Hopewell Aspirants
"The Aspirants are ghosts. I don't just mean as in remnants of the corpse of a canton, but the way they fight continues the resemblance."
~Margrave Arronax Skinner, Elector of Cambreath
Structure
The Aspirants have a simple four-tiered rank structure represented by stars earned through a bounty system overseen by the next tier.
Those with no stars are known as ashes. They must collect one hundred Greenskin scalps for a promotion to "earn their stars." In the meantime, they are expected to train under and take directions from cinders, which often means doing menial labor tasks.
One Star Aspirants are known as cinders. They oversee the training of apprentices, they can gather apprentices together for raids or scouting missions, and receive scalps for the purposes of promoting ashes into cinders. They must deliver fifty 'High Goblin' scalps for a promotion.
Two Star Aspirants are known as sparks. They provide advice to and collect scalps from the cinders. They are the primary actors responsible for keeping track of and analyzing the movements of the Hobgoblin Legions. They gather intelligence and deliver it to flames. They also vote for the Phoenix from among the flames. They must deliver one hundred 'High Goblin' scalps for a promotion.
Three Star Aspirants are known as flames. They are a small, collegiate group almost more of a particularly deadly social club or a violent think tank than a cohesive military unit. The men and women who have attained this rank are among the deadliest humans alive, and many of them are somewhat broken by the things they have seen and experienced in the Badlands. They analyze the intelligence that is collected by the sparks and attempt to make predictions on enemy intent and capabilities as well as plotting strikes to inflict maximum damage on the Greenskins.
Over all the Three Star Aspirants is the President-in-Exile, often referred to as the Phoenix, chosen every three years by majority vote of the Two Star Aspirants from among the Three Star Aspirants. The Phoenix is responsible for representing the Hopewell Aspirants to outside entities for the purposes of negotiations and attempting to secure alliances. They also have veto power over any mission to be undertaken by subordinates, and in the event that they must act as an army it is the Phoenix that will lead them into battle.
Culture
The culture of the Hopewell Aspirants is oddly lighthearted. They are merciless in the conduct of their war, loyal to a fault, and alternate between intensely dark gallows humor and goofball antics. They treat those above them with respect and in some cases even reverence, and they treat those beneath them with paternal
Kindness.
Public Agenda
The Hopewell Aspirants are consumed with two obsessions; destroy the Greenskins and reinstate the Canton of Lake Hope. Everything they do as a group is to further these goals.
Assets
Beneath Fort Hopewell is a silver mine that mints coins on site for the fort's treasury. This is the money used to buy supplies as well as pay for scalps.
History
Fort Hopewell started as the Homestead of the Hopewell Clan. When the Greenskins shattered the last human army and overthrew the government of Lake Hope Canton, the fort was flooded with refugees. Those that could fight organized rapidly, but the Greenskins failed to finish them off and the settlement rebuilt itself as a pillar of resistance against the Legions.
These Stars Will Rise Once More
Type
Military Order
Alternative Names
The Remnant
Demonym
Aspirant
Leader
Location
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
Comments