Rozencratz: A nation of green. Primarily trades in agriculture. A matriarchy, ruled by a queen. Female soldiers are common, and most men work the fields or enjoy scholarly pursuits, though the stratification is cultural instead of legal, and male soldiers do exist - the current king, Aeron, was a well-renowned war mage that fought alongside the current queen in many battles. Religion is based on a single deity - a dark dragon that struck down all the other creator gods and will return in a million years to raise the strong, loyal, and devout to their proper places of power.

Wardin: A craggy, mountainous nation. Primarily trades in steel and ore. Ruled by a king. Has a more patriarchal society, with men generally being the bread-winners and women being the homemakers. Women were only allowed to join the army recently, primarily due to the actions of the current Red Rose general, Edith Hahn. Religion is pantheon based, with deities for various domains.

Lokina: A desert nation that broke off from Wardin some seventy years ago. As they have few natural resources, their main income comes from hiring out mercenaries, bodyguards, and entertainers. Amoral and atheistic as a culture, they pray only to coin to get them through harsh desert winters. As such, there's no gender bias among their people: if you can work, you're working. Have a democratic system, though with no limit on the number of times someone can be elected, they've been electing the same man for the past forty years - a massive former gladiator named Fausto.

Vaki: A chain of islands somewhere off the southern coast of the continent. Trades in fish, their homebred pegasi, and both employs and hires out pegasus riders as incredibly fast messengers. Most letters in the world are delivered by Vaki women, and it's usually considered a war crime to shoot one down. Wardin sometimes uses their wyvern riders for the same task, but they're a tad slower and don't have the benefit of diplomatic immunity.

Government is a council of two representatives of each of the six islands. They have a king, but his only real role is casting a tie-breaking vote in the event it's necessary.

Li Yun & Sankou: Two nations far across the eastern sea. Embroiled in a never-ending war, their interests have slowly and mutually turned westwards, in search of both allies and land.


Maverick
A rough-and-tumble bandit making his home in the forests of Rozencratz. A fast-thinking man with a good sense of humor, his feet have hit every part of the world, even far across the sea.
Joins: Prologue
Class: Scourge

Sharar
A youth working under Maverick. Quick to talk back and add in unnecessary comments, but incredibly loyal. Son of the chieftain of a small tribe of forest 'barbarians.'
Joins: Prologue
Class: Mercenary

Yumi
A deaf-mute archer working under Maverick. Their exact relationship is unclear, as is her place of origin, but he dotes on her like a daughter. Much smarter than most give her credit for.
Joins: Prologue
Class: Archer

Taj
A rival bandit of Maverick's. A much less scrupulous man who's had multiple clashes with Maverick's men over the years, often with Maverick's men playing the unlikely heroes protecting the innocents. Self-interested above all else.
Joins: Chapter 1
Class: Fighter

Alton
A soldier of Rozencratz who was leading a small band to eradicate the forest bandits when Wardin struck. Brother of Afon. Soft-spoken and reliable, he has a very dry sense of humor.
Joins: Chapter 1
Class: Knight

Basit
A former member of Rozencratz's army, turned bandit under Taj's employ. Blunt, lazy, and sarcastic, he's the exact opposite of the ideal knight.
Joins: Chapter 1
Class: Cavalier

Caron
Princess of Rozencratz. Stubborn, prideful, but incredibly loving of the people around her, her world is quickly turned upside down by her mother's actions.
Joins: Chapter 2
Class: Princess

Afon
A future knight of Rozencratz, currently Eira's squire. Hits on anything that's recognizably female and has a pulse. However, she's surprisingly quick-witted and often serves to bring her lady's plans back down to reality.
Joins: Chapter 2
Class: Cavalier

Eira
A knight of Rozencratz, and personal bodyguard to the princess. Self-assured and stern.
Joins: Chapter 2
Class: Paladin

Mairwen
A noblelady of Rozencratz. Flighty and idealistic. Caron's best friend.
Joins: Chapter 3
Class: Cleric

Nona
Mairwen's handmaiden, and ex-Lokinan mercenary. A real wild woman, built taller than most men.
Joins: Chapter 3
Class: Shaman

Huldah
A tribesman of Sharar's, and his bride-to-be if he hadn't fled and joined up with Maverick. With the childhood nickname of 'Weasel,' she's the type who has one ear constantly to the ground.
Joins: Chapter 4
Class: Thief

