Divine Avengers

[OnlytheStrong]

Looks like we have actually stubmled across another good core group...though one person has made me cuss under my breath once or twice for having to make me think hard and recall things i had forgotten and search for long lost notes..but all is good...

That's a good sign right? Means we're thinking. Or at least someone is thinking...........


If you don't mind, I'm going to do things alittle backwards and build my character. Basically I just want to get more of a feel for what he will be like based off his background. Seeing the character sheet helps me for some reason.

 

[Nightbreeze]

May I throw in a few suggestions for our order?

I'd say that my order was originally founded to fight the trolls, ogres and other big monsters coming from the northern lands. Gradually, the order started losing this focused mission, but it's recruiting policy is still influenced by it's origins: we only recruit big and ruthless people coming from the northern lands. We usually carry around massive two-handed weapons: rapiers are quick and all, but you aren't going to confuse an ogre with a light, flashing blade: you need to kill him before he gets a blow on your head.

Our official name is the Erukkans, but most people call us "the Beast-killers", while other call us just "The beasts". During the last decades, we carefully encouraged a reputation of being ruthless and merciless: that way, we never have to actually break fingers or such, to make heretics or traitors speak: our reputation and presence is everthing needed.

We are not really fond of heavy armor and horses/cavalry spears, as they are of little use in mountains or in thick forests. However we have no problems in using them, when needed. Funny thing, our horses don't need to be as big as they are: they don't carry a heavy barding, and the knight riding them doesn't use the heavies full-armors common in the Valley of Light and beyond. However, we have a reputation and pride, and a half giant with a large weapon makes almost any horse look like a pony....and that lowers the intimidating factor.

According to your word file, the knights of the light have a total of 15000 belted knights and 80000 men at arms, while the defenders of humanity have 8000 belted knights and 20000 men at arms, and they have to protect the borders of the Valley.

Does that mean that at least 9000 knights and 50000 men at arms from the Knights of light are placed in the borderlands? If that holds true, I'd place the Erukkans at 800-900 belted knights and 2000-3000 men at arms. The proportion is unusual because we don't care much about titles, and when someone is ready, he is ready: no point in squirming about his birth and such.

Hmm...maybe I overextended myself...feel free to smack me

 

[J. Alexander]

Comments

That is another of the reasons i wanted there to be a delay bewteen recruiting and actual game play. It takes me forever to come up with a character i like so i almost always miss out on being selected to play in games as the good stuff comes much later in my character development.. I have to think, call Scotley and bitch and moan before something generally clicks..so take your time..makes tons of changes and develope something you will enjoy playing..not some rushed piece that is posted in order to get accepted into a game....

and on that note if any of you know of a DM that may be starting a campaign let me know..I have been dying to play with Scotley in a campaign for over twenty years and finding a dm that can handle our unorthodxy, fly by the seat of the pants, sneaky, manipulative, scheming, finaical, politcal and down right werid ways.......all that to say thanks Scotley for putting up with more than one over the top characters and ideas that i have come up with that have made you drink buttermilk to settle your stomach after i posted......

Okay having said that it looks like this may be yet another big group.....so far i like every concept floated and the questions so most everone is going to get to play...the only hesitatin i have is in regards to Ferris who dropped out of The Great North with no explanation.....leaving the group sorely lacking a fighter...but that was proably my fault as the action was slow to get started...

Please Please Please dont create rugged individualts who do their own thing...I more or less like to keep the party togehter and hate it hate it hate it when everyone does their own thing......it makes keeping a time line difficult etc..and wreaks havoic on the poor DM. Not that you cant do individual things and there will be times when everyone will more or less split off and have a day or two for their character to solo....like souther operative and the great north if your dont function as a team your are going to have your assess handed to you by some very nasty undead.

While i am in a mood one other thing i would like to make clear...this is for fun...and I as a dm get as much fun out of character interaction than throwing monsters at you..it gives me something to play off of and can be a great help in getting things moving during a slow spell. At times i rely heavil on the players for inspiration as to what course the adventure should take or the next encounter be if you can give me that.. then I think i can create an enviroment that you will truly enjoy. Remember nothing is to weird and I am open to discuss most anything in regards to your pc and am more than accepting and willing to try out new ideas etc...just run the past me and we shall see where it leads...

