# EN World City Project: Protecting the City (Guard Submissions)



## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

Thread for discussing Guards and Military functions.

1. City Military (moving to new home from the Government thread)

2. Private Guards (see also Guild of Guards)

3. Rangers (who protects those outside the walls)

4. Captains and Generals (who's in charge of what and why)

Nothing is written in stone, I'll repost some of the important information and rough drafts of what is going on.


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

The Military. (Third Draft)

The local military is based off of the original military unit that was brought here during the town’s infancy. Known as Mor’s Legion, based on the size of the original force, the present size of the standing army actually varies, normally numbering between 100 to 200 trained soldiers and 2000 or so member’s of the civil militia which can be called up from the general population when there is great need. The military is broken down into four categories, the Castilian’s elite guard, The City Guard, the City Watch and the Outland Rangers. The Guard and the Watch are under a single commander (presently Sebastiano Palmora) but the Elite Guard  reports to the Castilian personally. The Rangers report to the head Ranger who sits on the Council of Wardens.


The Elite Guard

The elite guard is a small handpicked unit whose sole purpose is to protect Lady Kelvin. They report directly to the Castilian Stangus and are made up of the best soldiers the city has to offer. The elite are seen as ceremonial by many of the citizens but they are well disciplined and well led and are entirely devoted to Lady Kelvin, they are trained to attack and kill without thought to their own person and will react instantly to any order given by Lady Kelvin or Castilian Stangus. There is a rumored special group within the elite that act as Lady Kelvin’s secret police and assassins when need be but this rumor is unsubstantiated, and if it does exist most of the elite themselves are not aware of it. 

The present strength of the Elite Guard is 17 soldiers for Lady Kelvin's elite guard. The work rotation breakdown is 4 squads of 4 (three guards for Lady Kelvin and one guard for Castilian Stangus) working 8-hour shifts with one squad getting a day off for every three days of work. Pay is doubled to 2 silver a day and their work schedule is lighter than the rest of the standing army, but they are expected to always be prepared for action, even on their days off.

The City Guard

The City Guard is the force that mans the city walls and is responsible for traffic in and out of the city gates. They are the rank and file of the army, composed mostly of infantry. 

City Guard numbers 60 troops, they man all city gates and watchtowers and regularly patrol the city wall. The City guard is split into two 30-soldier groups, the day guard and the night guard, they work 12-hour shifts and get random one-day vacations for every 6 days spent on the wall. They are paid the standard 1 silver a day rate.

The City Guard is supplemented by 40 dwarven warriors from Kul-Moren who help to man the city walls.

The City Watch

The city watch is the group that is in charge of patrolling the city proper and keeping peace. The nicer the section of town the more likely a watch patrol is around. The city watch is not responsible for solving crimes; they are only responsible for keeping the peace and stopping crimes they witness. There is great animosity by the city watch towards the use of clay golems to patrol the city. They view this as an unneeded and extravagant expense and view the noble families who are responsible for these patrols as out of date throwbacks who swagger about trying to look important. They feel they are the ones doing the true work and the golems are only for show. Even when one of the golems is useful or effective you will not hear any praise from the men of the city watch. There is also friendly rivalry between the city watch and the city guard, as both try to out shine the other, both sides keep track of how many of each have been raised to the elite guard and elite guardsmen never forget from which branch they were raised.

The current city watch numbers 60 troops broken up into 12 groups of 5 working 8 hour shifts. They make the standard 1 silver a day. 

The Outland Rangers

The Rangers are a small independent group that roams the area outside the city keeping order and watching for silk fish poachers along the lake and keeping the caravan routes bandit free. The rangers no longer have enough personnel to patrol the whole lake properly and instead use stealth and surprise to keep silk fish poachers fearful and off balance. Outside the wall the Rangers are also considered extensions of the town law and act as judges settling local disputes, their judgments are considered law in the countryside. Rangers are handpicked and swear an oath to always judge fairly according to the law. A Ranger found breaking this oath or handing down any false judgments is summarily executed as a traitor to Mor’s End. 

As of yet there is no set number as to how many Rangers there are but it is known that there is never enough and the numbers have dwindled over the years. Rangers pay rates are given out according to their personal skill and talent. The Head Ranger sits on the Council of Wardens and his official domain is "the law outside the wall".

Total number of soldiers is 140 (+40 dwarves from Kul-Moren) and a dozen or so rangers.

____________________________________________________
Originally posted by Conaill

Just to annoy jdavis , here's the corrected stats on guards for the average city of 10,200, based on the MMS tables (I had to correct for the number of adults in the population):

Guards (private): 140
Guards (city, governmental): 70
Mercenaries: 70

I agree that we probably should have more than that, but three times more seems a little much, especially if we are going to have a roaming force outside the walls as well.

50 personal guards for Lady Kelvin: what, she need her own personal army now? How many personal guards does the leader of a small city need anyway? I would say 2 dedicated guards would have to be with her at all times. Let's say 3 shifts of 8 hours. The more personal guards we give her, the more chance of sneaking in a spy or assasin among them! The number of personal guards must be small enough for Lady Kelvin to develop a personal rapport and trust with them. I would say 10 at most.

The actual citadel where Lady Kelvin resides (I'm assuming she'll be on the reinforced island in the middle of the river?) should probably be manned by the regular city guard. 

Mor's End has 4 city gates right now. Let's say each has 4 guards on duty at all times (plus at least one clerk at each gate as well). Another 4-5 guards to patrol the city wall (at night there would be fewer men at the gates, and more patrolling the wall) and 10 guards for the Citadel. Add a few extras "on call" at the citadel or temporarily unavailable (training, sick, etc). Two shifts, that makes 80 city guards. That sounds fine. 

No need for 3 shifts at the gates or citadel, because they're stationary: at any one time they can have one man taking a nap, eating, etc. The City watch patrolling the streets probably does need three watches. Let's stick with your 20 guards per watch, for a total of 60. That includes the occasional off-duty time for training, sick leave etc. (IIRC, days off are a relatively modern invention!)

Total:

10 Elite Guard for Lady Kelvin
80 City Guard for the gates, wall and citadel
60 City Watch

The number of Outland Rangers would probably be kept well below the City Guard. Perhaps no more than 40.
___________________________________________________


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

(moved over from government thread)


I was using the Elite guard to guard the whole castle. 10 to guard a whole castle for a 8 hr shift, and the 10 Cavalry were for bodyguards if she decided to leave the city. I would actually count them as a separate private army (if you can call 40 archers and 10 horsemen a army)

I was running two 12 hour shifts for the wall and the city watch, with a day off about every 4 days (one day off a week) that would be a 72 hour work week.

you actually added 10 to the city watch (I'm stunned ), I was putting more emphasis on keeping people out than keeping them safe once in.

I was thinking more along the lines of 10 to 12 for the rangers, they would be actual leveled NPC's and would cost much more to maintain than regular soldiers.

The big question is does this city get attacked, 100 goblins on wargs using even a little bit of stealth or strategy could burn this city down faster than you could get 10 soldiers together to stop them, it would be real inconvienient to have to keep all city gates closed all the time in a city on a trade route. 

What is the risk of attack on this city?


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

Town Militia 

The Mor’s End town militia is made up of volunteers who aid the city in time of need. They must have their own weapons and armor and are responsible for their own training in how to use them. They must be able to organize very quickly in case the town is attacked or riots break out. They also help when disaster strikes the city, such as fire or flood. At present the militia numbers nearly 500 strong. In return for their service Militiamen get (well I don’t know what they get, can fill this in later). Wealthy or Noble houses normally contribute leaders or captains to the militia, for many this is a figurehead position they use to show off their civic pride in doing their duty to the city, generally these nobles fail to show when the Militia is called up unless it is convenient for them at the time.

There is also a secondary militia known as The Muster. All able bodied citizens are required to sign up for The Muster and serve on the list for no less than 5 years. They are untrained as soldiers and are supplied with weapons and crude armor. The Muster numbers over 1500 on paper but is rarely (if ever) called together. Their only duty is to protect the city by manning the walls in time of attack or siege. Being on the Muster list is a civic duty and no rewards are given for being on the list, they will be paid the standard pay rate for soldiers during any time they are called up for active duty on the wall. The Muster can only be called up by Lady Kelvin directly; the decision for all able-bodied citizens to man the wall is hers and hers alone. Many noble houses have secretly bribed the names of their children off the list of The Muster, one of the privileges of wealth.


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## Krug (Mar 14, 2003)

*The Dwarf-Guard*

The dwarves see Mor's End as an important trading outpost, and have granted the city an army of 100 dwarves to help protect the city and to ensure dwarf interests. The dwarves help in patrolling the city and reside mainly in the _Dwarvish Quarter_. 

Every dwarf serves for a period of three years before returning to Kul-Moren, though some develop such a taste for urban life that they remain in the city. 

The dwarf guards are loyal to Kul Moren but also to Lady Kelvin, though occasionally the complex intricate web of dwarven politics come into play. There are about five siege engineers in the army who are adept at using some of the siege weapons that the dwarves have developed, including the great trebuchet, "Goblin Tosser".


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## Ruavel (Mar 14, 2003)

> _Originally posted by jdavis
> *The Outland Rangers
> 
> The Rangers are a small independent group that roams the area outside the city keeping order and watching for silk fish poachers along the lake and keeping the caravan routes bandit free. The rangers no longer have enough personnel to patrol the whole lake properly and instead use stealth and surprise to keep silk fish poachers fearful and off balance. Outside the wall the Rangers are also considered extensions of the town law and act as judges settling local disputes, their judgments are considered law in the countryside. Rangers are handpicked and swear an oath to always judge fairly according to the law. A Ranger found breaking this oath or handing down any false judgments is summarily executed as a traitor to Mor’s End.
> ...



having spent some time discussing the ranger issue, I'd be happy to put something together while I'm away, then type it up and post it as soon as I get from my fencing tournament in Melbourne... 

assuming that's the sort of assistance you're after here...


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## Krug (Mar 14, 2003)

*The Order of the Winter Storm*

The Order of the Winter Storm are a company of forty barbarian knights from the northlands. They were protectors of their kingdom and fought in many a war. However, when Theogen Wolfgard returned to his city he was ambushed and slain by assassins. The King had turned against them, considering Theogen a threat to the throne, and gave orders that all members of the Winter Storm were to be slain. Only about sixty managed to make their way out of the Northlands.

The Order of the Storm fled and found refuge in Mor's End. Styria Wolfgard, son of Theogen, remains bitter about the betrayal, and waits for the King to allow them to return. At present, the blades of the Storm serve Lady Kelvin, though the northlanders have attempted to request that she turn over members of the Order for extradition. She has refused all requests, and said that the Northlanders may come take them if they wish. 

The Order is regarded as snobs and keep to themselves. The Winter Wolves are a proud order, and Styria seeks to recruit any northlanders in Mor's End to join his group. He hopes to return to the Northland in glory, and for his Order to be fully restored.

Composition: Primarily Barbarians or Fighters, with a few Rangers. There are a number of druids amongst them who take care of the wolves that roam with them, as well as Skalds who sing epics of the Order's greatest battles.

Plot Hooks:
Styria is getting old, and rumours are that he will launch a final strike to take the northern throne. Lady Kelvin has asked the Castellan to dissaude him, but Styria is determined. Meanwhile, there are those in the Order, particularly a young warrior Treygar, nephew of Styria, who have no more interest in the Northland. They think the Order should settle down and no longer yearn for the North. Styria considers these men soft and spoilt by civilization. One day, Treygar disappears. Is Styria to blame? Or is Treygar plotting something? Styria hires the adventurers to find his nephew. 

A witch from the North has been given the task to hunt down the Order and destroy them. Through sabotage and rumours, she desires to make the Wardens of Mor's End allow members of the Order to be extradited. A murder is committed and one of the Order is accused, and the populace turns against them. The party must investigate who is behind the murder and save the order.


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

Ruavel said:
			
		

> *having spent some time discussing the ranger issue, I'd be happy to put something together while I'm away, then type it up and post it as soon as I get from my fencing tournament in Melbourne...
> 
> assuming that's the sort of assistance you're after here...
> 
> *




That is exactly the type of assistance I am after.


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## Conaill (Mar 14, 2003)

Krug said:
			
		

> *The Dwarf-Guard
> 
> The dwarves see Mor's End as an important trading outpost, and have granted the city an army of 100 dwarves to help protect the city and to ensure dwarf interests. The dwarves help in patrolling the city and reside mainly in the Dwarvish Quarter.
> 
> The dwarf guards are loyal to Kul Moren but also to Lady Kelvin, though occasionally the complex intricate web of dwarven politics come into play.*




I think Lady Kelvin would be rather nervous about such a large force, and would try to - very politely and diplomatically - reduce it to, say, 50. Either way, they should _not_ outnumber the City Guard. 

Mixed allegiances are a _very_ touchy subject for an independent city state!


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I think Lady Kelvin would be rather nervous about such a large force, and would try to - very politely and diplomatically - reduce it to, say, 50. Either way, they should not outnumber the City Guard.
> 
> Mixed allegiances are a very touchy subject for an independent city state! *




A smaller Dwarf force could help on the wall and reduce the standing army closer to your numbers, no way they would guard the castle though, and they would have to be smaller in number than the city guard.


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## Conaill (Mar 14, 2003)

jdavis said:
			
		

> *I was using the Elite guard to guard the whole castle. 10 to guard a whole castle for a 8 hr shift, and the 10 Cavalry were for bodyguards if she decided to leave the city.*



That's not a _personal_ guard though. She does need one of those, probably 10 men or less (7 would do).

The Citadel is fairly large and could easily house the rest of goverment as well. Which is why I thought it would be more appropriate to set the City Guard on watch. If Lady Kelvin needs an escort, she can always call on the city guard for that as well. After all, she _does_ rule the city!



> *I was running two 12 hour shifts for the wall and the city watch, with a day off about every 4 days (one day off a week) that would be a 72 hour work week.*



12 hour shift is fine for stationary guards like the Guard, where one man can always take a nap, polish weapons or eat while still being available to respond when needed. Men on patrol - like the Watch (and those City Guards patroling the wall) should only have a 8-hour watch.


> *you actually added 10 to the city watch (I'm stunned )*



Because of the 3 shifts. Fine, fine... 50 for the Watch it is. Happy now? 



> *I was thinking more along the lines of 10 to 12 for the rangers, they would be actual leveled NPC's and would cost much more to maintain than regular soldiers.*



Ah! I thought you had a larger force in mind, which is why I was worried about their allegiance to the city. With only 10-12 rangers that wouldn't be a problem, but they might have trouble covering the surrounding countryside. Could work if we send them out on individual replies (more apropriate for Rangers anyway...), but they'll need some way to report back or ask for backup.



> *100 goblins on wargs using even a little bit of stealth or strategy could burn this city down faster than you could get 10 soldiers together to stop them, it would be real inconvienient to have to keep all city gates closed all the time in a city on a trade route.*




With at least one man on lookout from the gate towers at each gate, they shouldn't get  into the city in the first place. And if they did... I don't think the city would burn! With the large dwarven population, Mor's End is going to have a significantly higher proportion of stone buildings (hmm... less brick buildings? clay too precious to be used on bricks?) Besides, with some magic support, fire danger should be much lower.

Hmm... That gives me an idea for a fire brigade with a Decanter of Endless Water...


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## Ruavel (Mar 14, 2003)

> _Originally posted by jdavis
> *That is exactly the type of assistance I am after.*_



 consider it done... this will probably be one of my last posts before going away (5:30am flight tomorrow morning and I still need to test my equipment & pack  ), but I'll try to have something about the Outland Rangers up as soon as I get back...


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## Krug (Mar 14, 2003)

jdavis said:
			
		

> *
> 
> A smaller Dwarf force could help on the wall and reduce the standing army closer to your numbers, no way they would guard the castle though, and they would have to be smaller in number than the city guard. *




Valid points. so about 50? Perhaps the siege engineers should be there on a 'consultant' basis.


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## Ruavel (Mar 14, 2003)

> _Originally posted by jdavis
> *I was thinking more along the lines of 10 to 12 for the rangers, they would be actual leveled NPC's and would cost much more to maintain than regular soldiers.*_



 I have an idea for a 5 level PrC for the rangers that would be available at quite a low level (maybe 3rd level) which can help with the whole loyalty thing as well as offers ways for communicating issues effectively,etc...

two PrC's actually... one of the land-bound rangers and one for a a small very specialised group that patrol the lake, protecting it from beneath the surface...

should these be posted here or elsewhere...?


