Black Company

The Black Company is a mercenary company of professional misfits, miscreants, and misanthropes, with the exception of one very nice and deeply chagrined priest. The word “mercenary” in the description does not in this case necessarily mean a lot of smirking thugs; it means somewhat professional soldiers (disclaimer: some members have been known to smirk). Most members of The Company are veterans of prior wars or other militaries. They may not have the best manners, or come off the friendliest around, but they are known to stick together.

They also have a stylish and fearsome tabard.

=History=

The Black Company is a mercenary outfit founded by the Gnome Captain Toc von Kleinentod at the start of the Second War. A motley band of various races and talents, the tight-knit and loyal soldiers of the Company served the Alliance of Lordaeron well in that war and earned the respect of the Human commanders.

At the advent of the Third War, the Company — led jointly by Toc and his new bride, the former arms dealer Incunabula “Inkie” Kettleblack — marched again in support of the Alliance. The bulk of their service in this conflict consisted of covert missions against the Scourge in the North. Not all of these were successful, and by the war’s end, the Company had taken heavy losses and was reduced to a shadow of its former self. Patiently, Toc, Inkie and their officers worked to rebuild the Company after the cessation of the fighting.

The Company fought extensively during the War against the Lich King, employed in contracts by the Grand Alliance and the Argent Crusade. They provided support and fought the Scourge at nearly every major conflict, from the Assault on Naxxramas to the Siege of Icecrown Citadel. Subsequent to the defeat of the Lich King, Captain von Kleinentod retired from an active role in the Company’s leadership and was followed by his wife, a little over a year later. The Company continued under the leadership of Major Pynks Bendspanner.

The Company sustained substantial losses with the Cataclysm of Azeroth, with many members dead or missing. They recouped their losses with new recruits and once again sold their services to the various factions across Azeroth, fighting in battles ranging from Blackrock Mountain to the Firelands to the Destroyer’s End.

More recently, the Company’s obligations have returned to their roots in primarily assisting the Grand Alliance against the orcish Horde across Pandaria and Kalimdor.

=Structure and Culture=

The Black Company is a mercenary organization that follows a military structure. Thus, proper discipline is expected of members during meetings and operations. However, proper discipline does not always stop things from reaching the level of comical absurdity at times.

Ranks
The attainable ranks are as follows:


 * Recruit


 * Private


 * Corporal


 * Sergeant


 * Master Sergeant


 * Lieutenant


 * Major

There is also a lovely Quartermaster with an over-fondness for acronyms.

A Company member will rise in rank with proper discipline, fair meeting attendance, knowing how to tie his bootlaces, and a penchant for lining up properly.

The first three ranks are standard member ranks, with Recruit being a sort of probationary period, Private being a new member, and Corporal being a generally solid, well-rounded member. Sergeant is reserved for veteran members who have proven their mettle for lining up properly at meetings. Master Sergeant is a junior officer rank and is someone who is reliable, has demonstrated reverence for their fellow Company members, and taken initiative to better the Company. Lieutenant is a full officer rank and someone who pretends to enjoy the Company-issued snacks in addition to all of the above.

The Major is the de-facto leader of the Company.

Annals
The Black Company maintains annals as a record of past meetings and events. Personal member journal entries show up as well and any member may contribute.

=Recruitment=

(OOC)

The Black Company is a great place for folks that want a versatile roleplaying guild that doesn’t take itself too seriously all of the time. We can be serious and do serious things, but as mentioned, absurd situations and conversations have been known to make their way into our roleplay. This guild has had a host of all sorts of different characters, so all races, classes, backgrounds, and archetypes are acceptable and encouraged (though a righteous paladin do-gooder may be shaking his head in disappointment more often than not).



The Company has also traditionally had a 10-man raiding team that slogs through current content. Raiding has primarily been a side venture that has come about due to interest and never the main focus of the guild, but many members have partaken and we usually don’t do too badly for ourselves. Several members are also casual PvPers.

We do only accept main characters to our guild (with alts being allowed in after) and we are pretty rigorous about whether you prefer chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin cookies, but if you would like to apply, you should check out the website at http://www.whiterosecovenant.com/warcraft. There you will find more in depth policies and application information. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Pynks, Frostine, Vaendetta, Mirrun, Gheron, Cylerea, Moorestone, Fainnah, Khas, or any members that are currently online.