The Likely Short-Lived Adventures of the Lavender Knights (Battle Brothers)

[Izulde]

[i]OOC Note: It took me almost an hour to get the game to work. Finally, I realized that this is one of those games I needed to plug in a pair of headphones to have audio output to get it to run).

It was supposed to be an ordinary mission, wiping out a group of bandits. But they got the jump on us early one morning. We fought valiantly, but our captain and many of our men died. Their leader fled when Friedrich the Merciless savaged the last remaining grunts, saving our lives that day. Thank the gods for such a quick-thinking brute like Friedrich - long may his spear reign.

We set about burying our dead, and Reinhold was distraught. "With my eyes, I should have seen them!"

"...You were sleeping," I pointed out.

"But my sight is so good, I should be able to see everything even when I'm sleeping!" Reinhold retorted.

...Never mind. Logic was never our axman's strong point.

It took us a day to get back to the village. The steward wasn't happy the boss escaped, but still paid us. 400 crowns - not even enough to hire all the men we needed, let alone equip them. While we'd managed to scavenge a padded surcoat and a buckler, we needed more.

"I need to hunt down the bandit leader and finish him," the steward said. We agreed, thirsty to avenge our fallen comrades anyway.

Friedrich suggested that we either recruit among the villagers or head northeast to a city to find more experienced men there. I told him we would find new fighters there - I didn't trust the softness of city folk.

So we went to a local tavern, finding four men to sign up:

Bernhard the Brave: A skilled and lucky fisherman, but when his fishing cabin burned down one night, he lost everything. As you might expect from his nickname, he has no fear of uncertainty. Showed up the next morning with a straw hat and his fisherman's net. Price: 225 crowns (8 daily)

Thorismund: Recently released after years chained to the wall of a lord's dungeon, he's been reduced to a life of begging. Thus, for a pittance, he's willing to cast his lot with us. A hard life, and difficulty walking thanks to his clubfoot, has made him bitter, and thirsty to see the blood of his enemies. Price: 35 crowns (4 daily)

Kunold: The very definition of a working stiff. Daily employment opportunities have dried up in the village, so he's joining up for a consistent job. The best fighter of the lot, he's got good dexterity and is a pious man, with no fear of death. Price: 90 crowns (5 daily)

Jost the Peddler: Hype man to the extreme. No one actually believes his bullshit, and I don't like such braggarts among the men, but we need bodies. Literally a grasping man, eager for action, he's always first to fight, and can impressively inflict injury, thanks to a two-fisted grip. Also the best equipped of our new men, with a dandy tunic and hat, the latter of which he's very proud. Price: 250 crowns (7 daily)

Kunold received the padded surcoat, and we ended up giving the buckler to Jost after buying better equipment to outfit our newest members at the local market.

As we watched the dried fish and meat we purchased being loaded into our traveling cart, Jost asked me the company name. The old captain called us the Battle Brothers, and that was going to be my intention, but then the peddler told me that was a bad idea.

"It's a new company," he argued, "And we need to put some sizzle in our name. Let's call ourselves Knights! It sounds so much better!"

I pointed out we weren't nobles. He said it didn't matter. We continued arguing in this way, until I happened to glance at nearby lilac blooms. It was late spring, and the sight of these lovely, ephemeral purple flowers struck me as the perfect metaphor for our lives as mercenaries. Far too short, but beautiful for as long as we lasted.

"Fine. The Lavender Knights it is."

"Lavender? That's a bit prissy, even for me."

"Just go with it, recruit."

"Yes, sir."

And so we set out from the fishing village of Sanddorf, with the intention of visiting Ellengrube to the northeast. We got there late at night, so only the tavern was open. Nothing useful to be learned there, so we went back to Sanddorf, after receiving word the steward had information for us.

"Hoggart is in a hut southwest of here," Ivar said. "We've word that he's found some ne'er do wells to join his ranks anew, but if you strike now, such strong men as yourselves should take care of his greenhorns with ease."

Nevermind that we featured four pieces of fresh meat ourselves. "Let's go get the bastard," I snapped.

It took less than a day's ride. Scouting revealed a few thugs and an archer alongside Hoggart the Weasel. No problem.

"I hope my hat survives," Jost said as we prepared to attack. "It's quite splendid, you know. Used to belong to a noble."


After battle was joined

It was an interesting fight. Hilmar was completely useless, unable to hit anything. Kunold took not a scratch, and singlehandedly slew Hoggart. The other good looking fighter of the new batch, Bernhard the Brave, took one out as well. But it was Friedrich the Merciless who once again shined. Saving our lives in the first battle, he defeated two of the enemy for the second straight time. Reinhold took major injuries to his legs, but he still better off than...

...Jost, who got killed without having any effect at all.

"Well, at least his hat survived," Friedrich remarked.

"And this is why I don't want to hire city folk," I said.

