My most memorable campaign has to be this Rolemaster game I started nearly ten years ago. It was the first true epic-scale storyline I had done even though the players did not know this. Even I didn't know it would last this long. Many players took part in this campaign and some very interesting characters came out of it.

Below are the description of these characters. Eventually I will add the character portraits I have done for them.

 The group started with an elite unit from a mercenary army fighting goblinoids in the mountains north of the kingdom of Stenway. All the beginning characters were part of this elite unit called the Mithril Claw, it was part of Lallira's Demons. Lallira was the general and was also related to the King of Stenway.

The unit was composed of these irregulars:

Dolf Mansarek, a Northern Man Warrior. He was a sergeant in the main army but when the Mithril Claw was formed he was transferred to it because his experience would prove invaluable to organize the unit. Dolf is the ultimate combat machine. Most of his training comes from dwarves he stayed with for a few short years. He specializes in fighting orcs and the like. That was why Lallira hired him originally.

Tekianas The Elven Kat, a Half-Elven Thief. Scouting is his specialty. Lallira knew she could count on him to uncover any enemy secrets. His father was human and his mother was a fair elf. They both died violently and he was left to fend for himself a t a rather young age. He relocated to Stenway's capital and there met a human thief who taught him everything he knows. When she died he decided there was nothing in the city for him. He wandered the kingdom until he eventually ended up a member of Lallira's Demons.

Wrralph, a humanoid St-Bernard Ranger. Wrralph's not from around here, he comes from another world altogether. In his clan, he was a scout and protector. One day he came across a strange phenomenon that transported him to Stenway in the middle of Lallira's camp. When it was determined he was not evil or a spy, Lallira decided to hire him. His scouting abilities are second only to his large heart and natural magical abilities.

Elrock Z. Tempest, a humanoid Eagle Warrior-Wage. Elrock, also, is not from around here. In his world, he was the son of a chieftain. When he was born, it was declared that Elrock would become the new chieftain as all first borns would. Only, it was discovered he had the mage's gift. Such gifts are rare in his clan so the clan mages decreed he would be one of them. To assuage both, Elrock decided to study both paths. He combatted many enemies of the Eagle clan like the Vulture clan, and proved that the mix of magic and warrior were very potent. One day he was ambushed by members of the Vulture clan and several of the mages wove spells simultaneously, the spells backfired and immense energy resulted. Elrock found himself in the middle of a large confrontation between humans and goblinoids; he was also without his equipment. Using his claws and beak he killed the closest enemy and took the weapons. The rest is obvious. When combat ended, Lallira was sufficiently impressed she hired Elrock on the spot.

Lady Nimradel Parakensonarmikan, a Fair Elf Astrologer. Lady Nimradel was following in her mother's footsteps and studying to be a member of the highly respected Order of the Sky, an astrologer. One day she felt an irresistible urge to leave and go. Her mother explained that sometimes, fair elves feel this urge, that it is a call from fate. Nimradel packed up her bags and followed the tug at her soul. It led her to human lands through the Isle of Veils, home of the ancient (even to elves) Naloquarod. There she learned that a part of elven history was calling to her. One of the ancient swords of the high elves had claimed her as a bearer. So she kept traveling in the direction she felt she had to go but lost the compulsion when she reached the kingdom of Stenway. Not knowing what to do she wandered the capital. That is when she met Lallira. Both women got along well and Lallira needed the abilities Nimradel possessed so Nimradel hired on as Lallira's information gatherer and chief scrier.

Elorfindar Depercallion, Naloquarod Elf Rune-Master. Elorfindar is the son of the King of the Isle of Veils. But when it came time to decide what to do with his life, he decided not to follow his father to statecraft. He chose a life of magic and studies. Of course this left his father rather cold because he remembered that this same life had left his own brother, Elorfindar's uncle, missing for several hundred years. But Elorfindar prevailed thanks to a great-uncle who decided to teach him the Art. After becoming a full-fledged rune master, Elorfindar began his personal research into the secrets of languages and words. During these studies, he felt a call come to him. It felt familiar. He packed up his things and left home overnight. He had felt the call of one the three elven Rings of Power and he had to find it. He had much difficulty searching for it because the call became weaker.He lost it entirely when he came to Stenway. For lack of a better idea he decided to take a job (his funds were running low) and hired with Lallira as chief mage.

