Druxel_Adv_Corp

The Freecity of Druxel sits at an important and active crossroads along the Balgeon Coast. Not only is it a thriving port city, it also controls several vital land routes to the east and the south. To it's north are the Plains of Amardo and the roving tribes of raiders and beyond them are the Jagtaw Wastes, home to hoards of orcs that occasionally muster under a powerful leader and march south. To the west lays the Goldspice Path through the Kaetin mountain range.

Almost since it's inception, Druxel has been host to a wide variety of problems that the city guard just is not equipped to handle. Dragons. Beholder cults. Troglodyte raiders from the old aqueducts below the city, undead plagues from the older catacombs below that, and drow slaver rings from the tunnels below that. Manticores from the mountains and bulettes from the plains. Mad wizards and power hungry warlocks, warlords and usurpers. There has been no shortage of evil exported to Druxel's docks and streets. Fortunately, there has also been no shortage of adventurers, either. Although, the large influx of adventurers has presented Druxel with a new, unique problem that few other cities in the world have to worry about.

That being, naturally, having too many talented individuals around whom specialize in the slaying of other living beings.

Now, Druxel is a city renowned for having a large number of adventurers operating from within it's walls. Some murder and chaos is to be expected, nay, encouraged. But the problem has, in recent generations, gotten a bit out of hand. The fact of the matter is that there are only so many problems to be solved and a far, far larger number of people that want to get rich quick by solving them. With 'work' scarce, what is traditionally good natured competition between rival adventuring groups can easily turn ugly. When two wizards duel in the streets, it doesn't matter who wins because the city's citizens lose. With Druxel threatened as much by the adventurers descending upon it as much as the problems those self-same adventures intend to solve, the Merchant Chancellery turned to an economic solution to their problems.

Now, all adventuring companies operating out of the Freecity of Druxel must be organized and chartered. This allows the Chancellery to know whom is operating in their city, what they are capable of, how many weapons are at their disposal, and, perhaps most importantly, allows them to be taxed, fee'd, fined, and licensed. This has both added a new source of revenue to the city (never a bad thing, in the Chancellery's minds), but it has also cut down on the number of adventurers within city limits, as registry fees are steep enough that not just any jackass kid with a sword can afford to incorporate. Penalties for operating without a license are harsh, with steep fees initially (because the Chanellery understands that, sometimes, adventure finds you instead of the other way around), and jail time for repeat offenders. And as Druxel is a bureaucracy of the finest caliber, no Adventuring Charter is approved unless it has provisions for division of proceeds, funerary expenses, and so on and so forth. It's all very standardized.

And it has been remarkably effective at solving Druxel's problem, or at least bringing it down to acceptably manageable levels. After all, as was previously pointed out, some degree of murder is to be expected and occasionally encouraged. Registry is handled via the Legal Finances Guild. To date, the L.F.G. is one of the wealthiest in the city (as adventuring can be an extremely lucrative business if one survives and, naturally, the city gets a cut due to taxes), and it's Ministers are of rapidly growing influence within the Chancellery.

THE DRUXEL ADVENTURING COMPANY

The adventuring group touting themselves as 'The' Druxel Adventuring Company was one of the first to comply with the new Group Registery Laws. They have been operating within the city legally for three years (and for two more before the Registry Laws went into effect), and have a good reputation for excellence and professionalism. The Druxel Adventuring Company is frequently pointed out as proof that the Registry Laws are a success, and the DAC certainly hasn't had any complaints now that they don't have to compete with nearly as many rivals for work.

The Druxels are a fairly straightforward group. They have forsworn the typical 'standard' of adventuring parties and instead have a very large melee frontage and are accustomed to simply battering down any resistance in their path. Though the group has a pair of spellcasters, they are defensively focused instead of throwing fireballs and the like. They have a distinct lack of ranged offensive capability, making up for this in part with a high degree of mobility and tactical flexibility.

While not altruists, the group trends towards both the lawful and good alignments. While they rarely work pro bono, they do discount their services for worthy causes and take jobs (and risks) that more mercenary groups would pass on. They are both reliable and dependable, rarely in-fight, and support and rely on each other with excellent teamwork. Seasoned adventurers, the Druxels aren't too proud to retreat from a fight that's turning against them, though they will only abandon those in need with extreme reluctance.

