Karthan Sternmason's page

Legend says that centuries ago as Avacyn was assembling her angelic hosts she selected twelve mortal families to serve as human auxiliaries to her armies. The angelic hosts were legion enough, but humans needed the means to defend themselves as the angels could not be everywhere at once. These mortals were trained in the ways of battle that the angelic hosts favored and charged with passing those skills on to their soldiers, their friends, and to their children. It would be too long a tale and relatively unimportant to go into long detail about how those families fared over the long centuries, or in how those skills spread, changed, ebbed and waned with time and need. Many of those tales are worthy stories of their own and many still are hardly worth the time it takes to write them.
What is important is that one family in particular managed to retain some of those original skills and combat abilities . The Sternmasons, a proud family that could trace its origins back to the early days of Thraben all the way to it's current standing as a wealthy merchant family in Havengul. Whether as members of the inquisition, marines and sailors protecting their ships, army commanders, monster hunters, bodyguards, duelists or those who taught them all in the ways of the angelic hosts at war the Sternmasons have held onto martial traditions throughout all stages of the families highs and lows.

Four generations prior a wealthy Avaland Sternmason with interests all along the border of Kellsig was finding his assets under siege by howlpacks belonging to the Rathvir wolfpack. The pack itself was only forty or so werewolves; however , what made them unique is their use of bandits and mercenaries brought under their thrall through offers of security in their territory and a chance to become part of the pack themselves. This combination of supernatural ferocity and skill at arms threatened to destabilize the border between Kessig and Nephalia as well as financially ruin the Sternmason family with each new plantation and grain silo burned to the ground. With Avacyn trapped and the church busy with concerns elsewhere in the world, Avaland understood that if he wanted to preserve peace and the prosperity of his house he would need to take matters into his own hands.

Avaland started by hiring every able bodied sailor and dock worker in Havengul. He only wanted those brave enough to facedown kraken, and wanted no real criminals in his ranks. Otherwise the temptation to join the bandit wolf army may become too much to stop. Most were already competent with a cutlass and with further training by Avaland himself they could easily hold their own with the most belligerent of duelists. He pushed this further, teaching them how to move in formation, how to fight with spear, polearm, and crossbow in an organized fashion, and how to operate as a cohesive military unit off the battlefield. Despite criticisms about Avalands decision to found his own mercenary unit rather than hire a few bands of Skiltfolk or rally the local militia Stermasons mercenary company proved devastatingly effective at hunting down the bandits supporting the Rathvir's efforts. Eventually the howlpack itself was forced to get involved and it too was quickly thinned out by what their pack leader called storms of silver fangs as each wolf was met with a wall of pikes and volleys of silver tipped bolts. Without the support of its fully human allies and with rival howlpacks moving in from the rear to take out their own grievances the howlpack was forced to dissolve and the western border of Nephalia returned once again to an unsteady peace.

Ever since the Silverfang Company, as the regiment came to be called, has served honorably in a large number of contracts whether in the capacity as monster hunters, bodyguards, shock troops, raiders, marines, or law enforcers. While not every job was glorious or necessarily honorable the Silvefang Company maintained a reputation of professionalism and prowess any Skiltfolk band would envy.

Because the Sternmasons have a multitude of differing business interests it became a tradition for the eldest son of the family to handle the business and naval side while the younger took care of the Silverfang Company itself. Any daughters would be married off or granted rights and lands where appropriate based on their capability and the current fortunes of the family.

So it was when Karthan was born. Being the younger of twins by but a few hours he was destined for military tutelage and spent many a month on campaign with the company under his uncle serving as a batman. His older brother in the meantime learned the ins and outs of sailing and business becoming a valorous officer in his own right serving on the Krakensmane delivering cargo from Havengul to all ports along the coast. There were also two sisters, Abigail and Velora, born within two years of the brothers. Velora showed strong religious fervor and was sent to Thraben to study for the priesthood and possible induction into the inquisition. Abigail was to be married off to a young Nephalian noble from the countryside to strengthen alliances and further grow each family's fortune.

Alas barely a week before the Eldrazi horror came into the light Abigail was abducted by what is presumed to be a coven of vampires. Just as Karthan's uncle was rallying the Silverfang Company to take down the culprits Emrakul manifested fully onto the plane and war was already underway.

