The Windpeak Rangers
The Windpeak Rangers are a faction established in 1155 in response to the devastating attacks by monsters crawling from the depths of The Underdark to hunt and kill as they wished. The rangers are trained at the Ranger Academy in Windpeak on a brutal training regime that only those with the strongest will to live are able to survive, as a result the graduate rangers are bonafide warriors with a skill set that rivals highly ranked soldiers in the kingdom's armies.
Structure
The Windpeak Rangers are a faction divided into four sub-factions which all serve a specific purpose in the defense of the city of Windpeak. The four factions are: Rangers of the Outland, Rangers of the Town, Rangers of the Liaison, and Rangers of the Underdark. Each sub-faction is headed by a Head Ranger who is elected based on renown within the faction and their sub-faction-related superiority against other candidates. The hierarchy of the ranger factions is militaristic in that lower ranked members are subservient to higher ranked members, but the ranking system is based on renown within the faction where those rangers who survive longer than others accumulate more fame. After completing a number of successful missions a ranger's generated fame earns them a promotion within the faction. This structure of promotion through mission-success ensures that only the most capable rangers may rise to the top of their sub-faction and have a chance to lead if they wish.
Ranger Rank
- Head Ranger
- Veteran Ranger
- Elite Ranger
- Ranger
- Graduate
Sub-Factions
- Town Rangers would patrol Windpeak being an elite guard force who were trusted with the defence of the town and its citizens. They are also trained detectives who were given the authority to arrest individuals who had committed crimes, every person is needed to fulfill a role to ensure the survival of Windpeak so criminals are harshly punished as they are viewed as another form of monster which weakens the town from the inside.
- Outland Rangers would patrol the areas around Windpeak searching for the first signs of monsters coming down from the mountains in an effort to attack the town, they were also tasked with ranging to the outskirts of Hagclaw Bog and patrolling there too.
- Liaison Rangers would make contact with the friendly creatures who made The Windpeak Range and The Underdark their home and forge alliances with them. These alliances were made with the dragonborn clans, deep gnomes, duergar and drow. The terms of the agreements were that all of the races would share information and keep each other updated on monster sightings or nests cropping up, this information would be passed onto liaison rangers who would take it back to Windpeak so that an underdark squad could be sent to deal with it. Liaison rangers are also used to send important information across The Kingdom of Illargos and to impede a liaison ranger in any way is considered a criminal offence.
- Underdark Rangers would venture into The Underdark to hunt dangerous monsters, destroy their nests, and patrol the underdark's twisting tunnels, setting up outposts where possible and defending them when necessary. These individuals are the most highly trained in the kingdom, their training process is intense and not many make it through to being a full-fledged underdark ranger.
Culture
The Windpeak Rangers are made up of aspiring volunteers who wish to do their part, sturdy warriors who wish to prove their strength in the toughest of circumstances possible, and criminals wishing to escape imprisonment for their crimes. The rangers take who they can get and put them on a training course within the Ranger Academy; survive and you are sworn in as a ranger for life, fail and your bones are left to rot where they fell. This deal, while harsh, is often taken by criminals who are convicted of the worst crimes. They are offered a choice, rot in a cell and await execution or join The Windpeak Rangers and earn a semblance of freedom. Despite the variety of backgrounds, The Windpeak Rangers treat one another like brothers and sisters where one's past is behind them and it is future actions which dictate a person's worth, it is considered a heinous betrayal to desert on your ranger family and deserters are hunted down by the best trackers among the rangers to be caught and executed.
