SOA - The Society of Arms #13
There are few surviving records from the Society's formation or early times. This is because
the members of the Society, as it was then, did not want others to know much about them or
their organization; these were the times of the 'dark SOA'.
Back then a member would take any contract from almost anyone to do anything. Contact with
the Society was a real achievement on its own, for the shadows were the SOA's home, stealth
and deception its craft. When members of the Society did agree to meet a potential employer
they would 'allow' him or her to set up a meeting through heavy bribery, though the Society made
sure the meeting place permitted it to intimidate the offerer without revealing the identity of
its members. Most of the bribe money was used to support the Society's Guildhalls or
Black Markets as they were back then. When an individual asked too many pointed questions
they would receive a personal warning if they were lucky, most were just quietly 'disposed' of.
The dark SOA thrived on chaos; theft, espionage, arson, assassination and other 'underhanded'
acts were just tools of the trade. Basically, for the right fee, the SOA would do any "dirty works"
necessary to complete a contract. Also, if you wanted an illegal substance or good, the SOA
could get it through their contacts (many of which were notorious Pirates or Bandits) and deliver
it through their Black Markets. Even during this period of debatable morals did they did honor
a few ideals, some would say they were paradoxical, but it was very much a case of honor amongst
thieves. A member would only act if there was a signed contract, otherwise they might interfere
with the legitimate contract (sanctioned by the Society's hierarchy) of a fellow member. A member
would not work for an invader who sought to make Midgard their own because all members were
Midgardian. Even though they felt they did not owe anything to society, they could operate within
it, whereas they may not be able to operate in a culture enforced by the invader. And although
the member clans were free spirited, their camaraderie and the power of the Society's leadership
meant a clan would never betray the Society, nor deny the Society its fair cut from deals it supported.
During those early times the SOA hated the Imperials, and their lap dogs the Merc Verk.
The Imperials sought to bring all under their rule eliminate groups they regarded as disruptive
or chaotic, and enforce foreign laws that in the SOA's eyes smothered the individual's freedom
of action. Meanwhile the Merc Verk, the supposed hired 'Knights' with some rigid 'code' and pompous
ideals, were loathed for their naive view of the world. To the SOA the Murk Verk's notion that
they were the champions of the common man was both misguided and arrogant. Life was a struggle,
all 'common men' struggled, and treachery, murder and theft were all part of those struggles,
so who were the Merc Verk to decide what was fair and just, and what was not.
Then came the cataclysmic meteor strike in Kalmar. It changed the world, it changed civilizations,
and it was indirectly responsible for fundamental changes to the SOA. It was logical to expect the
'dark SOA' to thrive in the chaos after the cataclysm. In fact, the Society's clans were scattered,
many killed or disbanded as they struggled to survive in those harrowing times, and the SOA suffered
because the society which had given birth to and suckled it was quickly falling apart.
The SOA was not the only group to be hit hard. The Blood and Fire, which relied on the worship of
the common people, suffered a crisis of faith as many of Moorlock's worshippers saw the cataclysm
as Moorlock's move to destroy the world rather than let the Insane One control it. The SOA and
the Blood and Fire suspended their individual charters, merging to form the Serkeanar - a religious
military organization that would accept contracts that furthered the works of its church as well
as provide income.
Only recently have both the SOA and the Blood and Fire reactivated their individual charters and
separated from the Serkeanar. However, the time spent within the religion of healers, those that
sought to help the poor and equalize everyone, has caused a dramatic shift in the ideals of the
Society. Under the leadership of Kerin the Black, the Society announced that it was again operating
in its own right, but also that it had abandoned the earlier questionable ethics. In their place stood
the following tenants:
• A focus on making money through overt military operations and combat, rather than executing
'covert' operations;
• A resolve not to become the military of any one faction. The SOA would work for any Midgardian
faction, but remain independent of them,
• To fly the battle flags of their employer so everyone could clearly see that the SOA clan was
under contract, and who the contract was for, rather than cause deception or confusion by flying
the flags of another or none at all;
• To fight to the best of their ability for all employers, but never allow themselves to be used
as 'siege-fodder';
• To never release to any other faction any sensitive information received from an employer,
provided the employer upheld his or her obligations under the contract;
• To treat both the employer and opponent(s) fairly, Although today's enemy may be next month's
employer, this month's employer already had a signed contract,
• An undertaking that no clan or attached regiments would perform military actions against
a current or just recent employer for three cycles after a contract has concluded normally.
Today the SOA still retains certain characteristics of the original Society:
1) Its Clans still pick and choose assignments as they please,
2) The Society still refuses to work for any ‘Off-continent’ or ‘Invader’ Faction
( examples: Manchuria, Barbaria, Imperial Homeland, Alf-Heim ),
3) A SOA clan will not undertake any action for another faction without a signed
and verified contract and finally,
4) A SOA clan will strive to fulfil a contract to the letter, for its word is its bond.
