IKRPG 2 : Session 2, (A distinct lack of) Trials and Tribulations

It was early in the morning the next day when Captain Grey was approached by one of the camp gobbers, who efficiently, if in a way that is unrepeatable, summoned her to the pole they'd chained Sergeant Richmond to in preparation for his trial.  After spending some time training and letting him wait, she made her way over to see what he had to say, and he presented her with his deal - if she dropped the charges, he would play the good little soldier and follow her orders.  After some short and fairly one-sided negotiation, Richmond was unchained and back in the team with a few changes, primarily that he would be at reduced pay AND with Captain Close as his handler until Grey was satisfied that he would not be a liability.  In return, he would play the good soldier, and her first mission on record would not end with a court martial and a display that she could not control her own troops.

Their differences settled, or at least put aside for now, the team reassembled in the officer's tent for their next mission.  Surrounded by those who had come to view the trial, among them Major Katrina Lattimer and Earl Alexander Grey, Captain Grey's father, the team were given their next briefing.  Even as he took out the dossier on their assignment, Commander Steele could barely contain the disdain he clearly felt for what was in it, multipled many times over to make it clear for the assorted dignitaries.  Someone higher up - high enough up that it can remain a secret - has demanded their presence at a Llaelese fortress.

As far as the Cygnarans had been made aware, the fortress was essentially the Llaelese version of their own fort, watching the Black River and keeping it clear of Khadorans.  There were only two problems; firstly, the fort relied heavily on costly mercenary forces to guard it and secondly, the few dedicated Llaelese troops were only experienced in guerilla warfare, and had no idea how to fight in a siege.  The Cygnarans were primarily there to advise and oversee the final phases of construction.  Requisitioning was brief and to the point - all the warjacks were up and running and put on a boat with enough ammunition and coal to keep them in combat for a full week.  While they were there, Sergeant Fillion requisitioned a cart for the mechaniks who would be accompanying the 'jacks and Sergeant Killigan also hired a gobber to keep tabs on Sergeant Richmond, just in case.

After a two day trip upriver, the group arrived at what appeared to be the fort.  Far from a small wooden construct that had been inferred, they found a small village surrounding a permanent stone keep and, even from a decent distance away, the fact there was something off was evident almost immediately - no sounds of life were coming from the village, no sounds of talking or of work, no children playing or soldiers drilling.  Leaving the boiat behind, Sergeant Richmond stealthily moved in closer to scout the location and...

Nothing.  No people, no 'jacks and, while there were signs of struggle, no bodies.  A cursory investigation indicated that a large military unit had moved in in formation, fired wildly at the populace and then carried them from their homes as they hid.  While their movements indicated military precision and years of experience, their gunshots had gone wild, suggesting they were entirely new to shooting.  As this puzzled the team, they moved to the fort in the middle of the town, finding the doors closed but unbarred.

Inside, the team found a scene of carnage, with the corpses of many Llaelese soldiers and mercenaries in the courtyard, and every surface riddled with bullets.  A quick search found the staff roster for the fort and, cross-referencing the names with the corpses showed that three names were missing - two privates and a corporal.  One of the privates was found by Captain Grey and Sergeant Fillion as they investigated the buildings inside the walls, babbling incoherently about being attacked by "their own" and an army of "silent killers", while hints of the other two were found by Captain Close and Sergeant Richmond as they scouted the outsides of the town, notably two tracks of bootprints that came to an abrupt end next to a heavy warjack's.

While there was no sign of their bodies, the Nomad they had been next to was discovered in a hedge a full fifteen feet away with a single football-sized hole that had been blasted clean through it's chest and out it's boiler.  There were no other bullet marks, and a cursory examination showed no blasting powder residue on the hole.  Flummoxed, the team instructed the warjacks to drag the Nomad into the fort and sent the mechaniks and still visibly traumatised survivor back to to the camp to get reinforcements.

After burying the dead, the next five days were a boring slog as nothing happened while they remained on high alert.  While Captain Close and Sergeant Killigan kept the majority of the watch, Captain Grey performed rudimentary last rights on the graves, practised with her guns and crafted more Rune Shots, Sergeant Fillion took to carving a piano and Sergeant Richmond took it upon himself to become unit cook with food scavenged from the surrounding village.  On the afternoon of the fifth day, the boat arrived with reinforcements - a full unit of Long Gunners, the Trenchers from their last mission and a small group of CRS Investigators to look over the scene that had remained more or less untouched up until that point.

With the fort guarded by a group of professional soldiers and looked over by a team of investigators, the team returned to base to receive new orders, and hopefully give the Cygnaran military time to uncover details of this new threat...

IKRPG 2 : Session 1, I Fort You Said Something Else...

Firstly, the party!

Captain Alexis Grey, Gifted Arcane Tempest Gunmage/Cygnaran Warcaster, Unit Commander, Secondary Support
Captain Dexter Close, Gifted Cygnaran Trencher/Warcaster, Unit Sub-commander, Secondary Sniper
Sergeant Charlie Richmond, Mighty Ranger/Trencher Commando, Unit Rookie, Secondary Scout
Sergeant Duff Killigan, Skilled Investigator/Rifleman, Unit Sniper
Sergeant Harrison Fillion, Skilled Ranger/Pistoleer, Unit Scout
Sergeant Joseph Caspian, Intellectual Alchemist/Stormsmith, Unit Support (Absent from this mission)

In the aftermath of the annexation of the Thornwood by Khador and the subsequent ceasefire, a new branch of the Cygnaran military has been set up, a specific Unorthodox Engagement Team in Corvis tasked with keeping the Black River clear to allow trade with Rhul and Llael.  Taken from several local units, the new team has been set up with a base of operations on a platform just north of Corvis, complete with a veritable army of armourers, medics and administrators.

With the team set up with their new base, they were given a quick mission by their CO, Commander Reb Steele - a forward base set up by Khador less than fifteen miles north of the city limits that desperately needed to be razed to the ground.  Despite a quick discussion on the ethics of attacking a fortification during a ceasefire, it was determined that orders were orders and they began the planning, while simultaneously going to Father Brown and Sly, the armourers.  After requisitioning all the ammunition and equipment they felt they would need (including a modified Hunter's Longarm) and finalising their plans, they moved upriver with a unit of Trenchers.

The plan was simple - wait until nightfall and send a military boat disguised as a trade vessel with a unit of trenchers up the river while Captains Grey, Captain Close and Sergeant Killigan set up on the other side of the fort in various sniper positions to take out the sentries and cover Sergeant Richmond and Sergeant Fillion as they scaled the walls, set up explosive charges and get out, leaving the munitions stocks to obliterate the majority of the base.  Any survivors could be quickly and efficiently picked off by the team and the trenchers.

What could possibly go wrong?

In a stunning display of pig-headedness, Sergeant Richmond decided to stay behind with the bombs to "ensure they went off".  After twenty seconds and a quick sneak around the buildings, he fired off a round - the signal for the Trenchers to attack, causing them to open fire on the Winter Guard nearest to them, throwing the whole camp into chaos just in time for the first bomb to go off.  As the rest of the team ran in to extract their errant member, he managed to break in to the officer's quarters to quickly loot as many papers and maps as he could get his hands on before planting another bomb inside.