Jost the Peddler, whose lone contribution was helping give us our name, you will be remembered as a founding member of the Lavender Knights.

[Izulde]

We uncovered a large amount of loot in the aftermath. Most prized was a patched mail shirt and a falchion. As Friedrich was our best and most important warrior, he received the mail shirt, which was repaired in the days that followed. As he put it on, he remarked, "I feel like I can become even better if I start writing about and studying our battles more carefully." (OOC Note: Gained a level, took Student perk: +25% XP, which stacked on top of the 10% XP bonus from Bright, means a whopping +35% XP).

Upon return to Sanddorf, we received our payment of 400 crowns, bought more supplies, and headed up to Ellengrube again. Incidentally, Thorismund snatched the Falchion from the pile and insisted on having it. No one argued.

A wide variety of men were eager to join our ranks in the town, and after some consideration, another Kunold was our choice. Son of a noble, he was disowned after his obsession with juggling and entertainment came to life. Our first true authentic knight. We also hired another day laborer, Ragnar, who was just coming out of a weeks long alcoholic haze after his wife died, and needed a new life.

Already running short of funds, we traveled to Windburg, where we discovered a group of bandits has been prowling the area. It took us some time, but we tracked them down and joined battle.

It was a bloody, brutal affair. Ragnar and Kunold the Noble died, though Ragnar took one of the bastards down. Reinhold's injuries continued, as he broke his ribs and crushed his finger. Thorismund was stabbed in the stomach, and that's when we realized he had a weakened heart. Much of our armor was also destroyed.

But the good news is we scavenged a wealth of items to make us stronger, and Reinhold, Kunold, Hilmar, and Bernhard the Brave gained much from the battle. We were quickly realizing Kunold was a beast in the making, and might already surpass Friedrich as our company's best fighter.

It hurt my soul to have to do it, but after we returned to Windburg, I dismissed Thorismund from our service. He was simply unfit to stay any longer, and though he was furious at being fired, he'd earned enough in his few days with us to not need to go begging for a while.

Word spread of our exploits in dealing with bandits, and two sellswords and a deserter, proven fighting men, offered to become Lavender Knights. But the money they wanted was far too steep. In fact, our financial situation overall was precarious at best, so our lone hire was Rollo, a superstitious shepherd who told us the gods spoke to him, saying to give up the easy life of sheep tending, and find greater glory as a mercenary.

On our way to another town, we were attacked at night. Hilmar became surrounded and couldn't escape when he tried to flee, and died. Bernard the Brave fell into a pit in darkness, and was slain in a single blow. Nonetheless, we emerged victorious in spite of the ambush.

Most of the things we sold when we arrived to Suhlwacht and hired Erwin, another day laborer. The talent was getting more and more expensive, so we decided to go back the way we came in hopes of finding cheaper men.

Happily, we encountered a crew of five bandits equal to our numbers, and we discovered that Rollo may have been right after all about the gods, as he dispatched 4 of the 5 bandits! Alas, Erwin fell in a duel of pikemen. Reinhold gained yet more injuries - pierced in his side and with a nasty abdomen gash. He survived, however.

But then we were almost immediately set upon by seven bandits. I feared that would be the end of the Lavender Knights, and certainly Reinhold had no chance of surviving. The gods, perhaps because of Rollo, were with us that day, however, and he, Friedrich, and Kunold banded together, routing six bandits while a seventh fled for his life.

Afterwards, the four of us buried Reinhold and held a funeral for him. "You three are some of the greatest and bravest warriors I've seen," I said. "So from this day forth, Kunold, you will be known as The Beast, and you, Rollo, so beloved by the gods, will be called The Blessed."

The Beast and the Blessed smiled their weary thanks, going off to continue prayers, while Friedrich and I stood by our old comrade's burial mound. "I knew that one would be great. He reminds me of myself when I started this life," Friedrich said, looking at Kunold. "But the other one..." Friedrich shook his head, staring at Rollo, "...him I never expected. Remember how we laughed at his proclamation about the gods? I don't believe in them myself, and yet, here he is... perhaps proof that they exist in this dark age."







Fortune held, as we made it back to Ellengrube without incident. There we found more men - Hallstein, a drunkard vagabond seemingly made of pig iron, Humbert, another day laborer whose physique was chiseled from his work, and Walram, a former messenger who had stamina for days. Hallstein and Humbert opted to be pikemen, while Walram selected a light crossbow. By selling off a lot of extraneous weapons and armor, we were able to fund our next trip and first official contract as the Lavender Knights - escorting a merchant caravan to the north.

It was an uneventful journey, save that a dog approached our camp shortly before we got to Reinbach. I fed him, and the dog joined us. When we got to the town, I asked a retired merc how to use dogs in battle. He told me, but it's too long winded to repeat here.