With the transformation has come an easing of the tensions between the Imperials and
the Society; however, tensions still occasionally flare up between the Society and the
Merc Verk because they are now more similar and so compete for work. The Merc Verk
are also reported to be alarmed and angered by rumors that scattered cells of the SOA
still hold on to the notion that just because a tool is not pretty, this does not mean it
should be thrown out. No reliable evidence proving the existence of such cells has been
produced by the SOA's critics, making it easy for Kerin to brush it all off as mere
Merc Verk propaganda. In turn the SOA accuse the Merc Verk of political bias, citing
the recent Merc Verk campaign against Fanglan as irrefutable proof. It is the SOA's
view that because politics plays a part in deciding what is fair and what is just, then the
core of the Merc Verk's vaunted 'code' will always cause the Merc Verk to be politically
biased, and thus not true mercenaries.
SOA Benfit:
1 The SOA are, in comparison to Midgard Organizations, Highly disciplined
and ordered in combat. They are known for their discipline training.
SOA Hierarchy:
0 Grand Master of the Society of Arms (GM/Computer)
1 Master of the Society of Arms
2 Master of Contracts
3 Master of Weapons
4 Master of the Council
5 First Council Member
6 Second Council Member
7 Third Council Member
8 Fourth Council Member
9 Fifth Council Member
10 Agent for Contract Enforcement
11 General on Call – East
12 General on Call – Center
13 General on Call – West
14 Commander
15 Society Initiate
16 Mercenary First Class
17 Mercenary Second Class
18 Mercenary Third Class
19 Mercenary Fourth Class
20 Mercenary Fifth Class
SOA Goals:
1 To become Midgards’ primary mercenary faction
2 To remain neutral in the politics of Midgard
3 Increase the number of clans belonging to the SOA
4 Protect all SOA holdings and property
5 The establishment of at least one SOA Guild Hall
in all major Midgard cities
SOA Skills:
CMD-Command
STR - Strategy
TAC - Tactics
SOA Factional Office:
The SOA Office allows clans to train their clan retainers, but there were talks to redesign the office to offer a 2nd benefit to a city of a increase in the number of weapons on a cities market by +1% per office.
There are few surviving records from the Society's formation or early times. This is because
the members of the Society, as it was then, did not want others to know much about them or
their organization; these were the times of the 'dark SOA'.
Back then a member would take any contract from almost anyone to do anything. Contact with
the Society was a real achievement on its own, for the shadows were the SOA's home, stealth
and deception its craft. When members of the Society did agree to meet a potential employer
they would 'allow' him or her to set up a meeting through heavy bribery, though the Society made
sure the meeting place permitted it to intimidate the offerer without revealing the identity of
its members. Most of the bribe money was used to support the Society's Guildhalls or
Black Markets as they were back then. When an individual asked too many pointed questions
they would receive a personal warning if they were lucky, most were just quietly 'disposed' of.
The dark SOA thrived on chaos; theft, espionage, arson, assassination and other 'underhanded'
acts were just tools of the trade. Basically, for the right fee, the SOA would do any "dirty works"
necessary to complete a contract. Also, if you wanted an illegal substance or good, the SOA
could get it through their contacts (many of which were notorious Pirates or Bandits) and deliver
it through their Black Markets. Even during this period of debatable morals did they did honor
a few ideals, some would say they were paradoxical, but it was very much a case of honor amongst
thieves. A member would only act if there was a signed contract, otherwise they might interfere
with the legitimate contract (sanctioned by the Society's hierarchy) of a fellow member. A member
would not work for an invader who sought to make Midgard their own because all members were
Midgardian. Even though they felt they did not owe anything to society, they could operate within
it, whereas they may not be able to operate in a culture enforced by the invader. And although
the member clans were free spirited, their camaraderie and the power of the Society's leadership
meant a clan would never betray the Society, nor deny the Society its fair cut from deals it supported.
During those early times the SOA hated the Imperials, and their lap dogs the Merc Verk.
The Imperials sought to bring all under their rule eliminate groups they regarded as disruptive
or chaotic, and enforce foreign laws that in the SOA's eyes smothered the individual's freedom
of action. Meanwhile the Merc Verk, the supposed hired 'Knights' with some rigid 'code' and pompous
ideals, were loathed for their naive view of the world. To the SOA the Murk Verk's notion that
they were the champions of the common man was both misguided and arrogant. Life was a struggle,
all 'common men' struggled, and treachery, murder and theft were all part of those struggles,
so who were the Merc Verk to decide what was fair and just, and what was not.