As the team met up at the fort entrance, the second bomb in the munitions store detonated, sending a large section of the fort up in a fireball that killed the majority of the remaining guards, showering the rest in shrapnel and fire.  After attempting to convince Richmond that he'd messed up and having him blankly disbelieve him, Captain Grey decided to convince him of his desire to be court martialed for disobeying orders and endangering his team with a solid right hook.

Richmond woke up back at base, chained to the post that doubled as a brig.  It appears the Cygnaran army wasn't going to forgive and forget...

IKRPG 2 : Mission 1, Let's Get This Party Started!

Briefing
Just North of Corvis, on the Thornwood side of the Black River, the Khadoran military have set up a forward base that has been designed to house a huge number of soldiers and warjacks for a future assault on the city.  With the ceasefire and the recent events in the Thornwood interior, it has been left with a skeleton crew of Winter Guard and one low-ranking officer to oversee it.

It cannot be allowed to exist.  Ceasefire or not, destroy it.

The Mission
The fort is a mere ten miles North of Corvis, due East of Fort Rhyker.  It has been designed as a temporary structure, with no real attempts to keep it from sinking in due course (the Cygnaran military may suspect this, but they wouldn't have confirmed it - the buildings are reinforced down to about ten feet and your players could PROBABLY try to burrow under if they have the gear and desire to find out if a cave in of swamp mud counts as crushing or drowning).  The area around the fort has been cleared of all trees out to 300 feet, although there are patches of sparse rubble which a bit of timing COULD allow small or average sized characters to run between without being spotted.

The frt itself is currently being held by a total of 25 Winter Guard, split into one Lieutenant (Katya Roshanov, if your players care.  They probably won't), 2 Sergeants, 2 Corporals and 20 Privates.  2 Privates man each of the Guard Houses and the Gate House at all time on six hour rotations, with the 10 who had just had watch on a 6 hour rest.  Every few hours, either the Lieutenant or one of the Sergeants will do a round of the guard posts.  The Corporals work twelve hour shifts each in the Steamjack Storage facility.

A-D = Guard Houses, 3 Stories Tall.  2 Privates with Blunderbuss and Axe.  Each building has assorted living implements such as a deck of cards and other assorted game boards, a telescope and around 10-20 Koltina.

E = Main Barracks, 3 Stories Tall.  10 Privates with Blunderbusses and Axe and 1 Corporal with Rocket.  The building contains five hundred Blunderbuss rounds, ten spare axes and ten spare Winter Guard uniforms (one size fits all.  So long as you're not a Gobber, Trollkin or Ogrun).  It also has several letters to and from the guard's families in Khadoran and on a Detection roll of 15 or higher, the players will find a loose floorboard concealing a stack of rather expertly realised, if borderline treasonous, sketches of several high ranking female officers (mostly Lieutenant Katya Roshanov, but also a few of Forward Kommander Sorscha Kratikoff and one that may be Empress Ayn Vanar) in compromising, if occasionally physically impossible, positions.  An extended search will uncover approximately 3-400 Koltina.

F = Steamjack storage, 2 Stories Tall.  1 Corporal with Rocket and Kolya, the Kompany Juggernaut.  The building also has huge piles of coal and tools for mechanikal engineering.  It also has several rockets and even a few additional warheads for Blasting Pikes.

G = Officer's Quarters, 2 Stories Tall.  1 Lieutenant with Blunderbuss and Axe, 2 Sergeants with Blunderbuss and Axe.  The building has ledgers, encoded orders and a chest containing the soldier's pay - 2000 Koltina.

H = Gate House, 3 Stories Tall.  2 Privates with Blunderbuss and Axe.  Much like the Guard Houses, the Gate House has a deck of cards and other assorted game boards, a telescope and 15 Koltina.  It also has a "Guest Book" that details the visitors the fort has had since it was built.

All the while the players remain stealthy and take out the individual groups without sound, they will be fine.  If a melee takes longer than a round or a gun is fired, the remaining guards will descend on the location, with the officers, the Winter Guard in the Guard/Gate Houses, the Corporal in the Steamjack Storage and Kolya turning up after a minute and the remaining Winter Guard turning up in ten minutes.

Loot
Guest Book - While mostly useless, this could be used to pin down several high ranking Khadoran military officials.  The CRS would pay out about 10 Crowns per player for it.
Koltina - A Khadoran gold coin.  Worth about half as much as a Crown (.5 gold each) in Cygnar.
Ledgers and encoded orders - Probably worth a LOT to the CRS.  Worth at least 100 Crowns per player as a bonus if they're brought back.
Tastefully realised erotic art - If Sly finds out you've got this, he'll offer 50 Crowns per player for them.

In addition to their monthly pay of 200g, completion of this mission will net a bonus of 100g for each character.

Stats
Privates - Basic Winter Guard stats.  1 Health.
Corporals - Winter Guard Rocketeer stats.  1 Health.
Sergeant - Basic Winter Guard stats, +1 to all stats.  1 Health.
Lieutenant - Winter Guard Lieutenant, +1 to all stats.  'Jack Marshal.  10 Health.
Kolya - Juggernaut with 1 box removed from the Hull of each column.

IKRPG 2 : The House Rules!

OK, so firstly, a proviso - I'm running this game with several people who have never played the Iron Kingdoms before, and one person who has never roleplayed at ALL before, so I'm trying to keep this campaign more or less within the books.  That said, there are a few ideas I want to throw in...

Character Creation
Unless a player really wants to switch out abilities, I'm running this straight from the book - you pick a career and you copy down all the abilities!  I'm using the Unorthodox Engagement Team Adventuring Company (don't even know what it does, but it sounds awesome...) but, apart from that, fair game.

The exception is spells - a spellcaster can switch out any of their spells for any other COST 1 or 2 available to their career.

None of this is technically house rules, I'm just setting down the guidelines and this seems like the best place to put it.  My blog, my rules, people!

'Jacks
Steamjacks can't take nearly enough damage to be the terrifying force of nature they richly deserve to be, so I'll be taking steps to ensure that they can survive more hits than a player character.  I may change this later but, for now, I'm only adding in one rule;

When attacking a steamjack or warbeast, all damage after armour is halved unless it is from another steamjack or warbeast, or it has the Armour Piercing special rule.

Requisitions
As a military campaign, my players shouldn't have to rely on their own funds for gear.  Not only does it not make sense, but it limits the cool toys they can play with.  As such, I've come up with a vague system of social rolls to help my players get toys - ALL rolls should be roleplayed out a bit, but it doesn't need to be Shakespeare.

'Mundane' items (basic weapons, armour and military gear...) are free - you want a military rifle and some Trencher armour, you get it!  Ranged weapons come with 25 rounds.  Obtaining more than is necessary (a character has two hands, they PROBABLY don't need an axe and two rifles...) requires a roll.

'Specialist' items (non-standard weapons, fitted armour and other gear) are discretionary.  If they're necessary for a mission (assassinations will probably need a decent scoped Heavy Rifle...) they're free but, if they want something that makes less sense ("No, you don't need the mini-slugger for the stealth mission...") a roll is in order.