The Druxel Adventuring Company has slain the ancient red dragon Syxis!

A hundred years ago, before Druxel was a free city, the dragon Syxis descended upon the mountain palace of the royal family of a long since fallen kingdom, claiming the palace for his own and making a nest upon a bed of gold and jewels. Given the dragon's increasing habit of wandering closer and closer to Druxel to hunt as local game around it's lair became scarce, the Druxel Adventuring Company took it upon themselves to slay the beast for the good of the city. And it's treasure would not have made any of them amiss, either.

The DAC set out to slay the dragon. In that, they were successful at the least. However, almost everything else along the way went horribly wrong. An ogre named Tak interfered with the group by accident not once, but twice, both times pincering them between itself and a dangerous foe. The first time, this resulted in Featherwind's death at the mandibles of a pair of giant centipedes. The second, it's interference resulted in Maybell's death at the hands of the dragon before it carried off Cander and ate her personally. At the end of the drawn out battle with Syxis, all but two of the DAC were dead. The two survivors have decided to disband the company; both have retired from adventuring for a quieter life.

By the DAC's charter, members that fall in battle are still entitled to 3/4ths of a share from the venture they were partaking in at the time of their death, partly to ensure the covering of funerary expenses. And one twelfth of the dragon's hoard was an extremely large amount of money! Because the members of the Druxel Adventuring Company were good-hearted by and large, much of the dragon's wealth has ended up going to charity. Even out of their tragic losses, some good has still come in the world, and Druxel is safe from the dragon for good.

Name: Adelaide Shorshon

Race: Human
Class: Fighter
Bio: The nominal leader of the DAC, Adelaide is no stranger to combat. Adelaide was a soldier long before she was an adventurer, but grew tired of fighting in petty regional conflicts, believing that her sword could be put to better use defending the weak rather then killing other soldiers over disputes between petty lords. Kind and brave, Adelaide is a defender of those around her, using both sword and shield to protect her comrades from harm. Adel cuts a striking figure in her silver armor, often serving as a shining beacon that the rest of the team rallies behind when times are tough. Equally at home on the front line or behind it, Adel has proven herself to be a competent leader, both loved and respected by those that follow her. She doesn't always make the best decisions, but she can be relied upon to make the moral decisions. She has yet to steer the team wrong.

Status: DEAD - At the end of the long and drawn out battle against the red dragon Syxis, Adelaide was one of the last members of the party standing. She fought bravely and valiantly, but she was overcome, battered, and beaten down until she could no longer physically resist. The dragon decided to break her spirit by devouring the remaining members of her team in front of her. The dragon ate Xin, but when it tried to go after Iya, Zellra rose up to strike the beast with a powerful blow. Adel, with the last of her strength, threw herself in front of the monster's burning breath, protecting the blackguard but perishing in the act.

Last Will and Testament: Adelaide had no living relatives and thus left her share of the dragon's gold to the city orphanages of Druxel. Adel herself was raised in a foundling home and never forgot the hard times she had as a girl; her donation will ensure that the city's orphans have hot soup, warm blankets, and a roof over their heads for three generations.


Name: Maybell Hulron

Race: Human
Class: Barbarian
Bio: Maybell isn't what most people think of when they think of a 'barbarian'. She is, contrary to the popular impression, rather civilized. In fact, she adores cutesy things, confections from the local bakers guild, and is the most 'girly' of all the members of the team. She's also capable of entering a place beyond pain, swinging a sword as large as she is over her head, and crushing plate mail in her teeth. While that last one may be a slight exaggeration, Maybell is a whirling dynamo in combat, moving from foe to foe with brutal swiftness. Though lightly armored, few foes can stand against her crushing assaults for long.

Status: DEAD - In a tense standoff outside of the lair of the red dragon Syxis, Maybell lost her patience and assaulted an ogre. In the ensuing brawl, the ogre knocked her down... and the dragon chose that moment to attack, striking out of it's lair and snapping up the prone barbarian into it's jaws. Maybell fought back, kicking at the dragon's mouth and grabbing on to one of it's teeth. But it was a losing battle, the dragon wrapped it's tongue around her body and swallowed her whole.

Last Will and Testament: Maybell left everything she had to Mistell. Sadly, with Mistell also fallen to the dragon, all of her wealth was thus claimed by the city. Much of it was put towards public works projects, however, so it wasn't so horrible a thing after the Ministers of Finance had their say.