Flush with money from the escort duty, we were able to hire Eberold, a degenerate gambler with a club foot, prone to superstition. A bad run-in with a baron left him with massive debt to pay, so we were able to get him at a pittance. Thus, we were once again seven strong - the most the Lavender Knights had ever had. Of course, four of them were untested in battle...

...But they wouldn't be blood virgins for long. One of the town council members contracted us to clear out a nearby bandit hideout, which I was only too happy to accept.

Six bandits were hiding out, and it was the finest hour yet of the Lavender Knights. Not only did no one die, but not a single one of our men received so much as a scratch. The bulk of the killing was by Kunold and Rollo (2 a piece), but Hallstein and Humbert used their pikes to great effect, taking out one each.

Back to Reinbruch, where, with the 400 bounty, we hired an apprentice basket maker who had been hanging around the tavern for some time, waiting to be hired. Walram Goodhand was the finest natural archer I'd ever seen - even more than Hilmar ever was.

8 men. Money and food to last us for several days. The Lavender Knights were rising. While we were still unknown, for the first time, it felt like we could live rewarding lives full of meaning - forever how long it lasted.

[Izulde]

We took on another caravan escort mission. Bandit Raiders tracked us, but we were strong for them to attack directly. Then a militia came out from a passing town to handle them. It was a long journey, however, and bandits attacked in the middle of the night. What should have been an easy battle was a disaster - Eberhold's luck ran out, and he was quickly slain. Hallstein, who ran through two of the enemy, tried to move back before attacking, and as he turned his back, a bandit ran him through, killing him immediately. Hallstein the Fool! As foolish as the Caravan Hands who kept rushing out to their deaths.

We were attacked again by bandits not long before our destination. This time, broad daylight. This time, everyone survived of our company, though Caravan Hands continued to get themselves killed. Upon arriving in Langholz, we discovered it was a lumbering village. And even after paying Hartmut, the fat butcher who loved killing live pigs and was turned out because of that practice, far more money than we ever had (290 crowns), we were over 1,000 crowns to the good for the first time in Lavender Knights history.

From thence, we made our way to Grunburg, a well-established keep town whose flourishing market boasted the first true helmet we'd ever seen, a Flat Top Helmet that we purchased for Friedrich, setting off a chain of passed down headgear. We also stocked up on repair supplies that we were running low on, and hired Erling, an unremarkable messenger willing to work for cheap, and who brought our numbers back to 8.

In the village of Waidtal, we brought on Ernst, a wandering monk full of determination and optimism. A foundling in a monastery, he had a deep religious faith, and bonded immediately with Kunold and Rollo. It was there that we took on our most dangerous mission yet - recovering a stolen arcane tome from bandits. The contract, far richer than we'd ever gotten at 660 crowns, was too tempting to resist.

The band of thieves numbered 8, a laughable number considering our 9, and when Waldred Goodhand dropped the first one with a single arrow, it looked to be a simple affair. And so it was, a flawless victory.

After our payment, we brought our numbers to 10 with Eduard, another laborer who'd learned no special trade, but now did. He was an authentic alcoholic, and asthmatic in addition. Still, after hearing him talk, Friedrich the Merciless announced that henceforth upon first promotion or next, every single Lavender Knight was to be a student of warfare. "We shall be known for our scholarship as well as our fighting," he declared. Since he was accepted as the senior leader of the band, all agreed, though few had formal education themselves. Rollo the Blessed and Walrum Goodhand, who were due to be elevated, became his first disciples.

In Halsborg, a knight gives us a unique proposition: Patrol the roads for a week, and get paid 60 crowns per kill. And our first advance payment of 290 crowns. It seemed like a good deal, so we took it, though we silently vowed not to attack any innocents.

Imagine our surprise later that night when we were attacked by six orcs. We'd heard of such green creatures of course, but had never encountered them before. Despite a numbers advantage, these were the most brutal foes we'd faced. After a long, protracted battle, Waldram Goodhand lay dead, the other Waldram had no nose, and Erling and Eduard suffered permanent broken knees that rendered them unfit for service (Eduard also had a serious abdominal injury). Humbert had a crushed finger. But it was just such a battle that allowed Hartmut to shine. The bloody butcher slew two, including the leader of the band - an Orc Warrior who was the first true fighter we'd ever encountered.

We were in such a hurry to leave the field, we forgot to take the damned loot, and that included a mighty fine axe which would have served as a great improvement over what we had. Truly, from the highest point of the Lavender Knights to the lowest. When we reached Asentorn, we let Erling and Eduard go. Our first wild man joined our service, with the fantastic name of Hartwig the Bull. Unfortunately, though he was tough, he was also clumsy. Still, we outfitted him and the same day gave the surviving Walrum the title of Walrum No Nose.

The rich coastal city of Grotenhaven awaited us without incident, where we encountered a strange cultist, also named Harmut. Since he was willing to work for cheap, we took him on, naming our first one Harmut the Butcher - unoriginal, but he was proud of it.



