Prelude to Game

Prelude

The following happened as part of the back story to begin the game:

All players are a member of the Northern Vord Mercenary Company. Every one of you has been with the company for at least 3 years, some probably for more (up to you). Rank, regardless of how long you dictate you spent with them is Mercenary (see below for what that means). If you start with a noble background, you are a Knight-in-Arms.

Mercenary monthly pay is 3 GS coin and 30 SP Wealth equipment upkeep.
Knight-in-Arms monthly pay is 21 GS coin and 100 SP wealth equipment upkeep.

Ignore normal starting equipment. You begin with profession normal items and 50 GS in equipment suited for a cold northern environment. All metals will be in Smoked Silveel vice steel, since it does not transmit cold like normal steel and can be worn. Metal armors up to full chain can be chosen as well as requisite gear.

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Players will be part of a group of gathered up mercenaries from all the Northern Vord units to support an expedition to the sunken Urthaán settlement of Lurfhaatha off the coast of the Ice Fire Isles. Standard contract is that the group gets paid when the expedition gets back. Right now its projected at a 3-year time frame. Your detail to the town is to be part of a team that will be working on setting up and keeping good relations with the locals.

You are among the members selected and went north from the mercenary headquarters in Vorgoe. The trip was overland to the borders of Vorgoe, by air (Vord, of course) in hopes to meet a small flotilla of ships (the Maiden Course, Armored Demise, Queen's Mate) that sailed on the cold waters to the Ice Fire Islands.

You put off the coast in the settlement of Arjak. Its decent sized, approximately 3000 people in wood and stone buildings. No walls but squat, pillbox-like warning towers and two retreat points: one underground and the other on the water. It has basic amenities and seems like it is more of a chaotic jumble of factions than a central leader.

The company moved south and east along the coast of the southern island of Sjaorn to a series of rugged outcroppings. The archeologists used magic to bore an eight foot diameter pipe through the snow and under the ice. What more they have done you don't know since you have been part of the crew to setup the upper base on the island coast.

It took a month to complete but you have a walled enclosure around the tube entrance and four watch towers. After completion, you were detailed to be in a unit that would be interacting with the locals in Arjak for the company. At game start you will be traveling the ugly landscape to the town (5- day journey). Its dangerous but not horribly so and doable safely in a group of three or more.

Players can be nearly anything but must be able to play with the rest of the group, from the start and have integrated for a couple of years previously in their back story with the mercenary group. Keep in mind you will have spent some time on a ship getting there and will be on a very cold, rocky, volcanic island. Not that settlements don't exist, or that some places are not warm, but they will not be the norm. It will be cold enough that large amounts of metal will be impossible to wear or have on your person. The Northern Vord will help to a certain extent and will have provided some equipment. I'll give you a list of that separately on the forum. Additionally, you will be wearing at least furs at all times unless you have some other way to stay warm. Keep that in mind for your character.