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The Lone Badger posted:Aren't they less robot than everyone else? Most factions use AIs, Cyriss refuses to.
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Jul 20, 2015 01:38
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Nessus posted:I didn't know that! I suppose they're just following up their own leads then. It doesn't feel inorganic, I'm just prejudiced against fantasy robots that don't know their place like a warjack does. Yeah, religion in the Iron Kingdoms is very rarely the quintessential "good gods versus evil gods" thing of D&D fantasy. You have Morrow and Thamar for that, but I don't think it's an accident that Morrow and Thamar are frequently get shoved aside while gods like Menoth, the Devourer Wurm, and Cyriss get the spotlight (along with the Retribution of Scryah, aka elven extremists get to wage the race war they've always wanted in the name of their god). The thing that I think pulls Cyriss away from being, as you put it, computer nerd idealism is the fact that the soul transfer Eclipse Phase-esque "stick your mind in a clockwork robot" thing is explicitly noted to be a touchy, flawed process that sometimes results in people winding up as emotionless drudges, and even the super-important Cyriss warcaster who got resleeved at an early age is now trying to convince her daughter "no really, spend some more time as a human okay, this isn't all it's cracked up to be."
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Jul 20, 2015 01:40
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Kai Tave posted:Yeah, religion in the Iron Kingdoms is very rarely the quintessential "good gods versus evil gods" thing of D&D fantasy. You have Morrow and Thamar for that, but I don't think it's an accident that Morrow and Thamar are frequently get shoved aside while gods like Menoth, the Devourer Wurm, and Cyriss get the spotlight (along with the Retribution of Scryah, aka elven extremists get to wage the race war they've always wanted in the name of their god).  Yeah, it's well done, it's just not my preferred flavor.
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Jul 20, 2015 01:42
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Nessus posted:Thamar rules too hard for nerds to handle. Personally I think the Cyrissian warjack equivalents just look kind of goofy with their quad-leg designs ending in teeny-tiny little feet.
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Jul 20, 2015 01:44
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I don't think any setting that includes as a playable faction an army of holy crusaders who set heretics on fire and inscribe prayers on their
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Jul 20, 2015 01:44
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Kai Tave posted:Yeah, religion in the Iron Kingdoms is very rarely the quintessential "good gods versus evil gods" thing of D&D fantasy. You have Morrow and Thamar for that, but I don't think it's an accident that Morrow and Thamar are frequently get shoved aside while gods like Menoth, the Devourer Wurm, and Cyriss get the spotlight (along with the Retribution of Scryah, aka elven extremists get to wage the race war they've always wanted in the name of their god). Who are the good guys anyway? You've got Cygnar (sort of) and, umm...
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Jul 20, 2015 02:09
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The Lone Badger posted:Who are the good guys anyway? You've got Cygnar (sort of) and, umm... Cygnar is sort of good in the sense that they aren't brutal religious zealots, willing to employ the fantasy equivalent of war criminals, or the literal embodiment of necromantic evil. What they did to the Trollkin is kind of dickish and the Trollkin's grievances with Cygnar are legitimate. The Trollkin are, in turn, I would say the Hordes version of Cygnar being the mostly decent faction compared to everyone else. Kai Tave fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Jul 20, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 02:24
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The Lone Badger posted:Who are the good guys anyway? You've got Cygnar (sort of) and, umm... Trollbloods, sortof.
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Jul 20, 2015 02:25
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Clearly, the answer is the Rhulfolk, whose primary occupation is sitting in their mountains and going 'god, those humans are weird' and then occasionally busting out giant robots to go have some war for fun. The subtlety of the Menites comes from the fact that they're not wrong. Menoth literally does want them to do what they are doing. And Menoth literally is the creator of humanity and designed them for the purpose of spreading civilization and obeying the Canon of the True Law in order to defeat his ultimate foe, the embodiment of all entropy and destruction. (And also nature.) The reason Thamar and Morrow are different is that they were human first. E: In fact, when the game has priests talk about stuff, most of the time the priests aren't wrong. The gods are just mostly dicks. The Circle's not wrong about the Devourer Wurm! The Protectorate's not wrong about Menoth! The Convergence isn't wrong about Cyriss! It's just none of those facts are especially nice. (Hell, the elves are mostly correct about their own gods, except for the part where they've connected Thamar's Gift with their deaths. That's probably not actually connected.) Mors Rattus fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Jul 20, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 02:30
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I always felt like the good guys are unabashedly Circle. I mean yeah, child kidnapping and occasional ritual sacrifices, but there's a good reason. They only want to stop a worm that wants to eat the world. This game always looks like they wanted to copy the 40k No Good Guys philosophy but couldn't stick the landing because they love Cygnar too much. I think the best way to play this game is to treat Cygnar as goofy do-gooders that speak with either an exaggerated superhero tone or an overly fake victorian steampunk british voice, so at least they can be bad guys too because everyone hates their corny guts. theironjef fucked around with this message at 02:35 on Jul 20, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 02:31
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I think the main thing that differentiates it from 40k is that generally, most factions have people you can point to and go 'this is a good person' even if the faction itself is terrible. (Exceptions: Cryx, Everblight, Skorne though you can at least point to Makeda for HONORABLE SKORNE) This makes them a lot more fun for me.