Then came the cataclysmic meteor strike in Kalmar. It changed the world, it changed civilizations,
and it was indirectly responsible for fundamental changes to the SOA. It was logical to expect the
'dark SOA' to thrive in the chaos after the cataclysm. In fact, the Society's clans were scattered,
many killed or disbanded as they struggled to survive in those harrowing times, and the SOA suffered
because the society which had given birth to and suckled it was quickly falling apart.
The SOA was not the only group to be hit hard. The Blood and Fire, which relied on the worship of
the common people, suffered a crisis of faith as many of Moorlock's worshippers saw the cataclysm
as Moorlock's move to destroy the world rather than let the Insane One control it. The SOA and
the Blood and Fire suspended their individual charters, merging to form the Serkeanar - a religious
military organization that would accept contracts that furthered the works of its church as well
as provide income.
Only recently have both the SOA and the Blood and Fire reactivated their individual charters and
separated from the Serkeanar. However, the time spent within the religion of healers, those that
sought to help the poor and equalize everyone, has caused a dramatic shift in the ideals of the
Society. Under the leadership of Kerin the Black, the Society announced that it was again operating
in its own right, but also that it had abandoned the earlier questionable ethics. In their place stood
the following tenants:
• A focus on making money through overt military operations and combat, rather than executing
'covert' operations;
• A resolve not to become the military of any one faction. The SOA would work for any Midgardian
faction, but remain independent of them,
• To fly the battle flags of their employer so everyone could clearly see that the SOA clan was
under contract, and who the contract was for, rather than cause deception or confusion by flying
the flags of another or none at all;
• To fight to the best of their ability for all employers, but never allow themselves to be used
as 'siege-fodder';
• To never release to any other faction any sensitive information received from an employer,
provided the employer upheld his or her obligations under the contract;
• To treat both the employer and opponent(s) fairly, Although today's enemy may be next month's
employer, this month's employer already had a signed contract,
• An undertaking that no clan or attached regiments would perform military actions against
a current or just recent employer for three cycles after a contract has concluded normally.
Today the SOA still retains certain characteristics of the original Society:
1) Its Clans still pick and choose assignments as they please,
2) The Society still refuses to work for any ‘Off-continent’ or ‘Invader’ Faction
( examples: Manchuria, Barbaria, Imperial Homeland, Alf-Heim ),
3) A SOA clan will not undertake any action for another faction without a signed
and verified contract and finally,
4) A SOA clan will strive to fulfil a contract to the letter, for its word is its bond.
With the transformation has come an easing of the tensions between the Imperials and
the Society; however, tensions still occasionally flare up between the Society and the
Merc Verk because they are now more similar and so compete for work. The Merc Verk
are also reported to be alarmed and angered by rumors that scattered cells of the SOA
still hold on to the notion that just because a tool is not pretty, this does not mean it
should be thrown out. No reliable evidence proving the existence of such cells has been
produced by the SOA's critics, making it easy for Kerin to brush it all off as mere
Merc Verk propaganda. In turn the SOA accuse the Merc Verk of political bias, citing
the recent Merc Verk campaign against Fanglan as irrefutable proof. It is the SOA's
view that because politics plays a part in deciding what is fair and what is just, then the
core of the Merc Verk's vaunted 'code' will always cause the Merc Verk to be politically
biased, and thus not true mercenaries.
SOA Benfit:
1 The SOA are, in comparison to Midgard Organizations, Highly disciplined
and ordered in combat. They are known for their discipline training.
SOA Hierarchy:
0 Grand Master of the Society of Arms (GM/Computer)
1 Master of the Society of Arms
2 Master of Contracts
3 Master of Weapons
4 Master of the Council
5 First Council Member
6 Second Council Member
7 Third Council Member
8 Fourth Council Member
9 Fifth Council Member
10 Agent for Contract Enforcement
11 General on Call – East
12 General on Call – Center
13 General on Call – West
14 Commander
15 Society Initiate
16 Mercenary First Class
17 Mercenary Second Class
18 Mercenary Third Class
19 Mercenary Fourth Class
20 Mercenary Fifth Class
SOA Goals:
1 To become Midgards’ primary mercenary faction
2 To remain neutral in the politics of Midgard
3 Increase the number of clans belonging to the SOA
4 Protect all SOA holdings and property
5 The establishment of at least one SOA Guild Hall
in all major Midgard cities
SOA Skills:
CMD-Command
STR - Strategy
TAC - Tactics
SOA Factional Office:
The SOA Office allows clans to train their clan retainers, but there were talks to redesign the office to offer a 2nd benefit to a city of a increase in the number of weapons on a cities market by +1% per office.
Ever dance with the Dark Man, by the pale moon light? If you do risk it, it will be the last time you ever will.