The Rangers of Olaran

Overview
The Rangers of Olaran are one of the playable factions at Weekend Warrior Experience. A motlely group of the finest hunters, trackers, and scouts in Olaran, the Rangers are inspired by medieval foresters and influenced by many fantasy literature sources. Lead by Commander Arquus and Commander Rook Calloway, they fight for the good of the people above all else and often find themselves at odds with the more grandiose ideals of other factions. Versatile and cunning, you can always trust a ranger to survive most encounters, though perhaps not trust them to stick to the plan.

Before the Unification (From 732 BYL to 3 BYL)
In the earliest stages of the regions that would become Olaran, a necessity for hunters, woodsmen, and warriors trained in the art of the forest were needed by many of the warring regions. These individuals were, in many ways, the first rangers. They were, of course, unorganized and with limited resources as the war torn lands known as The Nine Regions had little to offer to any of its inhabitants. These early rangers often would hire themselves out for food and supplies, learning and mapping many of the secret paths and hidden caverns that dotted the landscape. With a handful of these fighters it was said an army could move virtually unseen through the toughest of terrain. Alirion, a young man at the time, saw the value in these artisans of the forest and they were among the first conscripts into what would become The Warriors of Light.

The First Campaign of Alirion (3 BYL to 0 YL)
Alirion the Unifier was born to an unknown war chief in the most central region of all the Nine, known then as Ka'Ramar. Orphaned at a young age he was taken under the care of a kindly group of priests who were followers of Luminos, the Lord of Light. He grew into a strong and pious warrior who had a vision of a great kingdom united under one banner. When he was barely twenty years of age he wrested control of Ka'Ramar from it's frivolous ruler in a daring assault on the island fortress that sat on at the meeting of the Coldfell and Keldaran rivers. This success against all odds was in part due to the assistance of a group of rangers who utilized stealth to infiltrate the fortress and open the gates for the rest of their troops into the gates. Alirion decided to raze the fortress as an example to the other regions of his abilities and moved his troops to a minor city on the Keldaran Plain across the river which was named Olaran. From there his influence spread across what would become the Capital Region, and the ranks of his army were swollen by those seeking to join the legendary leader's army.

For the next three years Alirion worked to bring seven more of the surrounding regions into his budding kingdom by mostly peaceful means. The war torn lands were eager for peace and they saw the wisdom and strength to come under one banner. During this time the Ranger Corp was officially formed and began to operate in the far reaches of the kingdom, especially along the northern border between the Grimmock Mountains and the Coldfell River which had become known as The Borderlands Region. (TR:SR?)

The Coronation of King Alirion (0 YL - 7 YL)
With the Capital, Borderlands, Lannock, Greyton, Raven, Murnock, the Thornwood and the Highlands regions under his banner, Alirion returned to the now bustling capital city of Olaran for his coronation as the First King of the Great and Everlasting Kingdom of Olaran and to be wed to the Laeritia of Lannock, a childhood friend and might warrior. His decision to name the country after his first victory raised a few eyebrows but none would say a word with peace just on the horizon. The majority of the Rangers, however, were not present during their new monarchs crowning as they chose to remain on duty at the borders while the majority of the army went to the capital.

For the first years after the Unification the Rangers spent much of their time helping locate places to build defenses and fortress in all the regions as, while within their territory there was a peace and prosperity never seen before, there was a continued threat from monsters crossing the Coldfell River from the Barrens. In addition the Vasíleio tis Goltha that bordered the southern tip of the Thornwood and the majority of southern Lannock had interests in the Fire Mountains which were rich with metal and gemstones that the Golthans had little interest in trading for. This latter threat saw the Rangers creating their training grounds in the Thornwood just north of So'l while the great fortress at Bash Tiar was built to house a standing army in case of attack. Much to the surprise of nearly everyone in the kingdom, they had not counted on Throi.

The Second Campaign of Alirion (7 YL - 11 YL)
The people in the region of Throi were an interesting mix of locals as well as a sizable population of raiders who had come west across the Inner Sea to find more habitable lands. The two groups had brokered somewhat of a peace as the trade goods brought in by the raiders ships benefited the region greatly and gave them a large stockpile of resources in the case of an attack. It was not until they headed south along the coast from Thriese to Old Shire then on to Norn. This brazen assault on his people infuriated the King, and his first order was to send Rangers to investigate both the attacks on their cities and to search for weaknesses in the Throian defenses. Unfortunately, while many succeeded in their mission to gather intelligence on this new threat, several groups of Rangers were caught and motivated to express their intentions there. At least one Ranger gave up the details of his mission, much to the dismay of both the Ranger leadership and King Alirion himself. The now forewarned and well prepared people of Throi took to their ships and a four year war began between the two kingdoms.

The Rangers did more than their fair share of the heavy fighting in the Grimmock Mountains, driven by the betrayal of one of their own. However while the armies of Olaran were strong, they had no navy to even compete with what the craftsman from the west had come up with, let alone defeat them. It was a bloody and hard fought war on both sides, which was only resolved by a stroke of brilliance and luck that had the entire Throian fleet held in the start of the Coldfell River. Admitting defeat, the brave sailors came to the treaty table and were offered a place as the ninth and final region of Olaran as well as a specialized contract with the Crown as privateers in any of the waters they took too. The deal was more favorable to the victor of course, with heavy taxes and reparations being placed on the new region. This was also when the First Earl of Throi was given his noble title as well as the title of Sea Lord.

The Rangers at the time held a deep seeded grudge against the newly christened Sea Lords as many of the casualties of the conflict had been from their ranks as scouts and spies. Eventually this grudge would fade over time, but the scars remain and many of the records kept by the Rangers at their base somewhere in the Thornwood reflect an enmity towards the "salt folk".