Our newest recruit was odd, indeed. He also put us in dire straits financially, but we would have to press on back to Halsborg. And so we did, earning 360 crowns for our efforts. We were now also considered a Reliable company, rather than Unknown. Would that I could say it was worth it. What might have been, had we not been so stupid after defeating the orcs. And if some of our men hadn't been foolhardy in their actions.

But it is what is is, the constant cycle of a merc band's life.

[Izulde]

While we'd been in Grotenhaven, we saw that there was work there, so we sped forth to take it. One job was already gone, but the town's lockbox with the city taxes had been stolen, and no one had yet recovered it. We were paid 180 crowns in advance, with 300 more upon return. This was getting to be more like it.

We found them in the snowy north, and the terrain was tricky to navigate - so much so that we lost Humbert and Walrum No Nose in that skirmish. It was a devastating disappointment, but we recovered the lockbox and this time remembered to take everything with us. After the battle, someone comes up to offer us 210 crowns for the lockbox - a proposition we're frankly not interested in. Evidently someone higher up had hired the thieves to carry out this crime.

One of the noble houses is hiring when we return to Grotenhaven, but stung by our recent losses, we opt for a simple package delivery instead. We also splash 355 crowns on Karl, a Caravan Hand looking for better pay. Unfortunately, we find out the old man has fragile bones, which the cheat kept from us until the last minute. Still, he replaces Humbert as our pikeman.

And of course, we were attacked en route. A small bandit party, but one that featured experience raiders, rather than the common thugs. Harmut the cultist fell, despite battling bravely. However, defeating veteran warriors yielded a Nasal Helmet and Short Sword, which [b]Kunold the Beast/b] and Hartmut the Butcher respectively immediately claimed.

The town of Goldhoft, where we drop off the package, is ironically named. Not much here, though there is an armory. We're at the point now where we have steady enough income to pay for a higher quality recruit, and so we give 385 crowns to the wonderfully nicknamed Ulfert the Snake. A native of Sannendorf, he was the sixth child of a poor family, and turned to thieving to support himself. That eventually led to his exile. The thief's a craven bastard, but dexterous at least.

Evidently there's money after all, because the council hired us to protect the town.. and they're offering a whopping 670 crowns for what looks to be an easy job. And indeed, it is - just a group of bandit thugs. Hartwig the Bull sustained a cut artery in the last battle, and got a cut wrist in this one, but no harm done, really.

After payment, we hire a farmhand, but he's both dumb and clumsy, so we dismiss him right away. We'd the money by that point to afford such things, and hired Lothar, a nondescript mason, instead. From there, it's on to another mission from the same council - retrieve a stolen lockbox. Pay is much cheaper this time, since they spent so much on the first one. Hartwig managed to add to his growing list of injuries with a fractured elbow, but otherwise we emerged unscathed. Memories of Reinhold for sure.

The Lord of Winterhall requested our presence for a mission. He wanted us to fight a group of greenskins before some jousting tournament. We weren't interested - too many bad memories of the first time, and we were not yet strong enough for such a job, we felt.

Instead, we took a cargo delivery mission, which should have been simple - even attacked by a small band of raiders. But our most costly recruits, Hartwig the Bull and Ulfert the Snake, both died, thanks to lucky blows on the part of our enemy. So upon delivery, we kept spending obscene sums, doling out 450 crowns to Hakon the Woodsman, a surefooted brute of a lumberjack, who'd been punished for poaching. Another request to fight greenskins. We again declined, particularly since it was from a town.

Finally, another bandit mission, back in Grotenhaven. We signed on a historian named Asbjorn, who like many academics, was a hesitant personality. I swore to myself we were done with hiring these high-priced recruits who weren't worth the crowns they took.

Thankfully, Hakon and Asbjorn both showed their mettle in downing an enemy in their first fight. We got a huge haul in terms of crowns and copper ingots as well. Some broken ribs for Karl, but nothing too serious.

We finally accept an offer from a noble - a request to eliminate some goblins to the northwest. The 280 crowns advance and 770 completion payment is what swayed us. Besides, they were sure to be punier and less troublesome than those orcs, we figured. And it reflected our growing reputation, for the Lavender Knights were now considered Competent.

We decided to wait for daybreak, because we had over 1,600 crowns on hand, not counting the copper ingots that would net us another couple hundred. This was going to be a task we would spend lavishly on, because we wanted to make sure everyone came home.

[Umbrella]

I love Battle Brothers. I'm really enjoying your writing on this one.

ETA: In the options, there is a box you can check to auto loot. You may want that, based on your orc battle.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Umbrella

I love Battle Brothers. I'm really enjoying your writing on this one.

ETA: In the options, there is a box you can check to auto loot. You may want that, based on your orc battle.

Glad you're enjoying it! And thanks for the tip. Probably something I should do.