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## Conaill (Mar 14, 2003)

Krug said:
			
		

> *The Order of the Winter Storm
> 
> The Order of the Winter Storm are a company of forty barbarian knights from the northlands.*



You're insisting on sending foreign armies our way, aren't you?  Pretty soon we won't have any room for local boys in Mor's End's fighting forces...

I would suggest lowering the number somewhat (hey, _you_'re the one who picked a _Small_ City! ), and add in a line that says they've "fled beyond the reach of the King of the Northlands". I think Lady Kelvin would be too pragmatic to give these guys shelter if there were a chance that the Northlands might act against Mor's End!


> *Composition: Primarily Barbarians or Fighters, with a few Rangers. There are a number of druids amongst them who take care of the wolves that roam with them*



So where do you expect these Barbarians, Druids and Wolves (!) to live inside the city? Or is this yet another band roaming the countryside?


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

Tell you what, I'll drop the Elite down to 17 (4 groups of 4 and one captain, they would work three 8 hour shifts and rotate one day off three days on) and make sure all of them can fight mounted.

Drop City Guard to 60 and use offered Dwarf help but limit the allowed Dwarf garrison to 40 (thus maintaining 100 men or two shifts of 50)

Keep the City Watch at 60 (I'll keep the extra 10 got take what I can get) and change them to 3 shifts of 8 hours.

Total force would be 137 (add in a captain for the guard, a captain for the watch, and count Sebastiano Palmora as the general in charge) 140 total men in Mor's Legion. 

The gates will close from Sundown to Sunrise and funds will be set aside to hire mercenaries for specific jobs.


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## Conaill (Mar 14, 2003)

Ruavel said:
			
		

> * I have an idea for a 5 level PrC[...]
> 
> should these be posted here or elsewhere...? *




IMPORTANT POLICY ISSUE!

If we're tryingto make this a generic resource, should we even have stuff like new prestige classes, new spells, etc? What's next... new races, new feats?

I don't mind the occasional novel magic item or monster. But this sort of stuff seems rather superfluous for a generic city supplement.

Krug, do you wantto make some sort of ruling on this one way or another? (I'll crosspost this to the Admin thread as well).


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

Ruavel said:
			
		

> * I have an idea for a 5 level PrC for the rangers that would be available at quite a low level (maybe 3rd level) which can help with the whole loyalty thing as well as offers ways for communicating issues effectively,etc...
> 
> two PrC's actually... one of the land-bound rangers and one for a a small very specialised group that patrol the lake, protecting it from beneath the surface...
> 
> ...




Looks like that's covered in the previous post, will wait for official ruling


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## Krug (Mar 14, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *
> You're insisting on sending foreign armies our way, aren't you?  Pretty soon we won't have any room for local boys in Mor's End's fighting forces...
> 
> I would suggest lowering the number somewhat (hey, you're the one who picked a Small City! ), and add in a line that says they've "fled beyond the reach of the King of the Northlands". I think Lady Kelvin would be too pragmatic to give these guys shelter if there were a chance that the Northlands might act against Mor's End!
> ...




The Barbarians and Druids can enter the city, but not the wolves. 

Yes, a small city, but I envision its protectors and guardians to be diverse. For Lady Kelvin it's a political move. Even an independent city-state must have allies, and the Northmen are a long, long way from home. It might have taken a while to trust them, but they have aided the City-State against common foes, and Lady Kelvin now trusts them.

The Order is very loosely based on the Templars, who were offered protection by Robert the Bruce, who certainly did not fear the Pope and his troops knocking on his door. 

And when you have about 40-50 elite warriors offering their aid, you don't turn them away, Barbarians though they might be. 

More on the r'ship between Robert the Bruce and the Templars:
http://outer-rim.lweb.net/mythos/25celt.html

_
Walking in the footsteps of William Wallace into the legendary Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Robert the Bruce was aided by a group of sixty-three members of the Knights Templar. The Templars had been suppressed in France and dispersed throughout all of Europe. Surrounded by strange mysteries and legends, and even more outlandish accusations made by the Catholic Church, the Knights Templar had gone from chivalric heroes to a sect of occult warriors in the eyes of many. 

However, at the Battle of Bannockburn they were among the ranks of heroes and freedom fighters as they loosed Scotland from the brutal reign of Edward I. _


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## Krug (Mar 14, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *
> 
> IMPORTANT POLICY ISSUE!
> 
> ...




I think it can be justified BUT you should provide an alternative so that DMs who don't want a certain 'feature' can replace it with something from the SRD.


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *
> 
> So where do you expect these Barbarians, Druids and Wolves (!) to live inside the city? Or is this yet another band roaming the countryside? *




Wolves in the city? that would be a hard one for people to get used to, next thing you know there will be a Ogre in the city guard.  Barbarians and Druids who live in the city but happen to have wolves they keep outside the city walls might work better.

Edit: I'm getting slow, already covered.


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## Conaill (Mar 14, 2003)

jdavis said:
			
		

> *Tell you what, I'll drop the Elite down to 17 (4 groups of 4 and one captain, they would work three 8 hour shifts and rotate one day off three days on) and make sure all of them can fight mounted.*



 Still feels too large for Lady Kelvin to be able to totally know and trust them though. Three per watch seems plenty inside her own city.



> *Total force would be 137*



 Only if you don't count the 40 dwarves! They're in Mor's End on a semi-permanent basis and integrating into its military. Might as well count them as part of Mor's End.

They probably shouldn't be all Fighter by the way. Mostly Warriors with a few Fighter officers.

Ok, way past bed time here... yet again


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

I was counting the ones that would have to be paid by the city. The Dwarves would probably be there by treaty and the 40 Dwarves wouldn't count the siege engineer consultants, who would probably fight in a pinch but would be too busy for guard duty. The total would be 180 soldiers with 100 of them dedicated to the wall. The total that the city treasury would have to pay would be 140

As far as the Elite she would probably want more guards for official ceremonies or when she is holding court, The Castilian might also want to use some of them as her bodyguards from time to time too. Say three to guard Lady Kelvin and one to guard Castilian Stangus each shift, and double shift during official ceremonies.

Most all the Soldiers would be level 1 warriors with higher level warriors being the officers, the elite would probably be Fighters, I was figuring the commander of the elite would be around 6th level.


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## Conaill (Mar 14, 2003)

Ok, just _one_ more thing...

Let's make the Captain of the Elite Guard a Dwarven Defender. Fits perfectly with the city (the dwarves will be greatly pleased). Plus... with only the SRD to choose from, we only have so many PrC's we _can_ freely use!


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

That would work out good, I had figured there would be other races in the elite guard as it would be the best of the whole city and that the city is only 40% human.

(edited: Military draft at start of thread to reflect new numbers and shifts)


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## Lalato (Mar 14, 2003)

I hope this doesn't throw a monkey wrench in the proceedings...   but we've been talking about the city's population without much thought to the region's population.  The total area population is roughly 40,000.  Wouldn't this increase the number of guards around? 

--sam


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## Wippit Guud (Mar 14, 2003)

jdavis said:
			
		

> *
> next thing you know there will be a Ogre in the city guard. *




Would a goblin be a problem?  I have a sweet goblin guard in the goblin-a-day thread  over in Rogue's


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## Conaill (Mar 14, 2003)

Can we get some sort of quality ranking of the different groups? Roughly in terms of average level and mix of PC vs NPC classes. Here's the way I see them:

1) Elite Guard
2) Dwarf-Guard
3) Outland Rangers,  Order of the Winter Storm
4) City Guard
5) City Watch
6) Militia

And just to remind you of the average class demographics:

Paladin (Elite?), Ranger (including Outland):
1x 9th level, 1x7, 2x5, 2x4, 8x2, 16x1

Barbarian (including Winter Storm):
1x9, 1x8, 2x5, 2x4, 8x2, 16x1

Fighter, Warrior:
1x12, 1x9, 2x6, 2x5, 4x3, 12x2, 24x1
+ 350 War1 (5% of remaining population)

So 30 each of Paladin, Ranger, Barbarian. 46 Fighters, ~400 Warriors. We probably want to reduce the number of Paladins, put most of the Rangers in the Outland Rangers, and most of the Barbarians in the Order of the Winter Storm. All of the Elite Guard would be Fighters, plus some of the Dwarf-Guard. Officers of the lower-ranked groups would be high-level Warriors (i.e. grizzled veterans, rather than adventuring hero material).


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## Knightfall (Mar 14, 2003)

Wippit Guud said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Would a goblin be a problem?  I have a sweet goblin guard in the goblin-a-day thread  over in Rogue's *




a goblin seems fine, as long as he's loyal.


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## Wippit Guud (Mar 14, 2003)

If it's somewhat of a frontier town, has anyone considered having watchtowers around the lands? Like every 20 miles or something? Probably be similar to ranger towers of present day.

Or is that a bit too much for the 'plug-and-play' idea.


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *Can we get some sort of quality ranking of the different groups? Roughly in terms of average level and mix of PC vs NPC classes. Here's the way I see them:
> 
> 1) Elite Guard
> 2) Dwarf-Guard
> ...




That looks good (don't have to be exact but we should try to stay close to those numbers)

Figure for a large portion of the Military to have some sort of archery skill (Bow or Crossbow) as that would be the best way to fight from the wall, and most city watch members would probably use clubs for breaking up fights and such.

The Outland Rangers would all be leveled Rangers, Druids or Rogues slanting towards most being Rangers. The 9th level Ranger would probably be the level of the head Ranger, so they would all be below that level. A write up on the Outland Rangers will probably show up in a couple of days. The Captain of the Elite guard will be a Dwarven Defender (either the 9th or 12th level fighter) so if anyone has a idea for that NPC feel free. There will be a Captain of the Guard and a Captain of the Watch too. We will also need a write up on Sebastiano Palmora the General of the Armies (from  Tonguez post on the first page of the Government thread).

Then there are Private guards, Caravan guards and other mercenary groups that may be outside the city. (Don't forget to reference if they belong to the Guild of Guards or not)

If anybody has any Ideas for bad guys in the wilderness or unfriendly tribes those would probably need to be at least mentioned here too.


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

lalato said:
			
		

> *I hope this doesn't throw a monkey wrench in the proceedings...   but we've been talking about the city's population without much thought to the region's population.  The total area population is roughly 40,000.  Wouldn't this increase the number of guards around?
> 
> --sam *




There will probably be small forces here and there outside the wall (maybe a couple of guardtowers protecting the small communities of farmers and herders) and some nobles may have guarded estates outside the city. I think the City Defenses are at a workable number right now, the surrounding population would generate guards and warriors to protect itself not the city. 

How far beyond the walls does Lady Kelvin control? In her sphere of control the local pockets of guards would most likely be loyal to her, ouside of that radius they would be loyal to who they were protecting.


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## Knightfall (Mar 14, 2003)

jdavis said:
			
		

> *Town Militia
> 
> The Mor’s End town militia is made up of volunteers who aid the city in time of need. They must have their own weapons and armor and are responsible for their own training in how to use them. They must be able to organize very quickly in case the town is attacked or riots break out. They also help when disaster strikes the city, such as fire or flood. At present the militia numbers nearly 500 strong. In return for their service Militiamen get (well I don’t know what they get, can fill this in later). Wealthy or Noble houses normally contribute leaders or captains to the militia, for many this is a figurehead position they use to show off their civic pride in doing their duty to the city, generally these nobles fail to show when the Militia is called up unless it is convenient for them at the time.*




jdavis, do you mind if my NPC, Dalvar Hammersmith, from my Trades and Craft submission, called The Downpour Alehouse, becomes the Captain of the Militia.  After all, it'll need a captain and he's high enough to warrent being put in that position.

Basically my idea is that he has just been promoted to the position and with the added responsiblity, he spends less and less time dealing with the day-to-day running of The Downpour and more time dealing with militia matters.  (Not a big deal since his wife and his partner's wife pretty much run the place anyway.)

I'll repost him here with some addition information about how he became the Captain of the Militia.

Cheers!

KF72


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## Conaill (Mar 14, 2003)

The only two other communities listed by Knightfall so far are Lalaton (where the heck did that one come from?), pop. 500, and Kul Moren, pop. 800.

*Allies*: Kul Moren (pop. 800), sand barbarian traders.

*Enemies*: Orcs, goblins, yak folk.


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## Knightfall (Mar 14, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *Lalaton (where the heck did that one come from?), pop. 500*




We needed a fishing village with a population of 500 so I figured I'd include a name for it too.  The name pays homage to Minisiter Lalato.


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## Krug (Mar 14, 2003)

By the way, looking through the excellent Hollowfaust and these are some numbers:
Population: 22,000
Stygians (Elite Guard): 300
City Guard: 500  + 250 volunteers who take shifts on city walls.
Secret Police: 40
Unfailing (Mercenary force): Not listed
And of course the undead that the city rely on for protection, including a necromantic dragon!

_Sundabar_ from The Silver Marche, former Dwarf Fortresss:
Population: 14,000
Army:
Shieldsar: 2,000 (!!)
Stone Shields (city watch): 200
The Watchful (Police): 50
The Argent Legion: 200

_Everlund_
Population: 21,500
Army: ~ 1,200
City Watch: ~200

Also jdavis, as Minister of Military affairs, you can nix or change what you don't like. *Yes, EVEN MINE.* 

(Ok right now should it be Winter Storm or Winter Wolves? Wolves sounds cooler but I thought it was quite cliche.)


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## Knightfall (Mar 14, 2003)

*Military NPC Submission!  (Crosspost from Craft & Trade Submission thread!)*

*Captain of the Militia*
*Dalvar Hammersmith, male dwarf War10:* Medium-size Humanoid (dwarf); HD 10d8+30; 87 hp; Init +1; Spd 15ft. (20ft. base); AC 16 (+1 Dex, +5 armor); Melee +1 dwarven battleaxe +11/+6 (1d10+4); SQ dwarf traits; AL LG; SV Fort +7, Ref +3, Will +3; Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 14.
_Skills and Feats:_ Climb +3, Diplomacy +3, Handle Animal +4, Intimidate +6, Jump +1, Profession (soldier) +5, Ride +5; Exotic Weapon Proficiency (dwarven waraxe), Leadership, Power Attack, Skill Focus (profession: soldier).
_Equipment:_ Belt pouch (20gp), breastplate, cold weather outfit, _+1 dwarven battleaxe_, traveler’s outfit, waterskin, war pony w/ bit & bridle, military saddle, saddlebags.

Dalvar Hammersmith was born to a prominent clan of warriors in Kul Moren.  He was raised to fight from an early age and is an expert with his traditional clan weapon, a dwarven waraxe.  Thus, he felt more than qualified to become a member of the Royal Guard in Mor’s End and left Kul Moren and his clan behind.

Once in the human-dominated city he joined the Guild of Guards and was soon on his way to becoming one of the most stout, reliable members of the guild.  However Dalvar became bored with guard duty and soon was forgetting to show up for assignments, as he spent more and more time in the city’s many taverns pestering adventurers and travelers for news from beyond the walls of Mor’s End.  The guildmaster at the time, Henry Wilhelm, told Dalvar to either give up his obsession or leave the guild.  Dalvar left the guild and everyone is glad he did.  Now a successful tavern owner Dalvar can spend time doing what he loves most – chatting with adventurers and travelers, when he has the time.

For Dalvar wasn’t content to let his fighting skills go to waste.  He is a proud member of the militia and has recently been promoted to captain.  The previous captain, Alex Backfield, retired from the militia last year to his stedding several miles northeast of Mor’s End.  Backfield chose Dalvar for the position and both the Castellan and Lady Kelvin agreed.  Dalvar often visits the retired old captain for advice, realizing the man’s experience is still valuable to the city.

The added responsibilities of being the Captain of the Militia tend to keep Dalvar away from The Downpour during the day, as he and his personal squad of men spend a lot of time on active duty and helping the local watch.  This has allowed him to seek out interesting escapades, such as cleaning out monstrous vermin from the city’s sewers to riding with the Outlands Rangers on rare occasion.  He’s eager for the chance to prove himself and to hopefully turn the standing militia into a more crack fighting force.

Most of the time he helps run drills throughout the city every six months or so.  He believes in being prepared for anything and takes his new responsibilities very seriously.  He has matured to the point where he understands what is needed from him as Captain of the Militia.  Gone is the easily distracted young dwarf that once dallied from tavern to tavern, although he still enjoys a good night of revelry and story telling.  As long as any active members of the militia show up on time the next day, they are welcome to sit and have a mug of Dwarven Strongheart with their captain in his tavern.

