In order to make best possible use of the Rogue Dragons, the party can be hired into the company. Their employment will provide an opportunity for them to interact with all the above NPCs in-depth and become involved in adventures the GM wishes to introduce.

Employment in the Rogue Dragons should be made to look enticing to the party; they should make the decision to join on their own. Maybe the PCs are really poor and need the money. Maybe they're on the run and need to hide within a group no one wilt suspect. Maybe the Dragons have a great reputation and the PCs want to share their glory. Or perhaps the party requires a large fighting force for some long-range goal and joins the Dragons in the hope of eventually maneuvering the company into working for them.

The party should be hired as a group. If they are large enough, they will form their own squad, with their most experienced fighter named Squad Leader. If the party is exceptionally large (8 or more members), they will be form their own two-squad platoon. A Sergeant will be chosen from the company's regular ranks (Laran is a good candidate) unless one of the PCs distinguishes himself as a leader in some way.

The GM might want to start a whole new campaign with the Rogue Dragons as a focus. In this case, the party members won't know each other until they're recruited and assigned to the same squad/platoon.

A standard one-year contract for the company, which all recruits must sign or make their mark on, reads as follows:

• The recruit will do his best at all times to uphold the regulations, duties, and honor of the Rogue Dragons.
• The recruit will follow all orders of his designated superiors in the company with haste, precision and to the best of his ability. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action, including the withholding of pay, corporal punishment, dismissal, and in extreme cases, summary execution.
• All members of the Rogue Dragons are expected to be loyal to one another and support one another whenever possible.
• All new recruits will be given one (1) share of the company's profits, payable monthly in peace time and infrequently during times of war. Recruits who display exceptional courage or initiative are entitled to bonuses ranging from one-half share to five shares for that pay period, dependent upon merit and the company's financial status.
• All advancement and promotions will be handled by the senior officers, dependent upon seniority, expertise, merit, and available openings.
• All recruits will be issued the equipment needed to maintain as comfortable a living as possible given the company's modest needs. They will also be provided the weapons and armor needed to ensure success on the battlefield. These provisions are owned by the company and must be returned upon mustering out. The recruit may supplement or replace these provisions with his own property if he wishes.
• Each squad is responsible for acquiring their own food. However, all members of the company are encouraged to share provisions whenever practical, and during times of war rationing may be imposed.
• Any recruits who have complaints should consult their immediate superiors, who will bring the matter to the attention of the senior officers.

Adventuring with the Rogue Dragons

Employing the PCs in the Rogue Dragons gives the GM a ready-made catalyst for adventures. They could be ordered to secure a small town, which may later turn out to be an entrance into an ancient labyrinth. While out foraging for food, they may stumble into mysterious forest creatures or a scouting force from an unfriendly army. Fleeing from a battlefield rout, they may take refuge in a long-forgotten and haunted castle.

A number of other adventures that can involve the Rogue Dragons are outlined below:

Initial Training: Once they've been hired, the PCs will enter a four-week period of intense training conducted by their assigned Sergeant. The PCs may be hotshot fighters on their own, but in this company they're going to have to learn to be part of a larger team. They will spend their days in grueling marching and training drills, while at night they'll receive baiting and hazing from the older recruits.

Battles: The Dragons, being mercenaries and hence considered more expendable by some commanders, will often see front-line action. As battles could last from dawn to dusk ' these adventures will often consist of nothing more than PCs fighting one opponent after another, which can get te I*OUs after the first dozen or so combats. The GM may want to condense the actual fights into a few die rolls and concentrate on the more dramatic elements of each conflict, such as pre-battle anxieties of the troops, on-the-fly strategy sessions, duels with major enemies, and mourning for the dead afterward.

As an alternative, the GM can give responsible players tactical control over the side the Dragons work for, letting them control all its troop movements, attacks, retreats, and so on. It can simply be assumed that whatever the players think is logical is the strategy the friendly commanders will follow. This way, they can be involved in all aspects of the battle.

Raid: The company is assigned to raid enemy supplies lines. The PCs and several other squads will attack enemy caravans and supply depots.

Troop Training: The PCs are expected to help the company train the conscripts of a regular army. They should be assigned a particularly rambunctious group.

Siege: The PCs and at least part of the company are trapped within a city as it is surrounded and besieged. The PCs must hold out until winter, when the siege will break, or find some way to escape past enemy lines. If they remain in the city, they will have to deal with dwindling supplies, an unruly populace, scheming and desperate politicians, and possibly disease and starvation. The opposing army has made it a hobby of crucifying anyone who is caught trying to escape as an example to those inside.

Counter Insurgency: The company is asked to quell a nearby rebellious town. The locals may lock down their town or build a make-shift palisade around it, resulting in a minisiege.

Or they may pretend everything is resolved and welcome the PCs with open arms and gifts of fealty (gold, favorite daughters, or perhaps even the accused "rebels" - who will of course deny everything), only to bide their time until they can catch the party off-guard.

Garrison: Some commanders don't trust mercenaries with something as vital as combat on the front- line, and will relegate the Dragons to the guarding of a distant depot or stronghold, where they can do the least harm. The one thing no one realizes is that the depot is the target of a surprise enemy attack, scheduled the day after the PCs arrive.

Scouting: The PCs' squad is to sneak behind enemy lines and report back on the troops and emplacements they find there.

Curse Conundrums: Condar finds a lead that may provide a solution for his curse, and brings the PCs along to help him investigate. The lead may be anything from a wizard in a heavily-guarded tower to a an ancient, half-buried tomb overrun with undead. It will ultimately lead nowhere for him, but the party may find some treasure for their trouble.

Mutiny: Ontas may be bribed by the opposing side in an ongoing conflict, and instigates a carefully-planned overthrow of the company's current command structure. What side the PCs take will be up to them. Some of them may even choose not to side with their compatriots.

Betrayal: The PCs are sent to join the Dragons by the Dalani, who want them to lead the mercenaries into a trap. Perhaps the PCs are even Darlani patriots, or owe favors to their government. Regardless, they will have to reconcile any emotional attachment they may gain with the company before handing them over, if they do at all.

As the Dungeon Turns: Any of the above NPC histories or subplots can be integrated into an existing mercenary campaign, resulting in all manner of personal and interpersonal conflict. Were a GM to include all of them, the potential for comedic context, not to mention sheer confusion, is staggering. just imagine a dungeon-hack with Ruckus, Condar, or Callan leading the soldiers...

Rogue Dragons Mercenary Team for Your Fantasy Campaign

Introduction
Rhiannon Winterdawn, Condar, and Ruckus Skullbasher
Callan, Illusia Willowmist, and Aurella
Ghalon, Thallin, and Aegim Cresst
Chaplain Roric
Ontas
Other Members
Hiring the PCs