Vashka Calamari, Northern Woman Lay-Healer. Vashka was Dolf's childhood friend but she was from a farming family, not very high in a northern society's hierarchy. Dolf's father forbade him to associate with such unsuitable scum. Vashka was forced to leave home when her father's farm was destroyed in a raid by an enemy clan. Dolf decided to go with her. Together they fled Dolf's father and his warriors. Cold, lost and hungry they ended up on the doorsteps of a dwarven community. They were welcomed by the isolated dwarves because of their abilities: Dolf's fighting skills and leadership abilities and Vashka's healing magic. They spent several years there but the dwarves, much as they liked the two humans, urged the pair to go south into human society. They both traveled until they reached Stenway. Once there, they did not know where to turn to so they sought a job: they were hired by Lallira.

The group met when the Mithril Claw was formed. They were all individuals with special talents and abilities and some officers in Lallira's army feared they never would form a cohesive unit. All the members hit it off immediately as if they were somehow old friends come together again.

When the story began, the group were due some leave time, so they decided to go to Stenway's capital (called...Stenway! what else). They also had another mission; Lallira had left a month ago to get the army's payroll from the king but she had not returned or sent word. They were to find out what had happened to Lallira. The area the army occupied was full of marauding goblinoids (which is the reason the army was there in the first place) so the group decided to use a back road, after all they were on vacation and wanted to avoid the orcs, and others, altogether. But along the way they did meet some orcs and had to fight their way through. They next encountered a burial ground filled with barrows. They spent some time with the inhabitants of the barrows and learned that they were inside an earth node, a place where power leaks from the core of the planet. This power can be used by those with the training for it.

After leaving the barrows, they wound their way along the small road they had chosen. They came upon a fork in the path and decided to follow the other road since it was not marked on their, rather primitive, map. They eventually arrived in a cave high above the trail they had been following. Inside the cave was a plaque written in an ancient elven language called Sünar. This language forms the basis for all the other elven languages and, luckily, the group had Elorfindar who had studied that particular language. The sign said that inside slept an ancient treasure. The group entered and discovered a tomb-like dungeon. They eventually found out that this was to hold a sword of power: Clanegh, the Sword of Fire. Clanegh told the group that an evil entity was stirring and that the world was in danger. He would help them gather the two other swords of power and whatever allies they would need to fight this evil.

The group returned on the path they had been following and eventually reached the fork they had left. In the middle of the fork sat an old man dressed in leather clothes with a large white owl on his shoulder. Somehow he knew the heroes were there. He introduced himself as Torrek Lessen-Lo-Mellter, he was a shaman who had journeyed four years to get to this fork in the road and meet the heroes. When asked how he knew they would be there, he answered that the spirits had told him but he had not been sure who he would meet; only that he would meet someone. He was there to help the group against the evil that was waking. The group had their first ally.

The group soon moved out of the mountains and entered the foothills. They rested in the rubble of an old tower and, like always, established guard duties. During the night the group was awakened by the guard on duty at the time, he had spotted something moving around the perimeter. When they investigated, it turned out to be a group of Pechs, mall worker faeries. They had come to the stone edifice to finish it. Under the dazed looks of the group of mixed adventurers, the Pechs finished the tower in one night. They said that they had made a deal with the former owner to maintain the tower no matter what but could not get to it until that night, other contracts had kept them away. It does not matter that the original owner that they had made the deal with had died hundreds ("Wow, has it already been that long?") of years ago, a contract is a contract.

The members of the Mithril Claw were impressed with the diminutive workers and enjoyed their company greatly. They promised that if ever the Pechs needed their help, they only had to ask them. The Pechs returned the promise. It was with sorrow that the Company left their new friends but they had a long route to travel. As they headed away, they suddenly heard a scream coming from the tower. The group raced to see what had happened. The first to arrive was Dolf and what he saw froze his blood in his veins. Standing in the middle of a ring of Pech bodies was a horrid demon holding two swords; they were both covered in blood.

Wasting no time, Dolf drew his own sword and charged the demon. Close on his heels were Tekianas and Wrraalph, both also drew their weapons and advanced towards the demonic killer. The fight was short thanks to the three skilled combatants. While Dolf drew the demon's attention, Tekianas would slash their foe where he was most vulnerable and Wrraalph would make sure their scout was not harmed. Soon the demon lay dead among the many small bodies of the Pech workers and masons.

But many Pechs had survived the demon's attack and required the help of healer. Vashka's skills came just in time to save many of the wounded. Some time later, another group of Pechs arrived. These were warriors and accompanying them was the Pech prince. He thanked the heroes for their prompt and generous help and promised them help in whatever they needed. He also offered them each a coin in gratitude. The coin was made of mithril and bore the profile of his father, the king of Pechs. He also warned them that his people had spotted many bands of marauding goblinoids in the region. He did not know what they were up to but seemed to be organizing themselves for something. The group thanked him for the information and the generous gift and left to continue their journey to Stenway.

More on the group's story will follow. Stay tuned for the continuing adventures of the Heroes of the Mithril Claw.