_Plot hook:_ Rumors are floating around that a foreign force is marching towards Mor’s End to lay siege to the independent city-state.  The commanders of the military aren’t sure what to make of the rumors.  Dalvar and his men are put on constant alert but Dalvar would like to get Alex Backfield’s advice on the current situation, as well as some strategic information the retired old captain and he discussed the last time he visited him.  However, his responsibilities as captain means that he has to stay in the city and he can’t spare any militiamen to go to the Backfield stedding.

He knows of the PCs, as they have visited his tavern on occasion.  He asks them to go to the Backfield Stedding and take some important plans for the Alex to look over.  They are to get a written response from Backfield, as well as anything else he’s been working on for Dalvar, and return with the documentation to the city.  In reality, Dalvar considers Alex to be a mentor and would prefer it if the old man came back to the city, for a while, just in case the rumors turn out to be true.  He asks the PCs to try and convince Alex to come back with them.  However, Alex is a stubborn man and the PCs might very well get caught outside the city defending the old man’s stedding, from an invading army, if they can’t convince him to come back to Mor’s End.  Regardless, Dalvar needs the information Alex is providing.


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## jdavis (Mar 14, 2003)

Krug said:
			
		

> *
> [i
> Also jdavis, as Minister of Military affairs, you can nix or change what you don't like. Yes, EVEN MINE.
> 
> *




So far so good, I like to justify my own choices too and I am always open to anything. As of yet nothing is written in stone, numbers can fluctuate as more information is brought in, I would really like to nail down the structure of everything and then fill in the details so keep throwing those numbers out. I am still working on trying to get a military budget draft together, all these sodiers won't be cheap. Of course from a Military standpoint you can never have enough men.



> Captain of the Militia
> Dalvar Hammersmith




Great, looks like he can have the job.


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## Krug (Mar 15, 2003)

We dive into more magical territory:

*The Clay Watch*

A hundred years ago, when Mor's End was just starting to emerge, the Dwarf Mage-smith Igdar Worhelm created seven Clay Golems that he gave to the City. The Golems were equipped with baskets that their riders or controllers, could ride in. These baskets were large enough to fit anything up to Dwarf size. Though most of the Golems were given to Dwarves who would reside in this new city, Igdar decided to pass two each to the gnomes and halflings as well as he believed it was not wise to favour one race over another.

The Golems were divided amongst seven Houses, and the Lady decided that they would police the streets and to be used in the defense of the town when necessary. The seven houses were to be paid an equal fee by the city for doing so.

So that was how it went... for a while. Eventually, the seven Houses became increasingly divided and petty, and squabbled amongst themselves over matters of duty and work. House Drekan claimed House Silas never bothered with controlling the peace, instead the halfling guildmaster Rtuni (a halfling) was more intent on spending his days drinking and playing Gullystone, and House Imar demanded a higher fee for patroling the Squats. 

House Culder's Highmaster Fherl retired his Golem, claiming it would be more helpful to conduct experiments on it to find out how to build new ones, which led to the ire of the other houses as well as the present Castellan, who balks at paying a fee for work not done. Fherl, of course, claims it is for the long term good and they should not be so short-sighted; the Golems are unable to police the city like they were used to. By making new ones, Mor's End would not suffer as badly as it has.

The Seven Houses meet monthly in front of the Tower of Clay, used by Igdar during the period where he built the Golems. Open shoving and finger pointing are evident, and the townsfolk frequently gather to watch the heated debates.

The present seven houses:
Culder controlled by Fherl, Dwarf Expert
Drekan controlled by Mistar, Female Gnome Mage
Silar controlled by Rtuni, Halfling Rogue/Mage
Imar controlled by Gharl, Dwarf Ftr
Phal controlled by Igt, Dwarf Sorcerer
Linbak controlled by Miel, Halfling Druid-Rgr
Nitstar controlled by Ghal, Gnome Rgr-Exp

Plot Hooks:
One of the controllers has been replaced by a shape-changed kobold, eager to wreck havoc. He will continue to use the Golem to patrol the streets, but is seeding dissent amongst the houses.

One of the Golems is destroyed and chaos ensues. Who will patrol the area that it used to? The house is disgraced but the controller employs the party to investigate whodidit.

A new Golem has been created! But there's something wrong with it. It runs amok and guess who has to stop it...

No time to stat them out right now... the Golems should have rapid healing abilities as long as they are in Mor's End


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## Ruavel (Mar 18, 2003)

Well, I'm back from Melbourne and I spent some time on my flights thinking about the Outland Rangers...

I've read some concerns about there being an Outland Warder so I'm not sure what to do about that one yet, but I'll be putting together some of the details about the Rangers ASAP (ie next day or so) and post it here...

watch the space...!


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## Lalato (Mar 18, 2003)

Although I find the golems imaginative... I have serious reservations about having them in a fairly "low" magic city as Mor's End.  They just don't seem to fit with what we're describing everywhere else.

If everyone else loves the idea, I'll shut up, but I think the golems seem quite a bit "out there".

--sam


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## Conaill (Mar 18, 2003)

I don't know much about golem creation... what sort of level mage does it typically take to create one of these puppies? I'd say if it's 10th-12th or so it *might* be appropriate.

But I agree, this would be the highest piece of magic we've got in the city so far, and it would definitely make it less scaleable. One solution might be to provide alternative stats for the golems: in one version they may be nearly falling to pieces for example.


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## wizardoftheplains (Mar 18, 2003)

I summoned a chart to help everyone visualize the way the military around Mor's End might be organized.  I see from the above that this is a running discussion so all items in the chart are flexible.  (I'm merely providing assistance

Minister of Military Affairs...can you provide me with specific totals of the below groups?
Also, is the reporting structure correct as you all see it so far?
I'll update as the thread continues.  I'm finding charting this info out is making it a lot easier for me to follow along.

Yours in all wizardness.

gary

chart deleted here and moved further down thread
updated 3/18/03...


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## Lalato (Mar 18, 2003)

The correct spelling is Castellan not Castilian...  Castellan is a title, not a name.  

--sam


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## jdavis (Mar 18, 2003)

wizardoftheplains said:
			
		

> *I summoned a chart to help everyone visualize the way the military around Mor's End might be organized.  I see from the above that this is a running discussion so all items in the chart are flexible.  (I'm merely providing assistance
> 
> Minister of Military Affairs...can you provide me with specific totals of the below groups?
> Also, is the reporting structure correct as you all see it so far?
> ...




Beat me to it but your chart looks much better than what I was working on. 

There will be a Captain of the Watch and a Captain of the Guard under the General, they will be responsible for the group in their title, they will be career military men where the General will be more of a political appointment (although I am sure he is capable). Dalvar Hammersmith is the Captain of the Militia, that is a purly volunteer based group. The Muster has probably not been called in years if not decades, it is for emergencies only. The Kul-Moren Dwarves serve under treaty and have their own commander, they report to the council as part of the treaty. The numbers look correct (as they stand now). Your chart looks very good.


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## jdavis (Mar 18, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *I don't know much about golem creation... what sort of level mage does it typically take to create one of these puppies? I'd say if it's 10th-12th or so it *might* be appropriate.
> 
> But I agree, this would be the highest piece of magic we've got in the city so far, and it would definitely make it less scaleable. One solution might be to provide alternative stats for the golems: in one version they may be nearly falling to pieces for example. *




Creating a clay golem requires a 16th level caster, they also don't heal on their own (requres a healing spell of 6th level or higher to heal damage). I think it would be good to have them stated with over 100 years of wear and tear on them and nobody around that can actually make a replacement. You could have them stated as new and as old and broken down and let the DM decide which fits what he wants (or he can decide to go with completly non functional relics of the city's founding). There could be a scenario for them as functioning and doing a good job or a scenario as barely functioning relics that cost more to fix than they are worth but are still pushed by the houses that control them in order to maintain their position, or they could be big bird feeders at the department of antiquities that are mentioned only as background material.


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## jdavis (Mar 18, 2003)

Payroll for army

Elite 16 troops 1168 gold a year, 1 captain 180 gold a year
(2 silver a day rate for elite; captain gets 5 silver a day)

City Guard 60 troops 2190 gold a year 1 Captain 180 gold a year
(1 silver a day rate for guards; 5 silver a day for captain)
*Doesn’t take into account any extra made by squad leaders or sergeants.

 City Watch 60 troops 2190 gold a year 1 Captain 180 gold a year
(1 silver a day rate for watch; 5 silver a day for captain)
*Doesn’t take into account any extra made by patrol leaders.

General 365 gold a year 
(1 gold a day rate {+ anything he can make off his political position})

Total Payroll for Army= 6453 gold a year.
(This is just rough payroll it doesn’t take into account uniforms or equipment upkeep, wall repair, housing cost, food cost or upkeep for mounts.)


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## Krug (Mar 18, 2003)

I think it looks quite good... some taxes might need to be adjusted but I think it's quite workable.


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## jdavis (Mar 18, 2003)

Sparguard Keep

Sparguard is a small three story watchtower a days walk from Mor’s End. It is built on the northern bank of the lake. Sparguard was built as an early warning tower for Mor’s End and to protect the local peasants and herders. It has the capacity to house 25 soldiers but at this time only has 6 soldiers and 4 untrained boys manning it. The Outland Rangers often use Sparguard for a staging area for their patrols.

The tower has room on the first level to house up to 50 peasants for very short periods of time, it has a cistern in the cellar which is fed by the lake, thus insuring they always have fresh water, they keep several days worth of stores on hand at all time in case of attack. 

Captain Eli Aramus is presently the captain of the keep; he is a career soldier whose parents were farmers in the area. He is well liked by the locals although they are upset that he does not have enough men to regularly patrol the area. Captain Aramus son is one of the boys in training at the tower. 

The keep is in bad shape and the soldiers spend most of their days repairing the aging structure. Herders have taken over the stables area behind the tower and use it for sorting their livestock before taking them to market. This is also a staging area for local farmers preparing to take their crops to market. The third floor of the tower has a large fire pit for signaling the locals in time of trouble, the fire is supposed to be built large enough so that it can be seen from the city but there hasn’t been a major attack in some time from this direction and there is some concern that there might not be anybody at the city watching for a signal fire anymore.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Captain Eli Aramus; male human War3:  CR 2; Size M; HD 3d8+3; hp 23; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 16 (+1 Dex); Attack +5 melee, or +4 ranged; SV Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +1; AL NG; Str 14, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 11.
Skills and feats:  Appraise +2, Balance +3, Handle Animal+4, Hide +1, Intimidate +6, Jump +7, Listen +2, Move silently +1, Sense motive +1, Spot +2; Alertness, Power attack, Weapon focus (longbow).
Weapons: Longbow; Longsword.
Armor: Chainmail


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## wizardoftheplains (Mar 18, 2003)

chart update 3/18/03
keep the changes coming

gary


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## Krug (Mar 18, 2003)

Perhaps we should name the Dwarvish clans; two or three? The Hammersmith clan, obviously. Anybody got names for the other clans? How do they fit in? Perhaps a clan that's less war focused and more artificer-engineering focused? Who see trading as helpful to their invetions?

I'm sure clans would work together for mutual benefit. Over the years, the blood the clans will intermingle, but since it's dwarves we're talking about, it's going to be a slow process.


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## Conaill (Mar 18, 2003)

A couple quick comments:

1) Shouldn't the Dwarven Regulars, the Wolfgard and the Outland Rangers be under Sebastiano Palmora as well? Having a unified command would be *much* more efficient. At _worst_, we could have just one of them report directly to the council instead, and that could be a long-standing bone of contention. Sounds appropriate for the Dwarves: they got orders from Kul-moren to report to the Council, so they just ignore Palmora.

2) In any case, don't forget to integrate the Wolfgard. They're not going to be into too much hierarchy, so they would answer to Sebastiano Palmora, or perhapsd directly to Lady Kelvin.

3) Castellan Stangus should be below Lady Kelvin, but not at the head of the Warders.

4) Where does Kul Moren, pop. 500, get the manpower to permanently station 40 well trained fighters in Mor's End? One of those numbers doesn't seem right.

5) Payrol for the army: if you include room and board, you can probably lower the daily pay

6) The Guard should get payed slightly higher than the Watch: it's a more prestigious position, with Elite Guard being chosen almost exclusively from the City Guard. We could have some sort of choosing ceremony, where private guards get to compete to join the City Watch, City Guards are chosen from the City Watch, and Elite Guards are chosen from the City Guard.


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## Knightfall (Mar 18, 2003)

wizardoftheplains said:
			
		

> *chart update 3/18/03
> keep the changes coming
> 
> gary *




Umm, I think the 60 barbarians number needs to be reduced a little.  That's a lot of barbarians that may or may not remain loyal to the city.

KF72


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## jdavis (Mar 18, 2003)

The Rangers also have duties as judges and representatives of the law that have nothing to do with the military, they are sort of in a different catagory. The Dwarves would probably have to fall under the general when it came to the defense of the city but a blurred line of command would make for several good plothooks and create some interesting tension between the General and the Dwarven commander. Mercenaries would fall under the general but decisions on hiring mercenaries would be council buisness.

I will probably do a more detailed budget for the military just to see how it iwll effect what taxes will need to be like but I doubt most DM's would care about exact wages and perks so I'll keep it simple. The number given is a good rough estimate for figuring out just how much tax burden there will be. The defense forces here are more than there would be in a city in a more civilized area, there is added cost for safety in the wildlands. There could be plothooks taxwise and I wanted to give a good idea how much tax burden a force of this size would be. I think the gate toll(from the government thread) would be a good example of a extra tax designed to support a larger than average military presence. I didn't figure anything in for the hiring of mercenaries as that would probably be negotiated by the Guild of Guards.


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## Krug (Mar 18, 2003)

I think perhaps change to Golem to some other Clay construct, and even reduce the 'Houses' to 3 or 4. 

For Conalli's point 4) I think it's because of the vested interest Kul Moren has in seeing Mor's End thrive. The troops were possibly promised since Mor's End was much younger and the number remains there for now. Furthermore, there might be an agreement that Mor's End will protect Kul Moren if the latter faces any threat. 

Kul Moren might also be a trade passage for dwarves who wish to trade. 800, however, sounds all right to me. It might be a heavily fortified Dwarven fortress.

Also, I think there should be a team of 'runners' to explore the warrens. It sounds like a huge security risk to have them right underneath your city. Perhaps a group of 20?


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## Ruavel (Mar 19, 2003)

hello my militarily-minded comrades...



I thought I'd post a bit of an update on what I've put together so far on the Outland Rangers... Obviously this is not 100% complete so please don't be too scathing, but nonetheless constructive criticism is welcomed and encouraged...

Here goes...

*Outland Rangers *

*Functions and Mandate:* The Outland Rangers basic function is patrolling the lands of Enheim, protecting rural communities from foreign and domestic threats, dealing with poachers in the realm, and acting on the Council of Warders behalf in matters involving simple disputes between citizens. When it comes to all matters outside the walls of the city of Mor’s End the Outland Rangers are the law except in the most grievous circumstances.

*History:* Many years ago it became apparent that the city’s legal mechanisms were having no impact on the populace of rural Enheim. This prompted an agreement between the Council of Warders and the then impressively manned Outland Rangers by which any legal and investigative matters that arose outside the walls of Mor’s End would fall under the jurisdiction of the rural protectors. At the time this agreement was struck the Rangers reported directly to the sovereign lord of Mor’s End, and when initially approached on the issue the Outland Chief, a man of questionable loyalty, agreed to the Councils proposal because he saw the arrangement as an opportunity to advance his own quest for power.

For several years the Outland Chief guided and governed the land outside the city walls subtly and to his own ends and this minor crisis finally came to a head when he tried to restrict the flow of food from the land into the city then, when that failed to gain him the political clout he wished for, held two small farming communities to ransom. An alliance of several of the Outland Ranger lieutenants thankfully deposed of their rogue leader and eventually a new agreement between the Council and the Rangers was established.

Now the paramilitary Rangers answer directly to the Council of Warders in the city of Mor’s End. They maintain a presence in all but the most delicate of Council meetings, having negotiated to keep a non-voting representative present in Council at all times. This task currently falls to Marcus Fleetfoot, a pupil of the current Outland Chief until his flair for diplomacy led him into his position as the Ranger’s voice in the political machinations on the city and region.

