Lands of Tyranny
Day 5 of The Philosopher, Year 414
Ivory Brotherhood
Mercenary Units in the war with the Empire
The border regions were famous for the number and variety of mercenary units the locals would often offer to every other neighboring kingdom, regardless of their flag or enemy to be fought. The war with the Empire however changed it all.
The city states, noble families and merchant companies rushed to hire every possible mercenary around to fight for them, but without actually managing to ever form a cohesive army, each thinking only of their own interest, narrow-mindedly thinking the Empire would stop at their neighbor. For the mercenary companies however this has been a complete disaster, most of them remaining decimated if not completely destroyed together with the armies of the Cities, by the Imperial Army or by the mercenary companies hired to engage in long, drawn and bloody battles that would dry only the blood of the locals.
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In all this, the Ivory Brotherhood, one of the already largest mercenary companies, known for its ruthlessness and apparent chaotic, difficult to control behavior, survived relatively untouched.
Ivory Brotherhood
The company is perhaps the oldest in the whole region, liking to trace its origins to previous even the foundation of the Free Cities. Not that history or traditions matter much to these hard people, the story of the company being nothing more than a collection of self-told stories of battles and brawls, mixed with great 'tavern accomplishments', and almost childhood stories of defeating monsters and saving fair maids. These men and women are usually hardy folks tested by life, renown for being ruthless, merciless and bloody in battle. Even if they consider themselves proud members of the society and culture of the Free Cities, they tend to accept almost anyone in their ranks: some say there have been cases in which they accepted even some Greenskins, even if perhaps of the more 'civilized' kind.
Members of the Brotherhood all use the world Brother to address each other, both men and women as part of some of their odd traditions. They respond only to their Captains, who in turn respond to the Ivory Duke, on obvious misuse of a nobility title for a figure who's almost mythical, for how few in the company actually met him.
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Members of the company do not adapt a clear uniform, but instead make use of bones, horns, pelts and furs, together with actual parts of armor, to show their belonging to the company, supposedly as a call to their roots so ancient that they dated to before the beginning of civilization. When together in battle, they tend to look like a ferocious force of brutes and barbarians, which they use to put fear in the heart of their enemies.
Recent Events
In the most recent conflict between the Empire and the Free Cities, the Brotherhood, contrary to their culture and origins, and perhaps unknowingly to to most of the locals, was hired by the Empire. Instead of being employed in the most bloodies battles against their own kin to deplete their forces, they had been tasked with harassment and sabotage acts against the armies of the Free Cities, or with the raiding of villages, acting in practice as little more than brigands.
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This let the company survive the conflict almost intact, but its reputation among the locals, already very low before, became the one of traitors and murderers. What their leader and Captains think about their new reputation is unknown, but there is likely little they can do to change things.
How to Play
As a member of the Ivory Brotherhood, your Brothers will come first. You will mainly aim for a life full of strong emotions and seasoned with pleasure and danger, pride and cameratism.
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How do you feel for being seen as a traitor to your kin, the other inhabitants of the free cities? Does that disgrace trouble you, and perhaps you secretly wish you could turn back time..do something for your fellow countrymen, or do you regret nothing and fully care only about yourself and your survival?
Author: Rashan
