Brotherhood of the Rail - Transcontinental Rail Company

As our Iron Kingdoms RPG campaign moves on then the background sections will also expand a bit.

Due to the character page expanding a lot I've decided to move the Transcontinental Rail Company and the Brotherhood of the Rails now fairly intertwined backgrounds to their own page...

The Transcontinental Rail Company

The constant war and border disputes across the entire of Western Immoren have resulted in a somewhat partisan attitude to business that permeates the outlook of many consumers in the Iron Kingdoms. A sense of suspicion towards outsiders and realities of warfare has made trade across borders a dangerous affair and those who do so are constantly plagued by checks, intrusive officials and the threat of violence from those on both sides eager to take advantage of those unprepared for the realities of a group of nations at war.

A group of traders in the essentially neutral nation of Ord have long sought to take advantage of this (more often perceived than actual) image of a nation that generally doesn't take sides and have been attempting to create a transport service that is if not trusted by all at the very least tolerated by all.

The first stage was to acquire businesses that fitted their future needs and though for the most part these were rail companies of a variety of sizes they also acquired warehouses, mining, logging and shipping ventures with a focus on businesses that had a strong national identity. Good wages and excellent working conditions created a strong sense of worker loyalty and when these various companies subsequently changed their identity to that of the Transcontinental Rail Company (a name deliberately chosen for it's generic nature and lack of national identity) most of their workforces presumed that the company was run by people from their home nation and those who new otherwise were for the most part too comfortable in their current employment to object. As these companies already had all the trading documentation necessary it was a simple matter for them to transport goods to one border and then transfer them to another from the receiving nation with it's own trading permits. Seemingly overnight the first truly successful international company in the history of the Iron Kingdoms was created.....seemingly that is.....

The above tale of business acumen and forward thinking is in it's strictest form true but is only part of the whole story. The plan itself was sound enough but the implementation was far trickier than the businessman had ever expected and they were reluctantly forced to employ some more morally flexible executives and subsequently their acquisition methods became more and more...creative. Starting with simple bribery, moving to blackmail, then kidnapping and eventually assassination by the time the Transcontinental Rail Company came into existence as a single united business group it had a spying and information network to rival that of the most suspicious of countries and enough experts in industrial espionage to cripple any enterprise that threatened their new monopoly. Unfortunately their arrogance and self assurance were to almost be their undoing as not everything was to go their way however...

One of Transcontinental Rails most public projects was their 'special' rail service with the simple promise of being able to transport any cargo or passengers across from pretty much anywhere to anywhere else in both comfort and safety. A mercenary company was formed to guard this new project and a publicity campaign extolling it's virtues was launched. This was the opportunity that it's rivals had been waiting for to strike a massive blow to the credibility of this new service and by extension Transcontinental Rail. The mercenary company was lured away for a massively lucrative contract far, far away and contact was made with a large group of bandits who were equipped with enough horses and weapons to more than overwhelm whatever force of ticket collectors and retired guardsmen that would need to be drafted in to replace the missing mercenaries at such short notice.

Unable to cancel or postpone this maiden journey without a massive loss of credibility they were forced to draft in any who were willing to make the journey as guards and hope that nothing else was to go wrong. In hindsight the bandit attack should have been foreseen but unfortunately such a blatant attack was the last thing any-one was expecting due to the loss of the mercenaries being perceived as simply bad luck...

Brotherhood of the Rail

The mercenary company now known as the Brotherhood of the Rail started it's life not as a true mercenary organisation but rather was formed as a loose association of mercenaries and drifters by the Continental Rail Company to protect their newly created 'transcontinental' rail service. This ambitious project was created with the goal of providing a transportation service for special cargo and passengers across the whole of Western Immoren (well...apart from certain obvious exceptions of course) and considerable effort had been put into gaining appropriate passes, legal documentation and agreements (with a few well placed bribes also helping matters) to allow passage across borders where this would normally be prohibitively difficult.

