From: rbarrett@dept.english.upenn.edu (Robert Barrett)
Date: Sun, 9 Apr 1995 11:50:50 -0400 (EDT)
Lydia and gang,
As for the Grog issue, I'll leave that one up to the group: do we want to address that point in council at all? It seems that the issue of morale is going to come up soon. Alanus (although he was nice about it) and Cain (despite the fact that the killing was necessary) have both put Brock in awkward positions, so the Turb leadership is probably confused about its duties, even those it has kept quiet about it. The Girard episode has no doubt sown dissent throughout the Concilium. And now Asid lets a Grog go for broke. Any suggestions as to how to RP a solution?
Rob
Paul chuckles evily, "I think Asid would be more than happy to talk to Brock and the rest of the grogs as to proper conduct. Though I do have one point...As the mages were there for a while, it would become clear what they expected from grogs. For instance, what Alanus requires or wants from his grogs might be something totally different from what Asid wants. I know this is getting a little anal, but if we are going to do this, and worry about grog morale, perhaps when we are dealing with this issue, you can submit some basic feelings on how you think your wiz would like to interact with the grogs...that way we have a reference. And we can even get into RP situations were Brock tries not to go out on missions with Caine because he knows that he will be asked to slay, and slay mightily."
Paul sighs, "Yes, I know that this is just another level of stuff, but hey, it could be fun. And Asid would be willing to do it :)"
Paul watches Asid begin to rumage in the closet for a truckload of scimitars, "Though this could have some interesting side-effects."
Paul
The Grog Turb is basically an organization of mercenary soldiers, to my understanding. There's _usually_ a Turb Captain, who is a Companion; lacking that, I'm not sure who Brock's superior is, or if he's the actual top man in the Turb.
They should thus be disciplined along the lines of military men, I would think -- they have a hierarchy of command, and they obey orders. They need to be drilled for quick response to rapidly changing situations, since much of the time they're fighting at the side of unpredictable magi. Some amount of initiative is probably encouraged, as a result, but still, I would think the Grogs are expected to maintain good discipline amongst themselves. The Shield Grogs are probably the best-treated of the bunch, since it's in the interests of the individual magi to keep them extremely loyal.
Cain treats Grogs slightly better than he would treat mundane soldiers. He realizes that his life may, quite often, depend on their effectiveness and loyalty, so he's not going to actively abuse them. He is, however, conscious of the social distinction in rank, so he generally speaks to them only when giving orders, save for Brock, whom he will ask for situational assessments/advice. If a Grog falls out of line, he'll expect Brock or someone else to discipline the poor bastard; he considers it beneath his dignity to do it himself. :)
(On the other hand, he's not joking when he mentions flogging. It _is_ a medieval military organization made up of serf-class men, after all.)
Arturo is probably the sole exception to the way Cain deals with Grogs. Cain treats Arturo like a sort of prized hunting dog -- he ensures that Arturo gets the best things he can manage, that he looks presentable (Cain probably insists that Arturo take regular baths), and that he's kept up to date with information which is relevant to his duties.
-- Lydia
I like Paul's suggestion as it coincides with Lydia's thoughts about the Turb; Brock would be expected to take care of Grog discipline on his own, although I'm sure that he would appreciate the Magi working with him rather than against him.
So why don't we all write up a brief paragraph describing our Magus' attitude toward the Turb and the Covenfolk?
Here's mine:
Alanus Scotus' 1324 arrival at the Concilium was good for Covenfolk morale. Finally there was a Magus present at the Rock who didn't give the mundanes the willies just by being there. In fact, Alanus' consort Margaret May and his ward Bisclavret were treated by the Covenfolk with far more suspicion than the Scots Magus; they had the magical aura the Highlander seemed to lack (although of late Maggie's healing skills and Bisclavret's gentle nature and limiting of pranks to the other Magi have created a thaw in what were previously cool relations). Of course, Alanus' treatment of the Grogs generated even more good will: he would regularly consult with the Covenfolk on mundane issues, respecting their expertise and putting his authority behind their suggestions on improvements. When the time for discipline came, Alanus was always there, suggesting fair but firm punishments (at least one or two Grogs are still alive b/c of the Scotsman's intervention). No wonder then that Alanus has become the Grogs' favorite (if only b/c of his Gentle Gift; Tariq and Elijah are respected as well, but a base level of unease remains in their cases); after all, what other Magus cares for the Covenfolk's beasts and watches over their crops? Only Alanus has gone fishing with the Rock's men; only Alanus joins in at dances and festivals.
Is this what you had in mind, Paul?
Rob