack. He speaks little of his origins, or how he has ended up as a sword for hire, but his chequered history as a bureaucrat working within the cut-throat hierarchy of the Hydrass clans administration is well known. He is an archetypal free agent, both in his work, and his attitude towards life. Ultimately, he does as he sees fit.
Dalgrieve - Firenewt Druid 5
The more politically astute of the Ilk's scholars would describe Dalgrieve as an anarcho-primitivist, but he has little use for such labels. In his early years struggling to survive in the slums of Talas-Ka he sought to escape from the nightmares of daily life through psychadelic experimentation. His frequent journeys into the depths of his own psyche instilled in him an overwhelming desire to free himself from the shackles of autocratic society. He wishes to level the great towers that dominate the landscape of the Ilk, to deconstruct civilisation and leave nothing but overgrown ruins. His animal companion is a velociraptor known as Killface.
Of late this party has been operating out of the city of Talas-Ka, located in the eastern province of Dread Ilk. They are currently employed by the infamous mercenary guild known as 'The Core,' and over the last few months have earned themselves quite a reputation by committing acts of extreme violence.
Chapter 1 – The Binger's Reprieve
Lucia, Dalgrieve and the Bagman sit around a small wooden table in a noisy tavern, drinking quietly. Carlo the owl is perched upon Lucia's shoulder, its large eyes taking in every minute detail. A heavy set velociraptor lies sprawled on the floor beneath the table, snoring softly.
Dalgrieve leans back in his chair, yawns, then rubs his blood shot eyes. “You realise we're out of money” he hisses in a sinister reptilian tone. “Yes I know” says the Bagman bluntly, “I am aware of this.” “Well?” says Dalgrieve with annoyance, “what are we going to do about it?” The Bagman shrugs melodramatically. “We'll do what we always do” says Lucia, licking her lips with a forked tongue. Then, as if on que, a small imp messenger flaps its way through the open door of the tavern and heads towards the lethargic mercenaries. It is Magra, one of the many spies employed by the Core. "Gunther wants to see you, he has work.” says the imp. “He says you grow fat and lazy on the spoils of war.” The small creature flaps its wings and perches cheekily on Bagman's left shoulder, causing the Uthuk cleric to scowl in annoyance. “He says if you spent as much time working as you did drinking you would all be rich as princes." Both Lucia and Delgrieve roll their eyes. The Bagman is too hungover to care. Taking note of their obvious lack of excitement, the cheeky little creature flits off in to the night.
“I suppose this means we have to get up.” says the Bagman. Lucia has already stood up, grabbed her short bow and quiver, and begun to head for the door. With the ranger already halfway out of the tavern, Dalgrieve whistles loudly to the sleeping raptor. Startled, the beast leaps to attention and crashes head first into the table, sending glassware flying. The Bagman begins to saunter towards the door, casting a menacing gaze over the drunken patrons. Those who's eyes meet his look down fearfully, but one group of upstarts stares back defiantly, almost mockingly. He's seen them around before. Small time thugs who've grown too big for their boots.
As Dalgrieve and the Bagman approach the thugs, their leader, a brutish looking bugbear, continues to stare with mocking contempt. Beside him sit a Quaggoth Thug and an Uthuk barbarian. Their gaunt faces and glazed eyes mark them as smokers of L'tala root, the deadly psychotropic stimulant that has begun to gain popularity in the slums of Talas-Ka.
"You know, we own the streets around these parts,” the Bugbear sneers, “you'd be wise to walk yourself out those doors without looking back." Before the drunken mercenaries can even reply a small bookies window has opened up in the corner of the bar, and money is already changing hands as patrons eagerly place bets on the outcome of your little discussion. “Is that so?” says the Bagman with palpable indifference. Lucia has now realised trouble is brewing, and scurries back into the tavern, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
Unimpressed with the bugbears threats, the Bagman strolls casually towards the thugs and slams his armoured fist onto their table. He stares defiantly at the bugbear. “And you'd be wise to finish your swill.” The bugbear grins, then stands, his eyes perfectly level with Uthuk cleric's.
Seeing that the situation is rapidly deteriorating, Lucia notches an arrow on to her bow string with tremendous speed, fires at the quaggoth thug, then repeats the action with machine like precision. It roars with pain as the arrows penetrate deep into its chest, and blood begins to leak from its wounds, painting its white fur red.
Wasting no time, Dalgrieve shouts an order in draconic, and immediately the raptor sprints from the rear of the bar and launches itself through the air towards the bugbear, its claws outstretched and its mouth gaping. It slashes both claws through the leather armour on the thugs torso, then clamps its jaws around the its victims neck, rending the flesh, before leaping back defensively. Enraged, the blood soaked bugbear swings its mace at the raptor's head but the wily creature evades the blow.
The two other thugs now leap into action; the uthuk barbarian swings its maul at the Bagman, who casually side steps the attack, then swings his scythe at his attackers torso, carving a gaping wound, and sending the uthuk crashing to the cold stone floor. The wounded quaggoth leaps onto the table, and throws a hard punch at the raptors skull, but once again the reptile dodges with unnerving agility.