*Operational Practices:* The Outland Rangers maintain four (4) small, independent groups that regularly move from one area of Enheim to another in an established, but flexible, pattern. The patrol patterns means that one the groups passes through any given part of the realm of Enheim every few days. Such a regular presence in the lands surrounding Mor’s End has been an effective deterrent against poachers and provides an excellent mechanism for the early detection of any incursion into Enheim by local savage races.

The Rangers are also responsible for protecting the fishermen and watersilk collectors of Lake Enoria. The economy of a significant portion of Mor’s End depends on the tendrils taken from the jellyfish farmed in the lake and rich local merchants have contributed to the creation of equipment that aids the Outland Rangers protect to city’s interests. The two smallest units of the rangers have been outfitted with items to make patrolling the waters of Lake Enoria easier, including a helm of underwater action for both units.

*Chain of Command:* Although the Outland Rangers are not a typical military organization they do try to maintain a structured order and chain of command. Given the large area of land they are required to cover and how few members they have, anything less than a well managed system would result in areas not being patrolled and matters not being dealt with for the people that depend on them.

As mentioned earlier, the Outland Rangers now report to the Council of Warders in the city of Mor’s End however it became apparent to Silanthe Kalatos (current Outland Chief) that the constantly requirement to report the activities of the Rangers kept her dealing with issues more pertinent to her aims, ie protection of the people of Enheim.

The current arrangement with Marcus Fleetfoot acting as her representative at all Council engagements allows Silanthe to focus her attention on the thing she loves (and does) best. A well organised use of animal messenger and whispering wind allows for regular communication between the Outland Chief and her representative, enabling the Outland Rangers to constantly update the Council on significant events in rural Enheim and provides the Council a means by which they can issue timely instructions to Silanthe rather than waiting for her to return to the city.

*Outland Chief:* Silanthe Kalatos (female half-elf drd3/rgr6)

*Outland Representative:* Marcus Fleetfoot (male human brd4/rgr1)

*Outland Unit 1:* Silanthe Kalatos (female half-elf drd3/rgr6); 1 x rgr2

*Outland Unit 2:* Rontaran Seldan (male human rgr4); 1 x drd3; 1 x rgr1

*Outland Unit 3:* Verdana Softstep (female halfling rgr5); 1 x rgr3

*Outland Unit 4:* Davmor Songsteel (male human drd3/rgr1), 1 x rgr2, 2 x rgr1


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## Conaill (Mar 19, 2003)

Good work, Ruavel!

I would prefer the Rangers to have much less of a peacekeeping and dispute resolution role, and much more scouting and defense. Those functions don't seem to be terribly related.

At most, the Rangers could serve as mediators in disputes on a *voluntary* basis. I.e. the parties involved in a dispute can choose to let a Ranger settle it instead of taking it all the way to the courts in Mor's End (or just fighting it out among themselves...) But that's about as much of a peacekeeping role I would assign to them. 

The Rangers have much more important things to do. The area around Mor's End is wild and full of dangers. The Rangers shouldn't be dragged into arguments between neighbors if there are bands of orcs or worse raiding the countryside!

I would also prefer to see some of the Order of the Winter Storm integrated into the Outland Rangers. They seem like the perfect guys for the job. If not, I would be in favor of dropping the Order of the Winter Storm altogether. We already have PLENTY of semi-independent groups.


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## Ruavel (Mar 19, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Conaill_
> *I would prefer the Rangers to have much less of a peacekeeping and dispute resolution role, and much more scouting and defense. Those functions don't seem to be terribly related.
> 
> At most, the Rangers could serve as mediators in disputes on a *voluntary* basis. I.e. the parties involved in a dispute can choose to let a Ranger settle it instead of taking it all the way to the courts in Mor's End (or just fighting it out among themselves...) But that's about as much of a peacekeeping role I would assign to them.
> ...



I couldn't agree more, but I wrote this based on things I had read in this thread and the Government thread which indicated that was what was wanted... I can always give them a "task priority" in the *Functions and Mandate* section putting protection first, chasing poachers second and resolving disputes as their lowest priority...

I hadn't read much of the Order of the Winter Storm post, cos I wasn't sure if it's what the "Military Minister" had wanted (jdavis - if you're reading this your comments would be appreciated)... but it would be quite simple to include them...

that said, I'm also trying to keep this group closely associated with the government, even though they don't answer directly to the Armed Forces in any way... this would mean that the Order of the Winter Storm could easily exist independantly as could a druidic order in the region... just some thoughts...

Thanks for the comments Conaill... I like constructive criticism... 

once I get some more feedback from people I'll reassess the submission and make any alterations that look necessary...


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## jdavis (Mar 19, 2003)

Looks good.

The reason the rangers have judge powers is that who wants to walk two days to the city to decide who owns a cow. I am assuming that anything major would be sent back to the city. Of course there are times where justice must be served, in those cases the Rangers would be the ones to take the criminals back to town. What do you do when you are two days walk away from town and you have somebody accused of stealing a cow? you call for one of the Rangers to decide guilt or not and dole out suitable punishment. What do you do if the farmer murdered his wife in a fit of rage? You call a Ranger to take him to town. If there are 10 silk fish poachers on the lake and only two rangers there, then they will not have the option of escorting them all back to town, and they don't have the option of finding help, their justice would have to be swift and set a example. Most of the cases they would be called for would be "whose piglet is that?" cases, not something the city courts would care about dealing with anyway.

The Winter Storm would be perfect for armed patrols up and down the caravan routes and for attacking pockets of orcs or goblins when they are found. There are not enough city troops to actually attack anything, the Winter Storm would be a perfect tool for projecting power into the wilderness and driving foes away from the city. They would probably only work (or be paid) when there was a reason for them so they would need to find things to do when the city didn't need them, probably drinking away the profits from the last counter attack against the goblins or royal caravan they escorted through the swamp.


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## GladiusNP (Mar 19, 2003)

I'm going to add my vote to those who aren't thrilled about 'The Order of the Storm.'  They don't really seem to add anything, except for complicating matters futher.  The logic behind allowing a self-governing, independent force of trained warriors to work within the city is pretty flimsy – would the U.S. accept a trained group of Russian red army expatriates, and let them keep their gear in exchange for fighting for America?  Of course not.  (This is also my problem with the Whitecloaks in the WoT series – seems unrealistic to have a massive army just sitting around, unaffiliated with anyone).  

Granted, the Pope did have his Swiss Guard, but they have / had a strong tie to the church through their faith. (All must be catholics).  The Byzantines did use Norsemen as guards, but I’m not sure on how widespread this practice was.   

On the other hand, I like the Kul Moren dwarves, since they make sense – and have genuine ties to the city, as do the outland Rangers (do any of these guys ride horses?).  The Order of the Storm also begins to drift well outside of Mor’s End, what with involvement and ties to the Northern kingdom.  The fewer detailed links we have to the outside world, the easier / more flexible this city will be for use in a campaign.  

Anyway!  Enough criticism.  With regard to power projection beyond the walls, this is the perfect role for adventurers in Mor’s End, sent out to investigate what the rangers discover.  Marcus Fleetfoot may have the power to do this, issuing warrants for the arrest of particularly notorious bandits, hiring adventurers to sort out a yak-man raiding band, or just hunting down a particularly cantankerous owl-bear.   Good quick source of work if the DM is short on time / ideas.  

Here’s my idea for the tower of the Kul Moren dwarves.  

Built as the original watch-tower to protect the first settlers at Mor’s End, the Kul Moren garrison is the north-most tower in the city.  Originally a small keep, the Kul Moren tower now houses the 40 dwarven members of the city watch.  Being somewhat shorter than the other towers on the wall, it also has a fairly squat base – it’s probably the strongest tower.  The stonework is also noticeably better, being granite that was imported from the north.  It’s a round tower, and has a platform on top with permanent slate hoardings stretched out over the ground below.  

The first floor is an open room, after a small door (only 5 feet), which leads out to the town, and is always guarded by two dwarves.  A ladder on the opposite wall to the entrance leads up to a platform which runs along the far wall – providing a plkace for archers to fire upon those who enter.  The ladder also lead onto the second floor, which is mainly used for storage (especially siege defenses, such as buckets of sand, torches, arrows, bolts, some  weapons), but also has two doors to the  top of the wall.  The ladder continues up to the top platform, where a ballista has been mounted, and the hoardings are. 

Below the first floor is the barracks, with a common hall with fifty beds, a dining hall (the ladder runs into this), and a kitchen, all built below ground.  This basement is lined with cobblestones, even on the walls.  It’s usually kept poorly-lit, but the dwarves never have much trouble.  Off-duty guards are usually found here, or in their favoured tavern in the dwarven section of town.


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## Lalato (Mar 19, 2003)

As long as we're throwing out opinions...  I'll throw out mine...  

Ruavel...  great job.

Outland Rangers...
I think though, that the Outland Rangers don't necessarily have to be the PC Class Ranger or Druid.  I think the closest parallel that we have to this force is a county sheriff.  They patrol the rural areas and are involved with conflict resolution.  I like the idea that they have special equipment to aid in their job, but I'm not so sure they need to be spellcasters.  This group might benefit from a specialized PrC.

the Winter Storm...
Perhaps the Winter Storm can be written as a plot hook for the entire city.  A large group of barbarians have camped outside one of the villages east of the city.  Marcus Fleetfoot needs to assemble of group of people to investigate the group and their intentions.

GladiusNP, good work.  I like the dwarven tower.


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## Krug (Mar 19, 2003)

> They don't really seem to add anything, except for complicating matters futher. The logic behind allowing a self-governing, independent force of trained warriors to work within the city is pretty flimsy – would the U.S. accept a trained group of Russian red army expatriates, and let them keep their gear in exchange for fighting for America?




Well the reason being that Mor's End is not the US. They don't have the resources for a powerful military force, particularly  being an independent city-state whose survival is never assured. The Winter Storm certainly aren't antagonists or ancient enemies of the city, and an ally is always useful in a world where you never know who or what's around the corner plotting against you.
No satellite dish to find out who the enemy is, ya know... 

It's complicated because it IS complicated. There are tensions between there are various groups hustling for power. 

I quite like the Outland Rangers and agree that the two could be integrated. It could be at the onset of integration, and there's a split in the Winter Storm clan about accepting posting as Rangers or keeping to themselves. (Insert requisite Ranger/Storm romance here.  )

And yes, good work with the dwarven tower. Perhaps some dwarvish siege engine to give them the extra edge?


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## Conaill (Mar 19, 2003)

Another quick thought on the Dwarven Guard: such a strong force (40 fighters from a population of only 800) would make a lot of sense if Mor's End was geographically located in between Kul Moren and a strong foe of the dwarves. (E.g. Kul Moren is to the north, and the orcish raids tend to come from the south.)

Not only would the dwarves be defending Mor's End itself, but their positioning in Mor's End would also prevent raids from reaching north to Kul Moren. Hmm... maybe a watch tower on the east of Mor's End would make a lot of sense as well: an extra barrier to prevent raiders from circling around Mor's End (and protect the trading caravans).


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## Lalato (Mar 19, 2003)

> Another quick thought on the Dwarven Guard: such a strong force (40 fighters from a population of only 800) would make a lot of sense if Mor's End was geographically located in between Kul Moren and a strong foe of the dwarves. (E.g. Kul Moren is to the north, and the orcish raids tend to come from the south.)




That's funny that you mention that...  I've been working on some of the early history of Mor's End... and I've been basing the raids from the swamps.  So that would work nicely with your reasoning...  

--sam


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## jdavis (Mar 19, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *Another quick thought on the Dwarven Guard: such a strong force (40 fighters from a population of only 800) would make a lot of sense if Mor's End was geographically located in between Kul Moren and a strong foe of the dwarves. (E.g. Kul Moren is to the north, and the orcish raids tend to come from the south.)
> 
> Not only would the dwarves be defending Mor's End itself, but their positioning in Mor's End would also prevent raids from reaching north to Kul Moren. Hmm... maybe a watch tower on the east of Mor's End would make a lot of sense as well: an extra barrier to prevent raiders from circling around Mor's End (and protect the trading caravans). *




When I wrote up my watch tower to the north I figured that it was so quiet there because most of the trouble was to the south, the big problems to the north would probably be poachers and bandits, the monsterous tribes seem to be attacking from the south (maybe I need to do a south watchtower or two). Perhaps we should just make a blanket statement that the land north of town is much safer than the land to the south, thus most of your rural population would be to the north. That could also lead to a plot hook, the watchtowers north of the city have been undermanned or abandoned for years but what if some new strong force moved in to attck from the north?

I think the Winter Storm may need to be reduced in number, forced to work through the Guild of Guards and having their numbers reduced further as some decide to take post as Rangers or join the city population. If they have been in town a long time they would be slowly intergrating in with the population. There could be a plot hook there as older members try to hold on to their way of life but the younger members are moving on and becoming more and more like the city folk. They are a dying breed in a civilized town, they get less and less work and are loosing members to city life, what happens when they try to return to their roots? Would they end up blaming the city for their increasing softness? (fits in with their discription and existing plothooks)


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## Krug (Mar 19, 2003)

Jdavis:
> Winter Storm
Yeap sounds good to me. There should be a few 'old guard' who want to return to the North, but some who want to abandon it and settle down as good citizens in ME.


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## Ruavel (Mar 20, 2003)

OK... so it seems that the general consensus is that there should at least be co-operation, if not integration, between the Outland Rangers and the Order of the Winter Storm...

I would imagine that in the past there would have been an element of friendly rivalry between the two groups but an understanding that their ultimate goals are quite similar...

I will admit I like the idea of "now" being the beginning of their integration... so many plothooks...

so, should I rewrite what I've done to include this integration...?



> _Originally posted by lalato_
> *Outland Rangers...
> I think though, that the Outland Rangers don't necessarily have to be the PC Class Ranger or Druid. I think the closest parallel that we have to this force is a county sheriff. They patrol the rural areas and are involved with conflict resolution. I like the idea that they have special equipment to aid in their job, but I'm not so sure they need to be spellcasters. This group might benefit from a specialized PrC.*



I see where you're coming from with this, and I had considered including other classes (Except, Adept), however I kept the members of the Rangers as PC classes on the premise that new recruits are screened for their ability to handle the arduous task set before them... if any old Expert could join, the Outland Rangers would not be facing the problem of diminishing numbers (which to me is the perfect motivation for integrating members of the Order of the Winter Storm)...

I've starting working on a 5-level PrC for the Outland Rangers and as soon as jdavis is happy with the basic proposal for the group, I'll flesh it out fully and post it...


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## jdavis (Mar 20, 2003)

Members of the Winter Storm joining the Rangers would be more of certain members of the Order giving up on trying to return to the North and deciding to intergrate with the city. I would figure it would be more than a friendly rivalry as the Winter Storm is dying and the Rangers are taking some of their most valuable members. The Order of the Winter Storm used to hold itself as different from the city, they were exiles planning a grand return, now after several years many of the Winter Storm are abandoning this cause and becoming official members of the city. The old guard of the Winter Storm would not be happy at all with members leaving their order to join with the Rangers, whether they would view those who left as traitors or not would be up to who was Dm'ing the city and how much hostility they would want, but there would be nothing friendly about it. For the Rangers part they are also a dying breed and are happy to get all the help they can get. Being a Ranger is a hard and thankless task that requires men who are willing to all but live in the wild and take on odds soemtimes greater than 10 to 1, they need to be people who enjoy the wild and can fight better than even the average soldier in the wild. They have to be strong individuals who are willing to die alone in the woods fighting for what they believe. You are just not going to get that type of skill and dedication from NPC classes. This path would be mighty appealing to former members of the Winter Storm as they would be able to live the way they wish and also make a new home for themselves in the south. Go witht he PrC and we will see how it turns out, it would be optional at best but it may appeal to many who might want to intergrate this city into their game.


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## Lalato (Mar 20, 2003)

Whoa... back up the cart.  I re-read my post and I think I see where I may have confused.  

I'm not suggesting that the Outland Rangers be an NPC class...  I'm just saying that the Outland Rangers don't necessarily have to be Rangers or Druids.  In fact, the skills required of an Outland Ranger are more closely aligned with a multi-class Fighter/Rogue type than anything else.

