fandomhigh | Merc'ing 101: How to Make it as a Mercenary and Still Stay in One Piece, Wed 7/23

"Mercenaries ain't anything new." Once again, Murdock was strolling around the Danger Shop. Seemed he could hardly ever keep still. "It used to be you could hire whole troops of 'em. That's not so much the case nowdays, at least here on Earth. Or in my version of Earth anyway. Don't know about the rest of y'alls."

"According to ol' Mr. Webster, a mercenary is one who is hired; a soldier who is hired into foreign service. Let's look at that 'foreign service' bit. Back in the old days, people in power would hire mercenaries when they were low on troops. Like a Lord or a Baron, sometimes even Kings. A lot of times, mercenaries were hired so the so that the locals, who were often the farmers of the Lord's holdings, wouldn't be forced into serving. That way they could keep their lands running while they waged battle elsewhere."

"Most of these merc troops, or companies as they were often referred to, operated just like a military unit. One overall leader, several sub-commanders and the grunts. So for today's class we're all going to be part of a merc company." He started up the Danger Shop, which turned into a peaceful, rolling countryside. But it wouldn't stay peaceful for long. "Welcome to The White Company."

(some discussion bits in the OCD, as usual. ~~please wait for the~~ OCD up!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Fall in line!

Jack Burton

Bender

Rikku

Anemone

Chat, take notes or goof off while Murdock rambles on. Ignore those sounds you hear. The ones that make it seem like an army is coming. ~~*g*~~

"The White Company is one of the most famous English Free Companies of the fourteenth century, even if it was first an Italian company. Its most known for the days it was commanded by Sir John Hawkwood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hawkwood), and its involvement during The Hundred Years' War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Years%27_War)." Murdock continued to stroll about as he spoke. "The thing about the White Company and the other Free Companies, is how they changed the face of warfare."

"Many nation-states lacked funds to maintain standing forces, so they hired free companies to serve. Such companies often formed when periods of conflict ended. Men-at-arms and veteran soldiers looked for other forms of employment when their respective governments no longer needed them. Hence, mercenary work."

"The Free Companies would often specialize in forms of combat that required longer periods of training; training which generally was not available to localized volunteer militia. This lead to a change in tactics, leading to greater victories for the warring parties. The composition of armies changed during the Middle Ages, in part due to such mercenary troops. It went from feudal lords, who may or may not have shown up when called, to paid troops. Having those men paid solely for their service meant that they were more likely to be reliable and it allotted them the time for additional training that they would otherwise have to spend doing other jobs. Incidentally, it also gave that extra time for many tacticians and engineers to develop new weaponry. More powerful and effective weapons. Such as those that used gunpowder." A loud booming echo rang out across the field and Murdock glanced around briefly. "Hey, sounds like they're starting." Grinning, he turned back to his students. "Say hi to the year 1346 and The Battle of Crécy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cr%C3%A9cy). Have fun!"

It was official: Rikku loved summer term.

Jump in and have at it! Pick up a sword, man a cannon or try a longbow. Totally mod what you want to do. Stick by and team up with your classmates or go off on your own. Feel free to ping off each other's threads. Once again, the Danger Shop won't let anyone get hurt and the holographic soldiers will carry on as if you're one of their own.

Jack grabbed a bow and shot an arrow into the air, releasing a war cry as he did so.

The arrow hit a bird. A big bird. A really big bird.

The now-dead bird landed on Jack's head.

Jack was now dazed and on the ground.

Thankfully, or not as the case may be, Murdock was keeping an eye on his students. He ran over to where Jack lay on the ground. "Dude! You okay?"

"...plate of that truck?" Jack murmured, coming to.

"Sorry, man," he grinned, "missed it." Hey, if Jack didn't know he managed to semi-sort of knock himself out, Murdock wasn't about to enlighten him.

Since, you know...he'd never done any such thing himself. Riiiiight.

Bender wedged a couple of daggers in his mouth and hit the dirt, grousing at the impact. He stuffed a couple of crossbows in his chest, and shuffled forward to look at the battle.

He crawled along the edge of the battlefield towards the French camp, trying to stay hidden behind a ridge. It would have probably been an easier task if he hadn't such a shiny target.

"Good tactic, man!" Murdock gave him a thumbs-up.

These swords were a little different from the ones Tidus liked -- and way different from those huge ones Auron carted around -- but it was the same concept. Pointy end goes in bad guys. Slash, parry, block, carve up. Wooooo!

... Rikku was quite possibly having too much fun with this.

There was nothing wrong with having a bit of fun. "Enjoyin' it a bit much ain't we?" His grin gave away the fact he was teasing.

Anemone hesitated for a moment before picking up the longbow. Part of the reason she was a good pilot was her perfect aim, and while the longbow was a bit hard to draw, it didn't take her long to figure it out.

He grinned. "Nice choice, girl. And nice job!"

He's here. Before and after class. He may have enjoyed yelling 'Charge!' a bit too much during the class simulation.

I can have netz tomorrow? Plz???? *crosses fingers*

I supposedly get my 'nets at the new place on Friday... *joins finger-crossing club*

Whoo!

I keep expecting something to go wrong and discover no nettage by the time I get home this evening. *double crosses fingers*

But they'd better have it fixed by the weekend otherwise...*cracks knuckles*

Merc'ing 101: How to Make it as a Mercenary and Still Stay in One Piece, Wed 7/23

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Wow! There's actually a lecture!

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Fight!

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The prof.

OOC

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