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Welcome to the army. You are now a part of the only force in all of Golarion that keeps the orc hoards in check. Life in the army is disciplined and rigid. Orders are followed or people die. Sometimes they die anyway. Below is some information about the country of Lastwall.

Lastwall was founded with a single purpose in mind, and that ancient purpose still drives much of life in Lastwall today. The nation was founded to keep watch over the Whispering Tyrant, Tar-Baphon, at the end of the decades-long war known as the Shining Crusade. The Shining Crusade ended with the defeat of Tar-Baphon, but the victorious crusaders could not utterly destroy him. Instead they imprisoned him beneath his cursed capital of Gallowspire. The nation of Lastwall was founded after this to ensure that the Whispering Tyrant would never escape his eternal prison.

Lastwall is ruled by a single person, the Watcher-Lord, Ulthun II. He is an ambitious leader who wants to secure and expand Lastwall's borders into the territory of its enemies in the Hold of Belkzen. Not only is Ulthun II a capable, talented young leader but he is also an eligible bachelor with suitors swarming his castle in the capital city of Vigil. Although his position gives Ulthun II absolute power, in practice he rarely exercises this, delegating authority and seeking good advice to help him rule as well as possible.

The absolute power inherent in the position of Watcher-Lord creates the potential for tyranny, but this has never been a big problem in Lastwall. The Watcher-Lord is elected by the Precentors Martial of the War College, who look for purity of heart, clarity of mind, and someone who embodies the crusader ideal. As a result there has never been a Watcher-Lord arrogant enough to try and assume tyrannical control over the country.

Since its founding, Lastwall has stayed true to its purpose, standing guard against the undead horrors of Ustalav and the savage orc hordes from the Hold of Belkzen. Both are tenacious foes and require constant vigilance in order to contain them. The orcs in particular have proven particularly troublesome, having pushed back the borders of Lastwall three times since its founding. The current border has held well due to an influx of money and troops from Lastwall's southern border. It is not as heavily fortified as the Sunwall, the first border with the orcs, or even the ramshackle previous border, the Hoardline.

Races:

DWARVES – Dwarves have been respected fighters since the day they crawled out of the earth. There are currently very few dwarves in Lastwall, but many soldiers know the stories of old when this was not so, and welcome dwarves committed to the Cause. Most, if not all dwarves have joined Lastwall’s army to reclaim their lost territory in Belkzen, specifically their lost Sky Citidal. This desire and willingness to sacrifice makes them some of the most dedicated and respected soldiers in the country.

ELVES – Elves have a long history of hatred of Orcs. Many elves have heard stories passed down from their ancestors about the reign of the Whispering Tyrant. However, Lastwall has few elves in uniform. Those elves that do serve do so mainly in magic support/archery roles, though elven rangers and back-stabbers are not unknown.

GNOMES – Even more of an oddity than elves, gnomes are looked at with some skepticism, especially in roles outside of magic. Lastwall boasts, few if any gnomes under arms, and their small stature, combined with their scarcity, means that any respect they receive will be hard earned.

HALF-ELVES – These are more common than elves but not as numerous as their human cousins. Like humans, half-elves make fine soldiers and their natural beauty serves them well as leaders.

HALF-ORCS – Due to the historically frequent orc raids, there is a sizable contingent of half orcs in Lastwall, but few join the army due to the general hatred of orcs that exists throughout the country. This may lead to initial and lingering distrust of half-orc soldiers, but those who show that they are committed to Lastwall and the destruction of their barbaric cousins, have the potential to earn the highest amount of respect from the most serious soldiers. Half-orcs may also have a special advantage in establishing a lasting peace with the orcs of the Hold if they can convince them that they have the interests of both nations at heart.

HALFLINGS – Few if any Halflings exist in Lastwall. Those that do exist are often mistaken for human children, and are initially denied entry into the army until they “grow up”. Like gnomes, halflings will have to work and fight hard to earn a place in the Lastwall forces, but those that prove themselves can easily overcome any bias against their small stature.

HUMANS – Most all the Last Wall army is made up of humans from all over Goloran. They are the most versatile and serve in all capacities in the army. The officer corps is almost entirely human. This may be a result of the percentage of humans in the army rather than any bias toward the race in general.

PC’s wanting to play some other races will need DM’s approval. Let me know what race you want prior to you making your backgrounds. There may be some information that your particular race would know.

Classes:

Remember, this is the army. You are part of a fighting unit. Your choice of class may determine which section of the army you’re in, and your leadership advancement. Due to characters being in the army, they may not be chaotic or evil.