Fighter for the obvious reason that the Rangers need to be able to fight.  Rogue for the skills required to be an Outland Ranger...  Move Silently, Hide, Intimidate, Bluff,  Diplomacy, Wilderness Lore, Swim, Spot, Listen, Search, Read Lips, Gather Information, Disguise, Sense Motive, etc.

Some of those skills would be hard to come by without a couple of Rogue levels.  The Only Ranger specific skill in the list is Wilderness Lore.  That's why I suggested a PrC.  The PrC might give access to the appropriate skills.

I hope that's clearer... sorry if I caused confusion.

--sam


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## Ruavel (Mar 20, 2003)

jdavis- this is what I had already written before reading your post... again, it's incomplete but it seems like we're thinking on the same wavelength...





> _*The Future of the Outland Rangers*
> The Council of Warders have recognised that the Outland Rangers are extremely undermanned for the immense the role they perform on behalf of the people of Enheim. This has been a concern for quite some time, but an acceptable solution has yet to be found. Recently however, the Council was approached by a young man named Treygar, nephew of Styria Wolfgard of the Order of the Winter Storm, and presented with a plan that may alleviate some of the pressure currently placed on the Outland Rangers.
> 
> Treygar came to the Council on behalf of many members of the Order of the Winter Storm who wish to not only to now truly call Enheim home but also to serve the land, its people and their rulers in a similar manner to the way in which they formerly served their king.
> ...



comments anyone...?


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## Krug (Mar 20, 2003)

Ruavel: Sounds good. 
I think the Wardens would give them a task to complete or they'd prove themselves in a battle.

I also still think there should be some remains of the Winter Storm around with the old allegiance around. Enough so that there can be a plot hook along the lines of the Northlands either calling for their help, or the Lord who banished them dying and then faced with the prospect of staying put or returning to the North. Lady Kelvin or the Castellan would then tell them; "decide to stay or begone, never to set foot in Enheim again!" 
Positively Shakespearan.


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## jdavis (Mar 20, 2003)

I like what was written. The old guard of the Order of the Winter Storm could be a wonderful plot hook, or several wonderful plot hooks. 

What are the old guard of the Winter Storm thinking now that they are falling apart? Do they blame the city? Will some of the more radical members try to get revenge on Treygar? What are they going to do for funds now that Treygar undercut them as a mercenary unit? What does the city feel about them now that their usefulness is much lessened but the political problems with the north started by giving them sanctuary have not abated? This could be a spin off for all sorts of intrigue and plot devices.

As far as the make up of the Rangers I'd like to leave that as vague as posible and have them done as individual NPC's. They would make good fodder for NPC ideas and might spin off some interesting characters.


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## Ruavel (Mar 20, 2003)

> _Originally posted by lalato_
> *Whoa... back up the cart. I re-read my post and I think I see where I may have confused.
> 
> I'm not suggesting that the Outland Rangers be an NPC class... I'm just saying that the Outland Rangers don't necessarily have to be Rangers or Druids. In fact, the skills required of an Outland Ranger are more closely aligned with a multi-class Fighter/Rogue type than anything else.
> ...



ah, sorry about that... I think I may have read through your post a little too quickly and missed exactly what your were saying... 

certain elements of what jdavis said in his last post sums up the reasons why I believe you'll find mostly rangers and druids doing this sort of thing...



> _Originally posted by jdavis_
> *Being a Ranger is a hard and thankless task that requires men who are willing to all but live in the wild and take on odds soemtimes greater than 10 to 1, they need to be people who enjoy the wild and can fight better than even the average soldier in the wild. They have to be strong individuals who are willing to die alone in the woods fighting for what they believe.*



how many typical fighters, rogues, or fighter/rogues would be prepared to do that...?

regardless of the skill requirements, the people mostly likely to take up this sort of "calling" are mostly rangers, a smattering of druids and the rare bard or barbarian...

please realise this is just my opinion and is not intended to sound like I think your opinion is wrong or has no merit, lalato... you've done some excellent work and this project and I respect your opinion...  I don't necessarily agree with it but I definitely respect it...

that said, the structure I proposed was just that... a proposal... changes can be made, but in the end it's the Minister of the Military that will approve or scrap it... I'm happy to put a few multiclass combo's (rgr/rog; ftr/rog; ftr/rgr; etc) in if that's what's wanted...


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## jdavis (Mar 20, 2003)

I posted NPCs for the military Captains in the NPC thread.

"Thomas Haljan; Captain of the Guard"

"Bolius Chier; Captain of the Watch"

"Ulfgar Gorkil; Captain of the Elite Guard."


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## Conaill (Mar 20, 2003)

lalato: I don't believe we need a specialized PrC for the Outland Rangers. It would be vastly preferable to pick an already existing PrC that is readily availabel somewhere (e.g. an OGL one for which the details are available online).

PrC's typically start at lvl 6 anyway, and I'm not convinced we want the Rangers to be *that* high-level  Checking my demographics... there should only be two Ranger-class NPCs of lvl>5 in a city of this size. That seems hardly enough to institute a whole new prestige class.


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## Lalato (Mar 20, 2003)

I'm cool with that Conaill...  I was just throwing the PrC idea out there to see if it stuck.  Still... I think the Outland Rangers need a level or two of Rogue for the skills needed.  

Perhaps Fighter/Rogue isn't perfect for them...  but Ranger/Rogue would definitely be appropriate in my eyes.  Druid/Rogue would also be a possibility, but less so than Fighter/Rogue.  Personally, I don't see Bard working, but that's only because I find it difficult to see a Bard being a cop.  Certainly, the Bard has the skills required, but I can't see them filling this role...

The Outland Rangers remind me of a special forces unit.  Each one is trained in techniques for living off the land.  They often infiltrate places where they are outnumbered and outgunned.

As for the demographics...  The Outland Rangers are actually roaming all over Enheim...  wouldn't their demo data be based on a much larger population than just that of Mor's End?  If the entire population is 40,000+ wouldn't that have an effect on the levels of the Outland Rangers?

Ruavel...  everything I post is personal opinion.  In real life, I often find myself sounding like an authority on things when I'm really talking out of my butt.  If I start sounding like that... just slap me.  I deserve it.


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## jdavis (Mar 20, 2003)

lalato said:
			
		

> *
> 
> The Outland Rangers remind me of a special forces unit.  Each one is trained in techniques for living off the land.  They often infiltrate places where they are outnumbered and outgunned.
> 
> ...




The Outland Rangers will have to be the levels they have to be in order to do the task set in front of them, the fact that it doesn't fit witht he demogaphic breakdown points towards the fact that they are undermanned and have a hard time finding suitable men (or women) to perform their task. This would be a good plot hook to draw adventurers in. Their level breakdown will be affected by the rural population as they would be considered part of the rural population but I would hate to see them get too high in level as it would kill the plot hook for the Rangers needing PC help.

I'd hate to judge a PrC before I have seen it. At best it would be a optional part of the city setting, but I feel that there should be several optional parts of the setting as that would allow for DM's to fit the city in with their worlds better, taking what they want and dropping what they don't need. This could also be a plot hook for PC's, if you want to take levels in the PrC then you have to work with the Rangers.


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## Conaill (Mar 20, 2003)

lalato said:
			
		

> *The Outland Rangers remind me of a special forces unit.  Each one is trained in techniques for living off the land.  They often infiltrate places where they are outnumbered and outgunned.
> 
> As for the demographics...  The Outland Rangers are actually roaming all over Enheim... *



Nah. The Rangers patrol the area around Mor's End. Perhaps up to a day's ride distance. Their primary mission should be scouting. 

We're not planning on Enheim to be civilized, highly populated area. Anyone living outside the walls takes a risk. Farms would be sparse and well defended (there's a good reason why Mor's End hasn't grown any larger in this amount of time: they need to import a lot of food, rather than getting it from an abundance of farms in the neighborhood).

Guess you and I have a very different type of Rangers in mind. In my view, the majority of the Outland Rangers would be Rgr1, probably patroling alone or in pairs, armed with that "alarm stick" someone else suggested.


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## Lalato (Mar 20, 2003)

Actually... I can see the rangers several different ways...  

Here are some options...
*  Scouts within a days ride of the city (Low level Rangers)
*  Sheriffs keeping the peace throughout Enheim (Multi-classed Ranger/Rogues or Barbarian/Rogues)
*  High level agents of the city running scouting missions and foiling sinister plots (Could be anything...)
*  Protectors of the sacred land of Enheim (Druids or Rangers)
*  An Extension of the City Guard/Watch that mans small watch towers throughout Enheim
*  Detectives investigating poachers and caravan raiders

The Outland Rangers could be any one of the above, or even a mixture of the above.  Or something completely different.  I'm not married to any of the ideas yet.  I guess I've been playing a little bit of devil's advocate.  

By the way...  I was the one that submitted the 'alarm stick' idea in the history.  Glad you liked it.  

--sam


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## Conaill (Mar 20, 2003)

lalato said:
			
		

> **  Scouts within a days ride of the city (Low level Rangers)
> *  An Extension of the City Guard/Watch that mans small watch towers throughout Enheim*



Now _that_'s my kind of ranger!  Possibly adding some of the "detective" role as well.

These I think would be more appropriate for a more civilized and/or more densely populated countryside:







> *
> *  Sheriffs keeping the peace throughout Enheim (Multi-classed Ranger/Rogues or Barbarian/Rogues)
> *  High level agents of the city running scouting missions and foiling sinister plots (Could be anything...)
> *  Protectors of the sacred land of Enheim (Druids or Rangers)
> *  Detectives investigating poachers and caravan raiders*


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## jdavis (Mar 20, 2003)

If they are going to try and control the lake then you have to go a lot farther than one day out. Silk Fish poachers could set up anywhere on the lake. If you are going to have one or two guys out there taking on these poachers then they have to have some skill. If they are just trying to spot sneaky goblins before they attack the town then a couple of watch towers with 10 or so guards and a spy glass could do that. It's the rooting out of the goblin tribes that infest the swamp that is hard. A first level ranger in the woods tracking a goblin warparty would be dead the moment he shot off his warning stick. The Goblins will have skilled trackers too.

If they are not going to have some skill then they don't need to exist at all. If they have too much skill then there will be no threats left to the city. A prestige class would only be for those who lead the Rangers anyway the level to gain it wouldn't affect them as a group.


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## Ruavel (Mar 21, 2003)

Perhaps the best way to avoid too much more debate on the make-up of the character classes involved in the Outland Rangers maybe it should be left up to the people writing NPC's (ie make it an NPC contest to create low level characters that perform the duties requied) or let DM's produce their own Rangers with guidelines that go something like:



> *Membership*
> The Outland Rangers is a group comprised of a dozen or so individuals of varying races, classes, and philosophies, unified by the common purpose of protecting the people and environs of the rural lands surrounding Mor’s End. All prospective members are rigorously screened and tested in order to be found suitable for the respected, powerful but somewhat thankless position. They are also required to swear the Oath of Loyalty to Lady Kelvin, the Council of Warders and the realm of Enheim before being accepted into the enclave of protectors.
> The Rangers are currently led by Outland Chief Silanthe Kalatos, a tall and imposing half-elven woman with a number of small scars on her hard and weathered face. Silanthe’s commitment to her position was best displayed when she spent several months studying in a small druidic order to augment her skills as a tracker and warrior before applying to a former Outland Chief to join the Rangers. Her second-in-command is Marcus Fleetfoot, who has given up working in the field to act as the Outland Rangers’ representative to the Council of Warders.
> The rest of the group includes druids, rangers, and a few multiclass characters incorporating levels of the bard, fighter and rogue classes.
> ...



Something like this allows a DM to create the rest of the group that will work with an established leader and structure, and in the way they think it will function best (rather than what we think)... I've left the suggested Outland Chief and Outland Rep is this little spiel because they tie in with the description of the operation on the Rangers (see earlier submission)...

thoughts...?


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## Krug (Mar 21, 2003)

Throwing up ideas:

How about compulsory military service for all male human citizens of Mor's End? Once they reach 16, or if you're a new citizen, you get enlisted for a month. In that time you train to fight with a weapon; either sword, spear (most common) or bow. 

Military service for females is optional, and they're only trained to fight with a bow. 

Every year you get returned to the army for a refresher course of a week.

The military pays a stipend for this, of course. 

Promising recruits are recruited for the Rangers or to join the ranks of the army proper.

Dwarves are spared from this because of the 40 guards provided.


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## jdavis (Mar 21, 2003)

Krug said:
			
		

> *Throwing up ideas:
> 
> How about compulsory military service for all male human citizens of Mor's End? Once they reach 16, or if you're a new citizen, you get enlisted for a month. In that time you train to fight with a weapon; either sword, spear (most common) or bow.
> 
> ...




Could be worked in with having to be on the roll for The Muster. They were 1500 citizens who had their name on a roll to be called up to serve in dire circumstances. The names were only on the roll for a certain amount of time and it was manditory for citizens to serve on the Roll of the Muster. Basically it was a emergency draft (that wealthy people could buy their way out of).


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## Ruavel (Mar 21, 2003)

> *Throwing up ideas:*



interesting image... 

compulsary service is certainly an interesting idea...


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## Conaill (Mar 21, 2003)

jdavis said:
			
		

> *If they are going to try and control the lake then you have to go a lot farther than one day out. Silk Fish poachers could set up anywhere on the lake.*



As I someone pointed out much earlier - Buttercup I think - the lake is too large to police all of it. If we wanted to do that, forget about the Rangers - we'd need a Navy! If we want Mor's End to have a monopoly on the silk, we'll need a different mechanism.

Perhaps the silk "fish" are only found on the downstream end of the lake. Something to do with the algae they feed on flowing downstream, towards Mor's End. In that case, there's no need for the rangers to "control the lake" and you can indeed just have a lookout tower to protect the silkfishers.



> *A first level ranger in the woods tracking a goblin warparty would be dead the moment he shot off his warning stick. The Goblins will have skilled trackers too.*



The warning stick will at least need some sort of silent alarm as well. And/or some sort of "dead man's switch". Besides, a lone Ranger (heh ) should not be tracking an entire warparty. He's a scout! As soon as he finds signs of a warparty, he should call in reinforcements.


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## jdavis (Mar 21, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> The warning stick will at least need some sort of silent alarm as well. And/or some sort of "dead man's switch". Besides, a lone Ranger (heh ) should not be tracking an entire warparty. He's a scout! As soon as he finds signs of a warparty, he should call in reinforcements.




The problem being that there are no reinforcements to call.


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## Lalato (Mar 21, 2003)

My thinking on the "alarm stick" was that it would be similar to a flare gun.  However, it could be fired in such a way that the position of the person firing the wand wouldn't be apparent to someone unless they were actually watching the firing of the wand.

I think the alarm stick isn't designed so reinforcements will come to the aid of the person firing it.  It's more like an early warning system for the city so it can prepare for the coming warparty.

Anyway... it's just a thought.  

Someone else suggested that the Outland Rangers might have Druids in their ranks that could use Whispering Wind to warn the city.  That's another possibility...  If the Outland Rangers are to be low level... perhaps instead of "alarm sticks" they have "whisper rings" that allow them to warn the city or other Rangers.

Or we could develop our own simple spell that allows the Rangers to trigger an alarm in the city as long as they're within a certain distance of the city.

--sam


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## Krug (Mar 21, 2003)

I'd prefer we stretch things a little and come up with something non-magical as far as possible. Alchemy? High pitched whistle? Bird call? The Rangers have druids but not mages, so perhaps something more 'natural' would be much more fitting. Perhaps an extension of the message spell, or as suggested, whispering woodwind.


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## Conaill (Mar 21, 2003)

I do think we need more than just a dozen rangers. With only a dozen they should have NO other duties than scouting.

With 20-30 Rangers, it becomes much easier to cover the terrain, we can have a few doing peacekeeping duty, _and_ if needed they could mount some sort of defense against raiding parties.

For the alarm stick... I agree, let's keep it as low-powered as possible. Alchemy for the flare (I've seen some flare arrows in several d20 books). Perhaps some sort of trained bird to deliver messages back to the watchtower or the city (pigeon, raven, whatever). 

We could also make a cheap magical item based on the Alarm spell (see Stone of Alarm, 1000 gp). For example an amulet with a silent alarm that alerts anyone within one mile that carries the same amulet. Could lead to some interesting scenarios: the goblins catch one of the amulets, figure out how it works and use it to set up an ambush. The city finds out they have one of the amulets and sets up a counter-ambush for the goblins...


