Leylines: Crimson Dragons, Part Five

By Timothy Crumrine

As was promised last time, we will now be taking a look at a sample mercenary company of my own devising. This company is fairly large and has an almost legendary status among other mercenary groups as it has never once lost a campaign. The structure of the company is slightly more militaristic than most, but still a good example of how to lay out a company so that your players are enmeshed within the story.

The Crimson Dragons

The Crimson Dragons are a mercenary company that ranges in strength from 2000 to 4000 men averaging at around 2700. It consists of mostly infantry with only about 150 medium/light cavalry. The captain of the company is a woman that her men call the Dragon Queen, though she is known by the name Carnage as well. The Crimson Dragons have been in service under Carnage for the past four hundred years, and she has not aged a day during that time. The legends about her speculate that she is a mage or has paid one to maintain her beauty through the years, that she is a demon who feasts on the blood of the battlefield to remain young, or even more outlandish, that she is the reincarnation of one of the legendary heroes of the Ascar desert tribes and is immortal. In truth, she is a red dragon, but this fact is not known by anyone and remains in humanoid form by personal choice. Carnage revels and excels in battle and often takes a forefront role on the field. She wears a suit of blood red full plate armor that is magically enchanted to allow her full mobility and protection while at the same time snuggly hugs every female curve of her form and has four inch heels on the boots. The helm of the armor is open faced and is fashioned in the image of a dragon's open maw. Her weapon of choice is Bloodthorn, an enchanted bastard sword that is magically stored within the gauntlet on her right arm when not in use. Her features are striking and wildly exotic. Her skin and eyes are the dark brown of a desert dweller but she has deep crimson hair that is cut short with long bangs and with a thin whip-like tail at the very back that is only ½ an inch thick but almost three feet long. Carnage has six to eight lieutenants under her depending on the current size of the company. The first two have the most influence of the group due to seniority for one and outright favoritism for the second.

The first is Talon the hawk master. He is the oldest of her lieutenants and is also her chief advisor. The name Talon is actually a title that has been given to the hawk master of the company for almost as long as the creation of the Dragons. This current Talon is 47 years old and has been her hawk master for 21 years now. His advice is always weighed in view of what information his hawks bring him. He has a slight sorcerous ability (2nd Lev.) and like several of his forerunners, possesses a hawk familiar. He wears a suit of masterwork chainmail forged from mithril and a surcoat with the hawk unit crest over the rampant dragon crest of the company. His preferred weapon is his longsword Huntress. He has close cropped brown, starting to iron gray, hair, yellow eyes, and weathered skin.

The second is a young man by the name of Drake. He is the current commander of the Spirit Riders, the companies' cavalry unit. He has only been a mercenary for a few years now, but has risen to his current position like a rocket. Drake wears the traditional armor of the cavalry commander, a suit of enchanted splint mail captured as spoils by Carnage herself years ago. This armor is created in the image of a skeletal figure with a full helm that is fashioned from the skull of a young frost giant. Drake's weapon of choice is a longsword that has the ability to split into two copies of itself at will which he wields in two weapon style. The blade is called Malice and Spite by the young lieutenant. He has jet black shoulder length hair that is held back in a ponytail, blue eyes, and a thin but noticeable scar across his left cheek. Currently he is the favorite of Carnage among her lieutenants, rumor around the company claims that he shares her bed, but it's actually because Carnage has found in him someone as fond of battle as herself.