As Avacyn fell to the horrors from beyond, so too did the Sternmasons suffer from repeated misfortune. Karthan's uncle died in battle leaving him in command of the company. His mother was dragged from her carriage and murdered by a crazed mob under the maddening influence of Emrakul. His father and brother both were lost at sea while Velora had not been heard from since Avacyn's death.

Despite this, Karthan proved an effective and charismatic leader for his men. Far from stranger to horror, the Silverfang Company accounted for themselves well against Emrakul's fleshwarping abominations. With blade, bolt and fire the company worked hard to burn out every writhing cancerous drone they came across and no army they served with could question the fervor or intelligence of its commander though his blunt honesty and refusal to sacrifice soldiers and innocents would often rub against the pride and ruthlessness of Nephalia's regular officers.

For now Karthan, the Silverfang Company, and the Sternmason family are recovering from the casualties of war and the terrible aftermath. Karthan is haunted by the things he saw during the war, particularly the way his men and his uncle died. Moreover, he knows of the legends surrounding the early origins of the family and the fighting arts they practice and teach. He believes that Avacyn's death somehow cursed his family that each misfortune since then can be laid directly at its feet. At each new dusk he wonders if that curse is just over the dark horizon awaiting its moment to strike. Worse, with so much of the family's affairs suddenly under his control and the depletion of the company's ranks he could not hope to organize a search for his missing younger sister nor send investigators out to find out the true fate of his missing relatives abroad.

Karthan had to sell off the company's barracks to pay off the pensions for those who left behind widows and children. The merchant navy is currently under the command of captains and portmasters friendly to the family who will look after the family's business until Karthan can appoint or find a new person to take over for his older brother. For now the company itself recruits and rests from the Laughing Wolf's tavern and inn operated by Karthan's maternal aunt Misty. This has suited the company's reduced numbers and Karthan's penchant to drown his fears in alcohol just fine. His aunt has proven to be a shrewd and formidable negotiator for the company's services and the income she would lose from the filled rooms she gains back in bribes from those people trying to get through her to even think of hiring the company for their own contracts. Those who refuse to pay, have a bad look about them, or disrespect her will never know of Karthan's office in the wine cellar.

Karthan puts on a strong face in front of his men and those who don't know him well. For them he's stiff backed, clean, quick, and never allowing the frivolous get in the way of getting the job done. He is fair and only holds his men to the same standard he holds himself, which is still quite high. He knows that his men do not fight for any more than what a coin purse will buy but often convinces them with word and presence to be more than mere hired thugs and cutpurses. Ransoms in the rare times they must be conducted are done with the respect of all parties involved. Any village elders, nobles, and priests are all dealt with the respect their rank requires. Overall the Sternmason reputation for professionalism and honor has been well represented in Karthan and most of his men would gladly follow him into a demons pit if he demanded it.

Inwardly Karthan is a different man altogether. Fearful of his family and their legacy dying with him he tries not to look at the pile of letters sent by colorful vultures asking him to marry their barely of age daughters to absorb the strength of the Sternmasons name and fortune to their own. He feels deep in his soul that he gained his current power and status dishonestly through field commission and death rather than deed and recognition. His men and those other regiments he served with would vehemently disagree with this point of view but more than one bastard has bled out on the dueling ground with accusations of foul play on their lips. Regardless of what either side thinks Karthan constantly questions in his private hours whether decisions he made were the right ones, and just how many lives did he unwittingly destroy in their execution. To top this all off he's had nightmares. Vivid ones where he sees the faces of his brother and father being devoured by a horrid krake mutated beyond recognition or ones where he sees Abigail dragged into the woods and ripped apart and worse. The worst ones were those simply recalling the gut wrenching fate of those men who fell against the minions of Emrakul. As a result he drinks heavily and often takes concoctions to help him into a dreamless sleep.

They are beginning to lose effect however, and Karthan teeters on the edge of madness. The curse may indeed be coming for him and only time will tell if the faith placed on him by his closest is well founded.