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## Conaill (Mar 21, 2003)

Hmm... of course, even a 1000gp item sounds *way* too expensive. Give one to each ranger, and you've easiliy exceeded the entire military budget for the year...

Maybe a one-shot item? That would only be 50 gp each.


PS: and I agree with the compulsory service. Every able-bodied man (how chauvinist do we want to be? women are definitely allowed to volunteer as well) should be able to use a weapon.

I vaguely remember that in Britain, every man had to learn to fire a bow. In a walled city, bows would probably be the weapon of choice for the common people.


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## Lalato (Mar 21, 2003)

I was thinking the alarm stick would use something as simple as the Flare cantrip and perhaps Prestigitation.  Nothing overly powerful.  I like the idea of a flare arrow, though.  Simple.

Now that I actually looked it up...  Whispering Wind is a 2nd level Bard/Sor spell.  Sorry about that.

The only problem I see with a non-magical solution is the ability of others to see the warning.  Even an alarm stick has limitations...  what if no one sees the flare?  Actually... that's not really a problem... it's a plot hook.  

I do agree, though, that the Rangers is one group that might not fit within the demographics of the city.  Even with 20 to 30 men, they will be woefully undermanned to patrol an area around the city and lake.  My guess is that about half of the Rangers patrol south of the city... and the other half patrol north.  The northern rangers are the ones that perform the detective work and sheriff's duties.  The southern rangers are more like scouts looking out for humanoid raiding parties.  There might even be a little friendly rivalry between the two groups.

Northern Ranger insulting Southern Ranger...
"You pickle eatin', bog water drinkin' swamp refugee..."

--sam


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## Lalato (Mar 21, 2003)

> Maybe a one-shot item? That would only be 50 gp each.




If the item was inexpensive enough... it could actually be given to non-rangers that work in the more dangerous areas south of the city.  Just a thought.

--sam


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## jdavis (Mar 21, 2003)

lalato said:
			
		

> *
> 
> The only problem I see with a non-magical solution is the ability of others to see the warning.  Even an alarm stick has limitations...  what if no one sees the flare?  Actually... that's not really a problem... it's a plot hook.
> 
> ...




There will be some Watch Towers to the south, as long as somebody sees the flare then the signal fires can be lit and soon everybody will know. A skilled woodsmen could use any old signal flare, they would be good enough not ot get caught.

I like the idea of splitting the areas the Rangers cover into North and South. 

Southern Ranger insulting a Northern Ranger...
"if you had any skill you would be hunting goblins instead of goat poachers."

As far as manditory service, the 1500 men (and women?) on the role of the Muster would be roughly 14% of the population. That would require some sort of manditory service. I'll add manditory training to the requirements of being on the list for the Muster, I'll also add that having your name listed is age dependant (say 16 to 20). Military men or members of the city militia would not have to have their children listed (that would be a good perk for joining the voluntary city militia). Perhaps there should be a third level of defense to the city, a militia level where every able bodied man would be called to the wall, this would be only for the most dire of circumstances but having a population with at least some skill with a bow and a pole arm would be helpful if the city was in danger of being overrun. I would doubt civilians would be trianed to handle a sword as that seems to be asking for trouble, but short bow (or Crossbow) training and/or rudimentary pike training and manditory listing for service from the age of 16 to 20 should add to the frontier feel. These measures could of been set into effect many years ago after the city was overrun and burned, now people see them as a nuisance but you never know (plot hook)


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## Conaill (Mar 22, 2003)

I would probably put 2/3 or more of the rangers on the south side of the river. That's where most of the danger is anyway.

Military service: 

Commoners get to pick *one* simple weapon proficiency. Unfortunately, that leaves out regular bows. Guess the city could have an armory of crossbows on hand to defend the city walls, but most would likely be trained in Shortspear. Any use for plain old slings in the Muster?

How long should the compulsory service be, and how many men are in service at any one time? Let's say one year service (1-2 yrs is typical in current day countries with compulsory service). If Mor's End has ~7000 adults and ~3000 children, can we say ~200 in service at any one time? Three quarters or more of these would be in training and way too green to be of much use in defending the city. That leaves ~50 or so that could be put to use in low-danger situations: patroling the trade routes, repairing outlying reinforcements like the watchtowers, etc.

Wealthy individuals can buy their way out of military service and the Muster, for the price of hiring a professional mercenary for one full year (anyone?)


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## jdavis (Mar 22, 2003)

One year of training and compulsary service and then the next 9 years after that on the list for the muster. Wealthy citizens can buy a guard for a year to take their place (going through the guild of guards). Crafts and guilds can get special consideration for skilled apprentices from the active duty but not from the list. Current members of the Military or members of the Volunteer militia can get special consideration for their children. Regardless of any special considerations all citizens at the age of 16 are required to train with at least one weapon and be prepared to use it in defense of the city. The guild of guards could also offer special tutors for the wealthy or the other guildhouses, for a price of course. Members of the military in one form or another could train their own children, or allow their children to attend the city classes. The volunteer militia holds regular drills to keep themselves sharp, maybe part of their drills is helping other citizens to train.

I would figure many town residents would view this as a major nuisance as a big part of this would be repair work on the walls and clearing overgrowth from around the walls and the caravan routes. There probably hasn't been a raid to get beyond the city walls in decades and who cares about the poor beyond the wall to the south. "Plot Hooks" could be brewing to pose a severe challenge to the cities defenses, will the town be ready or will the people have grown soft and forgotten their training?


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## Lalato (Mar 22, 2003)

I can't remember who... but someone asked what level you would have to be create a clay golem.  Here's what I found...



> The clay golem costs 60,000 gp to create, including 1,500 gp for the body and 30,000 gp for vestments, which can be reused. Creating the body requires a successful Craft (sculpting or masonry) check (DC 15). The ritual requires a 16th-level creator who can cast divine spells. Completing the ritual drains 1,200 XP from the creator and requires animate objects, bless, commune, prayer, and resurrection.




I thought I would post some of the other golems...  here you go...



> The flesh golem costs 50,000 gp to create, which includes 500 gp for the construction of the body. Assembling the body requires a successful Craft (leatherworking) or Heal check (DC 13). The creator must be 14th level and able to cast arcane spells. Completing the ritual drains 1,000 XP from the creator and requires bull's strength, geas/quest, limited wish, polymorph any object, and protection from arrows.






> The iron golem costs 100,000 gp to create, which includes 1,500 gp for the body. Assembling the body requires a successful Craft (armorsmithing or weaponsmithing) check (DC 20). The creator must be 16th level and able to cast arcane spells. Completing the ritual drains 2,000 XP from the creator and requires cloudkill, geas/quest, limited wish, and polymorph any object.






> The stone golem costs 80,000 gp to create, which includes 1,000 gp for the body. Assembling the body requires a successful Craft (sculpting or masonry) check (DC 17). The creator must be 16th level and able to cast arcane spells. Completing the ritual drains 1,600 XP from the creator and requires geas/quest, limited wish, polymorph any object, and slow.




--sam


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## Krug (Mar 22, 2003)

jdavis said:
			
		

> *One year of training and compulsary service and then the next 4 years after that on the list for the muster. *




How about next 12 years? 4 sounds limiting. But otherwise rest of it looks quite good.


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## jdavis (Mar 23, 2003)

changed it to 1 year service and 9 years on the list for a total of 10 years. I also thought it might be ok for somebody to voluntarily stay on the list to keep one of their children from having to be on it.


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## Krug (Mar 23, 2003)

jdavis said:
			
		

> *changed it to 1 year service and 9 years on the list for a total of 10 years. I also thought it might be ok for somebody to voluntarily stay on the list to keep one of their children from having to be on it. *




I think that'd be difficult to enforce in a medieval setting... I think we should just keep it simple.


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## jdavis (Mar 23, 2003)

Orc Clans of the Swamp

The Red Ghost
Gorgo Ironbone is chief of the Red Ghost clan. They are one of the most violent and bloodthirsty of the orc clans.  The Red Ghost are nomads and raiders, they have no set territory, they move through the swamp taking what they can and making camp wherever they get tired. Gorgo Ironbone is reviled in the swamp, particularly among the goblins there, he frequently attacks their villages, taking what he wants and then moving on, anyone who puts up a fight is put to the sword. Under Gorgo the Red Ghost have become the more violent than ever before, he keeps his grip on the clan because of how successful he is, his raids are always the most successful and he always knows which caravan to hit and when it is time to disappear back into the swamp.  He stays one step ahead of the Rangers and has already killed one Ranger who got to close. The way Gorgo’s luck goes the way the prosperity of Red Ghost goes, if his luck ever fails him he will be lucky to survive. (see NPC thread for Gorgo's stats)

The Grand Fist
The Grand Fist is an old clan that has a village hidden deep within the swamp. They are led by the venerable Thal Brokentusk. Thal was once a mighty warrior but age has caught up to him, he knows that soon he will not be able to hold his control over the Clan. His son D’rak is the strongest warrior in the clan and will soon succeed his failing father. The Grand Fist is the original orc clan in the swamp, all other clans sprang up from them, and they are also the largest clan in the swamp. The Grand Fist has no need to raid the town to survive; they have a thriving secret village that fulfills all their needs. When the Grand Fist marches it is for the thrill of battle not the necessity of continued existence. There are several priest and clerics in the Grand Fist village and all other clans come once a year to pay homage to their gods. If this village were found out it would be a strong blow to all the clans for this is the only ground in all the swamp that is considered holy to them, in this place open battle is forbidden and all disputes are settled in ritualistic combat. Clans who are blood enemies can meet without fear in the temples here. 

The Dark Claw
Borak Goblinsbane is chief of the Dark Claw; his tribe controls the area of the swamp that borders on the southern shore of the lake. The clan took this area from the goblins and fight to keep control. The Dark Claw are caravan raiders and even on occasion they have been known to build rafts and raid the lake barges as they pass. Borak’s claim to clan leadership is based on his plan to charge a ransom fee to passing caravans instead of attacking them. Even powerful caravans that are well beyond the clan’s power will pay a small sum to keep out of trouble. The Dark Claw still raid where they will but now they can survive without taxing the strength of the clan. The Dark Claw is not a large clan but they fight well and they use cunning and strategy to make up for their numbers.

The Panther Clan
The Panther Clan controls an area downriver from the city. Their leader is Ashen Aragol “the one hand”. Aragol was set on fire during a raid on the city and his face is a scarred ruin, and his left hand is a melted twisted stub. It is said that even with one hand and one eye Aragol is still twice as powerful. Aragol has killed so many men that he has lost count. The Panther Clan frequently raids the outskirts of Mor’s End and have been known to cross the river and raid the farmers to the North of the city. It is Aragol’s greatest wish to see Mor’s End aflame, to return the favor for the pain he lives in every day. Where Aragol leads the Panther Clan follows and their battle cry is “BURN” which they yell in orcish during every attack. Where they go flames follow.

The Stonegrinders
The Stonegrinders are a poor clan that lives deep in the swamp, their leader De’velic Scarsgar dreams of the day when he can lead his clan out of the swamp and into the rich lands of the North. Twice now the Stonegrinders have been turned back trying to cross the river and enter the northlands. The Panthers are very concerned about the Stonegrinders encroaching on their territory and Ashen Aragol has more than once threatened to make De’velic “feel the flames”. Unlike most clans the Stonegrinders get along well with the goblinoids of the swamp and even enter into joint raids with them on occasion.  Deep down De’velic is a coward and often hides behind the strength of his clan during combat. He has blustered and intimidated his way into keeping control of the clan and always fears the day one of the others will gather the will to challenge him. De’velic knows that if he doesn’t soon get his clan to the northlands as he promised them his head will end up on a pike at a new clan chief’s celebration. 

The Black Dawn
Reviled, feared and avoided at all cost are the Black Dawn. Their leader Garsiel the prophet is a priest of (place orc god of choice here) and a cannibal.  His clan practices black rituals designed to bring dark power and feast on the bodies of their enemies. It is not uncommon to see the Black Dawn marching to battle accompanied by zombies created from their slain enemies, but most disturbing are the bite marks that can plainly be seen in the undead bodies. No creature of the swamp will cross the path of the Black Dawn and even the Outland Rangers give them a wide berth. 

The Carrion Crows
The Carrion Crows are one of the larger clans in the swamp; they control the lands directly south of Mor’s End. Their leader Grank the Clubfoot was born lame but still managed to become chief. The Carrion Crows are survivors, they have learned to live with their harsh environment and feel closeness to the swamp. Although they occasionally raid caravans they no longer hold any interest in destroying the city, instead they are content to hold what they have and protect it. They bear no love for the city or it’s inhabitants but they are the clan that looses the most members to city life and have accepted that the city is too established to be done away with. It is hoped that one day the Carrion Crows can be talked into a trade agreement as they are very adept at harvesting and preparing the swamp pickles that are considered such a delicacy in the city. So far no trader has been able to establish any sort of negotiations with the Carrion Crows but the last trader came back alive and with all his limbs still attached. That is considered major progress.

The Boar Clan
The Boar clan lives to the South of lake Enoria; they are led by Velrak Blacksun. The Boar clan moved west out of the swamp many years ago settling in the forest south of the lake, they raid the caravan routes heading west and sometimes attack the ferry landing. Velrak often leads raiding parties into the swamp and envisions a day when he can unite all the clans and take the vacant title of chief of the tribe. He will work with other clans to attack Mor’s End but lacks the resources to raid that far away from his forest on his own. Velrak often goes to the swamp village to seek guidance from the temples there but this is only a sham designed to gain him the support of the Orc priest and adepts there. The Boar clan protects their forest even against the other orc clans who try to move west and have gained a reputation among the orcs for arrogance and aloofness. 

The Water Demon 
The Water Demon clan lives far to the south on the southern edge of the swamp; the old clan chief recently was killed in a raid and they have yet to choose a successor. The Water Demons are in a state of chaos and turmoil at this time as there is no standout to become the new clan chief and they have lost many warriors to this infighting. The Water Demons rarely raid Mor’s End as it is a long and dangerous trip to come north through the swamp, they often send their young warriors north to raid with one of the other clans to gain experience and goods but have not mounted a large raiding party in many years. Water Demon clan members are known for their vicious nature and many have a fondness for torture.

The Bloody Axe
The Bloody Axe clan controls the area south of the Panther clan to the east of the swamp; they are lead by Hopfor the Half-Orc. They control a large forest to the east of the swamp and are fond of cutting down trees and forging weapons. Many of the weapons the other Orc clans use were created by the Bloody Axe clan. Hopfor is not well respected outside his own clan and is very touchy about his heritage; he has fought off many challengers and is feared for his ruthlessness in battle. The Bloody Axe clan is not fond of the swamp and prefer their forest; they do raid Mor’s End and the caravan route going east but they do not spend much time in the deep swamp. They share territory with the Panther clan and are close allies with them.

Orc Population Breakdown

The Red Ghost Clan: 70 males, 60 females, 25 young.

The Grand Fist Clan: 200 males, 200 females, 100 young.

The Dark Claw Clan: 50 males, 50 females, 25 young.

The Panther Clan: 100 males, 100 females, 50 young.

The Stonegrinders Clan: 70 males, 80 females, 40 young.

The Black Dawn Clan: 50 males, 30 females, 15 young.

The Carrion Crow Clan: 100 males, 100 females, 50 young.

The Boar Clan: 150 males, 150 females, 75 young.

The Water Demon Clan: 90 males, 110 females, 60 young.

The Bloody Axe Clan: 120 males, 120 females, 60 young.

Total tribe population: 1000 males, 1000 females, and 500 young.
2500 Orcs in the lands south of Mor’s End and Lake Enoria (most of these clans are several days to more than a week’s travel away from the town). Their population rarely increases due to the high mortality rate for orcs.


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## Lalato (Mar 23, 2003)

and don't forget the yak men!!!  

--sam


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## jdavis (Mar 23, 2003)

lalato said:
			
		

> *and don't forget the yak men!!!
> 
> --sam *




Do the Yak men live in the swamp too? I may have missed this but I was wondering where they could be found.


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## Lalato (Mar 23, 2003)

Perhaps they're the main danger on the north side of the lake...  They live in or near the mountains...  rarely do they leave their mountain homes, but sometimes the hunting is no good and they must come down from the mountains and seek other food sources...  They long ago stopped bothering with the Dwarves of Kul Moren...  too tough... and the meat is not good... so instead they raid the sheep herders and farmers for the easy pickings...