[Izulde]

When dawn broke, we hired Carsten, a bloodythirsty fisherman who only ate simple food and was used to a life of deprivation. A storm had killed his best friend and business partner when it destroyed their boat. Rather than try to start over, Carsten left the fishing life for one as a mercenary. We purchased what better equipment we could from the market, though it was in surprisingly scant supply, and departed Grotenhaven.

These goblins proved tricky foes. Though their frontline soldiers were no match for us, they had skilled ambushers who hid in foilage and shot poisoned darts. Carsten foolishly chased one of those ambushers and got cornered in a duel where none could aid him. As a result, he died in his first battle, and it took Rollo stepping in his place before the greenskin finally went down after a long, protracted fight. But then we found after the battle that Carsten in fact didn't die. However, he was permanently brain damaged, and that was something we simply couldn't have.


These greenskins also used nets to great efficiency

We noticed several fleeing goblins and determined there were still more, but it was too risky a venture to pursue them just then, so we trekked to Asentorin, which was closest. While there, Friedrich and I argued about whether to have Carsten stay on.

"He's going to be slow, mentally and physically," I argued.

"He can still fight, and he needs the money," Friedrich said.

"Excuse me."

We turned to see a youngish man, who was looking at Battle Brother, our dog. "That's a nice pooch you've got there," he said.

"Thank you," I replied. "And you are?"

He smiled and offered his hand, "Alfred. I'm a houndmaster by trade, so I notice good dogs when I see them. You're the Lavender Knights, aren't you?"

I nodded.

"I've been looking to move on from the dog training life. Too quiet. Pay me 340 crowns and 8 a day, and I'll be your man."

We talked to him further, finding he was one of those brave brutes who likes dogs far more than people. He seemed capable, so Alfred became our 11th man, close to a full 12 capable of going to war. We assigned Battle Brother to him, purchased some roots and berries, as our food supply was about to spoil, and made our way back to Grotenhaven to pick up our money. There was a church in town, so we paid to have Carsten's abdominal injury and Karl's fractured ribs healed. Then we took a caravan escort contract. It was unremarkable, despite two bandit attacks, with only a caravan hand dying.

Our next task was to patrol, and we killed a bandit raiding party. A messenger told us to report back to Langholz and collect our money, but the councilman refused to pay us, saying there was a bandit encampment we didn't destroy, and that they'd raided the town. This was an outrage, so we marched to the camp to get ours.

A large group of raiders awaited us, as well as a pair of archers. Though Asbjorn lost a finger, we cleared out the hideout and won for treasure a pile of helmets and other better headgear, including some gorgeous weapons that caused a considerable equipment reshuffle.

"We thought you were gone for sure," I told Asbjorn once we were ready to set out again.

He laughed and said there's an art to appearing dead, which is why he fainted and didn't move. He proceeded to teach us all how to fake being dead if we sustained a serious injury. In a naming ceremony, he was dubbed Asbjorn Four Fingers.

Once that was done, we made our way to Wolfhaiden, an unintentional destination, as we were tracking a pair of bandit raiders. Unfortunately, we didn't catch them, but we did find the town was being terrorized by some threat that kept kidnapping people. We also found a caravan hand, also named Asbjorn, who had barely escaped an ambush on a caravan he was traveling with, and decided he wanted to join the better fighters of a mercenary band.

With his hiring and the purchase of some better armor from the blacksmith, the Lavender Knights officially became a complete company (Listed in order of time spent with Lavender Knights. * = hired on the same day):

The Lieutenant


The Third In Command


The Voice of the Gods


The Optimistic Monk*


The Pigslayer*


The Pikeman


The Mason


The Ferocious Woodsman


The Four Fingered Historian


The Dumb One*


The Houndmaster*


The Recruit


As Friedrich the Merciless and I surveyed the men from a distance, our thoughts turned to who might not be fit for the band long term.

"I think Karl will be the first to go," my lieutenant said. "He pays no attention to the importance of defending himself, and while he's been smart enough to avoid such troubles so far, I believe he will be dismissed first if it comes to it."

I shook my head, "I disagree. I've come around to your thinking on Carsten, addled as he is. But Asbjorn Four Fingers is weak in a fight, and we need stronger men."

"Speaking of which," he answered, "Watch Rollo and Lothar carefully - I fear their minds are not as strong as we would like, and should things ever truly go amiss, they would easily break."

"Have you forgotten that fight where just you, him, Kunold and I remained? Surely the god-touched shepherd has proven himself!" I was quite annoyed with Friedrich just then.

He shrugged, looking again at Rollo and Ernst in animated discussion. "We shall see. I fear darker times are ahead."

[Izulde]

What awaited us was giant wolves who attacked at night in a small pack. These were nightmarish beasts unlike we'd ever seen before.



Hakon and Asbjorn Four Fingers barely escaped with their lives, but outside of that, the fight was far easier than I expected - they simply could not bite past our shields.

