d12 Rival Adventuring Companies

RIP to Jim Holloway the ggreatest gamer artist ever

-captured the goofy hilarity of a bunch of guys meeting in a pub to go on adventurers
-pregnant with possibility action scenes that have a lot of narratives
-good historical research on weapons and armour I dont see in some FRPG
-slapstick comic with frail people and monsters (see Polanski's Fearless Vampire Slayers)
-captures gamer vibe and the stupid and impossible things that happen in-game 

Anyway a quick post here on some rival adventuring parties for a sorta BX game. I would like to do a megadungeon but have rival expeditions like the Mummy movie or in lots of heist films. Rivals can be friendly peers, cheerful and fair play competitors or dastardly cheats and murderers.

My dream big megadungeon I would like lots of small dungeons connected by lots of long underground tunnels. The sprawling surface area would have various ruins and monster habitats. These must be of course a local village or pub or sly grog shop and a camp. But what I really want is to remind players that a party of adventurers might be the deadliest thing they can meet.

d12 Rival Adventuring Companies

1 Imperial Dungeoneers Corp   

2 Brotherhood of the Sword  

3 Lord Ravenstone's Hounds 

4 Silver Sisterhood  

5 Stormhammer's Band  

6 Lords of Blacktower  

7 Hellrazor Gang 

8 Harley's Boys  

9 Morphon Expedition  

10 Greygoat's Gang  

11 Halron's Band  

12 Jack Green's Brotherhood 

Imperial Dungeoneers Corp LG
Emperors personal templar-clerics order for raising revenue from dungeons

Will set up a fortified camp in area, well-defended with wagons on military lines
Will cut own entry into a dungeon-like appears in fortress siege with engineers
May try open-cut dungeon mine or block entries and pump smoke in dungeon
Seek money for emperor and magic relics and weapons for the empire
Righteous, preach patriotism and faith, try to tax other parties especially magic
Will heal other parties but demand picks of party loot or magic items
-Master Talbot leads with his great iron mace The Emperors FIst
-Lord Callington a paladin dedicated to smiting evil
-Brother Sebastian Starclaw a flagellant berserker priest with ball and chain flail
-Sister Malithaca a warrior nun who fights with a chain

-Six Cleric-Templars join them and four servants care for the camp

Brotherhood of the Sword LN
An order of templar clerics and knights  raising funds for a crusade on the frontier

Will have a military camp and a portable shrine they prey at with servants to guard
WIll search for an entry and claim it as own exclusive one
Seek money to help pilgrims and foreign holy wars, righteous and willing to kill
Silent, superior and a bit ruthless with evil and rivals 
Will provide first aid for free and sell healing magic they can spare
-Master Hrron a fierce huge man a clerical leader and six lower level clerics
-Lady Winterborn a lady knight dedicated to the war effort and relic recovery
-Brother Lindorm a monk-wizard scholar who helps choose target dungeons
-Bring two young knights, four novice priests and two servants

Lord Ravenstone's Hounds NE

a robberknight and his dastardly band of looters

Knights camp with servants, great hounds, horses, fancy tents and eventually a wall
Greedy seeking plunder and murder and avoiding law back home for a spell
Most don't know they are secretly robber knights and horrible killers
Cheerful and jolly knights but willing to murder and rob others
Enjoy feasting and gambling and fighting each other and captive monsters
-Lord Percy Ravenstone the leader with a magic iron hand made by a dwarf
-Sir Harold Grailblood who fakes being religious and is a sleazy drunk
-Sir Konrad Hammerstone who loves hunting animals and used a huge hammer
-Sir Brandon Bluehawk who likes kidnapping maidens for ransome
-Prester Norton a rogue who runs camp and does dirty work for Lord Ravenstone
-WIll Dunmoor a bard who helps to cover up the gangs crimes and spreads lies
-Often bring a d4 orphans as poleboys, lanternbearers, trap testers and door openers

