The Red Company
The Last of the Free Companies of Qaibar.
The Red Company was formed in the city of Qaibar in the province of Zab which is known presently as the Bleaklands, when the land was marked by the boarders of the Elven Empires of Sandardir and Aer Arnad many hundreds of years ago. The company was first made up of a mixture of Elvesand Humans. They quickly grew in numbers and reputation due to their brutality in combat and their fanatical use of strategy as devotion to their favored god, The Red Knight. When the Company was turned against the Sanardir empire, the Elves in the company forsook their vows in a violent mutiny, attempting to assassinate the leadership of the group. The commanders anticipated such an action, commanding an effective defense and slaughtering the traitorous dissidents. This violent response earned the Red Company fame among humans and they were hired to keep pressure on smaller Sanardir forces. The main Human armies crushed the Sanardir and established the Ssianid Empire in its place. Their reputation of intolerance against Elves continued, and never again did they allow an Elf to join the Company.
When the Ssianid Empire was established, their services were requested to oppose the armies of Aer Arnad most often, proving themselves successful regularly over the following centuries.
During the recent War of the Mage Kings, the Company was again employed by the Ssianid Empire. Disaster struck their home of Quibar while the Company was standing by for deployment orders in Daedina. The city which was a central hub and home to countless Mercenary Companies was destroyed by Dragons along with the rest of the region, burned to cinders and glass, in time gaining the name of the Bleakland. The Commander of the Company chose to travel the most direct route west and home, straight through northern Bethar Garmak. This was a land filled with demons and the undead under sovereignty of a necromancer. The trek was fraught with peril, their losses were great and many of their greatest soldiers and commanders perished to the undead enemies.
Qaibar had been turned into dust. When the Company ventured through their homeland they saw nothing but ruins and rubble. They were the last of the free Companies. What few survivors they came across were little more than bandits. From among their ranks a new Commander gained power and led them west through Aer Arnad. Word of their presence spread and the Company received a new contract from a secretive employer, a contract they maintain to this day. When they came to the Ingbahl at the southern border of Aer Arnad they built fortifications among the natural defenses and began to recruit humans from the surrounding area. There they heard rumors of Elves threatening the Human Kingdom of Nuumalon and the Commander dispatched group of his officers to those lands to assess the situation.
Even the Gods have their own God, called Ao, or the Overgod. He sets himself apart from the others, and is said to be independent of the universe itself. Although he now has a small following of worshipers, he grants no spells, and does not listen to prayers. Despite this "Hands-Off" attitude, Ao wields great influence over Orben, and can strip gods of their powers, or ascend mortals to god-status, and if and when a new race emerges in Orben, it is Ao who assigns their patron deity. What happens in Orben and what the other deities do is of no concern to Ao, as long as the deities uphold their individual portfolios and do not completely ignore their worshipers
Portfolios of the Gods
Each god is assigned to a "Portfolio"—a range of powers and influences Ao has tasked them with controlling and asserting dominion over. Some of these may be literal and tangible, like being a god of "Light" or the "God of the Elves," while other portfolios may be much more abstract, like the gods of "Love," or "Hatred." Some gods may even be jealous of another god's portfolio and attempt to slowly subsume it into their own over time, although Ao will usually intervene before they can succeed.
As may be expected, gods of opposing portfolios (like "Light" and "Darkness") tend to send their followers to apprehend or even entirely slaughter the followers of the other. Denizens of Orben are usually too practical to carry these religious feuds very far or beyond reason, as they have their own, more mundane, conflicts to worry about. However, every now and again a religious war or crusade may be triggered by some obscure event, and the gods, whose positions are almost always assured to remain, are content to gamble with the fates of their followers.
Still, from time to time a god may fall or die—usually to another god, or by invoking the displeasure of Ao. When this happens, they are always replaced, their portfolio is assumed by another, and the work continues without them. Some lesser deities and even mortals may exploit this possibility in the pursuit of their own ascension.
Demigods
Within the purview of each major god's "main" portfolio, innumerable lesser gods rule more specific or obscure tenets of a particular faith (for example, demigods serving Tempus, the God of War, might govern tactics or destruction). While people with more specific needs often seek out shrines to these gods, every demigod and worshiper knows that true divine power comes from the portfolio, and not from any demigod's own powers.