Returning to Wolfhaiden (an appropriate name, come to think of it), the ruling house wanted us to go on patrol. We bickered over price and could not come to terms, the noble representative arguing we'd just been paid a princely 790 crowns, and so should take less to patrol - no matter how dangerous it was rumored to be. And so we finally quit without taking a contract. By this time, we had just over 2,200 crowns, so it wasn't as though we needed the money. There were also five direwolf pelts sitting in our cart, waiting to be unloaded.

We marched towards Grotenhaven with the intention of routing the remaining goblins, but shortly before reaching Waidtal as a mid-point, we found a rabbit warren whose owner had two heads. Rollo screamed that this was an omen of impending doom. Ernst tried to reason with him, saying it could be a good sign, as a two-headed creature was no doubt more ferocious. Rollo refused to be consoled, however, and kept muttering fearfully as we went into town.

"I warned you," Friedrich said. "He hasn't the stomach for fighting when it really matters."

"I'm not going to dismiss him," I said. "He's shown his mettle time and time again."

"Then let us hire someone to take his place until he recovers from his bunny fright."

And so we did. There were no shortage of interesting candidates, and after much deliberation and discussion, we narrowed our candidates to a monk inflamed with the desire to be a warrior priest, a butcher whose close relationship with poachers cost him his livelihood, a flagellant who sought to rout out cultists and other evils, and a well-equipped lumberjack hell-bent on revenge after his village was burned down by raiders.

First to be rejected was the lumberjack - 680 crowns and 14 per day was his requirement, and while we could afford it, I saw nothing in him that warranted such expense. The flagellant's fanaticism made me uneasy, so we declined him as well. That left the butcher and the monk. Hartmut argued for one of his trade, while Rollo, Ernst, and Kunold pounded the table for the monk. In the end, the opinions of the third in command and our well-respected first monk swayed the vote, and we welcomed Einar into our ranks, whose faint-hearted personality had given way to an impressive dexterity as he slipped out of dangerous situations.

We also took a contract from the council to repulse bandits intent on avenging the hanging of two of their brethren by the town - a fat 800 crown commission if we didn't get cheated out of it.

Einar was promoted to the fighting line, despite Rollo's vehement protests at being ordered back with me. "Come to your senses, and you'll be back in," Friedrich snapped. That put an end to the matter.

It didn't take us long to follow the bandits to their lair, but in doing so, they were prepared, and ambushed us. Things quickly turned dire, and we didn't account for the mighty Knut the Cruel to be such a deadly opponent, even with Friedrich and Karl surrounding him, and our lieutenant having the high ground before Knut knocked him down into the valley:



A short time later, Friedrich fell, and I cried in anguish.

Kunold moved in, vowing to avenge his mentor, but Knut's shield was far too impregnable, until Hakon finally moved in with his giant axe and swung, breaking it in one blow. Even that was not enough, as Ernst's arrow shots missed, and Knut kept dodging Kunold's strikes. At long last, Karl's pike thrust home, ridding the world of a great terror. But the price was high. All of us were exhausted, and sobbing over the loss of our leader and numerous comrades.

Then Friedrich groaned and sat up, weakly grinning at us, "I'm not dead, you daft bastards! Just lost an eye. Thank Four Fingers for his lesson!"

We cried in relief, carefully helping him back to our cart. Relief turned to deep sorrow, as we realized the teacher himself was truly dead, along with two more of our fellows. Others of us carried grievous wounds:



"Gods damn you, I told you we should have let Carsten go," I screamed at Friedrich as he put on an eyepatch. "Now he's dead because of us!"

"And what purpose would his life have had without us? Hmm? To wander the streets of Grotenhaven, pitied? No... he died a hero's death, as did Four Fingers and Lothar. We'll go back to town and drink to their memories."

Rollo roared in rage when we told him what happened. "I told you! The two-headed beast was an omen of ill tidings!" None of us had the heart to gainsay him, even Ernst. Three men dead, and another, Alfred, with a permanently shattered knee that ensured he would never fight again.

When we got back to Waidtal, we were refused payment because a second group of bandits attacked the town while we were dealing with Knut the Cruel's band. "Never again," Kunold swore. "We won't ever accept defense of a town again. Not after we've been stiffed twice."

We all agreed, and then made the solemn journey to Grotenhaven. Our itention was to bury Carsten at sea, so that he might join his best friend. The seaside city had become a second home for many of us, we'd been there so often, and if we lived long enough, we planned to retire there.

Our company was in no condition to fight, and needed supplies besides, so we stopped in the noble citadel city of Halsborg. It was there that Alfred asked to be dismissed, for he felt certain he could find work there training hounds again. We agreed, with considerable sadness.