Silver Sisterhood CN
A band of veteran amazons seeking adventure and glory

Amazons camp with mounts with several slave servants and some barbarian allies
Seek fame and glory and stories to tell their daughters
Honourable and fair-minded but unlikely to trust any men they meet alone
Cheerful and feast heartily and sometimes seek lovers from heroes they meet
Will aid women and children and males they have had good relations with
-Sister Clarithana the warrior leader with sword Glimmerfang riding Keru the stag
-Sister Zanthia the archer with crescent silver arrows on her unicorn Aelus
-Sister Canamus riding her sabre tooth lion with her great obsidian axe and furs
-Sister Ularan the cunning a thief who once decapitated an orc king and escaped
-SIster Mitrana the bard who records the deeds of the band in song and is a healer
-Sister Urgroc the savage she-orc and man-eater, wears severed genitals of enemies
-Sister Solithial Erith an elfmaid from an amazon elf cland
-Sister Kazzra and her two battlehusbands who ride steppe ponies
-A d4 barbarian warriors trying to impress amazons enough to be a lover

Stormhammer's Band LN
Brotherhood of mostly dwarfs and a few other demihumans

Will dig an entrenched defensive bunker and dig secret entry into the dungeon
Experience sappers and at hiding from humans and working by night
Seek to kill goblinoids and other enemies and get gold and gems and magic
Honourable to demihumans wary of humans, humans never helped them
If helped will be surprised but keen to return the favour and become friends
Once on good terms will drink and feast and share information with allies 
-Gark Stormhammer dwarf hero who once killed a giant with his axe Skullsplitter 
-Marn Ironheart a deep dark dwarf priest, cynical and wary of humans
-Badrass Brazenblade a red-bearded dwarf in bronze scale who likes animals
-Skibald Runebladder a terrible drunk who sometimes lets gang down
-Brondrill Brokenhorn with his sword Trollcleaver does double damage to trolls
-Eronlil Brachenfrond the wood elf with his deadly composite bow
-Bill Toofler the halfling who somehow keeps surviving mostly throwing rocks

Lords of Blacktower CE
Mercenaries actually cultists led by a priestess and wizard of dark repute

Go to known entrances and prefer to hike to a camp hidden from others
Cult really looking for relics, artefacts and secret lore to gain power
In a secret cave or ruin based camp they perform evil rituals and abuse captives
WIll use zombies to test for traps, doors and explore ahead
Will hide use of zombies labour from others possibly using robes
Only help those who pay them, prefer to let people die and then take loot
WIll be friendly but reluctant to get close or explain their organisation
-Lord Kieran Blacktower cult master and  occult curious knight with sword Excelsior
-Varbain Sharn evil priest of darkness who rules controls zombies in secret
-Arban Kazora evil wizard and her familiar hellcat seeking evil lore
-Up to six veteran men at arms mercenaries and two assistant priests

Hellrazor Gang LE
Professional tomb robbers, thieves and bandits

Track creatures or try to dig out the forgotten entrance
Greedy looters only care for what makes a quick buck
Will camp a short distance away in woodlands and march to the dungeon
Will rob rival camps and murder followers they find
Might aid those who helped them but mostly into treachery and robbery
All are wanted criminals and some have cult and evil influences
-Ral Hellrazor - diabolic changeling who seeks power and wealth
-Balang Garnald - a bugbear master of stealth and a mighty warrior
-Valna Plum - thief and tomb-robbing expert from a clan far away
-Galik Vul - orc warrior with pet warg and his spear Gloomspur
-Hansel Groter - village thug recruited for muscle, enthusiastic for outlaw life
-Brother Hector - rural friar, drunk and bandit provides priestly skills
-Kalubra Hanzor - young but cult wizard just wants relics and power
-Have a dozen bandits in camp often take a few along a few might be cultists

Panny's Gang CG
Swashbuckling warrior woman founded party

Will spy on and track monsters on the surface before settling on an entry or camp
Penny started gang recruiting mostly women adventurers and their sidekicks
Prefers to camp in an inn and hike further if possible or some distance from dungeon
The party include a pension plan, split healing costs and share everything
Other parties gossip, laugh and lie about them and some furious with Penny
Penny killed lots of guys in duels quietly but she doesn't boast her victories
-Penny Varnenstien, a former mercenary captain with her poleaxe Neckbiter
-Veloran Mnar, priestess of moon goddess and archer, Penny's wife
-Orla Gorakian, orc barbarian with her terrible axe Skulleater who Penny saved once
-Niccola Anais, druidess with her per panther Zorox and various ferrets
-Bala Kaban, dual knife-wielding assassin-monk watches Panny's back
-Siaban Makkarra lady of birds, wizard who likes using bird theme spells
-Often bring a d4 of Orla's orc husbands and a d3 bards, rogues and warriors followers
 

Morphon Expedition LN
University-funded mission led by a wizard seeking ancient lore