Specific Mechanika requires a social roll.  More general mechanika will probably be granted as the campaign goes on as the players are promoted and make allies (or just make it themselves...).  The granted Mechanika will be that character's personal property, and will be considered fully charged before each mission.  The same goes for any warjack in the division's stable.  The stable currently consists of an Ironclad, a Charger, a Lancer and two Hunters, although this will increase throughout the campaign as I get more models the division is reinforced.

As far as the actual roll is concerned, I'm working on the basis that each player will make out a list of what they want and then make a roll against a target number of 10 plus the following modifiers;

Each mundane item after the third. +1
Each specialist item after the first. +2
Each piece of specific mechanika. +5
Each 'jack after the first for the team. +5
Character is pulling rank or attempting to intimidate. +2
Character has made an effort to get to know Father Brown in the campaign (cancelled if they ever try to pull rank or intimidate him). -2

Even if they fail, all is not lost!  They are still allowed all mundane and specialist items that are needed and, if they HAVE to have something, Sly can accidentally lose it for the duration of a mission for a tenth of it's cost and the assurance that he'll get it back - abusing this service will mean it stops.

IKRPG 2 : The A-Steam

It's that time again!  With Kings, Nations and Gods on it's way, the time has come for...  Another IKRPG campaign!  This time around, I'll be focussing on the city of Corvis and, more specifically, the trenches just north of it - the party is going to be an Unorthodox Engagement Team seconded to the 95th "Gravediggers" Trencher Company.  Unlike my last campaign which was aiming for fairly gritty gangland combat, this is going to be closer to a mash-up of every 80's Action movie and adventure TV series ever - The Expendables meets the A-Team, big, loud, bombastic and just a bit silly!

Now, unlike before, there aren't going to be a series of set groups to interact with, so I'm going to start by highlighting the key support NPCs, their backstories, archetypes/careers and roles, and possibly even put up pictures!  Also unlike last time, I don't have the actual models yet, so I'll be putting up the minis I'm GOING to use and replacing them as I finish 'em off!

Captain Reb Steele
(Human Mighty Cutthroat/Military Officer/Trencher)

Commander of the UET division of the 95th, Captain Steele is a career soldier who wants nothing more than to get out into the field and take back the Thornwood from the Khadorans.  Sadly, as a full officer, he's been relegated to a glorified desk job, handling the briefings, debriefings and general admin of several teams of younger (and, although he'll never openly admit it, fitter) soldiers.  Having been fighting Khadorans and their hired mercenaries for the better part of three decades, Steele no longer trusts anything even passingly Khardic, and certainly doesn't trust the latest ceasefire; an attitude not helped by the total lack of communication since the joint Cygnaran/Khadoran operation into the Thornwood.

He also looks like a TOTAL badass...

As stated, Reb Steele is responsible for the unit's briefings and debriefings, but he also takes it on himself to be personally responsible for his team's wellbeing, up to and including verbally abusing, mocking and understating his charge's victories like any proper, caring Trencher commander does.  In return, he gives the best - as long as his soldiers get results and stay on the fairly straight and narrow, the base is stocked with good booze, the finest recreation and the loosest men and women, and while there is no mission, he has a long-standing understanding with Watch Commander Helstrom that his troops' minor infractions in Corvis itself will be overlooked or dealt with internally.

Sergeant Tyler "Father" Brown

(Human Gifted Arcane Mechanik/Priest of Morrow)

Sergeant Brown is an oddity in the military - an ordained priest who is also a soldier AND a trained mechanik.  Having grown up around a Morrowan church he is totally immersed in the religion and despite having an irreverent streak a mile wide, he takes his ministry very seriously.  A firm believer in the concept of the volition, he has no problem making weapons for the military, trusting those who wield them to make the personal choice to use them to defend rather than attack, and at least incapacitate cleanly and painlessly.

Really hope I can find a copy of this mini, he's near enough perfect...

It's an important rule on the base - you do NOT mess with Father Brown.  While he's always incredibly cheerful, slow to anger and has never kept a grudge in his life, he's also a full six and a half feet tall and built like an ogrun, so common sense says to keep him on your good side.  Even when happy (which is always), he cuts an imposing figure - his body is covered in tattoos of both religious and military significance, and he frequently goes around shirtless while not in his workshop to show them off.  It's important to note that he is not riled by religious mocking - he's worked with soldiers nearly his entire life.  He has also taken the time to learn basic Menite, Dhunian and even Thamarite lore and will happily debate religion at length, as well as officiate basic ceremonies for religious soldiers (if the other parties are comfortable with a Morrowan priest.  Many Menites aren't).

As far as interacting with the team goes, Father Brown is the division's armourer and, along with Sly (see below), he creates arms and armour of both a mechanikal and mundane nature for his units.  He has a regular supply of most common Cygnaran military weapons (want a military rifle?  He has military rifles...) and ammo, as well as decent supplies of armour.  If you get on with him, he's not above doing some custom jobs up to and including mechanika, and "The Father's blessings" are some of the most sought-after items in the 95th.

Corporal Slyzzagzuragmelekharun "Sly"

(Gobber Intellectual Alchemist/Field Mechanik/Investigator)

Where Father Brown is loud and booming, Sly is quiet and often comes across as slightly wound up.  As Brown's crew chief, Sly's main focus is to keep the other mechanics and blacksmiths in the group on track with a level of focus which, for a gobber, is close to torture. Still, he knows this post is not meant as a punishment, and has thrown himself into it, trying to find as many things to do as possible. As part of throwing himself in, he has trained himself to observe everything that goes on inside the camp and can, for a price, give vital information on internal matters.

This remains one of my favourite models to paint. It's just so silly...

Highly intelligent, brimming with energy and eager to please, he is able to cobble most mundane items in a day or so and, so long as he likes you and you don't mind that they look fairly ramshackle, you can get good, cheap gear from him. Unlike Father Brown, the stuff that Sly makes while he's tinkering around are FOR the the owner, not just requisitioned for a mission, and certain soldiers in the division can get incredibly well equipped on a relatively tiny budget.

Lieutenant Drake Jaeger

(Human Skilled Explorer/Pistoleer/Ranger)

The CRS representative for the division, Lieutenant Jaeger is almost perfectly designed to observe without being observed. Short, thin and athletic, he can pass through knotted woodland and marshlands as easily and as invisibly as level fields. He rarely talks above a whisper and, even then, prefers to listen than talk. While he himself is from a fairly normal small town, he has a certain affinity with the groups around Corvis, and is at home trading with swampies, swamp gobbers and even some of the gatorman tribes in the area.

Bowlcut is CRS standard issue.

Jaeger lives for information and, unlike Sly, his area of expertise lies outside the camp. For the price of new information, he is willing to share his knowledge of the nearby marsh or get you in contact with some of the surrounding tribes. He'll also supply recon information for missions, although that doesn't require direct contact with the soldiers themselves.