Unfortunately the level of organisation put into the service itself did not extend to their recruiting policy and due to a last minute contract cancellation the company was forced to fulfil it's guard requirements with any-one willing to make the journey hoping that weight of numbers would compensate for any issues of training. It's inevitable that a project of this scope would create considerable notice and somewhat unfortunately news of the security issues made their way to the wrong people...

Former military officer Sebastian LaCroix was one of the people who gained employment for this venture and seeing the lack of any kind of structure took it upon himself to organise this rag-tag work force into some semblance of order, allocating shifts and dividing up workloads in the absence of any actual rail authorities to manage them. Some cynical individuals have suggested that this was simply a way for him to avoid doing any actual work himself but regardless of the reasoning behind the decision it was to prove fortuitous for every-one involved.

A suspiciously convenient mechanical breakdown combined with a potentially overwhelming mounted assault could easily have finished the continental rail companies grand project at the first stage but fortunately for them they had inadvertently hired the right combination of people for the job. A priestess of Morrow named Danika had been using her gift of True Sight to pierce the cloak of darkness and was able to give advance notice of the attack to the people stationed with her. Between this gift and Sebastian's organisational skills a hasty but effective defence was organised. 'Bosh' and the other two Ogrun led a devastating charge into the midst of the attackers, Danika guarded the engine compartment and the repair teams correctly assuming that the bandits would want to prevent repairs from occurring before they had succeeded in their goal and Sebastian himself inspired those aboard the train who had access to ranged weapons with an impressive display of pin-point shooting. Refusing to surrender the bandits were slaughtered to a man and despite their considerable disadvantage the defenders lost only four of their own despite the ferocity of the ambush.

Danika's gifts also included a considerable knowledge of the healing arts and those wounded in the conflict were treated for their injuries while the repaired train completed it's journey. This was an unexpected service for which they were most grateful as the former soldiers amongst them knew what horrors could occur when wounds could not be correctly treated and were left to fester...

On arriving at their destination Sebastian told the other guards of his intention to confront the continental rail companies representative with an exhaustive list of issues and a considerable list of demands. Having no faith in the company that hired them but knowing that without Sebastian's help they could very well have all shared the fate of the four who lost their lives they agreed to let him speak on their behalf. The fact that he was supported in this by both the Priestess who had healed their wounds and the Ogrun who had led the charge into the midst of their attackers helped with this decision and so Sebastian went to confront the company man and was to inadvertently create a whole new career for himself.

The debate was long and vocal but Sebastian's arguments had the weight of truth and the realisation that the situation could have been so much more embarrassing for the Continental Rail Company was not lost on the company representative and the presence of nine foot tall of still blood splattered Ogrun was a consistent reminder of the potential consequences of that disaster averted so eventually an agreement was reached. Sebastian LaCroix would be given complete control over the protection of the train and management of the guard teams as a completely independent mercenary group answering only to the continental rail company. The company would upgrade the train based on the experiences gained in the ambush and pay the mercenary group an amount equivalent to it's previous wages though now the blame for any failure would land exclusively on the head of Sebastian (now Captain LaCroix, technically) and his lieutenants.

The Mercenary Charter was quickly re-written to encompass this new agreement and 'The Brotherhood of the Rail' was born.

An Opportunity

Seeking to make up for it's failure to foresee and prevent the issues with the first mercenary companies sabotage and the subsequent surprise bandit raid the companies 'Office of Information and Investigation' set itself to finding all it could about the so called Brotherhood of the Rail's new Captain and his significant officers and representatives. What they discovered would have horrified most employers...

An officer who had spent a significant period of his life committing acts of sabotage and assassination against the Khadorian military responsible for the invasion of his homeland whose womanising had made him as many enemies amongst his own ranks as the enemies, a Priestess who had killed and tortured as many people as she'd saved in some personal quest for vengeance, a naval officer whose family had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, a Trollkin who had abandoned his own kind in favour of the benefits offered by human civilisation and of course there was the Ogrun 'Bosh' who had acted as bodyguard and 'fixer' to some of the most depraved and decadent of Immoren's nobility and yet was inexplicably loyal to each and every-one of them for as long as he was in their employment. Some of the rank and file were actually even worse...