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Jul 20, 2015 02:40
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Mors Rattus posted:E: In fact, when the game has priests talk about stuff, most of the time the priests aren't wrong. The gods are just mostly dicks. The Circle's not wrong about the Devourer Wurm! The Protectorate's not wrong about Menoth! The Convergence isn't wrong about Cyriss! It's just none of those facts are especially nice. (Hell, the elves are mostly correct about their own gods, except for the part where they've connected Thamar's Gift with their deaths. That's probably not actually connected.) I've always figured that the whole elven decline/soullessness thing was a long game from one of the dragons, either Toruk or one of his offspring. I can't remember if this was ever actually hinted at or not but it seems like the sort of thing they'd do. theironjef posted:I always felt like the good guys are unabashedly Circle. I mean yeah, child kidnapping and occasional ritual sacrifices, but there's a good reason. They only want to stop a worm that wants to eat the world. I dunno, I never really got the feeling that Privateer wanted to make everything SUPER GRIMDARK because like you and Mors have both pointed out, even some of the extremely dickish factions have a point. The Protectorate isn't some super-cynical "religious zealots go to war while the leaders pervert their teachings." No, Menoth is real and Menoth approves of this poo poo. And yet and still, Menoth created humanity and is the god of civilization and there are aspects to the Protectorate and the Mennite faith that deal in compassion like the Order of the Wall, though they're admittedly in the minority. The Circle? Well you have kidnapping and blood sacrifice...on the other hand, they're keeping the Devourer Wurm from deciding it's time to kickstart Ragnarok so, y'know. You have explicitly evil rear end in a top hat factions like Cryx and Everblight but there's more nuance going on with some of the others than you tend to get in something like 40K. As for Cygnar the thing about Cygnar being the good guys is A). even they do lovely stuff like what they did to the Trollkin and B). being the good guys hasn't really helped them do much more than hold on, and the metaplot is full of Cygnar being put on the defensive, losing ground, etc. They're the good guys but they're also the setting's whipping boy in some respects. Need to show that someone means business? Have them give Cygnar a kicking.
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Jul 20, 2015 02:43
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I also think Cygnar had a really brutal king within recent in-setting history. So fifty years ago Khador would've been the good guys.
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Jul 20, 2015 02:47
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Technically Magnus the Traitor has a point...Leto isn't the rightful ruler of Cygnar, he's a guy who overthrew the legitimate ruler in a coup. Of course it says a lot about Vinter Raelthorn's rule that the majority of Cygnarian citizenry seem to approve of the change in leadership.
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Jul 20, 2015 02:53
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Yeah, most of the factions are ultimately kinda right; the metaphysics of the world are basically lovely and the lovely relationships worshippers have with their gods is based in that. Basically, if a god doesn't take your soul after death, your end up getting eaten by the Devourer Wurm, get warped into a servitor for a dragon or necromancer, or get kidnapped by Infernals. In turn, if a god doesn't have enough mortal souls powering their war efforts, they end up getting killed by one of the above and then everyone who relied on that god is hosed. What makes Marrow and Thamar different is their belief that humans can, through Ascension, change the course of the war in Urcaen. They just have different ways of getting to that point.
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Jul 20, 2015 02:57
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The main thing to remember about IK is outside of the dragon factions, each side has at least some good people. Hell, even the Old Witch of Khador isn't evil, she just wants to see the advancement of Khador above all else other than that she's just super creepy in that Grim brother's fairy tale sort of way. She's especially not evil when you compare her to almost anything the Graylords have done, ever. You mean it's a sword covered in the faces of the damned, who scream forever for their release and drive anyone who wields it for a long enough period of time insane? Yeah we'll just give it to condemned prisoners, it's not like anyone cares about them. Also I have this really neat idea for making a Warjack powered by suffering just don't ask me where I got the idea, or the warpwolf skin. And the thing about the Retribution is that they're only one of three major factions within the Scryan church, one of them is fairly pro-human, and the last one is just isolationist as gently caress. The issue is that the retribution has been in charge of the military for long enough, and making mage hunters for long enough, that most peoples perception of the elves has been skewed through that lens. Mors Rattus posted:E: In fact, when the game has priests talk about stuff, most of the time the priests aren't wrong. The gods are just mostly dicks. The Circle's not wrong about the Devourer Wurm! The Protectorate's not wrong about Menoth! The Convergence isn't wrong about Cyriss! It's just none of those facts are especially nice. (Hell, the elves are mostly correct about their own gods, except for the part where they've connected Thamar's Gift with their deaths. That's probably not actually connected.) Kurieg fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Jul 20, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 04:15
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Man, Goreshade is freakin' huge. Why is Goreshade huge?