The next lieutenant is a half elven woman going by the name Mistress. She is in charge of 10 of the Strikes that comprise the infantry. A sellsword from Skarsla, a kingdom famed for its constant annexation border wars; she had been an independent mercenary for many years before joining the Crimson Dragons. She is a ruthless tactician and cares little for throwing hundreds of men at a line to finally break it. Often this comes in conflict with Carnage who prefers to keep her men alive if she can help it. She has a tendency to ignore orders when she sees a hole she can exploit in the enemies' line and as a result Mistress's back is a map of whip scars from punishment leveled against her by the Dragon Queen. She wears black enameled half plate over black leathers with a sable cloak fastened to the shoulder plates trimmed with black starling feather and black, steel reinforced hip boots. Her weapon of choice is a two bladed sword that retracts into the hilt to hang as a baton on her belt. She calls the weapon Torment, though this is probably not its real name. She has raven black hair which hangs freely to her shoulders covering her slightly pointed ears, violet eyes, and an expression that always looks angry. The only reason Mistress is still with the company is that Carnage recognizes the value of having someone as ruthless as her at times and she lacks the traits necessary to be captain of her own company.

The lieutenant who commands the other 10 Strikes of the company is the third generation of his family to serve Carnage in the company. His father and father before him were mercenaries and his mother and grandmother were coin lasses in the company. As a result he does not know exactly what his lineage is but it is established that his ancestors served within the Crimson Dragons and so he has taken that as the only family he knows. The name he answers to is Chak, a slang word among mercenaries for valuables found concealed somewhere on a corpse i.e. boot chak. A silent, strong figure of a man, Chak balances out Mistress's harsh temper and is popular among his own command. His weapon of choice is his crossbow which was custom built and enchanted to perform as a heavy crossbow in terms of damage, critical, and range, but acts as a light crossbow in all other regards. Since he often must engage in melee combat as well, he also wears a hand axe on his belt. Chak wears a suit of triple linked dwarven crafted chainmail which grants him an additional +1 to AC, and an open faced helmet with no adornment. He has brown hair and eyes and is unusually tall, standing at six foot four inches.

Harper is the man you have to deal with if you are foolish enough to desert. This lieutenant is the pack leader in charge of the war hounds and any other attack beasts the company may use. He has a firm but agreeable hand with his charges and does not brook well with those who mistreat or abuse animals. His pack is a swift crossbreed between the gray racer hounds of the deserts and the powerful hunters from the moorlands. Armored in light leather and steel bodysuits, they can chase down their prey with ease and worry the man or beast until the target collapses from exhaustion. Harper is on good terms with Drake, as the cavalry commander treats his mount with the proper respect and care she deserves and enforces the same among his men. Though the pack is not always on the field, they are on guard duty at the camp always and Harper often is on the line beside Carnage even if his precious hounds are not. Harper wears studded leather armor that has a hardened sleeve from right shoulder to wrist and wears a mail glove on his right hand. This protection is for when his puppies get playful. Contrary to the stereotype, Harper does not use a whip in combat or for training. In fact he detests the idea of them and may even make an effort to concentrate attacks on those who do. Instead, he prefers his short sword Fang when he enters into melee. Harper has hazel eyes and sandy blonde hair.

Last of the constant lieutenants is an axe man named Narn who is in charge of the supply lines and also is the recruiter for conscripts joining the company. He is often seen at the side of Carnage when she is actively recruiting in the cities but is just as often seen alone in the smaller towns and villages looking for likely prospects. Before one signs their mark to the enrollment sheet he will set in front of you it is wise to just accept everything that comes out of Narn's mouth as a lie. Like modern recruiting officers, Narn is in the practice of exaggerating, embellishing, or outright lying about how good a mercenary's life is and the benefits to be gained by joining. He conveniently forgets the lack of food at times, the rain and other adverse weather, the death rate, disease, and any other thing that he feels at the time would sour the prospect from joining. He had a loud, boisterous manner that emanates trust and good-natured camaraderie and has been known to pick up the tab at the inns where his new recruits are staying. Once they leave his care though and enter into the ranks his manner could not be colder. He has outright ignored or disciplined new recruits for talking back to him the day after her had spent the night drinking and swapping stories with them like a best friend. Narn stands at six feet and 1 inch and is almost three feet across in shoulder length. He wears brown leathers with a chainmail shirt and carries a large greataxe which he calls Bleeder strapped to his back. He also wears the rough cured pelt of a timber wolf like a mantle. The pelt was enchanted by the shamans of a Gnoll tribe and grants a +2 to AC and a bonus of +3 Ranks to his Listen and Spot checks. The ownership and wearing of this item has not made him friends with Harper and the two men rarely speak except at the campaign table.