Name: Zellra Ralte

Race: Human
Class: Blackguard
Bio: Zellra is a blackguard, a dark knight that uses her negative emotions like a weapon to destroy her foes. While this makes many nervous, to say the least, the stern and taciturn young woman has the complete and utter trust of her teammates. When she gets going in battle, not even Maybell can rival her sheer damage output and as such, Zellra often serves as the offensive locus of the team which the others cluster around. Though she comes off as stern and demanding, Zellra has a deep seated affection for her teammates. She rarely voices these feelings, however, preferring to express herself via deeds rather then words.

Status: RETIRED - After the adventure had concluded and the dragon lay dead (and very messily splattered) at the berserking blackguard's feet, Zellra decided it was time to lay aside her spear for good rather then risk going into another uncontrollable black rage. She will never forget the look of fear on Iya's face after she reduced much of the dragon's head to a bloody ruin after it was already dead. With her share of the treasure, she and her lover, Iya, bought a house together and live more then comfortably. Zellra has taken to training a small handful of students in the ways of the blade.


Name: Xin Shi

Race: Human
Class: Monk
Bio: Xin Shi is originally from the Zipang archipelago, where she was trained in the unarmed arts of fighting and, at some point, enslaved. Sold to a fighting arena, she earned her freedom fighting back to back with Adelaide to shut the arena down. She has been a close companion to Adel ever since. Xin still wears her shackles so that she will never forget that horrible time in her life; their memory serves to drive her forwards and reminds to pay forward to others the kindness that Adel showed her in her hour of need. Spunky and excitable, Xin is an extremely mobile fighter, moving between several opponents and laying about with a hail of blows before any of them can react to her. While she has problems focusing down any one target, her ability to keep groups of enemies off balance is invaluable for protecting the more lightly armored members of the company.

Status: DEAD - During the fight with the red dragon, Xin was caught off-guard by the dragon's violent thrashing. A savage kick sent her flying across the beast's lair; she crashed into a column and the impact broke her back. Crippled, she was helpless as the dragon battered down Adelaide. Then, to break the fighter's spirit, it picked up Xin and swallowed her whole. The monk's last words to her friend was an apology for not being able to do more for her, cut short by the dragon's foul jaws.

Last Will and Testament: A fourth of Xin's wealth was left to Adelaide and, with her untimely demise, was claimed by the city. Some went to various extended family members, but most of the rest was given to a shell corporation that was a front for an anti-slavery ring based outside of Zipang.


Name: Featherwind Dewwalker

Race: Human
Class: Scout
Bio: One of the northern tribesmen, Featherwind was a scout for one of the more peaceful tribes until a marauding band of orcs destroyed their village. The DAC helped her to bring justice to the orcs and rescue the survivors before they could be sold into slavery and she's been with the group ever since. Feather is an interesting study in opposites. Physically bold but emotionally cautious, Feather readily trusts others with her life but not her wallet. Still a little haunted by the loss of her family and friends, she is slow to open up to others but often desires companionship deeply. In battle, Feather is active and mobile, wearing light armor but always staying in full motion. She's skilled at coming at opponents from unexpected angles, often flanking priority targets from the side and rear to deliver a devastating blow before moving on. However, Feather is still unused to working with a group and is thus more skilled at taking advantage of the opportunities her teammates create rather then creating opportunities for them.

Status: DEAD - In the entry hall of a ruined palace, the group got split in half, caught between an ogre and a group of giant centipedes. Feather charged the centipedes, slaying one and driving them away from the team's two mages to protect her weaker party members. Her assault, however, was unsupported and one of the centipedes managed to grab her by the leg and drag her off. Despite Zellra and Iya's attempts to save her, Feather was thrown into the monstrous insects' nest, where another pair of giant centipedes killed her in a brutal game of tug of war, each monster devouring half of her.

Last Will and Testament: Having no family of her own left, nor even a people of her own to leave her wealth to, Feather instead named the poor of Druxel as her inheritors. Her kindhearted generosity helped many a poor wretch get off of the street and back into a better life.