Another volley of arrows later, and the quaggoth is barely able to stand. The raptor however is in no mood to back down, and it leaps with a blood curdling shriek onto the hapless bugbear. Tearing both claws into its gut, then locking its teeth around the bugbears already savaged neck, it pushes off with both its powerful legs, pulls with its jaws, and rips the humanoids head clear from its shoulders. Blood fountains from the thugs neck, and its body collapses to the ground with a sickening thud.
This is too much for the wounded quaggoth, who turns to leap off the table and flee towards the door. But the raptor swipes with its claw tipping the thug off balance, and sending him crashing to the floor. He lies unconscious as the three mercenaries stand over him. Without saying a word the Bagman leans over the quaggoths prone form, and sliding a thin, dull blade beneath its neck, begins to hack off the creatures head. The crowd watches in silence. After half a minute the head is loose, and the Bagman holds it up for all to see. He grins, pleased with his handiwork, then places the head inside a crude hessian sack. As if to prove a point, Lucia swings her shortbow over her shoulder then grabs a goblet of wine from the table, necks it, then tosses the empty vessel to the ground.
Satisfied with the scene of destruction they have created, the mercenaries decide that it is probably best to leave the bar before any more trouble catches up with them, and stroll out casually through the rear exit.
Dread Ilk is a world that resembles the classical hell. Jagged outcrops of rock dot a landscape of red sand and lava rivers. The sky is black, save for a hazy red moon which bathes the landscape in an unnatural luminance. Long ago the Ilk was colonised as a prison world by an ancient race of interplanar travellers. It was here that dangerous criminals and prisoners of war from conquered worlds were sent. However, as the empire began to crumble the colony was abandoned and the prisoners were left to fend for themselves on a seemingly inhospitable world. But through sheer tenacity, a debauched yet prosperous society rose from the scorched wasteland.
The government, if it can be called that, consists of a despotic consul of provincial lords who bicker almost ceaselessly over land and title. The consul is presided over by a nameless figure who is said to be the one true ruler of the Ilk, however next to nothing of this 'overlord' is known to the common folk. While racial divides do exist, the ethnic diversity of the Ilks inhabitants is less of a cause for problem than would be expected. As prisoners, the ancestors of the current generation were all considered equally worthless, and this equality has been passed down over the centuries.
Being that the entirety of its population are the descendants of criminals, the Ilk is a place of cruelty and violence. Laws are few, power is god, and the belief that the strong may do as they please has created a society in which every day is a constant struggle for survival.
Characters
Lucia Teronis – Firenewt Ranger 5
Lucia served 4 years in the Imperial Army, first as a messenger, later as a military spy. Her last year was spent chasing down the rebellious Minotaur Tortoise Clan, of the Sharan Desert, whose chief had long resisted Imperial claims to suzerainty. Her involvement in such a singularly unprofitable affair, when plunder-rich wars are common in the Ilk, is something of a mystery. When asked about it she answers that it was the naiveté of youth, but may indeed have had her own reasons for fighting the Minotaurs. Since the end of the second war of ascendency she has persued a singularly mercenary career, including a brief stint in the Minari Strife. Her animal companion is an owl named Carlo.
The Bagman - Uthuk Y'llan Cleric 4
The Bagman, or “Bag” to his friends, earned this moniker thanks to his gruesome habit of shrinking the heads of his victims, and carrying them with him in a hessian sack. He speaks little of his origins, or how he has ended up as a sword for hire, but his chequered history as a bureaucrat working within the cut-throat hierarchy of the Hydrass clans administration is well known. He is an archetypal free agent, both in his work, and his attitude towards life. Ultimately, he does as he sees fit.
Dalgrieve - Firenewt Druid 5
The more politically astute of the Ilk's scholars would describe Dalgrieve as an anarcho-primitivist, but he has little use for such labels. In his early years struggling to survive in the slums of Talas-Ka he sought to escape from the nightmares of daily life through psychadelic experimentation. His frequent journeys into the depths of his own psyche instilled in him an overwhelming desire to free himself from the shackles of autocratic society. He wishes to level the great towers that dominate the landscape of the Ilk, to deconstruct civilisation and leave nothing but overgrown ruins. His animal companion is a velociraptor known as Killface.
Of late this party has been operating out of the city of Talas-Ka, located in the eastern province of Dread Ilk. They are currently employed by the infamous mercenary guild known as 'The Core,' and over the last few months have earned themselves quite a reputation by committing acts of extreme violence.
Chapter 1 – The Binger's Reprieve
Lucia, Dalgrieve and the Bagman sit around a small wooden table in a noisy tavern, drinking quietly. Carlo the owl is perched upon Lucia's shoulder, its large eyes taking in every minute detail. A heavy set velociraptor lies sprawled on the floor beneath the table, snoring softly.