Lieutenant Cat Campbell

(Human Gifted Arcanist/Cygnaran Warcaster/Soldier)

The first warcaster brought to the UET division, Lieutenant Campbell was a journeyman to an almost entirely unremarkable warcaster that got killed, unsung, during the siege of Northguard. While she has seen and done things that would make a veteran twice her age think twice about a career in the military, she has encountered a problem with the bureaucracy - she never formally completed her journeyman tour, and is therefore still technically an apprentice. She was recruited by Captain Steele fairly quickly upon her arrival in Corvis with the intention of trading a spot on a UET for the promotion she needs to become a fully-fledged Warcaster.

Nothing fancy, but that's what you want from a kickass Warcaster!

While the other members of the UET division are there to provide logistics, administration and off-field support, Lieutenant Campbell is there for a single reason - to provide more firepower. While her control currently only extends to her arms and armour, she is getting more and more powerful by the day, and even just another handcannon in the team lineup can be the difference between life and death in the field. To her credit, she continues to dutifully take orders from people who should be her juniors, hoping to one day get a promotion and the operational freedom she craves.

IKRPG! Session 2 - KHDR Street Football.

9th Octesh, 608AR (still)

Having finally got to their HQ, the Guard took to settling in, exploring the warehouse they'd been given and discovering that, while their stuff had been delivered, that was the only stuff in the building.  Having decided that they should look towards getting some money in to both furnish their building and just to simply get food, they split up to spend the rest of the day getting money;

Ivan introduced himself to Ivan Yurakin, the nearby alchemist, and offered his services as another alchemist willing to make various concoctions for him.  A payment of a third of the street price per elixir was agreed upon, and he spent the rest of the afternoon brewing potions for the man.

Vladimir and Demitri asked around about ways of getting the money they'd got from the thugs earlier in the day (last week) changed up for real cash.  They eventually discovered that the best person to go to was a man named Yusuf Krann, a Money changer in Uhliburg who specialises in blank coins.  After discovering that Yusuf Krann is actually a crotchety Rynn who doesn't actually understand Khadoran, they managed to negotiate through the beautiful language of coin to get 30 gold for the 55 blanks they picked up.  On the way back, they managed to pick up a cheap stove from an ironmonger's for 18 gold and Vladimir's axe from his time in the Winter Guard.

Josef and Lyudmilla went to the local guard house to find bounties, finding a standing bounty on bandits in the area and a large list of people who have gone missing from the docks in the last few years.  After this, Lyudmilla went to the other guard houses to see if they had any other outstanding bounties, and Josef went to the courthouse to attempt to get an invitation to any local balls or parties, only to be told that they didn't know who he was, and would not give him an invitation until he had made a name for himself in the city.

Flim was...  Tasked with looking after the HQ and starting to clean up.

After they had all finished their tasks and returned home, they discovered that the two taverns on their street, the Firey Anvil and the Dunked Dregg, both had large crowds in front of them.  As they watched, the two crowds started chanting at each other as a ball was thrown into the middle of the street.  Three men from each crowd ran out and started hitting each other and trying to kick the ball.  Quickly working out that a rudimentary and frankly brutal sport was being played in front of him, Ivan ran in as one of the men went down and quickly joined the scrum before being punched in the face and going down himself.

Vladimir silently looted a few people's pockets (including Ivan's...) under the pretence of making sure they were OK, and then the group retired to their HQ to plan for their next move...

IKRPG! Session 1 - Winter is Coming.

Before we start...  Player Characters!

Josef Vassikin : Human Intellectual Aristocrat/Military Officer. The ranking officer of the unit and the leader of the Thorn Guard, Vassikin is the son of a low ranking Posnadik, and currently the owner of a sweet hat.
Flimpenuentsdor : Gobber Intellectual Alchemist/Field Mechanik. A certified (probably mad) genius, 'Flim' dreams of being admitted into the Greylords despite the minor issue of being totally unable to cast spells. This has led to him having an obsession with moustaches, as he has noted the correlation between them and rank in the Khadoran arcanists. Also the lieutenant of the Thorn Guard. Because... There wasn't really any other good options?
Demitri Koraztikoff : Human Gifted Arcane Mechanik/Field Mechanik. A mechanik with ambitions of one day creating a group of Servitors to do his bidding. Was made the treasurer of the Thorn Guard because he;s the least likely to blow the money up or pretend he never recieved it.
Ivan Demiodich : Human Mighty Alchemist/Soldier. The Thorn Guard's demolitions expert, Demiodich has found himself in the depressing position of loving explosions and being in a civilian area. Not one to let this dampen his spirits, he's now experimenting with other alchemicals, seeing how well acid works on traitors to the Empire.
Lyudmilla Ignatiovic : Human Gifted Gunmage/Rifleman. A Widowmaker with virtually undiscovered arcane powers, Ignatiovic gained a Magelock rifle (which she calls called Tzepsci) at the beginning of this new assignment and now fulfils the role of team sniper. Alone among her team, Ignatiovic is a fiercely loyal Umbrean, and is especially annoyed at the idea of Umbrean terrorists ruining what the Dark Prince has tried so hard to build.
Vladimir Ivanovich : Human Duellist/Thief. The team's quartermaster, if Ivanovich can't get it, it probably can't exist. Or he can't steal it yet. Has a habit of jumping in and out of combat when he could just walk...

Now, onto the first session...

9th Octesh, 608AR.  As a train sped from Korsk to Khardov with a division of the 4th Border Legion on shore leave as cargo, the 16th platoon, a whole six soldiers and all that remained of an ill-fated attempt to discover what happened in the Thornwood after Khadoran High Kommand lost contact with Supreme Kommander Irusk (see Colossals for more information!). were summoned from their bunks to the front of the First Class carriage, and to a beautifully appointed cabin with a dozen seats around a table.  Seated at the end furthest from the door, Koldun Lord Dhakun Volvodar who, as the troopers entered, passed them a dossier and bade them to sit around the table, which was covered with maps of Khardov and files on several targets.

After they were all in, their mission for the next few months was set out; there are three Kayazy in the city who have gone above and beyond the call of treason to become all-out threats to the state.  The issue, however, is that all three of them command such impressive private armies that they would take more resources than they would gain by taking them down.  A small unit of Winter Guard veterans, however, may be able to infiltrate the city to take these three out without causing riots.  They were sent in with a cover as a mercenary unit known as "The Thorn Guard", and were set up with an HQ building and mercenary charter.  To get them into the city relatively unnoticed, a whole division of the 4th Border Legion was given shore leave in the city so noone noticed their entrance.

Sadly, however, someone did notice them.  On the way to their HQ, in a reasonably deserted part of town, the group managed to wander directly into a gang meeting that was taking advantage of the quiet streets to deal more openly.  Flim, being the first to realise what was going on, decided to flee like a Devil Rat, but that simply drew the fire of several snipers posted on the roof.  Over the next few seconds, a shifty-looking Gobber fled, several bandits were stabbed with rapiers, one was shot and, most viciously, one was doused with acid.

With all the grace of a raving gorax, the team looted 55 coins - noteworthy in that they were blank gold circles, possible criminal coinage and, with that, the session ended...

IKRPG! It's starting tomorrow!

So, the game starts tomorrow!  We'll be making characters tomorrow (so expect a post about them at about 1am tomorrow morning...).  Still before the campaign starts, I've had to make another...