To replenish the ranks, we brought in the following newcomers:

Sorrel the Sheep: Lightning quick shepherd who loved sheep so fondly in his loneliness that he came to be called a sheep himself. He was very lonely out there, day after day, and eventually decided he wanted human companionship rather than the soft, woolly kind. Immediately talked shop with Rollo, so should fit in well with us.

Tostig: An asthmatic day laborer whose ability to survive anything was absolutely incredible.

Bertram: A superstitious farmhand. I half-wanted to tell him he was too old to join, but we simply didn't have the financial margins to let him go and still keep Rollo in the back line.

Erhard: Brave apprentice who escaped an insane carpenter with a penchant for murdering his students. That he even agreed to risk studying under that master showed his valor.

There was a gorgeous mail shirt in the marketplace I wanted desperately to buy, but even after selling a bundle of furs, I didn't want to risk our bottom line. Nor was anyone willing to pay us close to fair value for our direwolf pelts yet, so with heavy heart, we continued on our journey.

The trip was uneventful, and we had a quiet sea burial for Carsten off the coast of the city. It's a hard life, this mercenary existence. Just a week ago, it seemed as though the Lavender Knights were on top of the world. Now, we'd lost several beloved comrades, and we needed work immediately. Fortunately, the city had an artifact stolen, so we were commissioned to retrieve it.

Cheap pay, but we secured 140 crown advance. And sometimes, you have to take the easy jobs. Especially when you have so much new blood.

[Umbrella]

Your new recruit did well, leading the group in kills in his first fight.

[Izulde]

We set out immediately to hunt down the thieves. A simple affair overall, but the appearance of a shadowy figure who could raise his fallen comrades as undead was an unsettling twist. My wariness of Bertram was proven correct when he died in battle.

An impatient flagellant, Rambert, became our newest fill-in. Nothing impressive, but a reserve body, now that Rollo finally overcame his fear after he saw us vanquishing those undead horrors.

The gods smiled on us as we approached the goblin camp at last, for we caught half the skirmishers outside, and then the other half in the camp itself. The second battle was dangerous, for Friedrich took such a deep blow to the chest that only the footwork he'd learned recently allowed him to escape what would almost certainly have been death.

Wanting to avoid the cities we'd grown to loathe, we made our way to Fahrnstadt, a place new to us. There, after haggling, we accepted a mission to retrieve a stolen demon statue. Why someone was toying with such trifles, I didn't know. We were so low on funds by that point, even with an advance, that we let Rambert go and sold our direwolf pelts at a loss.

It took us far too long to find the thieves, though putting them down was simple enough. We hurried back to town and accepted another job guarding a caravan. Food supplies were becoming an issue, too, but money was our greatest urgency.

The journey took us all the way to Tiefenhaven east of Sannendorf, and 570 crowns dropped in our laps for a trip without any incident at all. We should have purchased food, but another escort mission that promised 250 crowns in advance, 740 on delivery, was too much to resist. Happily, they allowed us to buy provisions before setting out again.

Back over to Langholz, where food was both plentiful and cheap, giving us enough to last us a week. We also accepted a mission to clear out a bandit camp to the northeast, where the infamous outlaw named The Butcher was hiding out. Fear churned in my stomach, knowing what Knut the Cruel did to us, but we had to fulfill our duty. As it turns out, we needn't have worried - we quickly overran his compatriots and surrounded him, both the Butcher and our men fighting conservatively while Karl, Hakon, and Erhard chipped away at him, until Karl's final thrust slew him.

Much to our delight, we found a Nobleman's Sword, a Kite Shield, and a Kettle Hat with Mail in our post-battle forage - all exceptional upgrades from what we had before. After considerable deliberation, Kunold received the sword and shield; Rollo the kettle helmet. Friedrich privately told me was more and more looking to the day he would retire, turning over the lieutenancy to Kunold.

Evening of the 31st day, we returned to Langholz and were paid for a bonus for bringing The Butcher's head. Now back to over 2,300 crowns, food and repair tools and medicine all back to our usual state of plenty. We'd overcome the dark valley and were back in comparative prosperity.

Friedrich and I grabbed some mead while the others prepared to leave, as we weren't staying for the markets to open.

"We need to talk again about the Lavender Knights' future," my second in command said.

"All right, let's."

We began by examining the backgrounds of all the Knights.

Companion
Friedrich the Merciless

Day Laborer
Kunold the Beast
Tostig

Shepherd
Rollo the Blessed
Sorrel the Sheep

Butcher
Hartmut the Butcher

Caravan Hand
Karl
Asbjorn

Lumberjack
Hakon the Woodsman

Monk
Ernst
Einar

Apprentice
Erhard

"Kunold and Tostig have impressed me," Friedrich said. "But I'm not fond of the monks as fighters."

"But we can't let Ernst go," I said. "He's too valuable for the morale of the company. I've also been quite pleased with our former caravan hands."

"Agreed. But Sorrel needs to go - he just doesn't have it. I also believe we should dismiss Hakon at first opportunity."

