The Helping Hand
Company Name: The Helping Hand
Company Size: Small
Leader/Founder: Selyin
Contract Specialization: Mobile Protection
Current Defensive or Resource Gathering Duty: Caravan Protection
Outlying Village: Evonshire
Requirements for Joining: Must have a mount or money on hand to buy one, and at least 20 points in either Shield or Ranged
History of the Company:The Helping Hand was born in blood; its first members the remnants of a decimated mercenary company. Rallying under Selyin's leadership, they remade and rebranded themselves in 710, initially as company of mounted archers escorting caravans. It soon became evident that this was not working out they way Selyin had hoped; the advantage of mounted archers was in their mobility, but that frequently meant leaving their clients' sides, a risky maneuver that, as a rule, their clients did not approve of. So an arc after their initial creation, the Helping Hand began recruiting for a heavy defensive line as well, eventually settling on a two to one ratio of archers to defenders.
Their basic tactics are simple: when attacked, the defenders encircle their charges, and hold the enemy back, prioritizing the protection of their clients above attacking. That is left to the archers, who engage in hit and run tactics with the enemy, weaving in and out of the fray as they pepper their enemies with arrows. If the enemy turns their focus to chasing the archers, the defenders go on the offensive, attacking the enemy from behind just enough to draw their attention back, and the cycle repeats.
The first few arcs were rough going, but two events turned things around for them. First was the agreement made with Evonshire, a village that specialized in breeding and raising mounts. The second was the hiring of one of Selyin's old friends. Edyn was a woman who had left Evonshire with Selyin many years ago. Where Selyin had thrown herself into the martial realm, Edyn had taken on the magical one, and had become a defier of no small skill. Kin to earth and water alike, her inclusion in the Hand opened up realms of possibility, allowing them to shape the terrain to their advantage in combat.
As a general rule, the Hand are a easygoing, lighthearted lot. Like their leader, they know that disaster can strike at any moment, so enjoy the moment before it's gone. They have a tendency to lightly haze new members, though never seriously, and the first battle a new recruit survives will be celebrated with a round of drinks on the captain's gold.
After they survive that first battle, new members leave their handprint in paint on their armor and mount; left shoulder and right hip for the ranged regiment, opposite for the defensive division, both if the mercenary is versatile enough to fit in either.
The color, orientation, and finger positioning are all left for the individual to decide, and act as a quick way for members to identify each other in the heat of battle.
Additional Information: Members who join without a mount are strongly recommended to buy them from Evonshire.
Credit: Praetorum
Selyin
Name: Selyin
Race: Human
Age: Arc 683, 29th of Saun
Title: Leader of The Helping Hand
Moderation Type: Self
Able/Willing to Mentor?: Yes
Skills able/willing to Mentor in: Tactics - Master, Leadership - Expert, Ranged(Longbow) - Expert, Riding - Expert
Other Information: Cheerful and cynical in equal measures, Selyin is a woman who has taken everything the world has thrown at her and made the best of it however she could. Even while happy, she is always on her guard, prepared for the worst to happen; the only time she seems truly relaxed is when she is riding, free and unhindered, without destination or expectation.
Born in the village of Evonshire, Selyin never expected her life to consist of much more than raising horses with her mother, taking the occasional trip to the city, and maybe becoming mayor of the village. All that changed one harsh Cylus, when Evonshire's livelihood was nearly wiped out. Realizing that the village could no longer support its full population, she gathered a number of the younger villagers, and led them on an exodus to Yaralon.
Once in the city, the villagers took what jobs they could, and under Selyin's organization, sent what money they could spare back to Evonshire every season. Selyin herself, confident in her skill with a horse and bow, signed on with a mercenary company, the Battalion. As time went on, her skill and reknown grew, until she became the head scout of the company.. She might have stayed there forever, had disaster not struck again.
It was nothing but bad luck; a fracture opened up right by the Battalion's camp while Selyin was out on patrol. By the time she returned, there was virtually nothing left of her company. Undeterred, she gathered the survivors, most of them mounted scouts, and forged a new company; the Helping Hand. A fully mounted band, consisting of a mix of ranged offense and heavy defense.
Business was slow, at first. Small mercenary bands are a copper a dozen in Yaralon, and the Hand struggled to carve out a name for themselves. It wasn't until Selyin forged a formal relationship with her home village that things began to take a turn for the better.
Now, Selyin is thriving, living a life her younger self could never have dreamed of. Her band's fortunes are rising, her reputation is growing, and her village is safe and quickly revitalizing. All good things must come to an end, as Selyin well knows, but every night, she prays that this one will last a little longer.
Credit: Praetorum
Evonshire
Once, Evonshire had been one of the more well known villages in the Yaralon area; its location roughly south of the Cut meant any travellers who came through on their way to Yaralon, or the other way around, would almost inevitably stop by. And frequently, they would trade in Evonshire's specialty: mounts. Surefooted goats perfect for navigating the treacherous path through the Cut, swift horses that could fly over the grasslands, swamp dwelling reptiles for those heading through Maiden's Refuge, and so on.
