The Sundered

Important Note: The Sundered are currently a Thematic Faction (see Faction Metagame Rules) and does not participate in the Faction Metagame.

The Sundered are a warband - somewhere between a party of adventurers and a full-fledged order of mercenaries - currently operating out of Cordonis and surrounding areas. Their origin is supposedly from the Lichfens far to the north of Cordonis, although anyone with a little knowledge of Cordonis would also know that 'from the Lichfens' is a common answer from people who want to keep their true origins hidden, for whatever reason.

Description
The Sundered are unusual in a number of ways. To begin with, they are the only known mercenary group to take on contracts on a per-day basis and terminable at their own instance. This is deliberate, in that the Sundered have been known on numerous occasions to rescind their contracts at their convenience, sometimes even in the middle of active conflict. They make it abundantly clear that their purposes are their own. They are constantly engaged despite this, purely based on their brutal effectiveness. The Sundered are known to occupy a crumbling manor house 5 miles south of Cordonis, which is their base of operations. They are also rumoured to be part-owners of a number of business undertakings within Cordonis, although the exact ones are not common knowledge. Alleged links to the Sundered are frequently used as compliments or insults, depending on the circles in which you move. Their emblem is a broken chain.

The Sundered are known to have a frosty relationship with Starfall Academy, although their operations in Cordonis are tolerated and there have been no known instances of open hostility.

Known Members
Note: The titles appear to be some kind of denotion of rank internal to the Sundered, although it is unclear how the titles map against the ranks more commonly used by mercenary companies.

Drusilla (The Anvil)
Drusilla is a middle-aged human woman, with iron-streaked hair and a hard-bitten military bearing. She moves slowly and deliberately, as if her joints pain her. She appears to be the functional leader of the Sundered, responsible both for overall strategic control, as well as interaction with the Sundered's various employers. She is a frequent sight in the more upmarket inns and taverns of Cordonis.

She is occasionally seen wearing a thin, ornate circlet, although she is not known to claim royal origins.

Xendril (Forgefire)
Xendril is a hulking half-orc magic user (specific type unknown) and appears to be Drusilla's second-in-command. Despite his massive size and frightening appearance, he is curiously inconspicuous and is generally not noticed until he speaks or draws attention to himself. He usually accompanies Drusilla, although he does act independently when the Sundered are servicing multiple contracts.

Rumours suggest that Xendril is a powerful magic user, with a particular affinity for fire spells and summoning extraplanar servant entities.

Vargas of Blackrock (Hammerfall)
Vargas would be the stereotypical blunt object/enforcer except that his armour and weapons are covered in intricately detailed carvings and scrollwork - certainly a level of craftsmanship that the average mercenary lieutenant would not have access to. His armour is festooned with fetishes and trinkets, which however seem to make a lot less noise than they should when he moves. He is not known to remove his helm, which leads to speculation about his race.

A fiercely competent warrior, he can be expected to be involved whenever a contract requires the Sundered to engage in straight-up combat. Even more than the Sundered's own reputation, Vargas' personal reknown is often sufficient to induce opponents to flee or surrender rather than face him.

Galandro Luna (Flux)
Galandro claims to be the Sundered's spymaster, but consensus among the denizens of Cordonis' rougher neighbourhoods is that she can't be a particularly good one, considering everyone knows who she is. She can generally be found at Sige's Excellent Alehouse where she occupies a rear booth close to the side entrance and entertains a stream of visitors.

Galandro is generally not seen executing actual Sundered contracts, although it is unclear whether that is by choice, or because her skills lie elsewhere. It has however been rumoured that the disappearances of a few low-level cutpurses can be attributed to them attempting to shake Galandro down, thinking her a soft mark. Whatever the reason, she is generally given the freedom of the slums of Shadowwalk and the Rain Road.

Common Knowledge
One undertaking that is commonly known to controlled by the Sundered is the (surprisingly good) Steamquench Meadery. It supplies mead and ale to the towns surrounding Cordonis. Their Flamebelcher Gilded Ale is especially well known.

This is also known to be one of the ways that Galandro keeps tabs on the events around Cordonis as Steamquench delivers beer and mead to many inns and taverns in the surrounding towns and villages.

It is sometimes whispered that the Sundered are agents of a state or power seeking to extend their influence to the Lands of Loorou, although there are no clues to the identity of such a power, if it even exists. They are uncommonly well armed and provisioned for mercenaries.

Whatever their origin and provenance, neither the contracts the Sundered accept nor those they break appear to follow any discernable pattern. They are not clearly aligned with any of the established factions of the Lands of Loorou, having accepted contracts against most of them at one time or another. Despite this they continue to be tolerated because they are effective when called upon.

Influx Week 1

 * Carts containing important cargo of interest to the Sundered between Cordonis and Mynoar have been disappearing. Galandro contracted a group of mercenaries to investigate, who are able to foil an ambush on the carts, discovering that the ambushers have detailed schedules of cart movements between Cordonis and Mynoar. This suggests to Galandro that there is a spy within either the transportation network or the Sundered themselves, passing on this information to the ambushers.