Elam
Sharar's elder brother. A lazy, unmotivated glutton who's still looking for ways to get Sharar to rejoin the tribe so he can pass the role of chieftain to him.
Joins: Chapter 4
Class: Fighter

Abeni
A messenger from Vaki. Gets caught up in the war while resting in a fort on her way to deliver a message to the besieged capital of Rozencratz.
Joins: Chapter 5
Class: Pegasus Knight

Deiter
A knight of Wardin who pales at the thought of killing women, innocents, or both. Betrays his country when he realizes just how far they're willing to go.
Joins: Chapter 5
Class: Knight

Alberto
A Lokinan mercenary who believes coin speaks above all else. Gruff and business-like.
Joins: Chapter 6
Class: Mercenary

Chihaya
A 'Lokinan' mercenary who definitely isn't from Sankou. Happy-go-lucky and curious, but surprisingly thoughtful when it comes to world politics.
Joins: Chapter 6
Class: Mage

Gil
A Lokinan mercenary who works mainly to pay off his many, many debts. Cowardly and focused on self-preservation, he becomes very squeamish at the sight of blood. Especially his own.
Joins: Chapter 6
Class: Priest

Parry
A local faith healer and religious leader, as well as an accomplished scholar. At least, he says so.
Joins: Chapter 7
Class: Monk

Urien
A stablehand who improbably got caught up in the fighting. It is pretty do-or-die. Bonds easily with animals, but doesn't do so great with people.
Joins: Chapter 8
Class: Nomad

Heang Dea
A warrior from Li Yun. So laid back he's horizontal, but with a lucky streak of saying the right thing at the right time. Gives trust easily.
Joins: Chapter 8
Class: Myrmidon

Ceinwen
Caron's brother, and prince of Rozencratz. As Caron is the one who will inherit the throne, and there's a small but vocal minority wishing for a return to a monarchy - with a king instead of a queen - he does his best to play the fool so as not to make things harder for anyone. A lover of women.
Joins: Chapter 9
Class: Bard

Rio
A local thief who was hoping to raid the castle's vaults while everyone was distracted, and accidentally got caught flatfooted. He's eventually convinced to help Rozencratz. Distrusts men, blindly accepting of women.
Joins: Chapter 9
Class: Thief

Abeki
A messenger from Vaki who's terrified of heights and prefers to spend her time on the ground. Terrified of most things, really.
Joins: Chapter 9
Class: Cavalier


Prologue: Bandits exist, the Wardin soldiers attack them

Chapter 1: On their way to the castle to see what's going on, Maverick & gang run across Taj's gang getting the screws put to them.

Chapter 2: They come across Caron fleeing the castle.

Chapter 3: Caron wants to go to Mairwen's home to make sure she's alright. Her father offers the party shelter, but it's a trick to sell Caron out to the Wardinians.

Chapter 4: Sharar advises that they stick Caron and Mairwen with his tribe - the Martans - so that they'll be safe. Eira agrees over Caron's protests. The tribe agrees to shelter her, but after an attack by Wardin, Caron decides not to endanger them any further. The tribe agrees to at least cover her tracks for her, and lie about which direction she went in.

Chapter 5: Seeking shelter for the night, the party hides in an abandoned fort. Unfortunately one of the Martans sold them out.

Chapter 6: Caron decides that they have to go on the offensive. Instead of being the mole in a game of whack-a-mole, they have to break the siege on the capital from behind and rejoin with the main army still trapped in the castle. Maverick agrees. Seeking recruits, they send Abeni to hire - and ferry - recruits from Lokina.  Unfortunately she's blocked by Wardinians on her way back. Would it be possible to have Abeni + Alberto and company as your starting army, with Maverick, Caron, and the main force appearing as reinforcements? If not just have them on the other side of the map.

Chapter 7: The party decide to save a town from Wardinian occupation, hoping to divert some of the main force from the siege.

Chapter 8: Their plans made, the party all take a vow to break the siege or die trying. Drinking the night away, they set out in the morning and charge headfirst into the fray, in what is surely the best idea anyone has ever had.

Chapter 9: Cutting a path down the middle, they finally enter the besieged castle, where Caron's father is leading an elite force that's fighting to the last. Spoilers: He dies.