Those were the golden years of Evonshire, and as all good things must, they eventually came to an end, one dark Cylus.
It had been a bad year for everyone; Zi’da had been harsh, and Vhalar unfruitful. As bad as it had been for the village though, it had been worse for the wildlife, driving some of them to desperation. Evonshire woke one night to find their village and animals under attack by a pack of wild Massibex, come down from the Spines in search of food.
Realizing their livelihoods were being eaten before their eyes, the villagers took up arms, to little effect. When the dawn came, and the hounds slunk back towards the mountains, most of the mounts were dead or missing, as were a few villagers. It seemed a death knell for the village, which now had too many mouths to feed. Seeing this, several of the younger villagers packed up their things, and headed for the city, promising to find employment there and send money back to help support the village until it got back on its feet.
For arcs, Evonshire muddled along, slowly replenishing its herd and trading with caravans that passed by, but recovery went slowly. Many of the villagers despaired of ever reaching their former prosperity again.
Mayor Eva and her family had other ideas. In the arcs since leaving the village, Eva's daughter Selyin had started a mercenary band, and made quite a good bit of gold doing so. The Helping Hand specialized in escorting visitors and caravans, both groups that frequently required fresh mounts. If it were known that the Hand had a relationship with Evonshire, that the company might even be able to get their employers a slight discount in the village, then that might well improve business for the both of them. A relationship would also provide the Hand with better quality mounts, and Evonshire with protection it desperately needed.
So far, it seems to have worked. Evonshire has bloomed again, and even if it's still not doing as well as it once did, at least the village isn't constantly on the brink of collapse. Their herds have mostly been refilled, and the village is now constantly guarded by a local militia, supported by a squad of Hand mercenaries.
Credit: Praetorum
Eva Caers
Name: Eva Caers
Race: Human
Age: Arc 653, 5th of Ashan
Title: Mayor of Evonshire
Moderation Type: Mod Input
Able/Willing to Mentor?: No
Skills able/willing to Mentor in: N/A
Other Information: Eva Caers is an Evonshire native, born and bred. Daughter of horse trainers, she may well have learned to ride before she could walk, and grew up with as many equine companions as human ones.
She has been mayor half her life, and horse trainer for all of it, both of which have taught her patience in abundance. Kindly and soft spoken, underneath her matronly exterior is a shrewd businesswoman with a steel trap mind. It was her who had the idea to expand Evonshire's stock to more than just horses, and her who hatched the idea to partner with the Helping Hand, a move which has improved both trade in the village and her daughter's personal fortunes.
Though she no longer works directly with the mounts Evonshire sells, she knows every single one and its value, and just how to get the most out of each. She personally signs off on the buying and selling of mounts in the village, although in recent years some of that work has been delegated to several apprentices, one of whom she hopes will prove a worthy mayor after she eventually retires.
Credit: Praetorum
Edyn
Name: Edyn
Age: 37
Race: Human
Organization: The Helping Hand
Skills:
* Defiance 76
* Hone 51
* Rupturing 26
* Animal Handling 45
* Riding 30
* Ranged (Sling) 22
Bio: Born in the village of Ebonshire, Edyn lived a simple life as a stablehand, until disaster struck the village. After losing both parents in the Massibex attack, Edyn found nothing left for her in the village, and when Selyin left for the city, Edyn was one of those who followed. Through luck and persistence, she found a job as an assistant to a magical researcher, and though she had initially been hired to perform manual labor, the mage found her curious, and willing to learn. Before long, she had picked up enough to act as a research assistant, and once the mage decided to conduct experiments that would require an assistant with hone and defiance, he chose to initiate her instead of seeking out a colleague.
Their working relationship lasted for arcs, and they parted amicably once Edyn decided she wished to see more of the world. Her travels from then on took her many places, and she had experiences and adventures to last a lifetime, picking up a rupturing spark along the way which only increased her wanderlust. It wasn't until a letter from an old friend found its way to her that she returned once more to Ebonshire. There, she found Selyin, now captain of a mercenary band, waiting with an offer.
A high ranking position in her company, and the promise that she could leave whenever the whim took her, and be welcomed back with open arms when she returned. It was a tempting offer, and in the end, the chance to be paid for defending her childhood home, while still being allowed to travel as she wished, was too good to pass up.
For arcs, this arrangement suited all parties perfectly. But in recent seasons, Edyn's rupturing spark has grown more and more restless. Short trips around the world no longer satisfy it, and she knows that her travels away from the Hand will only increase in length, and that one day, she may leave, and never return.
What she needs is to find a replacement, someone who will take on the sparks of Hone and Defiance, who will stay with the Helping Hand, who she can trust to keep her companions and village safe.
And as it turns out, the newest recruit into the Helping Hand might just fit the bill.
Appearance:
Relationship: Captain of the Defensive Division, Praetorum’s immediate superior
Credit: Praetorum
This last one is the one I plan to use as my magic mentor, idk if you need to approve her first as a city npc.