Dalgrieve leans back in his chair, yawns, then rubs his blood shot eyes. “You realise we're out of money” he hisses in a sinister reptilian tone. “Yes I know” says the Bagman bluntly, “I am aware of this.” “Well?” says Dalgrieve with annoyance, “what are we going to do about it?” The Bagman shrugs melodramatically. “We'll do what we always do” says Lucia, licking her lips with a forked tongue. Then, as if on que, a small imp messenger flaps its way through the open door of the tavern and heads towards the lethargic mercenaries. It is Magra, one of the many spies employed by the Core. "Gunther wants to see you, he has work.” says the imp. “He says you grow fat and lazy on the spoils of war.” The small creature flaps its wings and perches cheekily on Bagman's left shoulder, causing the Uthuk cleric to scowl in annoyance. “He says if you spent as much time working as you did drinking you would all be rich as princes." Both Lucia and Delgrieve roll their eyes. The Bagman is too hungover to care. Taking note of their obvious lack of excitement, the cheeky little creature flits off in to the night.
“I suppose this means we have to get up.” says the Bagman. Lucia has already stood up, grabbed her short bow and quiver, and begun to head for the door. With the ranger already halfway out of the tavern, Dalgrieve whistles loudly to the sleeping raptor. Startled, the beast leaps to attention and crashes head first into the table, sending glassware flying. The Bagman begins to saunter towards the door, casting a menacing gaze over the drunken patrons. Those who's eyes meet his look down fearfully, but one group of upstarts stares back defiantly, almost mockingly. He's seen them around before. Small time thugs who've grown too big for their boots.
As Dalgrieve and the Bagman approach the thugs, their leader, a brutish looking bugbear, continues to stare with mocking contempt. Beside him sit a Quaggoth Thug and an Uthuk barbarian. Their gaunt faces and glazed eyes mark them as smokers of L'tala root, the deadly psychotropic stimulant that has begun to gain popularity in the slums of Talas-Ka.
"You know, we own the streets around these parts,” the Bugbear sneers, “you'd be wise to walk yourself out those doors without looking back." Before the drunken mercenaries can even reply a small bookies window has opened up in the corner of the bar, and money is already changing hands as patrons eagerly place bets on the outcome of your little discussion. “Is that so?” says the Bagman with palpable indifference. Lucia has now realised trouble is brewing, and scurries back into the tavern, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
Unimpressed with the bugbears threats, the Bagman strolls casually towards the thugs and slams his armoured fist onto their table. He stares defiantly at the bugbear. “And you'd be wise to finish your swill.” The bugbear grins, then stands, his eyes perfectly level with Uthuk cleric's.
Seeing that the situation is rapidly deteriorating, Lucia notches an arrow on to her bow string with tremendous speed, fires at the quaggoth thug, then repeats the action with machine like precision. It roars with pain as the arrows penetrate deep into its chest, and blood begins to leak from its wounds, painting its white fur red.
Wasting no time, Dalgrieve shouts an order in draconic, and immediately the raptor sprints from the rear of the bar and launches itself through the air towards the bugbear, its claws outstretched and its mouth gaping. It slashes both claws through the leather armour on the thugs torso, then clamps its jaws around the its victims neck, rending the flesh, before leaping back defensively. Enraged, the blood soaked bugbear swings its mace at the raptor's head but the wily creature evades the blow.
The two other thugs now leap into action; the uthuk barbarian swings its maul at the Bagman, who casually side steps the attack, then swings his scythe at his attackers torso, carving a gaping wound, and sending the uthuk crashing to the cold stone floor. The wounded quaggoth leaps onto the table, and throws a hard punch at the raptors skull, but once again the reptile dodges with unnerving agility.
Another volley of arrows later, and the quaggoth is barely able to stand. The raptor however is in no mood to back down, and it leaps with a blood curdling shriek onto the hapless bugbear. Tearing both claws into its gut, then locking its teeth around the bugbears already savaged neck, it pushes off with both its powerful legs, pulls with its jaws, and rips the humanoids head clear from its shoulders. Blood fountains from the thugs neck, and its body collapses to the ground with a sickening thud.
This is too much for the wounded quaggoth, who turns to leap off the table and flee towards the door. But the raptor swipes with its claw tipping the thug off balance, and sending him crashing to the floor. He lies unconscious as the three mercenaries stand over him. Without saying a word the Bagman leans over the quaggoths prone form, and sliding a thin, dull blade beneath its neck, begins to hack off the creatures head. The crowd watches in silence. After half a minute the head is loose, and the Bagman holds it up for all to see. He grins, pleased with his handiwork, then places the head inside a crude hessian sack. As if to prove a point, Lucia swings her shortbow over her shoulder then grabs a goblet of wine from the table, necks it, then tosses the empty vessel to the ground.
Satisfied with the scene of destruction they have created, the mercenaries decide that it is probably best to leave the bar before any more trouble catches up with them, and stroll out casually through the rear exit.
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