--sam


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## jdavis (Mar 23, 2003)

lalato said:
			
		

> *Perhaps they're the main danger on the north side of the lake...  They live in or near the mountains...  rarely do they leave their mountain homes, but sometimes the hunting is no good and they must come down from the mountains and seek other food sources...  They long ago stopped bothering with the Dwarves of Kul Moren...  too tough... and the meat is not good... so instead they raid the sheep herders and farmers for the easy pickings...
> 
> --sam *




I was worried about how to work them into a swamp, To the mountains with them then.


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## Conaill (Mar 23, 2003)

We can probably use most of the Goblin-a-day thread as well! Those guys would be _great_ to populate a goblin nest in the swamp somewhere. Plus it's an already existing EN World "product"!


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## jdavis (Mar 23, 2003)

That's a lot of goblins, perfect, we will need some tribes but since Goblins will be by far the largest race in the swamp numerically we could break them down into a couple of large tribes that are spread over areas of the swamp.

Maybe a couple of troops of Hobgoblins and a small Bugbear tribe to rule the swamp goblinoids, or make each tribe of Goblins encompass a troop of Hobgoblins and a small ruling class of Bugbears. Hobgoblins and Bugbears should be exceedingly rare and Goblins overwhelmingly common.

I'd like to get at least 3 more clans of Orcs to end up with ten clans and no standout leader. I figure it would all be one tribe of Orcs with several different clans spread out across the swamp.

I haven't even begun to figure out in what numbers they should exist but Goblins should be the vast majority with a lot of orcs and the rare Hobgoblin and Bugbears being exceedingly rare to almost never seen. I also figured that the Orcs and Goblins did not get along at all.


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## Conaill (Mar 24, 2003)

Given the swamp, we should probably also add some of the more semi-aquatic or amphibian races. Variety is good...


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## jdavis (Mar 24, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *Given the swamp, we should probably also add some of the more semi-aquatic or amphibian races. Variety is good... *




Eventually a random encounter table for the swamp would be nice, filled out with monsters and races found in the swamp. Anybody got a favorite race of semi-aquatic or amphibian that they'd like to see a small tribe of in the swamp The only one I can think of off hand from the Monster Manual is Lizardmen, there are the Bullywugs and Siv in the Monsters of Faerun book and I there are probably some in the Monster Manual 2.


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## Conaill (Mar 24, 2003)

Anyone have a list?

checking theSRD...

There's Lizardfolk, Locathah, Tojanida, Kuo-Toa, Aquatic Elves, Merfolk, Water Naga, Purple Worm, Sahuagin, Shocker Lizard, Skum, Nixie, Sea and Green Hag, Gibbering Mouther, Elasmosaurus, Aboleth.

I looked for those that have both a land a Swim speed, but I may have overlooked some, and there's probably some that are a little too aquatic-specific for a marsh. Still, a nice crop of nasties there!

Hmm, I seem to remember a d20 product with random encounter tables for various terrains. Anyone know which one? Anyone want to post the swamp/marsh one?


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## Tonguez (Mar 24, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *Anyone have a list?
> 
> checking theSRD...
> 
> There's Lizardfolk, Locathah, Tojanida, Kuo-Toa, Aquatic Elves, Merfolk, Water Naga, Purple Worm, Sahuagin, Shocker Lizard, Skum, Nixie, Sea and Green Hag, Gibbering Mouther, Elasmosaurus, Aboleth. *




Of the list only Lizardfolk,Skum, Nixie,Green Hag, Gibbering Mouther and Shocker Lizard would fit a swamp

Elasmosaurus (Nessy), Aboleth, Sahuagin, Naga would fit the lake and the others could all be worked into the lake environment if required (but as options only please!)

Oh and My vote is Bulluwugs - I always liked those guys

ps The number of Orc clans might be a bit many unless you are thinking more in the terms of 'mobs' less than 100 rather than clans (say up to 500). 

Also its already been suggested that the Hobgoblins dwell in the mountains to the West of the Lake. However I'd definately make the Goblins a dime a dozen in the swamps and most of them acting with no coordination as small family groups who serve as vassals/slaves to the orc mobs.


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## GladiusNP (Mar 24, 2003)

A few ideas...

Maybe some Merrows who live in the tributaries that run from the lake into the swamp.  What about a scrag that rules a goblin tribe with a fist of iron.  Lives in a cave surrounded by pockets of methane gas - will the party risk fire to attempt to kill it?  If there is a cause-way, Will'O'Wisps should be a regular sighting.  It's just not a swamp without them.  

A young black dragon?  Too powerful?  How big is this swamp? Lacedons?  They always seem to be more sea associated, so maybe not.  Giant Eels, electric eels?  I use snake, constrictor for them IMC, w/ electric eels having a shock attack.  

Skum?  Maybe if there's an aboleth....


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## Conaill (Mar 24, 2003)

Guess we need another thread: "*EN World City Project: Threatening the City (Enemy Submissions)*"


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## jdavis (Mar 24, 2003)

Tonguez said:
			
		

> *
> 
> ps The number of Orc clans might be a bit many unless you are thinking more in the terms of 'mobs' less than 100 rather than clans (say up to 500).
> 
> Also its already been suggested that the Hobgoblins dwell in the mountains to the West of the Lake. However I'd definately make the Goblins a dime a dozen in the swamps and most of them acting with no coordination as small family groups who serve as vassals/slaves to the orc mobs. *




I was figuring my total MALE Orc population to be around 1000, (I'd have to check with the book to see what the breakdown of women and children would be). With 10 clans that would average out about 100 adult male fighting orcs a piece. Obviously some are much stronger than others so some might only have 50 or 60 males and the big one probably has around 200. I figure them to be one Tribe of Orcs but no clan leader is strong enough to lead the whole tribe, so they just bicker and fight between themselves. if there was ever a Orc that became strong enough to unite the tribe and bring all the clans under his control well then you would have a plot hook.

Hobgoblins moving out of the swamp (I got a idea for my small Bugbear tribe but they might move out of the swamp too.) The Hobgoblins probably frequent the swamp to get workers or warriors for their raids.


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## jdavis (Mar 24, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *Guess we need another thread: "EN World City Project: Threatening the City (Enemy Submissions)"  *




Yea I really don't want to deal with Monsters, I was just sort of wanting to get the races mapped out. That would also be a thread that could include plot hooks for tombs and dungeons and adventuring hooks. 

I'd still like to know about evil races here as they would affect the make up of the defending forces (races who would gather as a organized force and try to raid the town), NPC's should head for the NPC thread, but we really don't have a thread for a Dragon or a Lich or a treasure filled tomb or those random encounter tables for wandering monsters.

Oh and my vote for evil swamp monster would go to the Chuul (MM pg 37).


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## Tonguez (Mar 24, 2003)

jdavis said:
			
		

> *I was figuring my total MALE Orc population to be around 1000, (I'd have to check with the book to see what the breakdown of women and children would be). With 10 clans that would average out about 100 adult male fighting orcs a piece. Obviously some are much stronger than others so some might only have 50 or 60 males and the big one probably has around 200. I figure them to be one Tribe of Orcs but no clan leader is strong enough to lead the whole tribe, so they just bicker and fight between themselves. if there was ever a Orc that became strong enough to unite the tribe and bring all the clans under his control well then you would have a plot hook.
> *




If we work on a 1:1 ratio 1000 Male Orcs implies 2000 Adult Orcs living in the Swamp right next to Mors End and everyone of them a threat (afterall who said female Orcs can't fight?). Either the Swamp is enormous, most Orc clans are relatively peaceful or thats just too many Orcs to all be living in the Swamp right on Mors Ends doorstep.

However 2000 Orcs living around the whole extent of the Lake (ie not ALL in the swamp) would be quite workable (the Lake is enormous). 

Other than that good stuff

And yeah good idea on the Threats and Dungeons Thread - those Warrens under the city still need some fleshing out...


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## Conaill (Mar 24, 2003)

I would prefer scaling back the number of orcs, and adding more of the other races, _especially_ for the swamp. Orcs have always seemed more of a plains people to me.

Goblins and kobolds on the other hand...

Who came up with these Yak men anyway? Weren't we trying to stick to the SRD? Or are Yak men just a variety of minotaur?


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## jdavis (Mar 24, 2003)

Notes on Orcs from Monster Manual:

"A lair includes females (as many as there are males), young (half as many as there are females, and slaves (about 1 per 10 males)."

"Orc society is patriarchal: Females are prized possessions at the best and chattel at the worst."


One of the clan's I described actually lives on the river to the East of town on the edge of the swamp, and one clan is desperately trying to leave the swamp, the last three clans that haven't been fleshed out can live out of the swamp, even though they would have ties to the village there. All of the Orc's live to the south of Mor's End, one of the things they desire is to go North into the richer and more civilized lands where raiding is better, unfortuantly there is a big walled city in their way.

(oh and the main source for those slaves would probably be goblins, although they do frequently raid caravans and the town.)


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## jdavis (Mar 24, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *I would prefer scaling back the number of orcs, and adding more of the other races, especially for the swamp. Orcs have always seemed more of a plains people to me.
> 
> Goblins and kobolds on the other hand...
> 
> Who came up with these Yak men anyway? Weren't we trying to stick to the SRD? Or are Yak men just a variety of minotaur? *




They are in the Monster Manual 2 (pg 200-201)


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## Conaill (Mar 24, 2003)

Not too thrilled about MM2 material, since I would guess *most* people out there don't have access to it, and I don't think it will ever become part of the SRD. Don't we have enough monster types already? 

We should also come up with some group which has a specific hatred for Kul Moren (giving Kul More a reason to station men in Mor's End).


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## jdavis (Mar 24, 2003)

Edited Orc clans post to add three more clans and a population breakdown.


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## jdavis (Mar 27, 2003)

Goblin Tribes

The goblins to the south of Mor’s End are a rowdy group with little or no organized leadership. The once powerful goblinoid kingdom was shattered in battle long ago and no strong leader has emerged to unite the goblins once again. This is fine by the goblins as they pretty much do what they want now. They have broken into several dozen smaller tribes who constantly fight with the humans, the orcs and each other. Goblin raids are common and they tend to take everything they can grab and then retreat before a defense can be mounted, Goblins have even been know to raid each other during raids on the town. The swamps south of Mor’s End is infested with goblins and the only thing that seems to keep their numbers in check is the fact that they tend to fight as much among themselves as they do with the city. The goblin tribes are nomadic and tend to move around, they move in and out of the swamp and through the woods and plains south of the lake almost constantly. Few of these goblin tribes number over 100 and many are less than 50, they fight, merge, collapse and reform so often that the Outland Rangers have a hard time keeping track of which tribe is which. It is for this reason that there is no way of actually knowing just how many goblins there are but their numbers are estimated to be in the thousands. There is a small tribe of Bugbears that live deep in the swamp who are trying to bring about a second Goblinoid Kingdom, but they have been completely unsuccessful in anything greater than mounting occasional attacks, they find it hard to hold on to any significant force of goblins for very long as they slip away into the swamp as soon as they turn their backs. It is also not that uncommon for Hobgoblins to enter the swamp to gather up goblins to use in their various wars. Very few of the goblins that go with the Hobgoblins ever return to the swamp alive.

Mor’s End itself has a sizable goblin population made up mostly of outcast and orphans, who have decided city life is much easier than living in the swamps, they primarily live outside the walls in the squats and are generally frowned upon by the city, no goblin is ever fully trusted but many of these goblins perform the task that the other races in Mor’s End would find demeaning or disgusting. Goblins that enter the city walls are always marked and watched to make sure they are not raiders and most local goblins are known to the city guard and watch; strange or unknown goblins found wandering the streets are normally picked up, questioned and removed from the city proper. It seems that most of the local goblins don’t mind this treatment and many see it as a sort of game. The occasional Hobgoblin shows up in Mor’s End too, most are refugees from battles or those orphaned and left to at the city gates.


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## jdavis (Mar 30, 2003)

Enoria Tower

Enoria tower guards the river crossing for the southern caravan route as it heads for Southgate or y’s off to head for Tradegate. It sits on the southern bank of the river mouth. Enoria tower consists of a small watchtower and a ferry across the river. Built to house 25 soldiers it is only manned by 15 at present and most of them are trainees from the City Muster. Barge traffic has replaced much of the land traffic on the caravan route as it crosses the swamp so the ferry is not as busy as it as it used to be. Enoria tower is mostly used as a training post and a way station for the Outland Rangers now. It is a sister tower to Sparguard keep to the north as they were built at the same time using the same plans. The only permanent residents of the tower are Haroon Balers the Ferryman and his wife Kin Balers.
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Haroon Balers, male human Com2:  CR 1; Size M (6 ft., 1 in. tall); HD 2d4-2; hp 6; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Attack +4 melee, or +2 ranged; SV Fort -1, Ref +1, Will +2; AL LN; Str 16, Dex 12, Con 9, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 9.

Languages Spoken:  Common.

Skills and feats:  Appraise +2, Hide +1, Jump +4, Listen +4, Move silently +1, Spot +4, Swim +8, Use Rope +10; Alertness, Skill focus (Use Rope).

__________________________________________________
Swamp Keep

A half-day’s walk south of Mor’s End is Swamp Keep; it is located on a small island in the middle of a swamp pond. The only way to get to the keep is by boat or to swim out to it. Swamp keep is a deserted crumbling tower that is only used by the Outland Rangers. Swamp Keep pre-dates Mor’s End and nobody knows who built it; most of its grounds are in ruins and sinking into the swamp. Rumor has it that there are caves and passages under the keep but the swamp has long since flooded them. The Rangers use the remaining tower as way station and for storage. Enough dry wood is maintained in the tower to light a signal fire if need be and food and equipment are hidden in the tower. Goblins and Orcs tend to keep their distance from the tower but the Rangers are not sure why. There are no permanent residents at the tower but it is not uncommon to find Outland Ranger patrols camping there.


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## jdavis (Mar 30, 2003)

posting orc clans and goblin tribes in word format for archive purposes. This will be added to the Military doc. but I wanted to post it separatly as it will also be part of the upcoming Monsters and adventures thread as soon as somebody opens one.


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## jdavis (Mar 30, 2003)

Archive of the Miltary thread (15 pages). Will be changed and appended when/if new new information is added to this thread.


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## jdavis (Apr 2, 2003)

Military Leaders of Mor’s End

Sebastiano Palmora; Commanding General of Mor’s Legion (half-elf Ari2/Ftr9/Rog3)
-Thomas Haljan; Captain of the Guard ( Human War 9)
-Bolius Chier; Captain of the Watch (Human Rgr4/Rog2)
-Dalvar Hammersmith; Captain of the Town Militia (Dwarf War10)
-Brego Ironbeard; Commander of the Dwarf-Guard (Dwarf Clr7)

Ulfgar Gorkil; Captain of the Elite Guard (Dwarf Ftr7/Def2)

Silanthe Kalatos; Outland Chief (Head of Outland Rangers) (F half-elf drd3/rgr6)
-Marcus Fleetfoot; Ranger representative to Council of Warders (human brd4/rgr1)

Styria Wolfgard; Leader of the Order of the Winter Storm (unknown)
-Treygar; nephew of Styria, (Leader of those who wish to join Outland Rangers) (unknown)

Others in military

1. Baltus Starkad; Squad Captain in the Elite Guard (Human M Ftr 5)

2. Alfgeir BronzeRock; troublemaking Dwarf Warrior (guard) (Dwarf M Ftr 1) 

3. Saul Antilium; Squad Captain City Guard (Human M Pal 5)
-Saul’s squad:
_4. Shelly Anderson (Human F, War1) 
_5. Jacob Gearson (Human M, War 1) 
_6. Arnold Rivetul, (Human M, War 2) 
_7. Nelim Sevdodle (Gnome M, War 1/ Ill 1) 
_8. Tatiana Vladmin (Human F, Bar 3) 
_9. Kirk Amondal (Human M, War 1)

10. Doodle; City Watch (Goblin M War1/Exp1)

11. Joey Ailn; Manditory service to City Guard (Muster) (Halfling M, War 1)


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## GladiusNP (Apr 2, 2003)

JDavis - fantastic work on the Military thread archive!  Looks great, and has integrated pretty well.  Definitely good to see such appreciable progress!


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## Conaill (Apr 2, 2003)

Great job, jdavis!

Could you add the class levels to the leader NPCs? Muchas Gracias!


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## jdavis (Apr 2, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *Great job, jdavis!
> 
> Could you add the class levels to the leader NPCs? Muchas Gracias!  *




Will get it tonight, I changed Thomas Haljan's level last night to make him more in line with the rest of the leaders.