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Jul 20, 2015 04:49
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theironjef posted:Man, Goreshade is freakin' huge. Why is Goreshade huge? He lifts. How do you think he gets all the sexy zombie ladies?
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Jul 20, 2015 04:51
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Kurieg posted:Yeah, the Thamar's Gift being powered by elven souls is corellation!=causation to a ridiculous degree. Thamar gave humans magic, and three to four years later, all the elvish clerics went insane, and then a few years after that one of the last priests of Nyrro told them that the gods were dead. The problem is that the Elvish Leadership are a giant pile of assholes. The Retribution are just one side effect of this. The others being the Nyss being basically consumed whole by Everblight. and Goreshade and everything else he's managed to do. What I took away from the breakdown of how the Retribution came to power is that a lot of them really just wanted an excuse to go kill some humans and the whole "human magic is killing our gods!" thing is a convenient justification, and that ultimately even if it could be verifiably disproven that the Retribution would just keep on trucking because hey, why leave a job half finished?
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Jul 20, 2015 05:02
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Goreshade, incidentally? Also correct! Sort of. He managed to find where the elven souls were going, anyway. He has then managed to go completely insane and decide on a plan that makes no sense whatsoever but, you know, elf vampires.
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Jul 20, 2015 05:03
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Kai Tave posted:What I took away from the breakdown of how the Retribution came to power is that a lot of them really just wanted an excuse to go kill some humans and the whole "human magic is killing our gods!" thing is a convenient justification, and that ultimately even if it could be verifiably disproven that the Retribution would just keep on trucking because hey, why leave a job half finished? Especially if that job is a genocide. If they stop now then the surviving humans will come and wipe the elves out. So yeah, I guess they're just going to have to keep going now.
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Jul 20, 2015 05:11
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The Lone Badger posted:Especially if that job is a genocide. If they stop now then the surviving humans will come and wipe the elves out. So yeah, I guess they're just going to have to keep going now. Yep, the Retribution doubtlessly knew that when they went all-in and now the Iossans are committed because even if the other elven factions managed to oust the Retribution from the current position they've seized what are they gonna tell everyone else? No hard feelings? Sorry we tried to exterminate you?
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Jul 20, 2015 05:14
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theironjef posted:Man, Goreshade is freakin' huge. Why is Goreshade huge? If you mean "Why is he so important" the law of conservation of story, for the longest time him and Eryss were the only two elf characters that were movers and shakers in the wider world. And Toruk literally does not give a gently caress. He's playing the insanely long game, and anything Goreshade does is unlikely to bring the downfall of Cryx as a whole. Even him helping out Everblight just made it easier for Toruk to find him. If you mean "Why is he so physically large", he's wearing iron lich armor but he hasn't gone through with the whole 'replace your skeleton with metal' thing. Kai Tave posted:What I took away from the breakdown of how the Retribution came to power is that a lot of them really just wanted an excuse to go kill some humans and the whole "human magic is killing our gods!" thing is a convenient justification, and that ultimately even if it could be verifiably disproven that the Retribution would just keep on trucking because hey, why leave a job half finished? Basically the retribution has been sending mage hunters out into the world for decades to kill human arcanists because they think it's saving Scyrah. Most of the rest of the elves either didn't know or didn't care because they were surgical strikes against individuals, not grand warfare against nations. Then Eriys came back with news of the Vault of Winter being captured by the Graylords (because of Goreshade, naturally) and the Retribution turned her into a hero and used it as justification to take over the Iosian military. Nevermind the fact that their opinion of Nyss elves rates just above "utter loathing", and the reason the Nyss are in this state in the first place is that the Iosians threatened to kill them the last time they came around asking for help.
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Jul 20, 2015 05:16
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Kurieg posted:If you mean "Why is he so important" the law of conservation of story, for the longest time him and Eryss were the only two elf characters that were movers and shakers in the wider world. And Toruk literally does not give a gently caress. He's playing the insanely long game, and anything Goreshade does is unlikely to bring the downfall of Cryx as a whole. Even him helping out Everblight just made it easier for Toruk to find him. I was in the wrong thread, though luckily this one is also currently talking about WMH. I am currently assembling a Goreshade.
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Jul 20, 2015 05:20
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theironjef posted:I was in the wrong thread, though luckily this one is also currently talking about WMH. I am currently assembling a Goreshade. Which? 1, 2, or "is on a loving horse"?