KHARDOV HERALD!

Why yes, there are references and shots at the PP forums.  Because I'm mature like that.

Again, bonus points if anyone can translate the Khadoran!

IKRPG! Life in Khardov, Part 8 : The Winter Guard

And so here we are, the final chapter on the organisations of my Khardov campaign, and into the biggest single group in the whole damn city - the Khadoran military!  That is, of course, a bit misleading - the Khadoran military in Khardov aren't TECHNICALLY a single group, as the garrison is split up into smaller barracks throughout the city, and each individual barracks has essentially aligned itself to either the corrupt Kommander Konstantin, or the young, idealistic Kaptain Posdanovich.

While tensions on both sides are reaching boiling point, they have been currently kept in check by both the fact they are being kept busy undermining each other, and the knowledge that if they erupted into open war in the streets, the rest of the Khadoran army would come and crush both sides to restore order.  Either side could be talked into helping the party or, in a world that only exists with player characters, they could be convinced to team up against the a threat to Khador.

Kommander Matvey Konstantin

Kommander Konstantin is not a bad man, he's just old and tired; a soldier too young to retire, too ornery to adapt and too unremarkable to be promoted.  When agents for a group of Kayazy came to him and suggested that it may be worth his while to let the Olcheniy deal with a larger number of threats in the city, he couldn't see a downside, especially if it kept his men out of gang fights and alive a bit longer.  Sadly, that didn't seem to be the case - the Kayazy took over more of the city and allowed crime to happen so long as it benefited them.  By the time he realised how deep he was in, it was too late, and he directs his Winter Guard to keep the status quo intact while he drowns himself in fine Uiske and hooaga.

Actually a pirate.  Don't tell anyone.

Despite his attempts to slowly poison himself to death, he's still a fit and strong man, a true Khard.  He will not suffer fools who try to kill him to live, and will happily bring down his foes with his ornate handcannons and, if all else fails, his fists.  Above all, he fights like someone who, in his heart of hearts, knows he doesn't want to die.

Kaptain Olga Posdanovich
Kaptain Posdanovich is one of a new breed of young, idealistic officers who have graduated from the Dhruznia Academy and sent to Winter Guard units with a mind to make a difference.  When she arrived in Khardov, she found a garrison that stayed in it's barracks, seemingly under siege from criminals who ran the city.  She took her recruits and she started making her mark on the city, busting gangs and destroying illicit operations around her barracks.  After a while, she uncovered evidence of her superior's corruption, and started a crusade against the older guard, desperate to prove herself as an officer and to regain the trust of the people, which she still feels has been lost by the actions of the previous garrison.

Well, I used Bull earlier in this lot, so I kinda HAD to use Blythe, right?  I still haven't found a use for Holt.

Olga makes no claim to subtlety, cheerily carving through her enemies with her greatsword with a sense of conviction gained from the knowledge that everyone she kills is an enemy of the motherland - criminals weaken the Motherland, which is tantamount to treason in her eyes.  As a result, anything goes and, when she knows she's fighting for the Motherland, there's very little on Imorren which will stop her.

Anshyll Styrr

A refugee from the destruction of the Nyss, Anshyll has given up hope on her species utterly.  Not knowing nor caring about the recovery of Nyssor, she has taken up the life of a Bounty Hunter and, with her father's Claymore, has ended the lives of more lawbreakers, bandits and outlaws than almost any other hunter in Khardov.  To this end, she's taken up almost permanent residence in the central barracks to check for new bounties and rumours of pay days across the city.

In the interests of multiculturalism, this is the campaign's token Nyss.

If Olga is the unsubtle, screaming zealot with a zweihander, Anshyll is the graceful war dancer.  Spinning and slashing through her enemies, she is a firm believer in "dead" makes for easier bounties, and will happily murder anyone with a price on their heads.  While she tends to kill criminals for money, she's not above killing people who get in her way, and in any other society would be regarded as a vicious sociopath.

Prikaz Agent Dhakun Volvodar

Agent Vovodar is a believer.  He's a strict Morrowan, a patriotic Khadoran and a firm proponent of the concept that the ends will always justify the means.  After years of war with Cygnar, Cryx, the Protectorate, Llael, Ios (unofficially), he came home to discover a country that had been taken over by money-grabbers, bean counters and, worst of all, the corrupt.  Using his contacts in the Greylords, he found a team of six veteran Winter Guard, and brought them into the city undercover to clean up the worst scum of Khardov.

"I have a fuzzy hat!  AND A FEZ!  RAWWRGH!"  Yeah.  Badass.

Dhakun is an old man now, and will be happy dying knowing that he's doing all he can to bring down the cancer rotting away at the heart of Khardov.  Still, his strength never came from having a youthful body - it came from his total mastery of the powers of ice and wind.  If it ever comes up, he can freeze his enemies in place, bombard them with ice and obliterate them with howling gales.  And he can hit them with his axe, if he wants.  I wouldn't risk it though.

Aaand that concludes the groups of Khardov!  I may or may not post up my first impressions of the IKRPG on Wednesday when (Scyrah willing) I pick up the book, but until then...  Dasvidanya!

IKRPG! Life in Khardov, Part 7: The Ex Crew and the Retribution of Scyrah

Two smaller groups this time; The Ex-Crew and the Retribution of Scyrah Cell that's operating just outside of Khardov.  These two have been lumped together as, between them, they only really have three named members.  The Ex Crew is a group of undead with very little personality, and the Retribution are closer to an enemy group that's primarily cannon fodder (well, about ten members, but only 2 aren't just "mage hunter").

The Ex-Crew
Khardov has mines, which means it has an infestation of Shaft Wights - that's the way of Caen.  Unique among the Shaft Wight packs, however, Khardov's pack isn't dedicated to just killing more people and digging to a central location.

Jooooooooooooooooooooin usssssssssssss........

This is due to a single person, a man who, sadly for how remarkable he turned out to be, died about fifteen months ago.  This man was...

Marek Danislav, the last foreman
The foreman in a minor mine in one of the lesser Kayazy's holdings, Marek Danislav was a genuinely thoughtful and liked man to all who knew him, and was, in turn, protective of his charges.  When a Shaft Wight attack threatened his men, he stayed behind to hold the undead off while they fled, and eventually sacrificed himself by blowing the whole shaft with a keg of blasting powder to cut them off from the living.

He awoke a week later, but not in his body.  As a ghost in the mines, he's found himself with the ability to control nearby Shaft Wights, and the love his men had for him has transferred to them somehow.  He's taken this as a chance to keep them from attacking people.

Ghost miners to lead zombie miners.  Now I just need Vampire miners, mummy miners and under miners.

Woe betide those who attempt to attack Danislav.  If would-be assailants have the ability to get around his incorporeal nature, they still have to get past his hammer - a concussive maul that will slam his opponents into the nearest wall of the mine.  If he needs to, he also has minor control over his mine, and a few other spectral powers of telekinesis and general manipulative dickery.  But he's mainly all about the hammer.