Deckram Tremaine was born to a small rural village not more than ten miles east of the border of Kellsig. His father was a huntsman and trapper who sold pelts and meat while his mother made a good living working at the local tannery where she often sold the hides her husband brought in. A lively boy who could barely sit still or pay attention for more than a few seconds at any given time he was considered something of a problem child by most. By the time he was twelve and had garnered a reputation as something of a local troublemaker Deckram’s father decided to focus the boy's energy away from the village itself into something more constructive. He reasoned, correctly, that out in the forest where danger and good living can be around every corner the boy can focus and center himself into something useful away from the distractions of other people.
The boy found himself in the quiet of the forest, trapping wolves, hunting bear and boar, and tracking the more dangerous creatures of the forest so the militia and other villagers could destroy or avoid them as fitting. While it was far from a safe nor wealthy way of living he found peace he’d have never known working a normal profession nor trying to woo the girls of his village. For a time he was happy.

He was camped out in the forest one night when he saw the glow of his home on fire.

He couldn’t rush back through the forest at night. Even at a full run with the knowledge of his forest backing him that would be suicide. He had to wait until the earliest dawn to even make the attempt and even then the village was little more than a smoking ruin of ash, gnawed bones and ruined bodies. It didn’t take an expert to figure out what had happened. The village welcomed a troupe of traveling entertainers only for them to turn into werewolves that night and slaughter them all. Torn between a need for vengeance and the need to bury and pay respects to the dead lest they rise again to make the land even more dangerous he went to work burying the bodies. He was fourteen at the time.

By the time he was halfway through three days later another group of garishly dressed men came to the remains of the town. Led by a stern nobleman these groups of men were mercenaries hired by a mayor some miles off to track down a group of travelers preying on villages and townships for loot and slaves. It didn't take long for those mercenaries to find out that those group of travelers were a pack of werewolves fooling villagers and townsfolk into believing they were harmless entertainers and merchants to get inside their walls, and by nightfall while the townsfolk were intoxicated and entranced by saong and wine transforming and slaking their bloodlust.

Until now they had not found any survivors sane or alive enough to give them any real clue as to who they were looking for. So it was that as Deckram was given some much needed food and water he relayed the tale of how the entertainers arrived, what their wagons looked like, and how many armed men they had guarding them while the rest of the regiment buried the rest of the bodies and did the proper holy rites to keep the uneasy spirits at rest.

Deckram wasn’t even old enough to properly lie to a recruiter about his age. But, pitying the boy and finding it hard to argue with the more sympathetic fathers of his regiment, Karthan’s uncle took the boy along with them to hunt down the treacherous howlpack and put them to the sword.

In the weeks that followed Deckram earned his keep by doing odd jobs around the camp, fetching water, digging waste pits at camp, gathering wood, and occasionally using his woodsmanship to guide the regiments scouts about the local wilderness. They came across two more villages laid to waste in a similar fashion to Deckram’s own. Each sight hardened the boy's heart and gave him more cause to see his family’s murderers put to death.

Still Deckram had little time to mourn or even think overmuch about his parents death. Corrigan, the uncle and commander, and the other officers of the regiment worked him hard and he found the adjustment difficult. He had been used to his father’s gentle tutelage but the haranguing and colorful insults that only those born to life at sea could come up with was a whole other world entirely. The discipline of a military life was a stark contrast to the freedom of the forest and it took time to adjust. He had never fought on a battlefield nor even knew much how to hold a sword let alone the signature cutlasses and polearms of the regiments preference. But, he could handle a bow well enough and his sharp eyes could pick out targets the regiments crossbowman squads found hard to pinpoint. And as the weeks wore on he grew accustomed to the daily workload and to the boisterous and rowdy nature of the regiment's regular soldiers in contrast to their respectable and quiet officers.

He was too old to serve on the lines and too old to serve as a camp runner. So, Corrigan instead made him a batman to the much older Karthan so better to keep an eye on him and teach him more of the respectable side of mercenary work rather than allow the more dishonest elements of the regiment influence him onto dirtier paths. From this position he learned etiquette, basic manners, how to better read and write, as well as a level of grooming that was not common among the peasant villages he was accustomed to.