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Jul 20, 2015 05:24
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Kurieg posted:Which? 1, 2, or "is on a loving horse"? Goreshade 1. He's the right kind of jerk caster for journeyman tournaments. Actually he seems to be like 10 feet tall, I wonder if they shrink him for Horseshade or just put him on a giant horse, too.
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Jul 20, 2015 05:54
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You'd think Goreshade and Vintar Raelthorne IV would be able to hang out and share stories about not being King and also being crazy. Aren't the Cyriss people wrong? Didn't we have some mercenary priest who discovered that their soul transfer process removed free will from the resulting automaton?
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Jul 20, 2015 07:37
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Hypocrisy posted:Aren't the Cyriss people wrong? Didn't we have some mercenary priest who discovered that their soul transfer process removed free will from the resulting automaton? I think the idea is that in the early stages when the process was being developed this was the case but that it's been refined to correct that flaw (more or less) since then. One of the Convergence's major warcasters has undergone the soul upload into a clockwork body and I imagine that it'd be hard to put a will-less automaton in charge of your major military operations.
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Jul 20, 2015 07:48
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I thought the implication was that the Convergence, though they think they are acting of their free will, are really being controlled by some unknown force in the background. I has assumed it was Cyriss and that Cyriss was not entirely what the Convergence thought she was. Or perhaps I am misremembering what the entry said. Sorry, I can't trust robot people!
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Jul 20, 2015 08:06
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Kai Tave posted:The most Unknown Armies television show ever was a Sci-Fi original miniseries called The Lost Room, though it had little in concept with the Rooms of Renunciation. The premise was that a room at a motel in 1960 underwent something referred to as "The Event" which caused it and everything inside of it to become weird, glitchy, indestructible artifacts of varying and often bizarrely specific power. A pencil that spontaneously causes a penny to appear whenever you tap it against a surface. A wristwatch that perfectly hard-boils any egg you wrap it around. Wow, I've got to thank you for bringing up this show. I checked it out because of this comment and it was terrific. I wish there was more of it...but drat it was good.
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Jul 20, 2015 08:27
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oriongates posted:Wow, I've got to thank you for bringing up this show. I checked it out because of this comment and it was terrific. I wish there was more of it...but drat it was good. I know, right? It's uncanny how well it meshes with the Unknown Armies vibe...weird cults, a pawn shop and laundromat magnate obsessed with bringing his dead son back to life, a collection of broken and obsessed people vying with each other for possession of a traveling salesman's supernaturally empowered luggage, incredibly specific metaphysical rules (which wind up coming into play in very clever ways several times throughout the show), Margaret Cho playing a chainsmoking information broker out of the back of a dry cleaner's, etc. Word is that the miniseries was put together as a proof of concept for a full-fledged regular series but I suppose there just wasn't enough interest to get it greenlit (and also probably Sci-Fi being Sci-Fi). Still, if you're a fan of Unknown Armies you really owe it to yourself to track down this show, it'll give you more inspiration than you'll know what to do with.
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Jul 20, 2015 08:35
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Hypocrisy posted:I thought the implication was that the Convergence, though they think they are acting of their free will, are really being controlled by some unknown force in the background. I has assumed it was Cyriss and that Cyriss was not entirely what the Convergence thought she was. Cyriss is mentioned as being cryptic and enigmatic as all hell, so that probably is the case. I got distinct mystery cult vibes where even the highest leaders of the faith don't actually know much about the object of their devotion.
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Jul 20, 2015 14:27
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I always thought the implication was that the Cyrissian's messing around with the leylines is what's slowly killing Scyrah and making the elves soulless. Having the magic of the world redirected into making it into a new sentient godhead can't be good for any gods currently living on said world. Also I'm pretty sure the other religions and nations wouldn't be too happy if the reality of what the Cyriss church is trying to pull off became common knowledge.
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Jul 20, 2015 15:33
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I get the feeling that if the Cyrissian's actually accomplish their goal, it’s not going to be good for ANYONE not a soul jar robot, not just the gods.
