Alright. Also, it's not too late to join up!
There are six Figure Heads that exist in Estalia. Your Faction can only contact 3 per turn. Even contacting one can have an effect on the others. Here are the six Figure Heads:
High Inquisitor de Hojeda, Head of the Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, known simply as the Inquisition, was established centuries ago to maintain Myrmidian Orthodoxy in Estalia after worship of Myrmidia began to spread into the Empire. Myrmidea is venerated in Estalia and Tilea as the Goddess of War, and is depicted in orthodox Estalian religion as a warrior maiden of singular power. She can take the form of an Eagle, and her symbols are the spear, the shield, and the sun. The latter has been taken as the insignia of the Knights of the Blazing Sun, an order of templars formed after the Arabian invasion of Estalia in 1488. It was these Knights who spread the worship of Myrmidia to the Empire, but the hard line traditional elements of Inquisition view the Empire as a soft and heretical culture, misguidedly dominated by the worship of Sigmar and Ulric.
Interestingly the Inquisition is jointly funded by the state, a curious circumstance indeed as the Inquisition is allowed to operate as a separate entity, governed by its own rules and its own laws. The Temple of the Inquisition is considered to be holy soil, completely outside the jurisdiction of Estalia. Various motives have been put forward to explain the state's decision, from increasing political authority to weakening their opposition, from profiting from the confiscation of the property of convicted heretics to protecting Estalia from the danger of a fifth column. One thing is known, however. The Inquisition is fanatical in its enforcement of Myrmidian orthodoxy, and wields considerable financial and political power. While its goal is ostensibly the stability and prosperity of the state, it maintains that the only way to achieve this is through the traditional values of Myrmidean orthodoxy that have served Estalia so well in the past. As a result, the Inquisition and the Government of Estalia do not always see eyes to eye. However, despite the leverage provided by the gold the state pours into the Inquisition, it is the Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición that many believe to be the true power in Estalia. It is a delicate game they play, a political dance of the highest quality, for never can they be seen to openly exert their will upon Estalia, asr governance is outside their remit. But their ability to manoeuvre Politicians and Military figures like pieces on a board is one of the worst kept secrets of Estalian Politics. Those considered to be a danger to the Inquisition's goals or stability are dealt with ruthlessly and immediately. Stories of bottomless dungeons under the Temple of the Inquisition persist, even to this day.
The Inquisition is currently under the direction of High Inquisitor de Hojeda, a stern ma in his late fifties with dark hair and an imposing, angular face. A radical traditionalist, he is fundamentally committed to a pure and devout Estalia. No one knows the extent of his reach or influence, but he is known as el araña, the Spider, and he does little to check the rumours of his Political brilliance. His ability to emerge unscathed from a political tussel is legendary, and under his guidance the Inquisition has vastly expanded its power base. His brilliance is tempered by ruthlessness, for he will not hesitate to make the first move, should he detect events beginning to move against him. He has friends and favours owed throughout Estalia, and has carefully groomed many fanatical Myrmidians over the years, using his influence to see them installed in positions of power throughout the state. If de Hojeda has a weakness it is perhaps his arrogance, and his belief that Estalia is capable of standing alone against the storm that approaches. Fiercely proud, he would see the salvation of his country at the hands of outsiders, pagans, as a shameful failure. While he would have no hesitations about using someone to achieve his goals, he is at heart an honest and loyal man. However, his loyalty to his god and his office transcends any earthly concerns, as many have discovered to their cost.
GM's Note: de Hojeda is a dangerous enemy, and an even more dangerous ally. It will not be easy to win his trust, and even more difficult to persuade him to accept your help. Those that seek to do so should be aware that he is a deeply polarizing figure within Estalia. Adored by most, but despised by some, any who take the side of the Inquisition will instantly gain powerful new friends, and new enemies as well, possibly in unexpected places.
Capitán de Livio of the Army of Magritta There has always been tension in Estalia, animosity veiled behind civility covering up years of antagonistic bickering between the three great city states. Estalia is not quite as united as it would appear to outsiders, and certainly not as united as it would like its enemies to believe. Magritta, Bilbali, and Muros vie with one other for wealth, power, and influence, at times Militarily, but usually Politically. Should one state gain the upper hand the other two have traditionally band together to reign them in. So it has always been and balance, of a sort, is maintained. But with the arrival of foreign armies on Estalian soil, the tactics of the past are suddenly called into question, and three ancient adversaries are now faced with a difficult choice. Do they join together against a common foe, or do they rather risk all in an attempt to wrest supremacy for themselves, once and for all?