By the time they had caught up to the troupe Deckram had spent two months learning ways of war and the march. While far from an experienced soldier he could hold his own in training bouts with the older men and his skills with the bow were far from unwelcome or unpracticed. The troupe itself had grown fat and arrogant off the easy meat it had been gaining through it’s treacherous means. Even more arrogant still when they had managed to stay ahead of the chasing regiment long enough to turn and confront them under the light of the full moon when they would be strongest and most savage.

Deckram had his misgivings when instead of running away or choosing to hole up instrong shelter until dawn the commander instead elected to dig in and fortify their camp against what would be an inevitable confrontation. Deckram feared a massacre, but he chose wisely not to voice his concerns. While he saw concern and legitimate fear in the eyes of all the men and no little anxiety in the orders of Karthan and the other officers Corrigan stood among the chaos like a mountain in the storm treating the oncoming battle like it was a minor inconvenience forcing him to drink extra from his storage of expensive coffee.

When the stroke finally came the cunning and savagery of the wolves was like nothing to the discipline and courage of the mercenaries. Accustomed to prey that was caught by surprise or fled at the first sight of glowing red eyes they were met instead by the battlecries of angry men and a wall of steel and silver that cared little for sharp claws and powerful fangs. Deckram accounted for himself well taking his vengeance out with a silver tipped arrow through the eye of one of the larger pack members. Despite the beating in his heart and every instinct and lesson he had been taught to go hide in a place with a strong door and stronger walls Deckram stood his ground long enough to see Corrigan Sternmason apply that same stoicism to his command in the face of savage beasts with a taste for human flesh. By the time dawn had begun to broke over the hills the regiment were hunting down and finishing off the remaining howlpack piling their bodies high on a pyre. The loot they had collected would never return to those towns already ransacked as few to none were left to claim it. But, Deckram did reclaim some things from his own home he thought lost, including a locket his father bought for his mother in Havengul. The rest either found themselves in the pockets of the men or went to fill the coffers of the Sternmasons proper.

It would have been easy for Deckram to leave the regiment and make his own way in one of the towns along the regiment's way. Corrigan tried multiple times unsuccessfully to get him apprenticed into various professions, even offering to pay out of his own pocket to do so. But each time Deckram flatly refused. He felt that he had nowhere to go and he’d either die destroying monsters with these men or die doing so alone. Either way he’d prefer doing it under the Sternmasons command.

Two years passed when he was finally given official remit to join the regiment. By that point he was already an experienced soldier and his skills at slaying werewolves and eventually even the undead grew. While hardly the most charismatic of his peers he was well regarded for his skill and knowledge and respected as something of a lucky charm. While some scout squads would be lucky if they managed to come back alive those squads he led or were otherwise a part of would manage to come back relatively unscathed even in those times they would stumble into a zombie pit or a vampire's home at night. While not always the most inspiring of commanders, his pragmatic and thoughtful approach were honored by both the Sternmason’s in command and the men under his command.

The Sternmasons themselves treated him as something of an adopted son. While never officially recognized as part of the family he was often invited to come along with them to one function or another where he could uncomfortably listen to one conversation or another about trivial matters of business or politics before conversation would turn to the dark matter of monsters and bandits, found bodies, and just how much would the security of the Silverfang Company cost.

Deckram was already a lieutenant in charge of the regiment's scouting squads when the eldrazi manifested onto the plane. Facing a chilling new horror in the form of the abominations that targeted everything and everyone indiscriminately Deckram witnessed firsthand how the discipline and stoicism of the Company was ruined before the warping madness of Emrakul. Corrigan was taken down making a last stoic stand against a wave of screaming gibbering flesh. He didn’t break until the last possible moment and even to this day Deckram can still remember the screams.

By field promotion Deckram has become second in command. He finds the contrast of Karthan’s impassioned and energetic command style different to the calm of his uncle strange to adjust to, but even he admits that in these times where it seems even the angels can be killed men like Karthan are more necessary than ever. Though, few have known Karthan as long as he and even now he can see the cracks forming in Karthan’s persona. His own tragedy was brutal, but it was quick and without question. He cannot even begin to imagine what gnaws at his commander and friend when there are so many questions about his own family.

These days, having loosed so many arrows and cut down so many horrors, he's begun to wonder if it’s not time to put away the blades and consider living a normal civilian life. Perhaps go back to one of the towns he’d been through where some of the girls were giving him fluttery eyes, some of which he actually responded to, and settle in with a family and a job that involves a lot less drinking, marching, and murder.