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Jul 20, 2015 16:01
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Forces of Warmachine: Mercenaries Dannon Blythe and Bull are a perfect team. They'll work for Cygnar, Khador, the Protectorate of Menoth or the Trollbloods. They are professional bounty hunters, tracking down criminals both large and small. War criminals, deserters, fugitives, that's the prey. They've worked together for years, both in cities and on the road. Dead or alive, they get their fugitives. They have a fierce reputation among criminals, relentless in their hunts, willing to cross any border. They'll join armies to take down targets hiding behind uniforms, and their reputation among most commanders means they usually get paid to do it. Blythe and Bull met years ago in Merin, where they worked together to dismantle an outlaw network in the city, with Bull providing the brutality and Blythe the tactical ingenuity. They've worked together ever since, preferring overwhelming force, thanks to Bull's Demolisher cannon. Those too stupid to surrender die in a hail of lead, while the smarter ones get hogtied and dragged home for justice.  Croe's Cutthroats work under Jarok Croe, who will hire out to Cryx, Khador or the Protectorate of Menoth. They're assassins, but not the lone type - Jarok likes to teach others and have friends. He was born in the Fharin slums, where he learned to fight, then apprenticed under a former Cygnaran pistoleer. Once he mastered the gun, he provoked his teacher into a duel and killed the man, claiming his magic pistol Hiss as a prize. He became an enforcer in the Cygnaran underworld, then went into business for himself, assembling a team of stealthy killers. They use crossbows from cover, then close to slit throats and slip away again. Croe has no respect for law and enjoys tormenting Cygnaran authorities. His death or capture are a high priority for Scout General Rebald, but Croe's headed abroad for a while, making money off the outbreak of war. His team are mercenaries in name only, with no code or charter save obedience to Jarok Croe. Other mercs scorn them, but Croe pays his men well and always fulfills his contracts. He is an unparalleled survivor, blending in and always having an escape route when things get dire. His men always seem to die in his place, and some say he's sold his soul for luck, though never where he can hear them.  Captain Sam MacHorne and the Devil Dogs are an old-established mercenary company, willing to work for Cygnar or the Protectorate of Menoth. Dog Company, AKA the Devil Dogs, were founded 180 years ago by Grigor Dorenski, former Winter Guard kapitan, and they worked for Khador for a while. However, during the Second Expansion War, they expanded their charter to include a clause forbidding work for Khador, ever. This is because in 464 AR, Kommander Telyev Zerkova hired the Devil Dogs, hoping they'd die absorbing fire. The Dogs succeeded in their mission, however, and she refused to pay them. Dorenski rewrote the company charter in his own blood, swearing they'd never again fight for Khador, even should they be the last nation on Caen. Nearly 150 years later, Dorenski's great-great-nephew lost the company to a Thurian named Samantha MacHorne in a game of dice. She was a former pistoleer and mechanik as well as a gambler, and she saw that with a little discipline and new equipment, the Devil Dogs could be a real prize. they rallied around her, and two years later, she and the newly reforged Dog Company began to hire themselves out as the best professional anti-warjack unit around, using custom anti-armor slug guns, chains and nets to entangle limbs and heavy pick axes to dismantle them.  Cylena Raefyll and her Nyss Hunters will work for Cryx, cygnar, Khador, the Retribution of Scyrah, the Circle Orboros or the Trollbloods, but will not work with any army that has even one Blighted unit in it. The Nyss long believed themselves safe from war, until the rise of Everblight. They were broken, but one Nyss group will not give in. Cylena Raefyll leads them in a quest for vengeance, however long it takes. She and her team have become peerless killers and survivors. Their bows can pin down or slay even the fastest foe, and they are equally skilled with the curved Nyss claymore. Their hatred of the blighted is so intense that they will work for even the worst of the worst, allying temporarily with Cryx after being approached by Goreshade. She put aside her hatred to help them as she knew Toruk desired to eat Everblight's athanc, but Goreshade betrayed her. She evaded capture, fleeing to Khador and still willing to hurt Everblight by any means possible. She helped prevent the destruction of Nyssor by warning Eiryss about Goreshade, unwittingly setting into motion the rise of the Retribution of Scyrah. None of this matters to Cylena when compared to her vendetta against Everblight, though, and she'll do anything to destroy the dragon, no matter what the cost.  