Any other Lieutenants Carnage has are strictly on a short term basis for keeping order among the men when their numbers are unusually large.

The Common Mercenary

The Crimson Dragons are a little better than most mercenary companies in terms of equipment. Carnage has a contract with seven smiths to provide weapon and armor repairs while on campaign for her men. Non magical weapons and armor are repaired at the same rate as listed in the PHB. During this time, the mercenary can draw a temporary replacement from the armory to be returned after repairs are completed. Of the seven smiths who work in the company only one of them, a dwarf named Skarn, is capable of repairing magical weapons and armor. Repairs on these are not free, but still cost ½ the listed price with the rest being absorbed by the company coffers and only non magical replacements are available. A typical conscript is provided with a weapon if they do not already possess one. They have the choice of a hand ax, a light mace, or a short sword only however. No armor is provided to a new conscript as this would be prohibitive in cost, but they are given a small brass token with the symbol of the company embossed on it to wear around their neck. This token, similar to dog tags in the military, carries the new conscript's unit information and helps to I. D. them if they die.

Units consist of twenty five men, of which there will be one in charge referred to as a Force Leader. Four units and their Force Leaders are called a Strike and are commanded by a Strike Leader. Each Strike Leader reports to either Mistress or Chak depending on their Strike. These two in turn report directly to Carnage. Any mercenary who is a Force Leader or above may have any martial weapon available and a choice of armor up to and including chainmail. Strike Leaders may have up to half plate armor. A beginning mercenary will be a 1st level warrior class from the DMG, not a fighter class.

Healing and infirmary care is available to the conscripts within the company by a staff of six trained herbal specialists but the mercenary still must pay for services. The cost of healing in this manner is still beyond the means for most mercenaries, and as a result is seldom used except in the direst of circumstances. Among officers, Strike Leaders and above, there are two priests of the god of war who are available at ½ the normal cost for healing. If Carnage herself decides it, this cost is absorbed by the company coffers and healing is provided to the officer for free but this is a rare occurrence.

Food within the company remains unchanged. It still is bland and tasteless but nourishing and filling. The Crimson Dragons have supply shortages less often than their counterparts though as their supply lines are normally better defended. The officers have better food available, with a very capable chef who prepares the meals for the lieutenants and Carnage.

The Command Tent

Carnage's command tent is a large pavilion style tent which not only contains her personal quarters but also a meeting hall, war room, training room, and quarters for her personal squires. It is guarded at all times by two guards stationed at the entrance and a unit of ten guards that patrol the perimeter and surrounding areas. The guards patrol every 15 minutes, but stagger their beginnings and endings so that an unpredictable overlapping occurs. The main meeting hall has a wooden throne backed chair on a raised dais much like the audience hall of a king or queen. Tapestries hang from all the walls and serve an important function besides decoration by muffling noises so that conversations cannot be overheard from outside and providing insulation to retain the heat during colder seasons. A side board bearing decantered drinks is available to those who have an audience with the Dragon Queen, and the floor is covered in expensive woven carpets. Heat is provided by two covered copper braziers, and lighting by small clear crystals enchanted to glow. There is no open flame allowed within Carnage's tent in any area, not even a candle.