Deckram is still relatively young, especially to have as much responsibility as he has. This is difficult to tell through the world weariness of his demeanor. Though usually quiet and thoughtful his blunt honesty and inability to soften the blows of the truth and gallows humor he often gives can come off bad to those who don’t already know him. He is loyal to a fault and takes inspiration from KArthan’s lead from the front command style with his own scout squads. Karthan never asks his men what he won’t do himself and Deckram is the same way.

The Silverfang Company is a mercenary regiment that specializes in monster hunting and bandit security. Founded nearly 300 years ago, the company is renowned for its professionalism and valor throughout Nephalia.

Typically the Company recruits from Havengul though it has been known to pick up recruits from the border of Kellsig and other parts of Nephalia as opportunity and need arise. The recruitment qualifications are typically light, any able-bodied man not lame, too old, suffering from disease, and able to provide for themselves a helmet, a crossbow or other hand weapon, and a fire-starting flint can join. So long as they have not been convicted of no crime more serious than petty theft the Company will usually pay out any fines from the soldier's wages until the debt is covered.

The first few weeks to a couple of months to a soldier's life in the mercenary company are spent in the Scout or Spear companies learning the basics of fieldcraft, battlefield drills, monster tactics, camp fortification, and march protocol. Once a soldier can provide his own armor and can prove he can maintain his equipment and follow camp procedures with little direction, he may be offered a position proper in the company. This will usually be in the one he was first placed into but sometimes depending on how well he distinguished himself as an archer he may be placed in the Volley company.

A soldier serving in the Company will usually not serve more than five years before they can collect their final pension, usually quite good for a man who made mere pennies from the docks after paying protections to gangs, some will retire, others go looking for one girl or another they met in a past campaign, and more tragically some will spend their savings in the pub trying to forget what they witnessed until death finds them.

Those who choose to stay beyond this period are usually destined to be officers. Proven leaders of men who can think on their feet and are more than willing to lead from the front as is the Sternmason way.

The Silverfang Company at it's height would have anywhere between 1500 to 4000 men divided between its five companies. Though attrition, finances, and contractual limitations often force this number to be lower. In these post-war times the Company consisted of 10 men in total including Commander Sternmason, Lieutenant Commander Tremaine, and eight other soldiers. Though currently the Company is in a rebuilding phase, the state of its finances and the general popular weariness of war and conflict have made this process agonizingly slow. For the moment the remaining soldiers act in the capacity of a scout company until such time their numbers can regrow into a maintainable status.

The Company usually has five operational companies, Scout, Spear, Volley, Fortress and Sword.

The Scout company provides much needed reconnaissance and terrain knowledge to a regiment that often finds itself operating alone and in unknown territory. Local men recruited outside Havengul often have wilderness experience and knowledge vitally necessary to survive in the numerous small towns and villages dotted around Nephalia. Here they learn the finer details of marksmanship, survival, unconventional warfare, and skirmisher tactics. Typically lightly armored and carrying only what is needed to survive, the scout company's primary responsibility is to map out what's ahead on the regiment's march as well as locate any potential threats or objectives. On the battlefield they act as harriers and snipers, nesting themselves in difficult to spot or assault positions and disrupting the enemy by firing on exposed mages, officers, siege engines or other important elements to an opposing force. Veterans of this company chafe at the stricter discipline of other companies and appreciate the freedom and appreciation the scout company gets despite the often high number of casualties due to the errors of new recruits on incredibly dangerous sorties. Because of the intricacies of their work the scout company has little in the way of uniform, however in camp or parade a long faded grey greatcoat and forest green tricorn hat is often used to distinguish soldiers of the scout company from others. Their chosen weapon is the shortbow followed by the crossbow due to many recruits having only that weapon to bring with them as well as being a superior set of weapons in the wilderness when small in number.