Kell Bailoch will work for Khador or the Protectorate of Menoth. He is a rifleman and former soldier turned assassin. His prices are high, but worth it. He has a forgettable face, which is good in his line of work, and he's done well lately. He's been a wanted criminal since the days of VinteR IV, and King Leto has not changed that. Cryx, as well, has a bounty on his head. As far as he knows, he is the sole survivor of the Ocean's Mistress expedition led by Head Inquisitor Dexter Sirac in 591, which recovered the Witchfire from under Castle Moorcraig in Cryx. It was there that he got his rifle, Silence, which is magically enchanted to make no sound. Even before that, though, he had a colorful past. He began as a Cygnaran rifleman, but he hated military life, as he lacked the stomach for the sycophancy needed to advance. He left the army, joining the now infamous Black Talon mercenaries, one of the few companies in recent memory to be disbanded for their crimes, under Vinter IV - a testament to their bloody atrocities. Some former Black Talons were able to avoid capture by bribes and low profiles, and Bailoch remains in touch with them, getting info and job leads. He's spent a lot of time in Five Fingers and has an ongoing arrangement with the Four Star Syndicate, but rumor is at least one high captain has it in for him after a sniping 'incident.' Bailoch is a master of disguise and stealth, impersonating priests, privateers or officers in the course of his missions. His victims never see him coming, and they only briefly feel surprise before their deaths.  Anastasia di Bray will work for Cygnar or the Protectorate of Menoth. She is a face in the crowd, so good at hiding that she sometimes loses her identity for a time. She was trained as a spy and assassin by one of Llael's many political cabals, and by the time Khador invaded, she was already a veteran. She reunited with her old cabal after the invasion, joining the Resistance in Rhydden and fighting in the siege of Merywyn. She has become a creature of the shadows, able to infiltrate anywhere to steal secrets. Only her Resistance peers understand her, but she feels a burning urge to wipe out the Khadoran invaders and the traitors that help them. She plans to kill Deyar Glabryn and any other who sold out her people, but for now, she runs guns and supplies for the Resistance and organizes urban rebel cells. Her field work has gained the trust of leaders like Ashlynn d'Elyse, who sends Anastasia the most crucial missions. In fact, it was Anastasia who was sent to learn the religious leanings of the Greylords of Leryn, information crucial to the Menite liberation of the city. She silenced sentries that might have raised the alarm in the Menite attack, but since then, the Resistance has grown wary of the Protectorate, and she has been gathering intelligence on them. What she's learned is disconcerting, but she remains determined to throw off the Khadoran yoke, no matter how long it takes or how many she has to kill.  Stannis Brocker, Steelhead Commander of Ternon Crag will work for Cryx, Cygnar, Khador or the Protectorate of Menoth. He loves battle and war, and he's spent decades mastering them. He views chaos as the herald of good business and feels naked out of armor. He has no idea and doesn't care to learn how to live without bruises or battle. He doesn't care why he fights - just who he has to kill. He is the ideal mercenary, apolitical and amoral. He's outlasted most of his friends, and only recently has he begun to show his age. He founds his old battle aches are easily fixed with ale, gambling and cheap women, though. He's spent 20 years fighting with the Steelheads, and he's become immortal in their stories. He doesn't plan to retire, preferring to die in battle. He makes no excuses - he's opportunist, expects to be paid well and was brought to Ternon Crag by a contract with Asheth Magnus. Most consider Ternon Crag barely civilized, but it suits Brocker. He's turned the once insignificant chapterhouse into a notable and rising star, keeping his men busy in Llael and the Thornwood, though things got dicey when the Crag was briefly occupied by the skorne. Since they left, though, Brocker and his men have regained their influence and he likes being outside national borders. He is the undisputed tyrant of the local Steelheads, feared but not always loved. He is unyielding if realistic, and his employers appreciate his ability to turn unruly mercs into an army. His sizable halberdier and cavalry forces make the Cygnaran border guard uneasy, and the sight of Brocker atop his horse, Gorbrute, and wielding the greatsword Thrasher is an image few forget. Next time: The pipe, the pipes are calling
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Jul 20, 2015 22:54
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I'm noticing the mercenaries seem to be the rebels against the pauldron tide, and profit from it visually.
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Jul 20, 2015 23:10
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Night10194 posted:I'm noticing the mercenaries seem to be the rebels against the pauldron tide, and profit from it visually.
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Jul 20, 2015 23:26
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It takes a long supply line to properly support pauldrons, something that most mercenary groups lack. ...besides, they scrap 'em to keep their jacks running.
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Jul 20, 2015 23:33
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Kell Bailoch is another figure who's been around since the inception of the Iron Kingdoms as a setting even before there was a game. I remember there was a fiction vignette featuring him and his magically silenced rifle on the earliest iteration of Privateer's website.