WIll set up orderly camp but a bit naive of outdoors living
Morphon was funded to recover elder lore, rubbings from monoliths and scrolls
Other goods are mostly just money and willing to sell if not historic
Often sits about days cataloging finds, repairing pots and writing essays
The guards are used to urban life and not savvy outdoors, willing to learn from error
Accept help and gives it good naturedly, surprised by dishonesty and greed
The University will send agents to investigate missing groups and might send assassins 
Morphon insists forbidden lore be guarded and sent to the classified university vault
-Dr Conelius Morphon the Mystic, wizard and scholar of the ancient past
-Priapus Rex head assistant to Morphon, from a good family in the city
-Malangor Kanen works as a tutor and reader, all her ideas get stolen by Priapus
-Varan the Unbelievable a pterodactyl folk wizard Morphon recruited the last expedition
-Harradus Vore a scholar of the ancient evils and really a cult member
-2d4 apprentices and a dozen city guard from the university quarter assist

Greygoat's Gang CE
Goatman warlband of beastfolk, orcs and mutants

Move into the dungeon anywhere emptied by adventurers, move lots and foul areas
Brutally murder and torment prisoners, rivals, monsters and leave horrid messes
Greygoat is violent, vindictive and thinks murdering other adventurers is fair game
The gang cooperate with local monsters, cultists and evil wizards
Greygoat's roster changes often and often include monsters
The whole gang want to use relics and treasure to gain rank in a bigger warband
-Greygoat the Defiler, goatman warrior with his vile diseased spear the Blightlance
-Habberas the Hunter, a trapper and werewolf, enjoys cannibalism and spying on others
-Mumma Bugs, a lady bugbear hillbilly who constantly drinks and has a huge d12 war club
-Vilal Morntergan, woman thief with one eye famous for poison daggers and wine
-Bilgal Maskthorn; dark elf magical assassin often invisible or riding a dire wolf
-Mobbru Gdar, cyclops orc hunter and archer, likes to nail mutilated enemies to trees
-The gang often have a d6 goblins, a d4 bandits and a d4 cultists, all are treated badly

Halron's Band CE
Berserker hero with his kinsman from the north seeking plunder

A band of psychopaths banished from home and abused berserker drugs and worse
Will move into the dungeon and if enraged fight anything moving to the death
Aggressive and declare this area is there's first and demand you get out now
If you need to make them worse make some or all become lycanthropes
Aggressive to anyone not a male warrior as big as them, jerks most of the time
Bother local common folk and might raid other adventurers camps especially if drunk
They all hate wizards and organised religion and will provoke conflict with abuse
Convinced they are heroes who demand respect but just an insane murderer cult
-Halron Ribsplitter maniac berserker with bear cloak and axe Foegnasher
-Aleron the Silent Stalker a hunter who never speaks, was a thief when younger
-Nimon Marud a former slave now a free-willed killing machine of chaos
-Vallal Grim a part giant is still young and growing and was recruited easily
-Up to a dozen berserk may hang around the camp but many wounded or drunk
-Occasionaly survivors of their massacres might be dragged unconscious to camp

Jack Green's Loving Lads CE
Murder hobo adventurers came here after instigating a border race war

Will camp in the wilderness and march to dungeon and won't share location
Jack takes from the rich and gives scraps to the poor so they act as informants
Jack actually reports to the guild master of a town but is getting uppity
Will be friendly to rival bands but will spy on them and look for weaknesses
Left old territory after secret police came for them for banditry and a small war Jack started
Jack is jolly and jokes but knows its best to kill all witnesses who might seek revenge
-Jack Green a town guildsman sent to set up bandit gang turned dungeon robber
-Aran the Wizard wears a cult hood and sacrifices animals as spell components
-Gam Redhood has neck noose scars and cannot speak, brutal killing machine
-Miram Raban barbarian woman 18 STR with her axe Fleshtearer with her pet hyena   
-Rolf Shankleton ex corrupt bailiff turned outlaw, considering selling out gang for pardon
-Paloma Regora bard and bandit queen, wanted for kidnapping young noblewomen
-Sir Thomas Kerrang former robber knight who lost estate, hates the poor and weak
-Sharina Goldbrow a sorceress joined the gang after her last cult turned on her
-Have up to a dozen common bandits around camp all good with bows and woodcraft
-Several peasants run away to join them and wound up slaves, usually a d4 here