The Spear company is one of the oldest and most distinguished formations in the company. Utilizing the tried and true pike formation that has served humanity well since the dawn of civilization. Men of iron will and a literal wall of sharp objects has kept hordes of zombies, frenzied werewolves, and desperate bandits at bay for centuries. These steely men are usually recruited from the dockyards and merchant ships of Havengul who for some reason or another need to get away from the ships and the sea and into a military life. Cooperation and the ability to hold fast in the storm are vital to the survival of a ship and its sailors and thus these men are naturally suited to the Spear company. The largest of the five companies, they represent the main infantry formation within the company. Splitting into two to three or four formations depending on the enemy and the march of the Spear company is intimidating indeed. The favored weapons of the company are polearms of all kinds. Longspears and bills tend to be the most popular weapons in the formation while some favor ranseur and guisarme though any polearm is considered necessary to be a part of the company proper. Almost all carry the company's signature cutlass as a sidearm and some also carry a buckler or small shield for dueling and added defense. Uniforms vary little as most will wear a breastplate or brigandine over a blue and white billow-sleeved shirt. A black tricorn usually covers a helmet and almost all wear a thick woolen scarf, often reinforced with chainmail, to protect their throats. Those who take up the first two rows of any pike formation are paid twice as much as any regular soldier and face twice the danger on the battlefield as blessed few ever make it past the five year enlistment period.

The Volley company represents the second largest formation in the company. Drawn from the ranks of the scout and spear companies, those who elect to join them combine a steadfast will with precise aim to mark out and bring down targets. Deployed either as a mostly static archery formation or marching within the spear formations these men are often the best equipped in terms of armament among the regular infantry as they utilize powerful bows and differing types of ammunition depending on the enemy. Intermixed with the spear formation they provide a pointed incentive for a foe to flee or seek cover as they become nigh-impossible to approach inside the pike block.

Behind pavises on a fortified point they are just as effective as any well-trained archery unit launching volleys of bolts and arrows into an enemy with remarkable precision. While the company is known for the steel of its pikes, it is in the silver tipped bolts of the volley company that the Company as a whole earned its name. The favored weapon of the company is the crossbow though some who can do so readily in formation will pick up a bow instead. This is always carried alongside a cutlass as a sidearm. The uniform is similar to that of the Spear formation with the difference being that instead of the blue the volley formation soldiers wear a bright red and blue shirt indicating their close cooperation with the spear formation.

The Fortress company has the dubious distinction of securing supplies and equipment for the Company on the field as well as serving as their engineers. Through money, barter, salvage, and sometimes outright theft, this formation acts as quartermaster to the Company and helps provide the necessary equipment to keep soldiers operational. While some in other formations wonder aloud if some of the things that go missing don't simply get cleaned up and sold to them through the quartermaster these mouths stay silent when the Company must cross a bridge, besiege a dangerous den, or need to topple a vampires lair on top of it rather than try to dig it out. In these times the formation employs the expertise of its craftsmen to build earthen fortifications, dredge moats, topple walls, create and collapse tunnels, and develop traps that defeat monsters with human ingenuity rather than steel and valor. They have no favored weapon in particular though they wield cutlasses and whatever tools are at hand in a pinch. Despite their status as craftsmen and engineers they are still from the rough and tumble of Havengul's streets and will fight to defend themselves. Their uniform is not that dissimilar to the spear and volley formations, however they usually wear the tools of their profession and only wear the brown billow sleeve shirts of their Company on the march as the clothing gets in the way of their labor more often than not.

The Sword formation is a recent addition that only existed in the last century. When the Company gained honors and reputation, some among the wealthier noble and merchant classes signed on to seek military glory outside of the Nephalian or Avacyn armies. And with them came their horses. Giving the Company a much needed hammer to the anvil of its pike and bolt formations, the cavalry of the Sword company can run down lighter units with sabre and lance while harassing slower foes from horseback with crossbow fire.
Often coming from a social class higher than those of the regular soldier these men tend to come off as haughty or arrogant to other companies. However their valor and skill rarely comes into question as their swords behead man and beast. Their mannerism and dress often has others mistake them for officers, a mistake they often delight in, though the regulars among them back down the moment a real officer from their own or another company enters the conversation. Their favored weapon changes between lance, saber and crossbow as situation changes but always from the top of horseback. Their gear and uniform is always the most expensive as they must also care for their horse but it usually comes in the form of a breastplate or brigandine worn over or under a brass buttoned doublet with a thick horse riding jacket worn over it all in black topped with a black tricorn to complete the outfit.