The Retribution of Scyrah
About five years ago, cells of Mage Hunters were sent out across Khador to keep an eye on the Greylords. Many of these cells still don't know about Nyssor, or the legitimisation of the Retribution in Ios, and many wouldn't care if they did.  Having waited for almost twenty seasons for instructions, they are now becoming bored, and have started raiding Khardov for supplies and indiscriminately killing anyone that comes past their cave lair.

While it's hard, if you can get into contact with the cell, they will welcome locations of mages to kill, and, quite frankly, won't question where the information comes from.

Tybias, Shadow's Bane
Calm, serene, gentle, considerate.  These are all words that don't even slightly describe Tybias, the leader of the Retribution "forces" near Khardov.  A third generation mage hunter, Tybias' family has participated in most of the defining moments of the Retribution for over two hundred years, and this is something that has weighed heavy on his mind as he's been left for half a decade, seemingly ignored by the Retribution and the Fane of Scyrah.  He doesn't even know of recent developments and the rise of the Retribution as a legitimate power in Ios - at this point, it's doubtful he really cares.

In keeping with random outburst of positivity I sometimes inject into these captions - I fucking love this model.

In the inevitable fight that happens when Tybias shows up, he sticks to the shadows and fires off Phantom Seeker bolts at, in order, any human with magical powers, anything that seems to know where he is, then anyone else who may have been involved.  He's also fairly good with his sword, but tends to use it to parry enemy attacks and get to a firing position where most melee fighters won't be able to get to him.

Shyndri
An Iosan mage with a vague power of prescience, Shyndri works with Tybias to plan the Retribution's raids into the city.  While she tends towards vague, half-dreamed predictions of events yet to come, she can usually gain some insight into a plan, whether it will work and whether it will be advantageous to the cell's ends.  Shyndri dreams of a time when she can go back to Ios and live with elves who don't just acknowledge her only as a walking predictor.

Holt not included.

Shyndri's never actually been in combat, and has very little in the way of actual power when it comes to killing other people, with spells or with her fists.  What she DOES have, however, is a team of Mage Hunters who will die to keep her alive.  If a fighter somehow manages to corner her on her own, they'll probably be on the receiving end of some wildly flung spells and terminal sobbing.  Be afraid.

Right!  One organisation left, and it's only the Khadoran military!  Hey, how big can it be?

IKRPG! Life in Khardov, Part 6: The Chosen of Morrow.

I'm actually hugely excited by this lot - they're my favourite group I've come up with so far (it's why I did them near the end, to give myself something to look forward to!).  The Chosen of Morrow are a group of vigilantes who used to be members of the Order of Illumination before they overstepped their boundaries, killing not just Infernalists, Thamarites and criminals, but moving on to suspected Thamarites, "evil" Menites and anyone else who essentially looks at them funny.  To this end, even their faith has failed them and their priestly powers have gone as they have descended into a cycle of hatred and persecution.

Not ones to think badly of themselves, the Chosen believe that this is a test from Morrow, that they must take on the darkness without His help.  They are a group of psychopaths who have a cause, and it's still to be seen if the party will be attacked by them, or if they can direct them to attack their enemies.

Father Konrad Vorisk
A former Morrowan priest from a village just outside of Khardov, Father Vorisk felt compelled by a series of dreams of Ascendant Katrina to leave his church and move to Khardov to cleanse the streets of crime and Thamarites.  Despite his initial good intentions, he has gradually descended into an orgy of violence, murdering near enough anything short of priests and those decked out in Morrowan paraphernalia he comes across.

Also, Harlan Versh is a bad ass motherfucker.

Vorisk randomly wanders around (sorry, he's shown his path by Morrow...) and kills anything that gets in his way. Screaming passages from the Enkehidrion as he walks confidently towards his target, swinging his sword and blasting away with his pistol, he makes for a terrifying sight to anyone who isn't confirmed as being on his side - and many who are.

Ivan Kaztenki
Where Vorisk is a loud, bombastic zealot, Kaztenki is the calm, collected centre of the team.  A Morrowan Gunmage who believes firmly in Vorisk's rhetoric, Kaztenki makes for a terrifying presence - a simmering intensity that burns through his amicable veneer.

Somewhere between Judge Dredd and Dumbledore, there is Ivan Kaztenki...

In combat, Kaztenki becomes a whirlwind of bullets and magic, firing at anything he doesn't recognise as being on his side.  Unlike many fighters, he fires off bullets at as many targets as possible instead of focussing on one target until dead, allowing him to gun down whole groups without waiting to confirm his kills.  This method, however, does mean he gets less kills than the rest of the Chosen.

Alyssa Di Santi
Di Santi lost her faith a lot earlier than the rest of the Chosen.  Having fought for her homeland from 603 to 607AR and watching Khadorans subjugate her people, the Knight of the Prophet went from fighting Khadorans on the battlefield, to waylaying Khadorans as a guerilla, to eventually travelling to Khardov to at least direct her anger at Khadoran criminals.  Despite having given up on everything, she now follows Vorisk around, firmly in the belief that if she should die fighting for him, she will at least die serving Morrow.

Some days you're the paladin, and some days the best picture in ten attempts is still out of focus.

Alyssa has a lightning fast technique in combat that involves her darting in with her blade and slashing at vital organs and arteries.  She fights every fight as if it was her last - if only because she doesn't care if it is or not - which makes her all out assaults an unstoppable barrage of death.

Erik Arkaim
It's a sad state of affairs when it's a legitimate claim that the Wizard who's short a few marbles is the sanest of the group, but between the psychopathy, the suicidal tendencies and the general delusions, Arkaim is just slightly mental.  While he's not a fanatic like the other three Chosen, he's still with them because he's finding it entertaining, and the rest tolerate his insane cackling because they believe he's with them because he's a devout Morrowan.  Both win this time.

In no way does this guy scream "crazy wizard" to me.  I don't know where anyone could get that from...

In combat, Arkaim acts with all the subtlety of a Khadoran freight train, all but dancing about the battlefield, calling down fire and ice and hurling his opponents into whatever's about at the time.  He's a walking collateral damage risk, but let's face it, if the civilians were going to die, they were going to die anyway...

Almost to the end of this rogue's gallery, but next comes the Ex-Crew, who will prove that the biggest criminal offence in Khardov is having sex with a miner...

IKRPG! Life in Khardov, Part 5 : The Rusalka Kids

As well as the major antagonists in the city, I'm also adding in some neutral "companies" that the party can interact with, either fighting each other or allying to provide mutual assistance.  I've also made the decision of having the groups being between three and six characters, so they'll essentially be a party of NPCs to counter the player's party.

Firstly, we have The Rusalka Kids, a group of river pirates who have become hilariously wealthy smuggling in illegal goods for the Kayazy and other groups (both criminal and legitimate) into the city.  Currently, the only thing they won't take on their boats are humans and dangerous monsters, and even then, it's a logistics issue rather than a moral one.  The players have two real methods of interaction with the Kids - either they can use them to get items in to the city under the noses of the guards (both Winter Guard and Olcheniy) and their rivals, or they can attempt to take them out, cutting off supplies to their enemies at the cost of their own gear.