Dam i need to stop drinking red wine..makes me all thoughful......perhaps bourbon would be better..i get more creative while sipping on it.

 

[J. Alexander]

Commets

Nightbreeze
Love the history and orientation of the order..consider it a done deal...
The figures are a little out of date but are pretty much reflective of the of the 4 great orders of Knighthood of which yours is not one...That is something i need to make clearer.
The are tons of other orders that range from 50 knights to 5000 in their ranks...but while church affiliated are more regional than anything... Hope that helped

As for the Borderlands...the quickest way to start a war would be for the Knights of the Light to assembly an army and march into the Borderlands again....while the knights have a presence in the Borderlands it is the Brotherhood that holds sway there and they loath the Knights..........also the nobels of the Borderlands would not allow such large postings of knights....so the 4 great orders are more or less confined to the valley...

 

[Nightbreeze]

J. Alexander, regarding your question about a dm starting a campaign.

I've been developing my own homebrew setting for some months, and I've got a real problem, in the sense that I started from the real top, and I'm going down to the bottom. All fine, great consistency, but I have trouble setting myself on inventing something that would be actually useful for a campaign....it's a lot more fun to invent legends, history, organization philosophy, code of laws and church dogmas.

Because of that, I started a real life solo campaign in order to bring me on the things that needed to be done. The I started a solo campaign here on the boards, and around the beginnings of march I'm going to start another one. I can easily make it a 2-men-team campaign, and I like your playstile as you described it (I'm pretty much the same, and when i play a wizard/druid/cleric, my DM absolutely hates me...I refuse to use a spell as it was designed to be used, and always strive to come up with something nasty and unexpected) If you think that you may be interested, have a look at my other recruitment thread for the Anarenn solo campaign and send me a mail.

 

[J. Alexander]

Hmm

Nightbreeze
I will chat with Scotley and see if he is game.....but be careful what you wish for .....

 

[Nightbreeze]

Hmm...there isn't much on the Brotherhood in your word document, so I'll be writing in the dark here...I may propose something impossible. Now, what do you think about this:

Everyone speaks about the borderlands, but hardly anyone realizes how long is that border. It stretches on an on, mountains, rivers and gentle hills covered by thick forests one after each other until you begin to think: how could ANYONE defend such a border?

The founders of our order were wise (that is, where they weren't drunk. Most of us are quite wiser than we seem. When we are not drunk). They knew that our place is here, and they knew that the Brotherhood would view us with a great suspicion. Thus, this is how things stand: we have 800 belted knights and 1000-1100 novices. We are stretched thin along the entire border of Highgate, Northwarden and Menokin. A dozen of Erukkans here, a dozen of Erukkans there. Actually, there are only three keeps that are ours: the chapterhouses. There's a sort of unspoken agreement: we almost never gather in more than a dozen in the same place. The chapterhouses hold no more than 150-200 men each. and they are mostly novices. Hardly a threat, when legions of brotherhood soldiers are nearby, watching over them. And we never try to travel in secret (not that it would be easy, anyway)

Our task is to fight the enemies of the Light. We don't care much about church politics. Actually, every once in a while, a clergyman from the south comes up here, and tries to use the fact that we are trusted-somewhat trusted, at least. We usually know that he is coming, and he only finds a pair of drunk knights, while the other are out in the forest, hunting for trolls. Of course, the couple of knights left can't leave the keep...it would be unguarded.

Ah well, I guess, that this doesn't make us many friends among the scheming priests down in the south. What a shame. But only one think needs to be known: we are extremely skilled soldiers. And one dares to negate this (at least, not when someone of us is withing 10 miles)

 

[Nightbreeze]

Nightbreeze
I will chat with Scotley and see if he is game.....but be careful what you wish for .....

If I can handle myself, I can handle you. Besides, it would be a Pbp game, so I'd have the time to think

 

[Nightbreeze]

Meat Shield..god i love that term

Eep! Ah, well, I guess I asked for it...no way to retire my proposal now....

 

[J. Alexander]

Comments

Nightbreeze
Actually that more or less summed up the Brotherhoods position.....the Church Knigths do have a presence in the borderlands they are just not the supreme military power in the area...that is the lay armies and the Brotherhood...and i truly like your idea of small holding and post.....works well with the overall Borderland mentality...good job