ALCHEMIST – As long as there is someone to block the hordes from reaching the bomb lobbing alchemist, he should do well against massed attacks. Builds that favor Jekyl & Hyde transformations, could be useful as well. Seeing a weakling turn into a hulking beast might be enough to route an already demoralized force, but a destructive, human mortar cannon may be seen as a threat that needs to be dealt with early.

BARD – Armies have always had drummer boys and bands to inspire the troops and maintain order. A bard’s talents will be appreciated. Minstrils tend to go unnoticed by opposing forces, unless it is determined that their abilities are granting a significant advantage to their own soldiers. Armies that contain a bard get morale bonuses.

BARBARIAN – due to the strict nature of the army, this class will not be allowed.

CAVILER/SAMURAI – Open fields, raids, patrols make mounted combat a plus here. Lastwall’s cavalry is legendary for riding down scads of orcs. Also, the ability to lead and inspire troops is always a plus in the army. I’m sure these guys give their army some kind of bonus. Commanders, especially those who lead from the front, make prime targets for enemies who want to demoralize an army or create chaos by killing those making the decisions or rallying the soldiers.

CLERIC/ORACLE – All armies need medics. A be it a squad, platoon, company, or division, people are going to get hurt, and will need medical attention. There are also usually undead things lurking around most adventures. Armies with magic healers, get a bonus to recovering hit points. Note, that these soldiers tend to draw more attention to themselves from smarter enemy commanders.

DRUID – The mystical druid is a class could come in handy in the bush either using nature spells/skills, or animal transformations. The druid's animal companion could even wind up as a unit’s mascot if it proves to be hardy in battle.

FIGHTER – Warriors are the backbone of any army. While not necessarily the most successful strategic or tactical commanders, the ability to kill your enemies before they kill you is the essence of war craft, and one that all fighters excel in. Most of the time fighters will blend in with other troops, but army champions may be sought out by opposing champions for some specific battlefield challenges.

GUNSLINGER – Armies and guns go together like peanut butter and jelly. Historically the side with more and better guns tends to win the conflict. That said, experimenting with the cannon skills may be effective for massed assaults. Gunslingers may grant a ranged and/or sniper attack to an army.

INQUISITOR – The inquisitor's teamwork feats could prove beneficial in an army with similar abilities. His judgement ability allows him to also target enemy commanders and destroy them early thus demoralizing the enemy unit or plunging it into chaos.

MAGUS - With the ability to cast and deliver melee attacks, the magus is equally at home on the front lines dealing damage or in the rear in more of a support role.

MONK – Though monks’ fighting style and dress don’t usually fit with regulars in most armies, their strict discipline and stoicism are models for other troops to aspire to. However, without a strong personality, monks tend to elicit some strange looks until they have proven themselves in combat.

PALADIN – Again, armies need heavy hitters and those who can take heavy hits themselves. Also, paladins’ charisma make them good leaders. This may result in morale and/or tactical bonuses to armies. Again, expect a lot of enemy attention given to paladin commanders who are very visible and vocal on the battlefield.

RANGER – A ranger’s nature skills could come in handy during patrols, and his favored enemy/terrain features will be beneficial in this adventure. Again, having a animal companion could be a moral boost to a unit who adopts him as their own. Knowing the land is also useful for a fighting force to secure an early advantage.

ROGUE/NINJA – there should be plenty of opportunities for sneak attacking, and who knows, there may be some treasures to unlock as well. Lots of flanking opportunities exist while hundreds of people are fighting at once. Those skilled in sneak attacking may gain the notice of the enemy, but the abilities that serve to draw attention to themselves, also serve to avoid being hit.

SUMMONER – Having a big animal to get in the way of beasts attacking you is good. The potential for soldiers to rally around such a beast goes beyond a familiar or companion as an edilon grows in power. Unusual and/or magical beasts can serve to demoralize massed foes by their very presence, or unite the enemy in the desire for the beast’s head.

WIZARD/WITCH/SORCERER – Magic support is always good for the troops, but these classes are not necessarily made for the front lines. Magic is extremely useful at killing and controlling battlefields, however the threat of a magic user’s spells may be equally as effective. The threat of a cloud kill spell or fireball probably does more to hurt an opposing army’s moral than actual damage to the army as a whole. As a result, these characters tend to draw a lot of attention from opposing forces who would sacrifice much to see them neutralized as soon as possible.

Lastwall Traits
(You must select one. You may select additional one(s) at GM discretion.)

Draftee – Though mostly an all volunteer army, you somehow have been forced into service. This does not necessarily mean that you serve against your will, though you did not rush to join up. You could have been made to join rather than facing a prison sentence, or born in the country of Lastwall or the surrounding countries and been pressured to join by a Lord or parents. As a result, you get a +5 trait bonus to will saves to resist direct orders.

