Sark's Caravan

Sark’s Caravan
The Caravan consists of 17 Wagons - 13 one of which are stocked with trade goods and special request items, or that property or personnel/refugee/settler wagons - the other four are the cook/chow wagon and three that are supply/necessities wagons including Sark’s personal wagon, each manned with a driver and second and a rear guard.
Each component of the Caravan is guarded by 5 soldiers - three who ride the wagons and two additional mercs that ride alongside, one of whom is designated as sergeant. That means 17 squads, 85 men in all. These men divide work amongst themselves when the Caravan is stopped for the evenings – fuel gathering, hunting, perimeter guards, etc. They also share the watches.
Sark pays these individuals well and in the two decades he has been traveling the Iron Road, he has only had three instances of insubordination or outright mutiny. In each case, the ones who tried to cheat or usurp his command were left bleeding in the sand or nailed up for the crow's to feast on.

The following individuals are minor characters you have come to know in the last few weeks while journeying with the caravan:
Sark – Caravan Owner and Merchant – Jhoreg Sark has been in the business for decades and has traveled the road all his life. He has survived animal and bandit attacks, is gruff and all business and nothing surprises him. He reminisces about the “good ol’ days” when the War was still on and there was more profit to be had running weapons and goods between army camps, beleaguered cities and shattered settlements & towns.
Dyrk - Guard Captain - a hardened mercenary who fought in the Border Wars as a younger man and has spent the last twenty years as both a bandit and a guard. He was imprisoned for a time, but Sark “bought” his freedom and now he works solely for the grizzled caravan leader. As such, he has final say over who stays and who goes. He rides the line between nice guy and tyrant, and he does not tolerate lowlifes who threaten the safety of the Caravan – be they bandits or unthinking sellswords looking to make an easy few coins stealing from the strongbox while everyone else is asleep – which has happened in the past.
Tahir – the Paymaster - next to Sark, Tahir is the 2nd most powerful man in the caravan – he is in charge of guarding the gold and other valuable items that actually belong to the mercenaries. He has his own wagon which he calls the Beast, which has been fortified with iron siding and murder-holes so the men inside can fend off attackers. Working directly for Tahir are the following mercs:
Shattermast (an ex-sailor), Bohger and Swift – three of the biggest, meanest, nastiest, most trustworthy mercenaries’ coin can buy. All of them are veterans of the road and have the scars to prove it.
Bram – the Quartermaster – Bram is In charge of supplies, repairing wagons, and so forth. He has his own wagon, and though it is fortified, he has had it fashioned to withstand attacks and fire. He has two apprentices, Flint and Gage, teenagers who are learning the trade who can all do useful things like make nails, rough carpentry, rig a block and tackle to lift an obstacle (or a wagon over an obstacle), repair harness, and the like. They all make extra coin on the side bringing useful items and selling them at a steep markup to caravan members and citizens of towns and villages the caravan passes through.
Arzan – the Hostler: - Arzan is in charge of the mercenaries' animals and for a nominal fee, will assist with the animals of the other members of the caravan. He shares space with the Bram as well as using the Quartermaster's tools when it's necessary to repair tack or shoe a horse.
Jeryl Fass - the Cook: prepares meals for the camp. He has his own wagon and 2-3 helpers – Velene, Naya and Tura all who were at one time members of the Saffron Veil and who (for a price) also serve the caravan as courtesans.
Lucius Rho – the Doctor – a low-level Healer. Lucius is someone who can slap a poultice over bug bites, set a broken bone or stitch up a wound to keep the man or creature on its feet long enough to reach the next town. He is also an adherent of the “old path” a nature worshipper and who disdains both the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the Moon.
All of the people described above have been in Sark’s employ for ten years or more. They are a family of sorts and know the Road well. They have all lost friends to bandit raids and hardship and have stories to tell. All of these people are seasoned travelers and can pull out a weapon and fight when necessary. They have much better morale than the regular caravan members because they are fighting for their livelihood in addition to just protecting their lives, so they will prefer to stand and defend rather than run.

Reputation, Consistency, Profit

Sark's Caravan has operated on the Iron Road for two decades. It has guided thousands of settlers, refugees and cart load after cart load of goods and supplies over thousands of miles - from Tarnhomme to Stormhaven and back again, making two trips a year.
His reputation is highly regarded by both noble and commoner alike. One because he does what he says he will do and two because of his consistent record of sticking to the travel time table. Rare is it that Sark is late arriving at the end of the road.
Sark and his people winter each year in the capitol of Tarnhomme. After the first thaw, he will leave with a fully stocked and manned train of 17 wagons, spending three months on the Iron Road, making their way to the city of Stormhaven. The return trip begins at the start of the storm season, when the first of the dark clouds is seen on the eastern horizon. Another three months on the road will see them once again at the gates of Tarnhomme.
Sark makes a decent living as a caravan driver, and each trip treats his employees fairly as far as wages & compensation is concerned.
Those settlers or refugees who wish to travel with the caravan are responsible for their own wagon, food & sundries, as well as agreeing to aid in the preparation of meals, setting up of nightly defenses, and aid in case of breakdown, inclement weather and bandit raids.

Owner

Jhoreg Sark

Current location

The Iron Road