Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?

King Barlock of Utaro has summoned forth the elite warriors within his realm whom are loyal to his rule. The details are few, but your name was brought to the attention of the King and he has commanded you for your service to the empire.

The Kingdom of Utaro in the past twenty years has been rapidly expanding its borders and quickly becoming a mighty empire. Many territories have submitted to the will of the Utaro, but many more resist and fight for their independence. Which side do you fight for?

Characters:
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Standard 22 point buy

No Evil alignments

Starting at level 12 (if you have any character building questions ask me)
Anything in PHP, PHP2, AP, MP, or Forgotten Realms books are fine

3 magic items (post items for approval, certain ones will be disallowed):
-One 13th level item or below
-One 12th level item or below
-One 11th level item or below

500 additional gold

Backgrounds: Follow the rules on page 178-183 of the PHP2 (if you need access to this ask)
-Also 1 choose from the following: Loyalist or Rebel (don't tell other players which you are)

Loyal or Rebel?
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If you are a loyalist then you support the actions of the King. King Barlock is a warrior and has often joined his troops in times of war. He is a proud and strong man who loves a challenge and to prove his might. As a loyalist you may admire the Kings willingness to get his own hands dirty or his strength. Its a good chance that you were a part of the kingdom before the expansions begun and you view the expansion of your empire as a means to further you own wealth and statue. Perhaps you read between the lines and you believe that a large and united Empire would be to the benefit of all involved.

If you are a rebel its highly likely you belonged to a conquered territory and you have seen the cruelty of war. Perhaps your people have been slaughtered and had your independence torn away from you. The town you belonged to could have also feared the consequences of conflict and was merely bullied into surrendering to Utaro's rule. Then again maybe as a member of the Utaro Empire you have seen friends and family die to what seems a pissing contest and you strongly oppose the Kings viewpoint on the matter.

Politics:
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The throne of Utaro was built by the hands of Barlock's great grandfather Mathis. Mathis had traveled in his youth and saw the horrors of an untamed land. The highwaymen that walk the roads between towns didn't exist and even a short distance would assure a bandit attack. Monsters roamed on the outskirts of villages, harassing and killing those not behind the safety of a wall. Mathis had seen villages die out because the well dried up and they had no means of trading. So Mathis used his influence to unite the local villages, forming small towns and then cities. Over the span of thirty years, the Kingdom of Utaro was born.

The rule of Utaro was passed from Father to Son when Mathis died and the tradition has continued since. The expansion of the Kingdom had begun initially when Mathis' son Mathis the second form an alliance with a territories on the borderland. Eventually the culture of Utaro "consumed" those small provinces and they became a part of a growing Empire. Many of these provinces were communities of non-humans and some backlashes were experienced with cultures, but Utaro was tolerant of all races if they accepted It's law.

Barlock's father Thane, took a more aggressive approach to expanding his Empire and its clear Barlock has taken after his father's influence. Barlock is currently seeking to quell the rebels in his newly conquered lands, but his is quickly discovering how difficult it can be to rule over those he defeated. As of now, a couple of the borderlands have been deemed battlefields and fights take place daily in areas. It is those locations to which Barlock's attention is focused on. In the meantime, his oldest son takes care of the day to day business within the peaceful territories.