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Jul 20, 2015 23:49
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| # ? May 24, 2024 19:31 |
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Forces of Warmachine: Mercenaries Madelyn Corbeau, Ordic Courtesan will work for Cygnar, Cryx, Khador, the Protectorate of Menoth or the Retribution of Scyrah. The Ordic court is famous for its intrigues and its courtesans, and of all of them, Madelyn Corbeau is the most beautiful, intelligent and dangerous. She was born to an Ordic noble and Llaelese courtesan, spending her childhood between those two nations and receiving the best education a spy could ask for. By the time she was of age she was already an accomplished Ordic intelligence agent, working for the Bandit King Baird. She rose to prominence on her intellect, grace and ruthlessness. She is welcome at all civilized courts, and her rivals hate, fear and envy her. Anyone that moves against her is destroyed socially...or just disappears. She has made a small fortune by selling secrets, and she has turned now to controlling her own destiny. With contacts in every nation, it was easy enough to uproot herself in the guise of a sabbatical to Caspia, and she now sells her services to the highest bidder. Her knowledge of tactics, commanders and armies is growing encyclopedic, and while rumors link her to Ord, the Llaelese Resistance and even the Unseen Hand, both Cygnaran and Khadoran intelligence services believe her to be a true free agent with unknown motives. There is no city in which she has no friends or lovers, and she has infiltrated society everywhere, even in Cryx. She has even hinted at being a guest of the Iosan court, which is no mean feat.  Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord will work for Cygnar or the Protectorate of Menoth. He travels the world in a haze of regret and song, known as the Piper of Sorrows for the loss he's seen. His songs can cause terror, raise spirits or summon mists of dread. To those first meeting him, he seems a road-weary mercenary, solemn and quiet save for when playing his pipes or talking of history, though he's pleasant enough and has a quick wit. In truth, he is caught between worlds, his heart and soul trapped in Urcaen with those he's loved and lost. He is made whole only by music that speaks of his sorrow. Many believe his talent is truly a unique magic, a knack for sorcery fueled by grief and loss. The Menites believe his music is a prayer to the Creator. The men that follow him into battle often lose themselves in his songs, gaining courage not from passion or patriotism but a surrender to mortality. When not fighting, Carvolo can be found in mercenary camps across Immoren, mostly in Cygnar, Ord and the Protectorate. He asks for little but the coin he needs to eat, save for when fighting Khador. Then, he dispenses even of that fee, working only for food and shelter. His hatred for Khador is famous, and his sorrow is probably tied to them. Few men have been present at so many historic events as he, and he has become a respected historian, though he is weary of war. His songs all touch on the theme of men living but briefly before they are killed. He is popular with soldiers, who often ask for nostalgic or sad tunes, and the camps he visits are always somber. He prefers low dirges and laments, and the dead themselves seem to want to comfort him. Nightmares haunt those who hear his songs, as they suffer trying to reconcile the existence of such unimaginable loss and pain.  Orin Midwinter, Rogue Inquisitor will work for Cryx, Khador, the Protectorate of Menoth and the Skorne. He is the last of a dying breed, one of the inquisitorial wizards that killed in the name of Vinter IV. He was below only Head Inquisitor Dexter Sirac, and he remembers his time in power well, recalling in detail the interrogations and tortures he carried out. He's rather fond of those days, in fact - the past 13 years of hiding his background and living in squalor have been hard, but he's been biding his time. The Inquisition was originally formed to stop witchcraft and was expanded to all treason. Midwanter made his name hunting sorcerers rather than nobles or traitors, but that worked against him after Leto's coup. His more political comrades found shelter, or died, or begged for mercy from the Morrowans. Midwinter refused to recant, staying hidden and consumed by anger at his lost glory. His squalid life began to take its toll, though, and he picked a disease similar to rip lung which chokes his breath. He expects to die soon, but will no more surrender to disease than to Leto. While he still sees himself as an arcane master, he has been degenerating. No written record of his victims exists, and he guards his anonymity fiercely. Anyone who probes too deep, he kills with magic lightning. His temper has led to him moving around a lot, avoiding the Reconaissance Service, so he's hidden in Ordic ports and the Bloodstone Marches. His paranoia verges on insanity, but his loyalty to Vinter has recently led him to reach out and contact people he believes also support the true king. In their company, he wears his old robes and dreams of a new Inquisition before his death.  Taryn di la Rovissi, Llaelese Gun Mage will work for Cygnar or the Protectorate of Menoth. Unlike most Llaelese, she believes Llael got what it deserved. She became aware of her magic at a young age, and her fellow orphans never understood her obsession with duelists. She watched the pistoleers regularly, and it wasn't long before one of them waved her over to join them, her magic revealed when she fired her first gun. Henri taught her what he knew, and she became a bodyguard and proxy duelist, as well as going through a string of noble lovers. Henri was a Llaelese army veteran and used to nobles being jerks, but when a duke suggested his intentions towards Taryn were not honorable, he demanded a duel. Taryn watched him get gunned down, and the duke refused her challenge of vengeance. She spent half a year plotting her revenge, but the Khadoran invasion made it all unnecessary. She was cornered with the duke and shot him without a care. She made her way to the army more for survival than patriotism, and she soon realized Llael's military was a hopeless wreck. She decided she didn't want to die for a country that'd crippled itself with ineffective noble officers. She spent time wandering Llael, contracting out with mercenaries, and it was in Leryn that she met Rutger Shaw. She was impressed by his calm when she pointed a gun at him and even more at his readiness in dealing with a Winter Guard patrol that found them seconds later. Taryn has been surprised to find she's falling in love with Rutger as bad luck has been drawing them into one situation after another, between his demeanor and his disdain for the wars around him. She respects him and cares for him more than she ever did for her Llaelese nobles.  