A Shadow Rising (27 YL)
As Adrasil the human population in Olaran began to increase, the other races began to dwindle. At the time of King Alirion's reign the Elves and Shadow Elves were all but extinct. Half-breeds of humans and elves were occasional, but usually mistrusted and the orcs had been either pushed deep into the Grimmock Mountains or forced north into The Barrens where survival was all but impossible over time.

The self titled 'Shadow Prince' Korlan made a stunning return after nearly 2,000 years in hiding. Hoping to release his father, Lord Dagran Magan, from his imprisonment with the relic known as the Etcher of Souls, Korlan collected the last living shadow elves in a desperate attempt to collect stones infused with shadow blood. As he wished not to spill the blood of his people he sent out his allies, the Orcs of the Barrens to retrieve Half-Breeds, whose lineage provided the loophole the Prince needed to free his father and save his race from extinction.

King Alirion had heard rumors of this Shadow Prince and, despite his skeptical of any actual threat, set the Rangers the task of reinforcing the Borderlands and capturing Half-Breeds as a precaution to protect his kingdom. One such group of Rangers, led by Lt. Brander "Wolf" Noke, assisted by the half-breed Soren and a contingent of wood elves, were able to repel an orc incursion into the Borderlands and rescue a half-breed child and much cost. Their actions were recorded by historians of the time as a turning of the tide in the short but bloody guerilla war that was beginning to seep into the rest of the kingdom.

It is unknown what happened to Korlan, the Etcher of Souls, or if the rumor that a sword forged to defeat the Shadow Prince proved true. What is known is that sightings of the non-human races began to become a rarity, and the Rangers played a significant role in expediting their demise.

The Death of King Alirion (62 YL)
After a long and prosperous reign, the unifier of Olaran passed away of old age to be succeeded by his first born daughter Laeritia. Unlike her father, who favored peaceful resolutions to conflicts, the new Queen almost immediately began a bloody war with the Arkadians, the kingdom's eastern neighbor. Her reign was short as she was killed in battle having been on the throne for merely seven years.

The Rangers were, of course, loyal to the Crown and its bearer, but many saw the war with Arkadia as futile and without point. Shortly after the Queen's death, a contingent of Rangers brokered a peace treaty with their enemies that would stand for a thousand years to come. Their tact and cunning led them to become the first Council of the Forest, which would evolve into the ruling body of the faction that only the finest warriors were selected to be part of.

The War with Goltha (1108 YL - 1112 YL)
The Vasíleio tis Goltha had long been eager to expand their borders northwards and, in the early spring of 1108 YL, they invaded the region of Lannock. This conflict lasted for four years and the Rangers played an essential role in filling the gaps that the main army were incapable of defending. The then Sg. Rook Calloway was awarded a Captaincy during this time for a daring infiltration of the northern Golthan frontier to rescue a dozen captives and learn of the enemies battle plan. Another Ranger, Arquus, gained notoriety for his deadly aim in battle and was rumored as the finest "Far Eye" in the Rangers. He too received a promotion and became a Captain in his own right.

The Rangers were present in force at the last and bloodiest battle of the war in and around the Mines of Murnock. Many lost their lives defending their country, and veterans of this conflict rarely discuss the events of those few days.

Sigil
The Gray Fox Head

Details
Hunters, trackers, and scouts, specialized in woodland survival and tactics. They specialize in archery, but have great of flexibility in combat. Based on medieval foresters, wardens and scout archers, rangers run light and fast; their goal is to defeat the enemy before the foe even knows they are there. They often carry bows and rely heavily on archery in a pitched battle.

Ranks
The average ranger is initiated into the faction between the age of twelve and fourteen. They are required to apprentice to several veteran Rangers whose expertise differ in order to receive the most well rounded training possible. They are thoroughly tested before being put out into the wild, usually around the age of sixteen but some apprentice longer. When they receive their "Commission from the Crown", they will be assigned to one of the regions and are ranked as seen below:

Players may choose how long they have been in service and select any of the ENLISTED job titles. OFFICERS are NPCs only, or returning players promoted by the commander. Job titles are generally for in-game roleplay purposes only.

Enlisted Job Titles:

 * Infantry (non-archer)
 * Skirmisher
 * Archer
 * Healer (non-combatant)
 * Medic (combatant with medic training)
 * Scout (light infantry/archer)
 * Tracker (light infantry/archer with tracking skills)
 * Forager (light infantry who helps hunt and forage for the squads)
 * Scribe

Officers:

 * Lt. - Lieutenant (officer who aids the captains)
 * Capt. - Captain (in charge of operations under the Commander)
 * Com. - Commander (the current faction leader)

The Ranger Oath
I swear to defend this land from all enemies near and far,

I promise to bear truth and allegiance to the people of Olaran,

That I will uphold the creeds of the kingdom and the lay of the land,

I promise to listen and obey, without question those appointed as my mentors,

I will give my life to the defense of the kingdom, the land, the people and my fellow rangers,

And I will discharge these duties with all that I am and have until my last breath.

The Ranger Creed
We are the eyes in the woods,

The protectors of the realm.

We are the heralds of danger,

The beacons of hope to those in need,

Violence prowls the land,

And hard warriors must meet it.

We are the hunters...

We are the defenders...

Never will we fail,

Never will we give in.

The first to stand,

And, if needs be, the first to die.

We are the guardians.

We are the arrows of the Crown and all it is meant to protect.

The Body that fights its enemies,

The Mind that guards its border,

The Soul that endures in this life and the next.

We are the Rangers.

Equipment
Their colors are subdued olive and dark greens, tan, browns, grays. If they wear armor, they wear chainmail, brown/tan leather armor and brown leather studded/steel reinforced armor. They often wear the standard issue helmets of the warriors of Olaran, however they have been known to wear sallet and nasal helms.