Madelyn Fernassi
The Tordoran leader of the Rusalka Kids, Madelyn Fernassi is a cool, calm professional who is renowned for her ability to stick to a job as long as she's being paid for it.  As long as she's been in charge of the Kids, their prices have been higher than most of the smugglers on the rivers around Khardov, but they have also been the most reliable, and are the smugglers of choice for near-enough everyone who can afford them.  She doesn't talk about her past, and anyone with any sense has learnt not to bother asking.

I love this model.  Doesn't make a lick of sense in a Khador campaign,  but it's a great model.

In combat, Fernassi is actually not as good as she tries to make herself appear to be.  While she's a reasonable shot with her blowgun and at least passable in melee with her knife, she relies on the rest of her crew to actually fight while she directs them and makes the plans.

Grant MacRoth
The second in command of the Kids, Grant MacRoth is a Thurian with a chip on his shoulder.  Having served in the Five Fingers Steelhead chapter for a decade before getting bored and going solo, MacRoth is a psychopath with military training and no Charter holding him in check.  He eventually fell in with Fernassi before she set up her smuggling business, and is one of the few people who knows about her life before Khardov - whatever she was, it was good enough to not only keep this sadist in check, but taking orders.

I actually think this model would make a GREAT Fighter character in pretty much any RPG.  No jokes here, Croe's a really cool model with a greatsword.

MacRoth has the most direct experience killing people of all the Kids.  This is evident in combat where he can happily slaughter whole ranks of enemies with a single swing of his greatsword, or take out targets at range with impunity with his handcannon.  On the other hand, he spends no time at all worrying about his defences, and may not actually know what dodging does.  So there's that?

Igor Vaustroyov
If Igor Vaustroyov had turned his mind to legal pursuits, he would have been a great success in whatever he'd wanted to do.  Sadly, he suffers from crippling lack of confidence and doesn't believe that anyone would take a seven foot tall bear of a man, who happens to also be a genius, seriously.  To this end, he has taken up alchemy, but only to attempt to make people believe he's got arcane powers.

He's a seven foot tall dude with multiple firebombs.  People believe whatever he tells them to believe.

I HAVE FIRE AND FIREPOWER!  RAAAWWRGH!

Yeah.  He's a huge bloke with a gun and multiple alchemical concoctions.  People who try to take him down are going to get burned in some way, shape or form - do you need me to elaborate?

Jory Di Losta
An Umbrean from the Llaelese side of the border, Di Losta is an adventurer, duellist and general charmer of women throughout the Iron Kingdoms (except Cryx, Cygnar and Ord).  While he tends towards acting on his own, his lusting after Danika Gorislav drug him into joining the Kids, and a rough but ready friendship that has formed with Igor has kept him there.  And the cash.  He spends most of his time in pubs with Igor, trying to improve his confidence.

I totally picture this dude talking in a smooth Latin accent.  'Ola señorita, I am 'ere to  buckle your swash!

Jory spends his time in a fight darting in and out of melee, striking his victims with a few swift stabs before leaving them bleeding on the floor.  He's the fastest member of the Kids and, when the group fights, he takes up a skirmisher role, harassing enemies from the flanks.  Of course, he also enjoys a bit of glory hounding if it looks like they're winning, so look for him in a place where he can make a scene before firing off his loudest pistol.

Danika Gorislav
A Skirov sailor turned pirate, Danika is by far and away the only person in the Kids who can actually sail with any degree of competence.  While she has taught the others a little of what she knows, she is the one the  rest of the group turn to if they need detailed advice on how to keep their boat above the river's surface.

And ANOTHER Pirate chick in a bikini top!  What is this, the Carribean!?

If she ever gets into a fight, she fires wildly with her mismatched pistols at anyone who doesn't look to near any of her group mates at the time, trying not to hit them.  She's a reasonable shot, but she's been hired for her technical knowledge, not her combat abilities.

Gurav
An Ogrun who grew up in Khardov, Gurav has gone from manual labour job to manual labour job before he lost an eye in an accident in one of the foundries on the dock front.  While he can still find work heavy lifting, he tended not to get much work as stress inexplicably causes his wound to bleed profusely.  He signed up with the Kids fairly quickly afterwards, and their reasonably light workload means his wound stays closed.

Huh.  Without any size comparisons, Ogrun look about as big as humans!

While he tries to avoid combat, when he feels the need to fight, he simply bull-rushes the biggest enemy as his left eye starts to pour blood disturbingly.  He body-checks people into walls and then swings with his war cleaver to finish them off - there isn't much that won't kill.

And that's the pirates!  Next up, the Chosen of Morrow!

IKRPG! Life in Khardov, Part 4 : House Ygevny

Last of the three main antagonist Kayazy houses in Khardov, House Ygevny is the smallest but, in many ways, the most dangerous of the trio.  If Drago Katzoff is after the citizens of Khador's minds, and Stefani Ryumin is after their souls, then Kerwyn Ygevny is after their bodies, which is much, much easier to get.  In it's legitimate side, Ygevny produces some of Khador's finest mechanika, and can command vast prices for even the most basic of gear.  For the Khadoran who can't afford the luxury prices of their mechanika, Ygevny also produce a large amount of the day-to-day alchemy that even the poorest citizen of Khardov uses, from curatives to vermin poisons to various etching acids.

House Ygevny primarily focuses it's less than legal side on kidnapping, organ and human trafficking, and necromancy.  They rely on smaller, more elite groups of enforcers, boasting a large percentage of mages, alchemists and mechaniks and, when that fails, Ygevny has a horde of thralls and failed experiments he can unleash on anyone who opposes him.  Rather than criminal activity for profit, House Ygevny sends most of it's results to Doctor Arkadius for grisly research into human "improvement".

Kerwyn Ygevny
Kerwyn Ygevny is an old, cantankerous bastard who comes from an old money family, of which he is the last of his line.  While this doesn't bother him, he is mildly more concerned with the grim realisation that his money won't keep him alive forever on it's own, and after contracting Rip Lung (the disease of choice for old bastards who need to die painfully), it's dawned on him that, if he's going to live another eighty years, he'll have to be more proactive in finding both a cure AND a way of discovering how to prolong his life.

He's part of my Malifaux Crew.  Different bases, naturally.

To this end, Ygevny has moved his entire empire into alchemy and mechanika to research extending his life - everything from alchemical cures to give him a few more years to technology such that they used on Karchev to keep him going well into his 150's.  He's already had to get his leg into a brace, and wears a mechanikal breathing apparatus to keep his withered lungs moving.  He is, in short, a wreck.

But this just means he's more dangerous than ever.  While he doesn't have the gift, Ygevny has learnt several necromantic rituals that don't require any natural ability, from jets of acid that melt flesh from bone, to the ability to raise crude thralls, to withering waves of crippling pain and nausea.  He also has several mechanikal and alchemical surprises, including his cane (a rather boring ice blast) and several types of bombs.

Jynnasa
A former mercenary and friend of Kerwyn, Jynnasa is an Iosan rebel who left her homeland to see the kingdoms of Western Imorren.  Far from it being a wasteland of inferior races and nations looking to destroy the Iosans, she found a continent full of people who could challenge her, physically, mentally and spiritually.  Now that the Retribution has come to power in Ios, she fears her now-human sympathising ways would get her in trouble, if not killed, and she has chosen to ride out the rest of her life with Kerwyn Ygevny - a man who is both as intelligent as her, and (don't remind Ygevny) about her age.

