The Claw Company

Overview

The Claw Company is a Free Company of mercenaries created and operating in the continent of Draelkmir. They are led by the ferocious leonin paladin R'Vashar-do, who also founded the company in 222 of the Common Era. Their current base of operations, when not in the field, is within the outskirts of the city of Bhanost in the Kirnneland. Like many of the free companies in Draelkmir, the Claw Company has a number of units dedicated towards urban environments, public relations, espionage, dungeoneering, and other such operations suited towards adventurers.

Culture

The Company's existence has been propelled by the rigid faith of its founder, R'Vashar-do, who revels in the glory and wealth of conquest. While adherence to the Commander's faith is not a requirement for the Company's members, all "claws"  must fulfill his and his captains' standards of skill and discipline. Of course, every captain's standards are different, which results in a number of unique cultures in each division of the Company.
What remains behind every different facet of the Company, however, is the universal, unwavering aspiration to grow the Claw Company to heroic proportions. This ambition is in no small part due to the leadership of R'Vashar-do, whose string of constant victories and overwhelming focus have turned him into an eikon amongst Claws, who wish to see him and the company propelled into legend.

Structure

Leadership - Command

The Claw Company's leadership is divided into two levels, then split across three aspects of the company's field work. At the first level, is the commander and lieutenant.

The Commander oversees the entirety of the company and makes executive decisions that cannot be reached democratically. He is responsible for accepting contracts and the methods by which they are carried out; his specific orders are sent down the command chain to the second level.
The Lieutenant is the right-hand-man of the Commander, taking care of all logistical and granular tasks for the company that shouldn't concern him. The Lieutenant also takes the place of the Commander when he isn't present; whether when incapacitated or away from the Company.

The Commander and the Lieutenant are as follows, respectively:

• Claw Commander R'Vashar-do, leader and founder of the Claw Company. A pious leonin who revels in war and victory. His wartime successes are famous amongst soldiers, and his lofty goals of glory are shared by many in the company.
• Claw Lieutenant Torm Jotunnsen, second-in-command to R'Vashar-do. A massive example of his kin, yet deceptively keen in both his intellect and sensibilities. His ability to pick out dissent and low morale is second to none within the Company.

Leadership - Captainry

At the second level, are the captains under each branch of the Company's three divisions of field presence: combat, politics, and logistics.

Each division uses a different name to refer to their captain by: Corporals for combat, Sergeants for politics, and Masters for logistics. These captains oversee their branches and submit orders to the lower officers, further delineating the chain of command. They also conduct the necessary recruit and drill training for their branch; typically each captain is an exemplary model of their branch, and may even personally lead exercises.

Below is a list of all Company Captains:

• Claw Spell Corporal Taryn Omeron, head of all combat mages and healers. A keiphid of upper-level Zeihalian wizardry, and honed in the practice of war magic.
• Claw Lance Corporal Wilhelm, leader of the cavalry and master of beasts. A towering half-orc whose intimidating stature often eclipses his kind demeanor, which itself does injustice to the strict standards of discipline within his cavalry.
• Claw Foot Corporal Otto de Meuller, an infantry expert whose background in the Hievellan nobility does little to deter the intense rapport his lowborn soldiers feel with him.
• Claw Operations Sergeant Bormau, head of the ambassadorial squads. His glittering scales bely a sense of dragothic superiority, which is grounded by his everyman personality.
• Claw Shade Sergeant Aergail Konig, spymaster and leader of the espionage teams. Her solitary Waldernirian upbringing speaks to her distant attitude and sense of detachment from her soldiers.
• Claw Quartermaster Moeshe Campo, wrangler of servile hands and head of quarters, whose maternal Mancierish sensibilities only strengthen the bond many feel for her.
• Claw Wildermaster Hagaer, head of rangers, druids, and scouts, with the experience of over a century of roaming the wilds. He finds as much in common with men as with beasts.
• Claw Enginemaster Dwennendain Bullripper, head of engineers and lead architect of war machines. The macabre glee he displays while his machines are at work has led many to speculate as to the state of his sanity.

Leadership - Officers

At the third level, are the officers that serve in each branch of the Company. These officers are plentiful in number and often occupy several levels of power below the captains. Far from uniform in structure, different branches handle them in different ways, and making a comprehensive list of them would be far too tedious. Rather, the most simple way to describe the hierarchy and duties of officers would be to define each level of officership, and note which branches use which level of officer.

Below is a list of all Company Officer Titles:

• Claw Brigadier, who oversees one of several brigades, a division of a Company branch into pieces more manageable for a single person. They rank directly below a captain, report to them, and manage a branch with the captain and other fellow brigadiers. Typical duties include managing brigade resources, directing movements of brigade soldiers, and making direct relays with other brigades and the captains. Used by all branches.
• Claw Marshal, officer of one of several divisions of a brigade, below a brigadier. The marshal provides a relay between the upper levels of command and the soldiers, acting as a versatile and integral part of soldier/officer communication. Their duties are ground-focused, concerned with keeping the troops informed, happy, supplied, and directed. Used by the magery, infantry, cavalry, rangery, and quartermastery.
• Claw Cadet, the lowest-ranking officer of a brigade, and in the smallest subsequent division of a brigade beneath a marshal. They deal with the fewest overall number of troops, though often hold the strongest bond with them, giving cadets an unofficially critical role in maintaining morale. Their official duties include directing and leading soldiers in the absence of more high-ranking officers, keeping soldier cohesion, and applying battle strategies to the best of their ability and knowledge. Used by the cavalry, infantry, rangery, and quartermastery.

Notable Officers:

• Claw Ranger-Marshal Taruphain Dunlann

Assets

Fighting Power - 1,000 strong

• Infantry: 600 foot soldiers; split into 200 archers, 100 heavy infantry, and 200 light infantry.
• Cavalry: 300 professional riders (each assigned a squire as an assistant, who doubles as auxiliary infantry).
• Magery: 100 spellcasters, each organized into units to support both infantry and cavalry; or assist a battlemage with war magic. 35 are tasked with support and healing, and 65 are called on almost entirely for their destructive magics. By Imperial Spellcasting Measurements, the vast majority are 2nd-level-capable and lower.

Logistical Power - 430 strong

• Quarter-Staff: 350 servile hands. 300 tend to animals, mostly, and are also squires to the cavalry in battle-time. 50 work full-time for the company's food, camp, and supplies. Many are general hands available to do whatever work is needed.
• Engineers: 30 engineers, who work during sieges and battles to construct and operate war-machines.
• Rangery: 50 rangers, who scout wilderness areas ahead of time, survey enemy lands, lead hunts against monstrous threats, and locate natural resources that can be of use to the company. Mostly composed of rangers and druids.

Political Power - 40 strong

• Ambassadorial: 24 members who fulfill aspects of contracts that take place in environments unsuited for armies, with more diplomatic touches required. Also serves to maintain relations with contractors, and keep a presence in urban environments. Organized into 4-6 teams.
• Espionage: 16 professionals who fulfill espionage sides of contracts, split into four teams of four members, organized by ability.

Wealth, Glory, and Absolute Victory.

Founding Date

222 CE

Type

Military, Mercenary Group

Training Level

Professional

Veterancy Level

Experienced

Demonym

Claws

Location

Claw Company Headquarters