Fortunately the Transcontinental Rail Companies inner circle had no issues with employing those of a dubious background as long as they had some controls in place and if anything such people were easier to direct than those with actual scruples...once you knew what 'buttons' to push that is. Indulgences, information, a place to belong or just something to do...every-one has something or someone they'll put themselves in danger for...even if it's just to relieve the boredom...

Jobs For the Boys...and a Girl...

Given it's none standard structure several of the traditional roles in a Mercenary company are absent or altered in the Brotherhood.

Captain (Pay - 50gc per week) : Sebastian LaCroix. Never one to waste an opportunity Captain LaCroix has been using the somewhat confused transitional period between the expected mercenary company and his own hastily appointed replacements to acquire as many resources as he can for his own ends. Transcontinental Rail is more than aware of this and is currently supplying him just enough to keep him in their employment but not enough for him to be happy with and attempt to depart.

Lieutenant (Pay - 20gc per week) : Danika would more then likely be in this position if Sebastian hadn't had something else in mind for her.....no.....not that. Instead the job has been given to former naval officer Rafaldo Scorgiani who has the command experience to lead in Sebastian's absence but no longer has the ambition to threaten his position...a perfect combination in Sebastian's mind. Of course the main issue with being Sebastian's Lieutenant is actually getting to use your own quarters over his latest love interest...

Spiritual Advisor (Pay - 20gc per week) :

Sebastian is no stranger to the fact that religion ties people together as tightly or even more so than mere loyalty. This role also gives the Brotherhood members both some-one to confide in due to the pressures of being far from home and in constant danger. This also allows Danika a legitimate way to test the faith (or lack thereof) of the brothers and sisters of the company in order to further her own quest for vengeance. Sebastian is happy for this to occur as long as all other useful information comes to him first. Strangely enough her Captain occasionally forbids the interrogation of certain employees and is extremely evasive about why these particular people get a free pass...

Chief Mechanik (Pay - 20gc per week) : After the near disaster during the first leg of their journey Sebastian has requested none to subtly that the continental rail company provide him with a competent mechanic and engineer. They have sent him Bragg Halvard who has already proven himself to be an extremely capable and flexible member of the company. The additional fact that he's bought a Laborjack with him to help with the lifting has greatly ingratiated himself with the Ogrun guards normally stuck with the task...

Paymaster (Pay - 20gc per week) : Given that the brotherhood is paid directly by their employers journey by journey and equipment is generally obtained by request there is little need for a proper treasurer. I fact all they really need is some-one capable of guarding a box from an office to a train a hundred yards away. 'Bosh' has been allocated this job as he's too honest and loyal to steal blatantly and not naturally inclined to embezzle subtly though isn't above occasionally rounding up in his own favour when it comes to trading for the spoils of war. This also keeps him free for bodyguard duties as required.

The train itself has a large, well constructed and extremely secure safe where pay is kept on those rare occasions that a week goes by between contact with a head office of the Transcontinental Rail Company and is also utilised for holding personal belongings of value should it become necessary. The safe is currently located in Bosh's quarters and as this is in a guard carriage it is amongst the safest places on the train. A portable (well...portable for an Ogrun) lock-box is also available for transporting pay from offices to the train's safe.

Mascot (Pay - Food and Board) : After abandoning his post during their first missions defence of the train nearly resulted in disaster for all Bert's future was severely in doubt. However he has been allowed to remain employed as an unofficial mascot and general dogsbody though he now gets no more pay than his food and lodging. Perhaps while running his errands a chance to redeem himself will occur...

Special Duties (Pay - Negotiable) : Sometimes members of the Brotherhood with particular skills are bought in to assist with some of the companies more dubious 'side' jobs. Special duties usually result in special rates of pay...if they survive the experience that is...

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.