Adrilan archetypes (Or a 101 to Adrilan characters)

Greetings, citizen!

Do you like the prospect of living in a temperate, open land? Perhaps knighthood through determination appeals to your warrior's spirit, or you believe you have what it takes to become a noble? Then look no further than the Adrilan basin! United under the banner of King Arrendal Bordegrath, Adrila's citizens all are marked by a sense of duty and commitment to their homeland, as well as their passions being significant in their lives. Though, whether honour, duty or passion drives you, it is wise to recognise some of the typical characters found in Adrila, although more unusual personae exist as well.

While gender roles do matter in The Other Side, Adrila cares little for this, instead allowing women into the same positions as men.

Military archetypes
Adrila's military is fairly straightforward; excellence in the line of duty is likely to earn you a promotion or a commendation, often in the form of weapons or armour crafted by an expert smith. These archetypes tend to focus on bravery and brotherhood on the battlefield, caring for your fellow soldiers just as they care for you, while still offering opportunities for glory in small and deadly units.

The squire
Often, young Adrilans dreaming of glory will sign up with the army before their time as a soldier starts. These lads and lasses are accepted as squires, and may be of any age, so long as they can polish armour and handle weapons without getting themselves and others hurt. These are the squires, assigned to knights in order to learn the ropes from a non-combatant's point of view. Their tasks are diverse and unrewarding, and some squires find themselves quitting and returning home; others stay, learning invaluable discipline. Sons and daughters of knights are often made into squires or sent off to distant relatives; there is little option for them.

To RP a squire, simply create a young character of any disposition as befits the role. They will likely be used to working. Also of note is that they can be both optimistic and bold in their role as assistants to strong knights, or unhappy and sad individuals abandoned by parents who are forced away from them by their duties. It is a strict upbringing, but in no way impossible. Keep these in mind if you wish to RP a squire.

The soldier
Adrila's soldiers are rank-and-file troops, recruited from young men and women alike. The soldier's life is simple; follow orders and try not to get killed. Soldiers are very diverse, from farmers' offspring and young hunters to aspiring nobles and former squires seeking to learn battle. They are often given guard duties in cities and towns, as well as patrolling roads to keep an eye out for bandits. All Adrilans are forced to undertake their soldiers' duties in the years from their twentieth to their twentyfifth summer.  It is usual that soldiers see skirmishes and minor battles, be it against brigands and bandits or against ogres, but often accompanying more experienced knights as reserve troops.

The soldier is fairly simple to RP; any individual between 20 and 25 years old. It may be a miller's daughter, or a noble's son, either works fine, and their personal dispositions are not greatly affected by their time in the army. Do note, however, that while their personalities may not be changed, they do gain a greater sense of discipline and duty in the army, and some even find a partner there. All things to keep in mind when making your soldier.

The knight
Adrila's knights are promoted soldiers above 25 years old - choosing to stay in the army for a number of reasons, these brave individuals are trained greatly compared to soldiers, but their motivation comes from their own hearts. Some lost friends as a soldier and wish to avenge them, while others seek battle with a near reckless abandon, deeming it a great way to prove oneself. The knights are quite diverse as well, just as the soldiers, but they all are very skilled in both individual and massed combat. Their experience also matters; older knights naturally are more skilled and experienced than young ones, but they all gain great respect in Adrila for their personal sacrifice to protect others.

Knights are more professional than soldiers, and a skilled RPer reflects this. A knight will usually act with grace and dignity outside the battlefield, as is expected of him/her. They will see much conflict throughout their lives, and many die an early death. This offers the possibility to make your knight an honourable and considerate fellow who'll greatly treasure his memories, or a sorrow-stricken knight who only seeks revenge through any means at her disposal. As always, feel free to explore personality traits much further than the two kinds I listed here.  Additionally, injuries are common; don't hesitate to add scars or even missing fingers to your character.

The sergeant
Sergeants command knights into battle; they are confident and skillful commanders who are given responsibility for a unit of knights, making sure any orders are distributed among his fellows and that they hold the line. Nevertheless, the sergeant is little different from a knight, though made slightly more stern and resilient of mind than knights due to their responsibilities. Promoted by their fellows' recommendation, sergeants always hold loyalty from their subordinates, and work in direct concert with captains.

The sergeant is often the face of a unit of knights, representing their opinions and views of battle to the captain. The captain will then give the sergeant an order, and the knight unit will follow these during battle, attempting to take initiative if the sergeant commands so. Nevertheless, their personalities are very diverse and can be anything from dour veterans to exceptionally talented younger people.

Higher ranks
Captains and generals can also be played; use what information is given to you already and prepare a concept, then discuss it with me (That kind of IC power I prefer giving out as a reward for a well written character. I was going to write an example of a poorly written general here, but it turns out I'm incapable of writing characters poorly.)

