the Brutal

 Boulderhead seeks to expand his mercenary company and make as much coin as possible through war, racketeering, and raiding. 

 Boulderhead shares a strong romantic bond with Madlyn, a member of his mercenary company and whose life he saved nearly ten years ago during the war. 

 Boulderhead is addicted to gambling, and for as much as he rakes in from war and raiding, he may lose in a city’s tavern just nights later.

The War of Wills, as it came to be called, between the nations of Fetheau and Smivania, lasted well over 70 years and forever changed the sociopolitical landscape of the two countries. Due to the war’s length and the attrition suffered by both sides, mercenary companies, especially ones that originated in nearby nations not primarily involved in the conflict, became a feature of the campaign. The most infamous of these companies was and is known as the Company of the Broken Blade, led by a fearsome physical specimen of a man called Boulderhead the Brutal. Boulderhead built a reputation for himself during the War of Wills as not only a skilled fighter, but also as a military commander of great intelligence and tactical savvy, despite his brutish appearance and boorish behavior. Boulderhead and the Broken Blade switched sides no less than three times during the war, fighting both for Fetheau and Smivania for as long as their offer of payment was better than their opponent’s.

After the war ended in a bitter stalemate, many mercenary companies, especially the Broken Blade, found that they did not want to leave their warring way of life behind, and certainly not the profits it brought. So, instead of disbanding, the Broken Blade persisted. But with no great war to fight in, opportunities were limited to smaller and less frequent conflicts. To support the swelled growth of the company that occurred during the War of Wills, the Broken Blade turned to racketeering and raiding when they weren’t off fighting in some neighboring country. If local nobles or governments refused to pay for their “protection,” the Broken Blade would cleave down the countryside, looting and raiding farmsteads and villages to feed their hunger both for food and for bloodshed.

Though Boulderhead maintains a healthy fear of the gods, he is not a particularly religious man. Recently, there has been a growing religious sub-faction within the Broken Blade called the Iron Contingent. The Iron Contingent worships a lesser and obscure deity of war and is helmed by a small group of iniquitous paladins who have sworn oaths to battle, conquer, and build influence. Boulderhead allied with the paladins of the Iron Contingent during the War of Wills — he was happy for their contributions and indifferent to their religious affiliations. The Iron Contingent, for their part, see the Broken Blade as their path to power and Boulderhead as a prime candidate for conversion. They continue to help Boulderhead and the Broken Blade rampage through countries and across the continent.

The Broken Blade has grown to a large enough size that most of its members are not particularly experienced or spectacular fighters. Common 

 make up much of the Broken Blade’s ranks. They join the mercenary company for varied reasons, but usually to leave a boring peasant life behind for the possibility of excitement and wealth. 

 compose the veteran fighters of the Broken Blade’s ranks. Many have been members of the company since the War of Wills. After Boulderhead has taken his piece, the spoils of war or raiding go first to the mercenaries before what remains filters down to the newer and less experienced members of the company. 

Subterfuge is not Boulderhead’s typical style, though he recognizes its occasional importance. Madlyn is a 

 for the Broken Blade, their primary spy and assassin and close confidant to Boulderhead, who saved her life during the War of Wills. Many within the company suspect a romantic connection between Madlyn and Boulderhead, but Boudlerhead fiercely denies this and has been known to kill any he catches discussing the matter for fear of looking weak in love. When nobles or other high-power individuals cross or resist the Broken Blade, the company sends Madlyn after them to set things right. 

, members of the Iron Contingent, travel with the Broken Blade and contribute to the company’s raiding and war efforts. They hold sermons for the other members of the company and are intent on converting as many as they can to their cause. The Broken Blade promises prospective members a chance at wealth and glory, but the Iron Contingent makes their own promises of helping lost souls find a higher purpose in the worship of their god. 

 and the leader of the Iron Contingent. Over time, he has become good friends with Boulderhead, and he plans to gradually leverage this friendship as a means to finally convert Boulderhead to the beliefs of the Iron Contingent. To Ryker, nothing about this is nefarious — he firmly believes that Boulderhead’s love for battle and desire for glory would serve him well in worship. Boulderhead trusts Ryker enough that should Boulderhead fall or otherwise become unable to lead the company, the paladin will be installed as its leader in his place. 

 known as Gerould Keenore, whose family has owned land for centuries, has known Boulderhead since his days as a youth. Gerould has struck a deal with Boulderhead and the Broken Blade, committing to provide the mercenary company with a steady stream of gold in exchange for regular prisoners, captured during the company’s raids, delivered to one of his many of his vast estates. Gerould uses and disposes of these prisoners in vile demonic rituals while he attempts to contact a lord of the Abyss. Boulderhead and the company members don’t know what Gerould uses the prisoners for, but they know better than to ask.

Boulderhead’s strategic prowess in warfare extends to his conduct in personal hand-to-hand combat, but only to a degree. Boulderhead is used to commanding armies against other armies, and is not necessarily a tactical genius against a small party of adventurers. Boulderhead also loves physical confrontation and is always looking for an excuse to fight, which may lead to him biting off more than he can chew without thinking. Boulderhead opens combat with his 

ability to strike fear into the hearts of his opponents. He uses his 

 ability as part of his mace attack as often as possible. He will most often use his first legendary action to attack, and another legendary action to move as necessary for better defensive positioning or to position against a new target, which also allows him to make use of his

 reaction every round. If Boulderhead becomes surrounded, he may use his 

legendary action to create space for himself so that he can use his remaining legendary action to reposition.

The brutal but cunning leader of the Broken Blade mercenary company, Boulderhead will follow the tides of war wherever they are found. He's also eager to create his own tides, if need be. 

Boulderhead

The Brutal