Uhh...  Yeah.  She's an elf!  Honest!

There's a simple rule with Jynnasa - never fight her one-on-one.  As a very, very powerful gunmage and a crack shot, she will leave two enemies dead in less than a second, or one person really dead.  She is the master of the magelock pistol, and is a very, very nasty combatant.

Borosh Gostaff
Head among Ygevny's alchemists, Gostaff is about as legitimate as a genius in the field of alchemy to be and, as long as his "eccentricities" are catered to, he is capable of mixing his employer the world in his lab.  Occasionally, he'll wander off for a few days and only return after a spate of disappearances in the city start raising questions.  Rumours that he concocts his greatest elixirs with human body parts are, of course, totally unsubstantiated.

The name has changed from Gorman.  Not much else has.

Gostaff is a master of stealth, seemingly capable of shifting between shadows as he pelts his targets with either acids or choke bombs, dependant on if he wants corpses or experiments.  He hunts alone, but he's physically frail, and will drop if he's hit.

Gron
A "present" from Doctor Arkadius, Gron is an alchemically-improved Farrow with improved strength and toughness over his already strong and naturally resilient species.    While he generally does whatever he feels like, he is primarily invested in keeping Doctor Arkadius supplied with human subjects to experiment on, and in turn supplies Ygevny with a constant stream of magical and alchemical supplies which may help extend his life.

In this photo; Rorsh casts Blur!

Gron is almost as strong as an Ogrun and as tough as a Trollkin, as well as a fair shot with his rifle.  He also carries several grenades and sticks of dynamite for if he needs to fight several enemies at once, but he will tend towards just wading in with his fists.

That's it for the Kayazy Houses!  Next up, I'll be starting on the NPC "parties", starting with the Rusalka Kids, Ordic River Pirates!

IKRPG! Life in Khardov, Part 3 : House Ryumin

Last post, I covered the industrialist Drago Katzoff, but now it's time to move on to another of the great Kayazy Lords of Khardov; Lady Stefani Ryumin, the queen of coal and owner of over half the mining network in the city.  She is well loved by her workers, and is renowned for paying vastly above the standard wage for her miners, as well as providing excellent healing and financial support for injured employees.

Of course, she can afford this because she has the majority of the street gangs of Khardov in her back pocket.  She pays the workers, and the gangs take a large sum of it back and pay Ryumin to distract the Olcheniy, who she also unofficially controls, towards their rivals.  Despite all this, Ryumin remains behind the scenes and (relatively) quite a minor Kayazy - a fact which can only be by choice.

On the (even more) illegal front, Ryumin is also both a Thamarite Priestess and an Infernalist, and has a booming trade in souls from people all across Western Khador.  People come to her to make contact with Infernals, and the Infernals grant her power to keep the souls coming.  This dark trade claims dozens, if not hundreds, of Khadoran souls a year and does drastic damage to the Khadoran war effort.

Stefani Ryumin

Stefani Ryumin was born into a fairly rich family who have lived in Khardov for several generations, and is used to having money around her entire life.  Despite this, she had a natural affinity with the "low" members of society, preferring the company of non-humans and commoners and, when she inherited a small mining operation, she used the knowledge she gained to encourage more and more workers to join her business, slowly edging out her competitors as more and more of their employees moved over to join her.

With apologies to the sculptor for the shitty paint job...

Now, Lady Ryumin controls the majority of the mines in the surrounding area and large foundries where the ore is smelted.  They are hubs of activity all throughout the night, and it's rare to find an area of her territory that doesn't have some people about or, if you're that way inclined, noise to cover illicit activities.  She has also set up underground temples throughout Khardov where Thamarites can worship in peace.  These also have the upside for Ryumin of giving her both safe refuges AND a ready supply of reinforcements across the city.

In a fight, Ryumin is touchingly pathetic, having no combat or spellcasting abilities to speak of.  Of course, would-be vigilantes don't fight Ryumin herself, they fight the two spectral Umbral Enforcers who follow her around to keep the Infernal's investment alive.  While she flees, these two monsters attack assailants under cover of invisibility with whips that can fly through flesh and bone to attack the soul directly - anyone who is killed by them quickly discover their souls have been kept from Urcaen and at serious risk of being taken by the Infernal Reavers.

Rorvag Rockbiter
A childhood friend of Stefani Ryumin, Rorvag was hired as soon as she took over her first mine as a foreman, and has been working for her ever since.  Now, he is responsible for the day to day workings of her business, as well as leading the protection of the mines from rogue Shaft Wights and saboteurs from other Kayazy with mine workings in the city.

Oh yeah, and he's a Trollkin.

While he's a dab-hand with his greatsword and customised cannon, Rorvag's biggest asset is his leadership - he is respected and admired by those he leads, who know he is the first in to any situation and the last out, trusting on his natural resilience to see him through.  He is, however, easy to avoid - unless someone threatens Stefani directly, he sticks to defending his mines, and certainly won't come to the aid of any of the other lieutenants of House Ryumin.

Braznaggalakam
Having grown up on the streets of Khardov, Braz knows his way around the city like no other, as well as the methods of every major criminal player in the area.  He came into contact with Ryumin after she came to power and had started trying to make her mark as a Thamarite priestess among the criminal gangs.  He decided to make money by setting her up with gangs, and she decided she'd pay him to be her contact with all of them.  After five years, their relationship has settled into a routine - he collects the gang's protection money to give to Ryumin, and keeps her up to date with new players in the area.

He also looks like Yoda as made by Dark Crystal-era Jim Henson.  Which is badass.

Braz doesn't fight, he assassinates, he steals and he uses the gangs jockeying for his favour to fight for him.  His knack for stealth and love of torture and cruelty means that anyone who comes in to fight him head on will be led into a maze of traps and dead ends that would make Jigsaw jealous, none of which will kill his prey quickly.  Of course, his only loyalty is to money, so it's possible to buy your way out of the deathtraps once you get in, but he doesn't publicise that...

Jaime O'Harenhal
A Thurian mercenary, Jaime has fought in the Scharde invasions, multiple border skirmishes (on every border), the invasion of Llael (on both sides), as an enforcer in Five Fingers and on several missions into the Thornwood and the Sharde Isles which he refuses to talk about.  Now, he's covertly in the employ of Ryumin as the leader of the Olcheniy, the Kayazy-funded city guard.  While he generally does his job well, he's also turned the city guard into what amounts to enforcers for Ryumin, driving out or crushing all street crime that isn't directly in her pocket.

It's Rutger Shaw-lite!  Woo!

Jaime is an excellent combatant with at least two decades of military engagements that he's willing to admit to.  On top of that, he's a practised commander at the unit level, and has the resources of the Kayazy and the Olcheniy at his immediate disposal.  While he is single-handedly a dangerous foe, when he brings his allies, he's almost unstoppable...

And that's the second of the Kayazy Houses my players will be fighting!  Next up, House Ygevny, the alchemists...