Lodge of the Lionhearted

Lodge of the Lionhearted
Type	Adventuring
Leader	Grandmaster Sigrun Wolftooth
Headquarters	Lodge of the Lionhearted, Rothurland
Scope	Global
Members	Adventurers, hunters

The Lodge of the Lionhearted is an organization of renowned, glory-seeking adventurers and hunters who seek ever-greater prey. Though members hail from around the world, and are sent far and wide in search of their quarry, the organization is based out of their longhouse just outside Bjorrstad, Rothurland.

Location

The physical Lodge of the Lionhearted is a longhouse near the Rothurlandic city of Bjorrstad, on the southern coast of the Eyjara Bay. The lodge, as well as the Tempest Hall its built next to, is surrounded by a well-built fortress with tall stone walls. The entire fortress is designed to withstand a prolonged siege, with protected underground stockpiles and tunnels, though such preparation has never yet been necessary.

The Tempest Hall at the lodge is used by the adventurers of the organization to quickly travel across the world in search of their targets. This particular Hall connects to considerably more other locations than is typical, and is a large part of why this particular location was chosen as the site of the lodge.

Between the lodge itself and surrounding outbuildings, the interior of the fortress houses common space for eating and socializing, along with sleeping quarters for any visiting adventurers and stores for those seeking to resupply. All of these facilities are decorated with the trophies of past hunts - bones, skulls, taxidermized heads or entire creatures, and so on. The entire lodge openly displays the history of its members for all to see.

Adventurers associated with the Lodge of the Lionhearted can be found around the globe. Many only return for special events and celebrations, and a few see no point in visiting at all. Still, the lodge always bustles with activity as a procession of renowned adventurers come and go.

Interests and activities =

Above all else, the Lodge of the Lionhearted is an opportunity for adventurers to prove themselves against the toughest and strongest creatures in the world. The organization has grown greatly from its founding around the year Y8750^* by a group of Rothurlandic vikings, and now includes individuals of all ancestries and backgrounds. Membership in the lodge is by invite only - prospective newcomers must attract the attention of a senior member, who can then choose to sponsor the individual or individuals in question. Once sponsored, one must prove themselves by taking on a first bounty. If successful, induction into the lodge soon follows.

The Grandmaster of the lodge, currently Sigrun Wolftooth, is responsible for directing its members. The Grandmaster collects reports of the whereabouts of dangerous, rare, or elusive creatures around the world, determines which are worthy of the time of the lodge, and then offers bounties to the adventurers. Once an individual or group has taken on a bounty, it is theirs - none are permitted to interfere in their hunt, or to attempt to go after the creature themselves. Should one die in their hunt, however, the bounty reopens for others. Bounty targets are almost always creatures on the Material Plane - the lodge has historically seen little interest in extraplanar jaunts.

Most bounties have additional criteria besides successful slaying the target. Usually the Grandmaster will request a trophy of the hunt, such as a particular part of the creature's body, intact and in good condition. These are then either preserved, taxidermized if necessary, and displayed in the lodge, or else used by the lodge's expert craftspeople to make new weapons and armor for the hunters. Adventurers with a long association with the lodge often carry gear that displays their history of hunts, such as dragonscale armor, swords and daggers made of horns, and so on.

The lodge has no restrictions on what type of adventurer may join. While most members tend to be those with martial prowess, adventurers who rely entirely on their magical talents are just as welcome. The lodge does have a number of rules that govern how its members may interact, mostly intended to ensure honorable conduct. Breaking any of these is grounds to be immediately and permanently expelled from the lodge:

• Members may not fight each other, outside mutually agreed upon events
• Members may not interfere in each other's hunts, whether giving aid when not requested, attempting to block access to the target, or going for the kill separately
• Members may use any methods in their hunts, but having others do the work in one's place is seen as cowardly and is likely to not grant the reward, at the Grandmaster's discretion

Notable individuals

See also: Sigrun Wolftooth

Relations

The fortress and lodge lie within the realm of the Rothurlandic Jarl Magni the Outlander. Magni supports the activities of the lodge and exempts the organization from paying fealty, with the understanding that the adventurers of the lodge will come to his aid should any dangerous creature attack.