One question on the archive, should I format it into two columns like in the books or leave it in one column like it is now? It's easier to edit it in one column so I'll keep it that way right now but for the final copy of it I thought it might look better in two columns like the books are.


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## Krug (Apr 2, 2003)

I think keep it in single column until it's pretty much finalised, and then convert it to double columns. 

Great work jdavis!


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## wizardoftheplains (Apr 3, 2003)

Lots of great work, Jdavis...you warmonger, you.
gary


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## jdavis (Apr 3, 2003)

Added class and levels to Miltary NPC post above. Have no stat block on either Outland Rangers and couldn't find information on Styria or Treygar Wolfgard.

Plenty of room for more military NPCs, not to mention private guards.


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## GladiusNP (Apr 3, 2003)

Was going to write up all of Saul's Squad, but didn't get around to it yet - want those, Jdavis?  I've also got Saul's roommate, Jeremy Marlin, who runs the night shift at Southgate.  I can polish him up and send him along if you want.


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## jdavis (Apr 3, 2003)

GladiusNP said:
			
		

> *Was going to write up all of Saul's Squad, but didn't get around to it yet - want those, Jdavis?  I've also got Saul's roommate, Jeremy Marlin, who runs the night shift at Southgate.  I can polish him up and send him along if you want. *




Post them on the NPC thread, I'm just keeping a running list here to keep up with who is who and where. All I need here is name, race, class, level and which service they are in. 

Not many of the shop owners or NPC's are members of the militia either, we could keep track of who joins the militia here too. I think the actual NPC write ups should stay with the NPC or craft thread to keep them organized, just need name, race, class, level and which service they are in posted here.


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## Conaill (Apr 4, 2003)

Hiya jdavis,

I think the Rangers could use one or two Arcane Archers, don't you think?

Just trying to make sure we cover all the SRD prestige classes.


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## jdavis (Apr 4, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *Hiya jdavis,
> 
> I think the Rangers could use one or two Arcane Archers, don't you think?
> 
> Just trying to make sure we cover all the SRD prestige classes.  *




If there are any Elf NPC makers out there yes that would work, the NPC's should also be attached family wise to the Silk fishers as there are very few Elves in the city and they are mostly involved with silk fish.


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## jdavis (Apr 4, 2003)

Ok so the deadline for submissions to this thread is set, Wednesday April 30th. May 1st the final copy of the Military archive will be posted here (and/or anywhere else I'm asked to post it to).


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## GladiusNP (Apr 5, 2003)

*Idea about North vs. South rangers.*

Northern and Southern rangers will have different feats and fighting styles.  I see Marcus Fleetfoot as a Northerner (he has to know how to deal with people) and the head lady as
a southerner. (I've forgotten her name).  I like giving game effects to flavour text, so...

The Northerners tend to be involved more in hunting down predators, protecting property, settling disputes, and warding off poachers.  They have Favored Enemy: Animals and/or Beasts, tend to train in tracking, Handling Animal for runaway livestock, Animal Empathy to maybe calm down a raging ram, or get a bear to leave.  Most are hunters, and use archery to very good effect, since the moors are clear of land.   Many of them are also skilled horsemen, since they must patrol the vast north in a short amount of time, and the moors are more esily covered on horseback.  They will wear Chain Shirts, and most use swords if forced into hand-to-hand combat.

Feats - Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, Shot on The Run.  Some choose to learn Mounted Combat and Mounted Archery.
Skills - Wilderness Lore, Handle Animal, Animal Empathy, Ride.  
Multi-class - Some to Barbarian, others to rogue or Bard to help in dealing with people.  

The Southerners are much tougher.  Many of them spend months out in the swamp, surviving off what they hunt while observing the orc tribes.  Nearly all speak both orc and goblin, and some also learn giant.  They Have Favored Enemy: Orcs and/or Goblinoids, and train in tracking through the swamp.  They tend to be slightly superior at survival to the Northerners, and also learn swimming (they do work in a swamp), how to find their way using only the sun, stars, and the land around them, and are constantly on the alert for orcs - though sight is less effective in the swamps.  They are also excellent at all manner of stealth.  Most train in ways to kill many enemies very quickly.  Since the mist, trees, and water of the swamp make archery less effective, most are trained in the axe - which doubles as a way to cut down trees, to aid in setting snares.  They wear very little armor - it's tough to survive quicksand in chainmail.  

Feats - Alertness, Power Attack, Cleave, Skill Focus (Wilderness Lore).
Skills - Wilderness Lore, Swim, Hide, Listen, Move Silently, and Intuit Direction (most only put a few ranks into this - you only every need to succeed at DC 15).
Multi-class:  Mainly to Druid.  

Well?  Workable?


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## Conaill (Apr 5, 2003)

We never actually settled the discussion about how many Rangers there should be, and what their duties should include.

Last I heard we were still arguing whether we should have just a dozen Rangers, or up to 30 or so. One thing's for sure, we _cannot_ have just a dozen Rangers if they have to cover all this territory, man those outlying towers, _and_ have non-military duties as well.


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## GladiusNP (Apr 5, 2003)

Isn't the reason the Order of the Winter Storm's proposal was so well recieved was because the Outland Rangers were too undermanned to perform the duties they originallly had?  So I agree - the Rangers do have too much of a job to do.  They are going to fix it with the Order of the Storm.  At one time, the rangers had even more men, and were very powerful - powerful enough to get a seat on the council (albeit a non-voting one).  I think it stands to reason that the current breadth of duties is telling on the Ranger's depth.  

IMHO, YMMV, and so forth.


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## Conaill (Apr 5, 2003)

Just checking the military archive:

- Sparguard Keep has 6 soldiers and "4 untrained boys" manning it
- Enoria Tower is manned by 15 at present, and "most are trainees from the City Muster."

Let's put at least 2 trained Rangers in Enoria Tower, that's already 8 Rangers stuck in the towers themselves. And we haven't even _started_ protecting the most vulnerable area, around Tradegate.

Also keep in mind that from the 200 boys doing compulsory military duty, only about 50 or so will be trained enough to give any significant responsability. And we're counting on those to help guard the city walls as well!


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## Conaill (Apr 5, 2003)

GladiusNP said:
			
		

> *Isn't the reason the Order of the Winter Storm's proposal was so well recieved was because the Outland Rangers were too undermanned to perform the duties they originallly had?  So I agree - the Rangers do have too much of a job to do.  They are going to fix it with the Order of the Storm.*



So meanwhile there have been hordes of orcs and goblins raging across the countryside, burning down all those unfortified estates you wanted to put north of the river.


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## GladiusNP (Apr 5, 2003)

I think we both know that's not the case.  One would assume that of the few rangers who remain, at least one patrols the river.  Not to mention all of the ships that pass by, noticing any "hordes of orcs and goblins" swimming across in weapons and armour, or building a hundred rafts to cross the river on.      Unless all the ships are all crewed by halflings from Port Jollita, who can't see over the railings.


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## Conaill (Apr 5, 2003)

It's not *that* easy to patrol a river of that size, especially at night. Ask the US border guards trying to patrol the Rio Grande...

At the _absolute_ minimum, you'd need two shifts of two guards. That uses up the rest of our "dozen Outland Rangers", meaning there's no more Rangers left to patrol the dangerous area between the swamp and the trade route, or to patro North of the river to catch those bands that do slip through. Never mind the fact that they can't stop any forces that are determined to cross. Are we going to call the Muster for every band of 20 orcs that rafts across the river?

Besides, whoever claimed that there weren't any enemies North of the river already. In the original outline we had "yakmen" coming out of the Northern mountains. Those got axed because they're not in the SRD. But I don't think we should assume those areas are 100% safe either...

All in all, I think we need to do some serious bookkeeping about how many men are stationed in which area. I think we'll see that we need to make some difficult choices...

Ok... truce!

Let's let jdavis sort this out. He's probably heard enough arguments on both sides. (Do check out the Gov. Affairs thread as well, j! Half of the discussion is on there...)


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## jdavis (Apr 5, 2003)

In general local towers or forts would be watched by local troops, the men at Sparguard are all local men of that area. In the south there are no local men to man towers so there is only a very few (right now there are only two and one is a abandon ruin I plan on turning into a haunted adventure hook at a later date). In the North Sparguard was only a example of the many watchtowers, the problem is that it has been so quiet for so long in the North that they are unprepared for any real trouble from that direction.

On to the Rangers. The Rangers don't have patrols per say they just roam around looking for trouble, they will not catch everything and it is quite possible for Orcs to cross the river and raid into the North but it is a very hard river crossing and and they don't go very far away from the safety of the swamps. The farther North you get (closer to the mountains) the more trouble you will find but there is very little that can be done about that. There are less than 20 Rangers and the deal with those leaving the Winter Storm is a plot hook, it hasn't happened yet and it will be a big deal (and maybe trouble) when it does. Rangers have to be above average as they fight against the odds, they have the judge power so they can basically execute those who are breaking the law without having to be burdened down with prisoners. The system is brutal but it has to be, to do it nice I'd need 100 rangers easy, that won't happen, so fear, randomness of patrols, intese training and skill become "Force Multipliers". In the swamp they are basically fighting a gorrilla war and keeping the tribes off balance and fighting each other. In the North they do what must be done to keep the peace and keep trade flowing. That is one of the problems with Outland Ranger loyalty they have the power to execute people on their own judgement, they have to be fair, honest and loyal to the city(or at least to the laws of the city). 

Ok here is a good example of how the North works, we will go back to the Silk Fish poachers. The penalty for poaching silk fish is death, when silk fish poachers are found they are killed. Fear of this keeps poaching to a minimum, you might get away with it for months but eventually it will start raining arrows down on your camp and you will be cut down where you stand. Two Rangers could not take out 10 poachers head on, so they kill them from ambush and harry them until they are dead or flee. The surviving poachers spread the fear. 

The system is a bad one but it was designed for plot hooks not efficiency. I want there to be a wild feel even in the North, this is a frontier. Too many Outland Rangers and it becomes too safe and if it's too safe what do the adventurers do? Your never truly safe, even in the city.

The Ranger breakdown is very workable, remember that just becuase they are called the Outland Rangers doesn't mean they are "Rangers" though, you might have some that have no Ranger levels at all. A straight out rogue with a little bit of wilderness lore would be ok in the North as would a straight out Bard and it would be possible to get Clerics and Palidins that ride as Outland Rangers. A Barbarian could work ok in the South as could a fighter with very high Hide and Move Silently skills and the track feat. Arcane Archers would work good in either and a Druid is a good fit in the south. Outland Rangers is the title of the organization because I couldn't think of another word that would fit where Rangers is. Anybody that could follow their code and is willing to stand up for what they believe can join and fight for "the Law Beyond the Wall". The more that I think of it a Paladin would be a perfect fit as a Northern Ranger. Hmmmmm......


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## Lalato (Apr 5, 2003)

jdavis... I couldn't have said it better...  

thanks,
--sam


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## jdavis (Apr 5, 2003)

Ok I posted a example of a Outland Ranger patrol in the NPC thread. The levels are high but Conaill wanted a Arcane Archer so I made a Arcane Archer as one of them. I have another one in the works but I'm going to bed now.


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## Conaill (Apr 6, 2003)

Yeah, does look a little high, but we *do* have space for one 9th level Ranger, and your Delia Slemonia would fit the bill. Hmm, but you already have a Drd3/Rgr6 as head of the Outland Rangers, right? Is Rgr5/Wiz2 the lowest entry point into the class?

I do think she should probably be the second-in-command among the Outland Rangers.  And she would hardly ever visit Mor's End itself.


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## jdavis (Apr 6, 2003)

Conaill said:
			
		

> *Yeah, does look a little high, but we *do* have space for one 9th level Ranger, and your Delia Slemonia would fit the bill. Hmm, but you already have a Drd3/Rgr6 as head of the Outland Rangers, right? Is Rgr5/Wiz2 the lowest entry point into the class?
> 
> I do think she should probably be the second-in-command among the Outland Rangers.  And she would hardly ever visit Mor's End itself. *




Arcane Archers have to have a base attack of +6 and be able to cast first level arcane spells.


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## jdavis (Apr 7, 2003)

added another sample Outland Ranger to the NPC thread.


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## jdavis (Apr 13, 2003)

Military Strategy in Mor’s End

Mor’s End has a long history of being attacked. It is impossible to fully man the walls all day every day so tactics and strategy is used to make up for the lack of manpower on the wall. Some of the Tactics used are:

1. Outland Ranger Patrols to warn of attacks.
2. Staggered guard patrols on the walls so no pattern can be discerned from night to night.
3. Use of Point of Defense system by city military to cover trouble spots during attacks.
4. Closing of gates from sundown to sun up.
5. Mandatory Military training for all citizens. 

Point of Defense System

This system was designed nearly 200 years ago to maximize the abilities of the military. These are the steps under a normal raid.

1. Identify size and position of raiders.
2. Fortify the wall with area defenders.
3. City Watch moves in to cover areas defenders left to go to the area of attack.
4. Off duty guard shift/watch shift moves out to cover streets for city watch.
5. City Militia is called to wall.
6. A determination is made as to whether there may be a second point of attack or not. 
7. Forces move in to suppress raiders or cover second point of attack.
8. More men are called to the wall as necessary to fill in areas where troops have moved to the point of attack(s). 

This shifting of men allows for the defense of the wall and continued coverage of other areas. There are some weaknesses to this system. First off the wall must be held by a small number of soldiers until help can arrive and second the town has spread outside the walls in the last 100 years. This system is useless against a dedicated siege but there is no way for a force large enough to besiege the city to get close enough for a surprise attack. When a large army approaches then the Muster is called up and the walls are fully manned. This system has protected the city for a very long time, very few raiders ever make it over the wall and no raiders have gotten very far into the city in nearly 200 years. The squats outside the wall are another matter and quite often the raiders from the swamp don’t even attempt to attack the wall and just head straight for this part of town. Only the commanders of the military can order the gates open after sundown and this hampers the militaries ability to react to raids on the squats. Unfortunately most people have very little concern for those who live outside the wall so there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of a strategy change coming in the near future.


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## Lalato (Apr 13, 2003)

Question...  are the Outland Rangers still using some minor magical device for warning the city?  or have we moved on to something else like warning fires?  or a mixture of things?

Just wondering...
--sam


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## jdavis (Apr 13, 2003)

Lalato said:
			
		

> *Question...  are the Outland Rangers still using some minor magical device for warning the city?  or have we moved on to something else like warning fires?  or a mixture of things?
> 
> Just wondering...
> --sam *




They use Alarm Sticks still (Its listed as a one shot magic item based on the flare spell).


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## jdavis (May 2, 2003)

changing the Enoria tower discription and finalizing the archive for the thread, thanks for everyone's input, I'd be getting it done quicker but I got tied up in the Erotic book discussion on the first page.


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## jdavis (May 4, 2003)

Enoria Tower (revised)

Enoria tower guards the river opening into Lake Enoria and the silk fishers who work on the coast of the big island. It sits on the southern bank of the big island at the river mouth. Enoria tower consists of a small watchtower and outbuildings. Built to house 25 soldiers it is only manned by 15 at present and most of them are trainees from the City Muster. Enoria tower is mostly used as a training post now and would probably of been closed if it was not for the insistence of the silk fishers in the area. The river is much too deep to ford here but the silk fishers fear goblin and orc raiding parties and from time to time goblins are caught by the Outland Rangers trying to build rafts on the southern river bank.  It is a sister tower to Sparguard keep to the north as they were built at the same time using the same plans. The only permanent residents of the tower are Haroon Balers the caretaker and his wife Kin Balers.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Haroon Balers, male human Com2:  CR 1; Size M (6 ft., 1 in. tall); HD 2d4-2; hp 6; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 11 (+1 Dex); Attack +4 melee, or +2 ranged; SV Fort -1, Ref +1, Will +2; AL LN; Str 16, Dex 12, Con 9, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 9.

Languages Spoken:  Common.

Skills and feats:  Appraise +2, Hide +1, Jump +4, Listen +4, Move silently +1, Spot +4, Swim +8, Use Rope +10; Alertness, Skill focus (Use Rope).


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## jdavis (May 4, 2003)

The final complete Military archive of Mor's End:

The Military of Mor's End is now offically finished, I'd like to thank everybody for their help (and feel free to post more military linked NPCs).


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