Civilian archetypes

While Adrila offers some of the better opportunities for military-based characters who won't disappear in the masses of soldiers, it also offers a civilian side of things. Thanks to Adrila's conscription campaigns, nearly all civilians possess a certain measure of fighting skill, though merchants and farmers won't offer much resistance to knights. Thus, swords are very common weapons in Adrila, and fairly cheap for a simple iron brand, and your characters may well be armed.

Farmer
These simple-living folk usually produce what feeds Adrila's citizens. While your average farmer might not make a very fun character at first glance, it is important to remember that Adrila is not completely lawful - bandits and brigands prowl the countryside, as well as ogres and beasts, and a farmer may well be forced off his land. In such cases, Adrilan farmers - stubborn as they are - either grow a new farm, or find a new career. Mercenaries from Adrila are commonly former farmers who were forced to change their vocation.

A farmer or a farmer-turned warrior likely has a good hand with mending and growing, as well as being patient and lax when there is nothing to do. Adrilan farmers in particular tend to be adept enough with hayforks and shovels to use them as improvised weapons, and when Adrilan bandits are bold enough to attack a town, they will find themselves driven away by an angry militia. There are also 'mercenary farmhands', farmhands who, equipped with sturdy clothes, an axe and an improvised shield of some kind (often an old door), wander around Adrila, seeking jobs as either a mercenary or a farmhand, whichever suits him best.

Hunter
Tracking down wild beasts and carrying bows and long knives, Adrilan hunters are adept at both hiding themselves and keeping track of their prey. While not the best shots in the world, they are decent enough with their bows to score some good kills, and some of them are even brave enough to perform the dreaded "tree-drop" on large prey, in which they wait patiently on a branch for some prey to pass by below. At that point, they drop at the prey and fight it in close combat with their long knives.

A hunter generally has his (or her) home within a village; in addition to bringing food and pelts to the village, cooperating with village hounds, they also serve as scouts. They are often either restless or very patient, depending on their preferred way of hunting. Other than that, they can vary as much as any other man, whether he is a lone wolf preferring his own company or has a loving wife waiting for him back in his home village.

Merchant
There are many Adrilans who wish to spend life on the road, but not seeking the dangerous life of a mercenary. These often become merchants. Some of these travel by themselves, owning a small cart and a mule or horse with which to transport their goods. Others join merchant caravans, and indeed, that is a common way for Adrilans to begin their life as merchants. These merchant caravans travel abroad as often as they travel within Adrila, always seeking new places to sell their goods for higher prices, and bringing many rare items home. These merry bands often are disorganised with no proper leader, solving issues in a more or less democratic way, and there are even some children among them, whether born on the caravan's neverending journey or orphans picked up along the way.

A merchant character can be either part of such a caravan, or operating on one's own. It is easier for a lone merchant to divert one's course than for a caravan bound for another area, but on the other hand, it adds a great deal of flavour to a merchant character if they only temporarily leave their caravan, intending to return later. Missing one's usual companions, adjusting to different routines, and so on and so on...

Mercenary
While strictly speaking not civilians, mercenaries are not part of the military and thus are listed here. These sell-swords are incredibly variable, whether it's a young, foolish and overly bold mercenary who just got his first sword, or a dedicated bodyguard who's been all over the Old World. Mercenaries are very common Adrilan exports, as many soldiers who got used to warfare but not wanting to serve as knights, bound by orders, become mercenaries and roam the lands instead. Be it in mercenary bands or by themselves, these men and women fight for food, money or other rewards, usually to the highest bidder. Though, Adrilan mercenaries are not turncoats - they are honourable and will uphold their end of an agreement.

Mercenaries, like merchants, often travel in bands, but it's not unusual for these bands to separate and go different ways because of disagreements, convenience or other things. Usually, a mercenary, unlike merchants, don't try to return to their original band (provided the band has no home town; some do, and those bands are very organised), rather striking out on their own after their contract is done. The mercenaries are very different as a result; ideologies from different provinces clash and merge, codes of conduct are made, disagreements are made out with fistfights; all regular deals in an Adrilan mercenary camp.

Noble
While Adrila tends to give power to those who can handle it, old noble houses are still around, maintaining their respect and their old castles. While the nobility is not too active in recent times, their sons and daughters are still out and about, some nobles even being competent enough to regain their old positions of power, such as in Spear Keep, where the Tarcinor family resides as provincial lords. Some nobles join the military, others spend a lot of time travelling between different events for higher social classes, such as the annual midwinter ball in Adrila City.





Additional stuff coming as I make it up. Stay tuned for more.