The Ranger of Windpeak Creed can be summarised as:
- We are a brotherhood, united by a single goal
- Our past no longer defines us, it is our future actions which shall dictate our worth
- It is our duty to do our part, only together can we keep Windpeak and the rest of the Kingdom safe
Public Agenda
The Windpeak Rangers defend the city and the surrounding lands from threats that would be considered too difficult for a regular squad of kingdom soldiers to deal with. The biggest threat are the hordes of monsters spawned by The Underdark which crawl their way up to the surface to rampage across the land, but ranger duties include more than simply keeping the monsters at bay. In order to ensure the city's defence the rangers make it their job to:
- Maintain the harmony within the city
- Maintain the safety of the city’s borders and that of the settlements nearby
- Maintain and forge new alliances with those who would stand against the chaos and bloodshed of monsters
- Maintain a strong presence in the Underdark by proactively hunting monsters and defending established checkpoints
Assets
The Rangers Academy - Not only a training grounds for aspiring rangers, the Rangers Academy acts the headquarters of The Windpeak Rangers where they go to receive mission briefings, study monster lore, train in between duties, and access the facilities of the Academy for their own benefit.
Pebble the Blacksmith - While Windpeak has various blacksmiths set up around the city, the Rangers Academy have their own personal blacksmith; Pebble Hardtum. Pebble is a kindly Otterfolk who assists the rangers with weapon and armour requisitions.
Mr Tutum the Treasurer - Gaurum Tutum is the strict mannered Half-Elf in charge of banking ranger loot and keeping their possessions safely locked away in a vault beneath the academy.
History
Founding
Windpeak was established in 1153, it was intended to act as a barrier to ward off the evil emanating from Hagclaw Bog. It was founded by the Nobleman Earl Bastion Pontarius who had previously sought to explore the bog with a retinue of soldiers but the bogs dark magics proved too difficult an obstacle for the men. They were forced to give up on their expedition as they encountered another problem which was far closer to home; The Windpeak Range and The Underdark within. After years of facing irregular but devastating monster attacks from the north-east, Bastion sent out a call throughout all of The Kingdom of Illargos for veteran adventurers to venture into The Underdark and destroy the monster nests there; thereby preventing any further monster attacks. The most successful adventurer to answer the call was a human ranger by the name of Viego Mortensson. Viego would brave the dangers of The Underdark unaccompanied and would always return with news of another nest purged or vicious monster slain, with trophies as proof. His efforts weren’t enough however, as Windpeak was still facing horrific monster attacks. Bastion and Viego came up with a plan to create a faction of rangers who would specifically deal with the security and well being of Windpeak, as well as become an expeditionary force which would patrol the closest areas of The Underdark in an effort to prevent monsters reaching Windpeak at all. From this plan the four sub-factions emerged. Bastion and Viego selected two of the most skilled individuals to take up the two remaining Head Ranger positions; Odyssian Tiiv, a green Dragonborn from Clan Odyssian, and Aria Oakenheart, a wood elf from the Verdant Cape. In 1176, The Windpeak Rangers were officially established and the founders took their positions as Head Rangers; Earl Bastion Pontarius became the first Head Ranger of the Town, Viego Mortensson became the first Head Ranger of the Underdark, Odyssian Tiiv became the first Head Ranger of the Liaison, and Aria Oakenheart became the first Head Ranger of the Outland.The Ranger Academy
The founding of the Windpeak Rangers began with the opening of the Rangers Academy in late 1176. The four Head rangers began the training regimen which toady’s cadets must endure if they wish to become a ranger of Windpeak. Cadets would have to be inquisitive and show good moral judgement, perceptive and keen eyed, diplomatic and possess a good memory, and possess a resilient spirit with a desire to survive. Cadets are trained in all of the four ranger ways during their time at the academy however the final examination is for the cadet to survive a patrol in The Underdark, this patrol could include any task asked of underdark rangers from destroying monster nests, hunting a specific monster which has set up a hunting ground near ranger routes, or securing a ranger outpost within The Underdark. If the cadet survives, they are usually given missions relating to the various ranger squads before eventually being assigned to a squad permanently.‘Brothers, Sisters, we shall teach these monsters fear’ Words of the founder of the rangers Earl Bastion Pontarious
Maps
-
Windpeak Rangers Academy
Founding Date
1155
Type
Military Order
Leader Title
Parent Organization
Location
Controlled Territories
Comments