Military Family – Your Lord Father was/is a Colonel in the Last Wall army, and it was certainly expected that you join when you came of age. Your family name is proud, and great things are expected of you. As a result, once/day you can drop your father’s name in a conversation to gain a +5 famous bonus to intimidate or diplomacy checks to anyone in the Last Wall army below the rank of Colonel.

Old Soldier – You are no green recruit. You have been in the army for enough years to know that army life is mostly boredom with the occasional conflict. As a result of your experience, you may choose one of the following bonuses: (+2 lifer bonus to your Profession Soldier Mod), or (+3 SSDD bonus to all diplomacy checks to any non officer {Master Sergeant and below})

Volunteer – At some point in your life, you heard the call to defend the world against the savage orc hoard or perhaps you wanted the discipline and stability that military life offered. Whatever the reason, you wanted to join and are committed to the cause. As a result, you have an additional -3 trait bonus to will saves to resist orders, but a +3 trait bonus to will saves vs fear effects

Heirloom Weapon/Shield – Through the years, your family has passed down a special weapon or shield from generation to generation. Either through inheritance, or as a parting gift, you have been given this special weapon or shield (not both) which is masterwork and made of a metal of your choice.

Orc Hater – You have a deep abiding hatred for all orcs and their kin due to some tragedy they visited on you and/or your loved ones in the past. As a result, you gain a +1 hate bonus to damage all orcs. (This might be an interesting trait for a half orc)

Gung-Ho – You love PT. Whenever you are told to do pushups, you do more than required. During runs, and obstacle courses, you are always first across the line. As a result, your body is in better shape than most, and you gain a +1 PT bonus to your Fortitude Save.

Army Life

All PC’s profession is soldier. They automatically start off with one skill rank in soldier as part of their basic training in the Lastwall Army. They are also given army ranks according to their soldier modifier. See following chart:
Modifier....Rank.................Rank Bonus......Pay Per Week
1)...........Private..................1...............1g
2-3).........Corporal.................2...............2g
3-4).........Sergeant.................3...............4g
5-8).........Master Sergeant..........4...............8g
9-11)........2nd Lieutenant...........5...............15g
12-15).......1st Lieutenant...........6...............30g
16-19).......Captain..................7...............50g
20-24).......Major....................8...............100g
25-30).......Colonel..................9...............200g
31-36).......General..................10..............500g
37+).........May be invited to be a member of Precentors Martial and elected Lord Protector of Last Wall

Battlefield promotions are also given for demonstrations of leadership and/or heroism. However if a character is promoted above his current modifier, that rank will be considered a ‘brevet’ rank. Further, regular promotions will not occur until the soldier’s modifier is high enough, however a soldier may earn additional brevets for additional heroic acts.

Orders:
Last Wall soldiers are trained to follow orders of their superior officers for the protection of Last Wall, the eradication of the Orc menace, and the containment of the Whispering Tyrant. Any PC who does not want to follow a direct order from a commanding officer must make a DC 20 will save or be compelled to follow the order to the best of his ability. The will save increases +5 for every rank higher the officer is than the PC. Further, the PC also adds their Rank Bonus to the DC will save to resist following the order. If a PC does not follow a direct order, and is caught, then he risks charges for insubordination, treason, and/or desertion, which could make him expelled from the army or find himself the latest enemy of Lastwall.

However, the rank bonus is also added to all saves against any fear effect.

When facing orcs, all Lastwall soldiers also add +1 to a number of damage dice equal to or less than their rank bonus per attack. (Example: A sergeant who casts a spell with a damage of 3d6 can add +1 to each die rolled for a total of +3. However if the damage roll is 4d6, he can still only add a total of +3. If the damage is 2d6 then he can only add +2, and the additional damage bonus is lost.)

All PC’s start off with general weapons and supplies of soldiers, any melee and ranged weapon up to martial level, armor up to medium level, and a shield if they want it. Arcane magic users in addition get two scrolls of any spell that they are able to cast.

While in the army, all PC’s will be required to wear gear with the sigil of the Lastwall army (either the official banner or the individual “Crusader’s Shield” emblem). Emblems of rank are also proudly displayed on the sleeves, shoulders, and/or collars of Lastwall soldiers. Lastwall regulations take into account the fact that useful armor and shields are often found on the bodies of slain enemies, and though there are standard uniforms for Lastwall soldiers, the most heroic troops are adorned with all manner of orcish, barbarian, and other armor styles taken from powerful enemies.