Mouseguard

Mouseguard is a scenario inspired by the Comic book series by David Peterson. Mouse Guard is set in a world of sapient mice who live in a medieval era, paralleling the same age in human history, though in their world there are no humans. Its stories revolve around a brotherhood of mice known as the "Mouse Guard" who have sworn an oath to serve their fellow civilian mice in times of need, including making safe passage for them through the wilderness and protecting them from predators. This scenario is designed from the prospective of one of these Mouse Guard. The Mouse Guard operate solely out of their fortress of Lockehaven. Lockhaven serves as a base of operations for the Guard but is not a true city. While mouse civilians live there, they serve the guard mice by performing all the day to day tasks and trades to facilitate everyday life. Lockehaven does however possess a large hive of domesticated bees inside its walls, tended by professional bee keepers who can collect the bounty of honey and wax but in times of conflict have also roused their swarm to be used as a living wall of stingers. The fortress is carved deep into a rocky outcrop. Only its face is visible, with tunnels and rooms extending far into and below the rock. A thick layer of ivy covers part of the facade, camouflaging it from unwanted observers. Lockhaven has a single main entrance, comprising a heavy wooden doorway and an iron portcullis. Among the many important guardmice who count Lockehaven as their permanent residence the most prominent is the Matriarch of the Guard herself, Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn is the appointed leader of all Guardmice. All decisions concerning the mice of Lockehaven both Guard and Civilian fall to Gwendolyn although she is known to consult the second highest ranking Guard Captains when in need of council. The Guard is organized in a fairly simple hierarchy based mostly on seniority and skill starting at the rank of Tenderpaw. Tenderpaws are newly inducted members of the Guard who are still undergoing training. Patrol Guard are the rank and file of the Mouse Guard making up the majority of its ranks. Lastly Patrol leaders, veteran Guardmice who are put in charge of individual patrols and generally commands given by a Patrol Guard are heeded by the two lower ranks. The Mouse Guard has many responsibilities to the mice who inhabit the mouse territories including but not limited to the extermination of dangerous predators, blazing new trails or maintaining old ones, guarding traveling mice from place to place, even diplomatic duties like serving as a neutral witness for negotiations between cities or even individual dealings. Although beautiful, the mouse territories are far from tranquil. Since the foundation of the Mouse Guard life has become much safer, even after the Weasel wars which claimed the lives of many mice. Technology and development has flourished and given rise to many unique cities and towns among the territories, all known for specific trades and natural resources. Despite a wide variety of technology and trades in the territory seems locked in a similar stage as the real worlds medieval period. Among the most advanced and recent of the innovations from the territories is the Scent Border. A concoction of pheromones designed by the science mice of Sprucetuck designed to be spread across the borders of the Territory to dissuade large predators like wolves, foxes, and the most deadly the bear. Despite the many dangers of the Territory there is a deeply ingrained tradition of hospitality and the belief that is the duty of one mouse to help another if possible. The Mouse guard stand as paragons of this belief, creating an oath that all guard mice must take upon becoming a Patrol Guard. It goes as follows. "We as Guard offer all that we are to protect the sanctity of our species, the freedom of our kin, and the honor of our ancestors. With knowledge, sword, and shield, we do these deeds, never putting a lone mouse above the needs of all, or the desire of self above another. We strive for no less than to serve the greatest good." Guard Mice are routinely split into patrols, numbering from one individual Guard mouse (normally of the rank of Patrol Guard or higher) to five. Patrols are typically made up of one to two tenderpaws, one to two guardmice, and lastly a higher ranking Patrol Guard. Another important aspect of life in the Mouseguard is that Mice are prey by nature and they are not the typical courageous and fearless heros of legend, a mouse's first instinct when presented with danger is normally to flee. That isn't to say that mice, especially Guardmice are not courageous or brave in the face of danger but to be this way requires great effort and training to override ones natural instincts.