Rutger Shaw, Professional Adventurer will work for Cygnar, Khador or the Protectorate of Menoth. He has been all over Immoren, guided by a love of money and adventure. He might be just another merc, were it not for his conscience, but his best intentions are still tempered by a deep fatalism. An idealistic young Shaw enlisted with the Cygnaran Trenchers, and he adapted well to it, heading to Fellig. By the end of his tour, though, he was a changed man. His experience in war and the deaths around him soured his once bright perspective, coming to see Cygnar as just another employer rather than a home. Offered the chance to re-up as a sergeant, he declined, as his conscience would not let him lead men for a cause he did not believe in. He knew he couldn't go home, either, so he invested in weapons and set off for the middle of nowhere, traveling with bandits, mercenaries and adventurers. He might have been rich long ago, were he not so generous to beggars and veterans. Shortly after the fall of Llael, a refugee alchemist hired him to retrieve documents from Leryn, where he met a woman who calmly pointed a gun at him, then helped him fight the Winter Guard. Shaw was impressed by her grace and purpose, and the two grew more comfortable together, but his respect kept from making advances on Taryn di la Rovissi as he usually might. By the time they got back to the alchemist, they were friends. She shares his lack of interest in national politics, and bad luck and poor timing has forced them to stick together often of late. He feels he's lost the chance to tell Taryn his true feelings of love, instead seeking to impress her with ever more dangerous stunts.  Harlan Versh, Illuminated One will work for Cygnar or Khador, but not for any army containing any Thamarite or Undead units. He is one of the most formidable soldiers of the Order of Illumination, empowered by the Sancteum to hunt down spiritual threats to the Morrowan faith. The order works secretly in Cygnar, Khador and Ord, and Versh has been part of their hidden war for 20 years, cleansing the world of inhuman monsters. He's made a name for himself hunting down Thamarites, Cryxians and necromancers, but lately, his ruthlessness has been drawing fire from his own order. Even as a child, he was a joyless soldier of the faith, working hard for his family and finding peace only in church. He kept to himself, due to his self-righteousness and intolerance of the flaws of others. He wanted to join the church but would not become a priest, seeing them as too passive and accepting of corruption. He came to the attention of the Order when he tracked down and destroyed a Thamarite cabal near his village - he'd killed several nobles, and was sentenced to hang. The local vicarate stepped in to save him, encouraging him to enlist in the Order. He was trained with gun, sword and holy verse against the infernal, becoming an unrelenting hunter. His fervor drove him to act without asking his superiors, though, often acting far in excess of orders. This led to a number of executions without authority, killing alleged witches without the order's blessing. While almost all of them did in fact turn out to be infernalists, the order could not tolerate his rogue behavior and cast him out. Versh continues to serve Morrow on his own terms, using his blessed quad-iron against foes of the faith or those that offend his sensibilities. The order knows he's still working, and they've instructed their people not to interfere. So long as he erases those guilty of black magic, they will not act against him and will protect him from the law.  Gorman di Wulfe, Rogue Alchemist will work for Cryx, Cygnar, Khador or the Protectorate of Menoth. He was born to wealth in Leryn, and he was always a scholar, studying alchemy at Merywyn Academy. After graduation, he returned to Leryn and joined the Order of the Golden Crucible. He became obsessed with alchemical mastery, surpassing all expectations and becoming a Master Aurumn Ominus Alchemist within five years. Nothing seemed beyond him, and his colleagues found him brilliant if detached. However, some of the reagents he asked for began to raise eyebrows. It became clear he was working on proscribed poisons and explosives as well as other concoctions of his own invention. He was ordered to stop or be expelled, and while at first he denied it, after an accidental detonation that rocked Leryn and incinerated his lab, he quietly fled the city. He sought any funding at all to continue serving his passion, working out of Five Fingers for a time at a back-alley pharmacy selling potions to criminals. In Khardov, he was implicated in a factory fire that cost a local kayazy much of his fortune, and his name was associated with the Umbrean separatist movement, but by the time its leaders were executed in Llael, he was long gone. He eventually began selling to mercenary companies, and his dark reputation ensured that only the most desperate sought him out, which suited him fine - fewer questions were asked and they paid better. It wasn't long before he got a taste for killing. He'd gone to make a delivery only to find his employers being routed. He turned his alchemical firepower on their pursuers, and while he could not turn the tide, it stirred something in him, and he found his real calling: applying his theories dynamically. He turned his obsession towards a new end, selling his services to leaders and tyrants, using his magic to hide himself on the battlefield as he laid waste to foes. He loves combat, laughing even amidst cannon fire. Gorman di Wulfe has a reputation for mayhem even by mercenary standards, caring nothing for ethics or patriotism. He'll work for anyone that'll pay him, and while he's effective, many still hesitate, as strange and terrible accidents seem to follow him around, especially if you anger him. Next time: Yo, ho, ho, a pirate's life for me!
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Jul 21, 2015 00:47
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