Generalissimo del Toro was born to a poor family in a fishing village that overlooks the tranquil waters of the Bay of Quietude. Gripped by a quixotic wanderlust, he enlisted in the military at a young age to see the world. Decorated for valour with the Order of Myrmidia an unprecedented three times, del Toro was finally promoted to Capitán and a swift ascent through the ranks followed as he proved his ability time and time again under pressure. His strategic mind was outstanding, and he possessed an intuitive grasp of warfare and tactics. Despite his complete disinterest in the political machinations of the Military, he soon found himself commanding Magritta's famous cavalry division.
del Toro is a charismatic man, easy to like and easy to follow, inspiring a stoic loyalty in his men to whom his dedication is unwavering. He famously refused to carry out an assault on the sea Fortress of Vern Navien. His words are reputed to have been. 'Tell that idiota Lord General to come down here and use his eyes instead of cowering behind a hill pouring over week old intelligence like a scullery maid. If he does so he will see that we cannot take the fortress with the men we have, and thus I will not make the attempt. If he disagrees, he may accept my sword any my retirement from me, in person.' The Lord General never appeared.
In his sixtieth year del Toro's health began to fail. For the first time in his career he began to command from behind the lines, using messengers to relay his orders. He was bed bound, confined to a tent, cared for by a young Officer in the Estalian Cavalry named Alessa de Livio, rumoured to be his Mistress. Despite del Toro's declining health, under his command Magritta made a series of audacious and brilliant attacks, making substantial gains to the North. While they displayed none of del Toro's considered patience, no one outside of his command guessed the truth. That the old man was far sicker than he had been letting on, and that de Livio, not his Mistress but his protégée, had been issuing orders in his place. del Toro died, quietly and in his sleep, on his sixty fifth birthday. He left behind him few possessions and instructions to distribute what little wealth he had accumulated amongst his men. His last action was a letter, in a spidery hand, to Estalian High Command, requesting that Alessa de Livio be promoted to the rank of Capitán and given command of his army, citing the last five years of victories as justification. The army agreed, eager to placate del Toro's fanatically loyal Regiments, and fully expecting de Livio to fail, allowing them to replace her, without fuss, with someone more easily influenced. However, war came sooner and swifter than anyone could have predicted, and now the army of Magritta lies in the hands of a brilliant but largely untested Commander. It remains to be seen how she will react to the events that will follow.
GM's Note: Alessa de Livio commands the total loyalty of the army of Magritta. She is patriotic to a fault, but like del Toro, her first thought is for those under her command. She has been well schooled by her mentor, but possesses none of his defensive tendencies. She is audacious and bold, swift to attack, and her plans are noted for their elegance, sound tactical understanding, and breathtaking aggression. She is loyal to those who prove worthy of her trust, but those looking to gain her support should be aware that she has enemies within Estalia, chiefly Capitán de Toledo of Bilbali, a staunch traditionalist who finds the very idea of a woman in command of men abhorrent.
Capitán de Toledo of the Army of Bilbali Bilbali is far more traditional than its southern counterpart Magritta. Where the cosmopolitan Magritta sees a copious influx of trade and travellers from Araby, Tilea, the Border Princes, and beyond, Bilbali is largely isolated, trading mainly with Bretonnia. It's people are quiet and thoughtful, slow to speak and slower still to change their minds once made up. They are proud and independent and put great stock in ones social standing. The exact positioning of the Noble families is of great interest to even the most lowly citizen of Bilbali, and the ordering shifts constantly. Engagements are generally protracted affairs, often called off or cancelled when a better offer is negotiated. Women are the architects of this maze of marital entanglement, while the men are left to war and trade. A male son is the highest gift a wife can give her husband, for it ensures the continuation of his line, and offers the chance of improvement for the family's position through marriage.
Alfonso de Toledo was born to a highly ranked noble family in Bilbali's southern district. A heavyset boy, he was a scrapper from an early age, and while studying Warfare and Military tactics at University garnered quite a reputation as a pugilist of no small renown. His father, famed Politician and Ambassador Ricardo de Toledo, secured his son a commission in Bilbali's Navy, commanding a Frigate, the good ship You First. De Toledo was a capable, if not outstanding, seaman, but his family was connected and he rose swiftly through the ranks. Possessing the easy social grace that comes with a good upbringing he served with distinction for twenty years, making the contacts necessary to rise to the position of Contralmirante, or Rear Admiral.
History will likely remember de Toledo for his ruthless approach to command, but it was not always so. As a young man de Toledo was kind and charitable, famous for his rousing speeches and his dashing moustache. But the death of his wife during childbirth destroyed that man, and what remains is a shell of the vibrant young officer who captured the Vissitude near single handed. After the death of his beloved Isabellea, de Toledo's temper emerged, stormy and wild. He grew more and more reckless, defying the odds time and time again as if daring death to take him. Yet he did not die. Luck seemed to be on his side and a succession of miraculous escapes and impossible victories started the rumour... de Toledo was blessed. In a well publicised battle, de Toledo took a pistol shot to the chest, only to see it halted, inches from his heart, by his family necklace. The stories grew more and more implausible. de Toledo had driven off a force five times larger than his own. de Toleo had been washed overboard and swum fifty miles to shore through shark infested waters. de Toledo had been run through with a sword and simply laughed. de Toldo had healed a baby dying of the Plague. The truth of the stories hardly seemed to matter, de Toledo had become a talismanic encapsulation of the spirit of Bilbali, and the people loved him for it. They flock to his house, knowing full well that they have no chance of seeing the great man, content simply to touch the walls of his abode. Yet there are rumours, whispered cautiously, that the Inquisition has taken an interest in the so called miracles of de Toledo and have begun to investigate.