Name: Iya Adrianimak

Race: Human
Class: Alchemist
Bio: Few members of the DAC are as well travelled as Iya, whom grew up on the road, travelling with her parents' merchant caravan. Iya learned her trade as an alchemist from over a dozen teachers and serves a dual role in the group both as its primary medic and as the dedicated bodyguard for the two mages. Iya has picked up many skills in her travels, though her lack of specialization has prevented any particular mastery. She typically coats her weapons in a poison extract of her own design from the suzuran flower, with which she often adorns herself. And though she wears a set of traditional Zipang armor into battle, she doesn't fight with that culture's particular code of honor; she merely likes the way the armor looks on her. Iya is an intensely curious person, adventuring more out of wanderlust and a desire to find new oddities and strange things. Though the others occasionally accuse her of not taking things seriously enough, not one member of the group has ever died under her medical care.

Status: RETIRED - After the harrowing adventure, Iya decided that it was finally time to settle down someplace. She and her lover, Zellra, bought a house in Druxel with Zell's share of the treasure and have been living comfortably. However, an inactive lifestyle ill-suited Iya, so she invested her share of the dragon's hoard into opening a small alchemy shop. It is a modest business and something that Iya mostly does to pass her days by; the dragon's hoard was so vast that she'll never need to work another day in her life.


Name: Cander Oss

Race: Human
Class: Enchantress
Bio: Cander is a naturally talented mage that has little in the way of patience for traditional wizardly ways and is more interested in practical applications of her talents towards greater purposes then filling a library with tomes that will only collect dust. Cander is unafraid to speak her opinion, even when it is dissenting and takes active part in many of the group's social interactions and contract negotiations with clients. Specializing in enchantments and charms, Cander is only of limited use in battle, but shines outside of it, where she fills the spot normally reserved for those of slightly larcenous tendencies by disabling traps. Though her method of trapfinding is occasionally a point of contention among the party, since she prefers the expedient method of charming an orc and having it walk ahead of the group. And if Iya's limited talents aren't up to the job of disabling found discovered traps, Cander is capable of disabling them as well through similar, slightly morally questionable methods.

Status: DEAD - In the confusion of the dragon's surprise assault and the mad scramble to save the doomed Maybell, Cander was hit in the head by a rock thrown from the ogre. In the noise and confusion, with everyone's attention on the dragon, the stunned Cander was accidentally left behind. The ogre toyed with her at it's leisure, groping her and stripping bits of her clothing off, before swallowing her head first.

Last Will and Testament: A significant portion of Cander's wealth was left to her extended family and was shipped off to other lands (after being heavily taxed by the city). Despite (or perhaps, because) never being a religious person, most of the rest of Cander's fortune was left to various temples around the city, to dispense to needy charities as they see fit.


Name: Mistell Yullu

Race: Human
Class: Abjurationist
Bio: An academy trained wizard, a chance encounter between Mistell, Maybell, a group of street toughs, and a dark alley proved to the young wizard the previously undiscovered value of a friend that is more likely to rip a book in half then read it. The young mage joined the group the next morning and has been it's quiet, studious voice of reason ever since. Mistell specializes in protective magic and knows few offensive spells because she has little love of combat. Like Iya, she is of the inquisitive sort, but in contrast to the alchemist takes a more 'hands off' approach involving research and focused study. Though a supportive and polite person by nature, Mistell has something of an impish streak within her and is fond of playing magical 'pranks' on the others, often involving simple prestidigitations, Mage Hand, and basic cantrips. Her favorite target is the group's other mage, Cander, and the two occasionally get into protracted 'cantrip duels' when bored.

Status: DEAD - During the battle with the red dragon Syxis, the wyrm managed to isolate Mistell and snap the mage up in its jaws. Instead of crushing her, the arrogant dragon swallowed her whole, even as she was casting a spell. That spell was Ottoluke's Resilient Sphere. The force bubble lodged in the dragon's throat, nearly choking it to death! However, the dragon managed to force itself to swallow the Sphere, depositing it (and Mistell) into it's gut, where the force bubble kept the mage safe for several harrowing minutes. When Xin was swallowed, the impact of her body against Mistell's protective shield was too much for the young mage. She lost her concentration and with it her life as her protective spell dissipated.

Last Will and Testament: Mistell left all of her worldly possessions to Maybell. However, she left in the proviso that should Maybell be too deceased to collect, then her wealth would default instead to the city library. In her memory (though mostly because of the size of the donation), the library has dedicated a new wing in her honor.