Directly behind the audience chamber, guarded by two men at all times when an audience is occurring, is the doorway leading into the war room. This large room is dominated by the huge oak table which presides in the center of the floor. Magical in nature, it displays an accurate aerial map of the surrounding lands on its surface at all times. Stored in a drawer on both sides of the table are red copper markers that represent the Crimson Dragons, and dull iron markers for their current opponents to use to mark troop movement and placement on the map. This is where the lieutenants and Carnage are most often found if they are within the camp and not on the field itself. The table is large enough to accommodate all of them standing around it and still small enough that they can reach across the board and move markers or point to locations without difficulty. A honeycomb rack of additional maps and other war information is against the far wall and a drink side board dominates the other wall. Like the rest of the tent, the walls are hung with tapestries only these are more of an atlas variety showing maps of the world and the borders of kingdoms and countries. The floor is covered in fine carpets like the ones found in the audience room and there is always at least one messenger runner in attendance any time the room is occupied. An additional enchantment preventing scrying attempts and all Listen skill checks from outside the room from succeeding is placed on an item located in the room but only Carnage herself knows what item holds the enchantment.

A separate doorway from the one leading to the audience room is across the room and leads to a short curtained hallway. From this hallway are three other doors, one leading into the training room, one leading to a small barracks like room where Carnage's squires sleep, and the final one leading into the Dragon Queen's spacious personal quarters.

The training room is set up like an Eastern style dojo with a series of 1 inch thick wooden panels approximately two feet by two feet set like tiles on the floor making them easy to pick up, stack and transport when the tent is moved. A large circle is painted on the tiles denoting the practice area and on all sides are weapons racks hung with heavy iron weighted practice weapons. These weapons are heavier than their real counterparts, being constructed with lead cores making them -1 to hit, and are padded to only do subduing damage. Shields with weights wielded onto the rims also are found here, but they can only grant a +1 to AC against one single opponent a round if used in actual battle.

The barracks area for Carnage's squires is a barren space devoid of any furnishings save for five cots with straw mattresses and a wooden chest for clothing at the foot of each cot. There are no locks on any of the chests, and little to distinguish the personality of each inhabitant of each cot area. Those squires that live here are normally children of the coin lasses who show promise as mercenaries when they are older and are selected by Carnage herself. They aid the Dragon Queen in donning her armor, act as pages and messenger boys when needed and basically are her personal servants for lack of a better word for them. They range from 12 to 16 years, after that age they are sent to one of the Units to serve in the field.

The chambers of the Dragon Queen are akin in decoration to some of the greater Khans of Mongolia. The far wall is dominated by a large four poster canopy which drapes around a small mountain of silken pillows, furs, and sheets as well as a heavy feather quilt embroidered in golden thread that sits on a large cot platform. The curtains are red silk embroidered with golden dragons intertwined across its surface with a backing of red velvet behind them. A stand for Carnage's unusual armor is to the right of the bed and, upon a table at the bed side, a black lacquered stand rests that holds her enchanted gauntlet while she sleeps. In another corner of the room is a large mahogany bathing tub carved and embellished with realistic scenes of bathing wood nymphs. This tub is often used by Carnage after a workout in the training room and it is the duty of a squire chosen by a rotational schedule at all times to prepare the tub while she practices and to keep the water within hot for the duration of her bath. Wardrobes and chests line the walls filled with clothing and other possessions and doubling as shelves to display various pieces of artwork and other collectables that she has acquired over the years. There is a desk and chair with a lighted sphere upon it near a cabinet of leather bound books and scrolls tied with silken ribbons where the Dragon Queen is often found studying the battles of times past in the wee hours of the night. This desk is also where Carnage takes most meals, as she rarely takes the times to dine with her lieutenants in the officer's mess tent. As there is no formal payroll in a mercenary company there is no one in the position of paymaster, therefore whatever hard currency the company currently has is kept within the command tent somewhere know only to Carnage and is likely to be guarded by wards, traps and other nasty protections. It is likely that it is located within her personal chambers reflecting her draconic heritage. Also found within locked and warded chests in her quarters is her personal collection of weapons, all finely crafted, and some enchanted as well. These are mementoes of past victories, gifts and bribes by nobility, and a few were items that struck her fancy at one time or another.

This is a brief description of the Crimson Dragons, If anyone has questions about any further aspects, of a Mercenary Army, feel free to contact me.