When it became apparent that war was inevitable, de Toledo lobbied to be given supreme command of Bilbali's armed forces, and, aided by his growing legend, the request was granted. He is adored in Bilbali, and his recent dramatic escapades have made him a celebrity. However, his status as an icon of the people has done nothing to dampen his staunchly traditional views. de Toledo regards the promotion of Capitán de Livio to command of Magritta's forces to be feckless and irresponsible, and has lobbied to have her removed for the good of Estalia. Further, he considers the very idea of a woman commanding men to be an absurdity. In his mind women should concern themselves with the marriage of their offspring, not with the art of war. As foreign armies gather around Estalia, de Toledo has assembled a council of war. It remains to be seen whether he will use his status and allies to rally Muros and Magritta against their common enemies, or if his hatred of de Livio and her progressive values will force him to stand alone.
GM's Note: Capitán de Toledo is an old fashioned man. He demands absolute loyalty from those under his command and puts great stock in Military discipline. He is deeply committed to upholding the traditional values of Estalian society, and many in the region have taken the miracles that surround him to be a sign of the validity of his views. He is a solid, if not spectacular, tactician, and is deeply read in the art of war. Lacking the raw flair of de Livio, his strategies are successful, but have been accused by of cynicism in execution, and are usually characterised by a simple and solid defensive structure designed to tip the odds in his favour. Those looking to win his support will gain instant standing within Estalia, but should be aware that they will incur the wrath of Magritta and possibly others as well.
Generalissimo Grugluk Skulltaka, the Poco CapitánThere is a long and storied tradition of Ogres in the lower ranks of the Estalian Military. Due to its close relations with Tilea, Estalia often employed Mercenary Ogres for dangerous linebreaking duties during prolonged conflicts, willing to pay the exorbitant rates demanded by their greedy neighbours for the privilege. At the famous siege of Fort Tobaro, immortalized in Rafael Benito's justly celebrated Song of the Morning, it was a group of Ogre Maneaters, half starved from the long march from Tilea, that finally breached the heavy defences of the coastal Fort and ended the Five Week Uprising. Similar stories can be found by anyone willing to dig but a little under the surface of the pages of Estalian history.
Brutally strong and lacking the intelligence to be easily scared, as long as they are fed Ogres make outstanding shock troops. It was General de Silva of Bilbali who established a permanent place in the Estalian Military for the hulking creatures, eager to avoid the high costs incurred by bringing them in as Mercenaries from Tilea whenever they were required.
Grugluk Skulltaka was the de-facto leader of forty Ogres operating in the Mountains north of Bilbali. Nicknamed the Widowmakers, Grugluk's unit were famous for their brutal but swashbuckling style. During a small Border dispute almost three years ago, Grugluk was ordered to assault a fortified artillery emplacement to soften it up for a counter attack by the Estalian heavy Infantry. The promised support never came, and Grugluk's unit was all but destroyed. Grugluk survived despite a cannonball to the gut, and filled with rage at the betrayal of his superiors, deserted, taking the few survivors of los Neuentes with him.
For months rumours reached Military High Command of a band of deserters cutting a swathe through the mountains, but nothing was ever confirmed. Finally, Grugluk surfaced in a small Monastary town South of Serpicio, slaughtering the Bandit force that had been encamped there , before setting their broken, headless bodies on wooden stakes lining the small track that winds past the Monastary into the Mountains. He is currently holed up in a small logging town near Zaraguz with a ragtag band of deserters, cut-throats, and mercenaries called the Skulltakerz. That he simply gave his private army his own names speaks to his lack of imagination, but no one can question his ruthlessness. Grugluk is rumoured to have torn out his own eye when it showed him something he did not approve of. He rules his army with an iron fist, but is willing to share the plunder with those who fight to acquire it.
Grugluk wears a huge military greatcoat, constructed from the remains of the wardrobe of an Estalian General who had the misfortune of stumbling across the Skulltakerz on his way to Bilbali. After this victory, Grugluk declared himself Generalissimo, and hammered crude, home-made epaulettes directly into his shoulders to hold the tatty garment in place. He also took to hanging numerous pieces of shiny metal from his chest, polished scraps and objects which he refers to as his 'medals'.