I stared at Friedrich, "What?! But he's been our most valuable man these last several skirmishes!"

Friedrich grinned, swallowing a large gulp of mead. "Yes, but that's only because of his axe. Literally anyone other than Sorrel or Erhard would be better, and the apprentice is still new yet."

I considered this. There was considerable truth to what he said - Hakon only became genuinely useful when we gave him the axe, where he proved a natural. But he was too wild with his swings.

"So... we let the Sheep go as soon as we find better, than Hakon?"

"Yes. I think that's best."

Redolent in cash after making our way south to Grunburg, we considered hiring a poacher, but the 665 crowns he wanted was too much. On our way to Sulwacht, bandits attacked us, but it was an easy fight. We were still quietly looking for better men, but no one tempted us as we decided to go west and seek unexplored territory.

Stopping in Goldhoft, a stunning event unfolded.

We were quietly talking with prospects in the local tavern, when one young man stood up and boasted, "I can take anything greenskins throw at me. I belong with a mercenary company!"

"Tired of the pig shit and bad crops, Helfrich?" someone laughed.

"You're damn right," the apparent farmhand said. "There's no money in working for old man Grunsturm. I'm tired of that life."

Down at the end of the bar, a small man with a red mustache that took up half his face sipped his ale, "Are you so sure about that, boy? You really think you can handle yourself in a fight?"

Helfrich swaggered over, laughing. "You're damn right! Little man like you can't do nothing to me."

The joker whistled and sidled over to us to whisper, "That there feller is Ferdinand. He doesn't look like much, but he's a professional brawler for a local baron. Travels the circuit fighting the champions of more important nobles and wins, you see."

Ferdinand stood up and promptly socked Heinrich in the jaw. It was a swift, sure punch with power behind it. The bar gasped as Helfrich laughed again, neither head nor body moving.

"Told you."

Ferdinand looked ready to hit him again, but Friedrich intervened and called them over. After a short discussion, both agreed to join. Surprisingly, Ferdinand wanted just 110 crowns, while Heinrich settled for 150 crowns signing bonus.

Then Friedrich asked Hakon and Sorrel to step outside with him. I knew what was coming, and didn't want to watch, so I got Ferdinand talking about some of the champions he'd fought, hoping I might run into them some day.

Some time later, Friedrich returned and informed us Hakon and Sorrel were no longer part of the company. No one was surprised, or particularly cared. Turning to our two recruits, he said, "You'll start off with a shield and a one handed weapon of your choice until you learn the trade. Then we'll decide what to do with you." Addressing the larger company, "Obviously, we now need a new axman. Karl, you up for it?"

Karl shook his head. "No. I love my pike and I'll stick with that, thank you."

"Actually, I'd like to take the job," Absjorn broke in, grinning.

Friedrich and I looked at each other. "...Yes.. that makes sense," he slowly said. I laughed. "Absjorn, you bastard, you've been quietly proving yourself while people haven't been paying much attention to you. Henceforth, you'll be known as Absjorn the Sneaky, and you, Karl, since you're so fond of the pike, you'll be called Karl the Pikeman.

A round of cheers and drinks greeted the newest naming ceremony.

We continued north, earning a quick 170 crowns for a short caravan escort to Fahrnstadt, and another 310 crowns for another escort from there to Wolfhaiden. This was opposite our initial plan, but we followed the money as every mercenary outfit must. In that latter town, the council contracted us to wipe out some bandits after one of those ne'er-do-wells made a pass at a councilman's daughter. It meant a trek into the mountains, which was longer and more difficult than the fight itself.

To Reinbruch next, where we recovered a stolen lockbox, again having to fight bandits in the mountains - albeit this time with a necromancer at their side. More and more we were seeing these unholy cultists. In that battle, Erhard lost a finger. One thing we'd noticed is even in their first two combats, Ferdinand and Helfrich fought together and were engaged in a friendly rivalry. In this one, they teamed up to fend off a bandit who was trying to get to our archer-monk Ernst, each one shouting he was going to be the one to kill the enemy. For the second consecutive time, it was Helfrich who landed the final blow.

Upon our return to town, we bought up a large supply of grain and tools, the former since we needed fresh food, the latter since the prices were cheap due to the town's love of us. Friedrich and I also debated heavily whether to invest in new armor or find a replacement for Einar, our liking for the would-be warrior monk amongst our company growing less and less by the day.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Umbrella

Your new recruit did well, leading the group in kills in his first fight.

Shades of Rollo there for sure. He's changed roles, as you'll see in the latest update, which is nerfing his kills - he's stripping enemies of their shields and the frontline fighters are cleaning up - but it's made him an indispensable part of the company (the jump from 54 melee to 64 melee has been huge as well when he doesn't have any shield destruction duties available).

[Izulde]

My computer restarted and set me way back because I forgot to save, so I'll be starting over once the official release hits.