These actions were quickly twisted by the Estalian Military, who, in a series of brilliant propoganda posters designed to prevent further desertion, began to refer to Grugluk as the Poco Capitán, or the Little General. Their barbs had the desired effect, driving Grugluk into a fury, but contrary to popular opinion which labels Grugluk a Mercenary in love only with blood and gold, the Poco Capitán loves his adopted country dearly. His rage is reserved entirely for the Military who, in his eye, cruelly and cynically used and discarded him and his Ogres on the altar of victory.
As news of the coming storm spreads throughout Estalia, each night more and more dissatisfied or terrified soldiers slip out of their barracks and fortresses under cover of dark, fleeing for their lives. Many of these men end up with Grugluk, eager for a chance at power or survival that they were unlikely to ever achieve legitimately. As his numbers grow Grugluk begins to dream that he might one day gave enough power to punish his betrayers, and call them to task for their crimes.
GM's Note: Grugluk commands a small but powerful Military force, operating independantly to the Estalian Military. An expert in geurilla warfare, Grugluk respects strength and power above all things. Despite the stereotypes and the propoganda, Grugluk is not stupid, for no one slow of mind could have survived as long as he has with half a country searching for him. It would be a foolish person indeed who seeks to use him to further their own goals, as the Estalian Military once did. Contacting Grugluk will be easy. Winning his trust will not.
Lilith the Beggar King Virtually nothing is known about the individual referred to by the Inquisition as the Beggar King. Rumoured to control Estalia's underworld of Thieves, Beggars, Peasants, and Con-Artists, no living soul has ever seen the King with their own eyes, or at least no one is willing to admit as much to the Inquisition. The Beggar King has been an Estalian legend for generations, existing in the shadows of society between the cracks of the vast gulf that separate rich from poor.
Many have argued that the Beggar King is nothing more than a quaint title passed from one generation of down-and-outs to the next, a rallying point for a class abandoned by society, their way of tasting, however briefly, a sense of entitlement and respect which their kind can never attain. Not something, in short, to be feared or even acknowledged by their betters. But the Inquisition believes differently. They are afraid that the Beggar King commands an underworld far more organized and embittered than anyone realizes, an underworld that could one day rise up against them in open rebellion.
It is interesting to observe how the prevailing opinion of the Beggar King changes depending on the observer. To the poor the King is reputed to be a Noble who chooses to live among the poorest and most desperate of them, noble in deed as well as name. The Nobles on the other hand tell a tale of pretension and arrogance, believing that the King was born in the sewers amongst the rats, and chose to rule below rather than suffer above: 'Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven' as a Poet once said. The truth is not known.
The Holy Office of the Inquisition have been trying to identify the Beggar King for close to twenty years, and it was only recently, quite by chance, that they discovered that she was actually a woman. Even so, Lilith Tarmageran remains the Beggar King for the title has permeated every level of Estalian society. She is no crime boss, that much is known. She does not sanction assassinations or hiests, but is seems to be simply a purveyor and distributor of information. It is remarkable what her contacts can discover, for the fallen and the forgotten are often ignored or overlooked by their betters. Getting a message to her should not be too difficult, for those willing to put in the effort, though there is no guarantee she will reply. She chooses her friends with great care, and those who anger the King will likely never hear from her again.
GM's Note: The extent of the influence of the Beggar King is unknown. Her location is similarly a mystery. You will have to use your wits to contact her, and hope that your request is met with a reply.
Vickrammashan of Ind, Spice Trader ExtraordinaireFleeing the savage disputes that threaten perpetually to tear his homeland apart, the Trader Vickrammashan arrived in Estalia almost twenty five years ago with a boat full of spices and a young wife. His family has grown since then, as have his fortunes, and he now controls a large Trading concern, specializing in furniture and fine art. His many sons ably assist him, each one controlling a specific area of business. Many that know him joke that if Vickrammashan cannot get it for you, then one of his sons probably can.
An unusually well connected man, he has an easy way with people and has gained many friends since his arrival. No one can deny that he likes the sound of his own voice, and his stories about far away places, Jungles and Deserts and Mountains draw vast crowds. However, for a man who likes to talk he seldom speaks about his past. His tales revolve around Princes and Dragons and Genies, and when pressed about his background or the events that drove him from his home to seek a new life he simply smiles and taps his nose.
He drives a hard bargain, though unlike many of the unscrupulous traders that come and go like leaves on the wind, Vickrammashan is honest to a fault. Valuing his reputation and his family above anything else, he has clients that range from the poor to the extremely wealthy. To those who know how to ask, Vickrammashan has gained a reputation as a man who knows how to get things.
GM's Note: Vickrammashan will be easy to find, though anyone aiming to contact him should have a firm idea of how much they are willing to pay for his services, for he drives a hard bargain and will not be pawned off cheaply.
