[quote=Nevis]
Some issues with Ecthelion... mainly the scraggly equipment. He's a general in a period paralleling the late Medieval Ages and Renaissance and a -there's no way his armor will be rusted, wearing piles of crude fur or rags. Armor at this point was usually as well-maintained as possible (which was fairly well) and often as fashionable as the person could afford. For someone of his stature, the finest arms and armor would be available to him and it would actually be a social for him to be using such subpar (and, honestly, unpretty in the eyes of the nobility) equipment-plate armor was usually designed with as much of a refined aesthetic as possible, as were the arms of the wealthy. And he's a famous general. While underdogs and the whole gritty and gruff thing did exist (far LESS at this technological level), it makes no logical sense for your character to be considering his status. You can't be both the elite AND the gritty underdog type[/quote]

On this case do consider that I went on that issue on style, if given the chance Ecthelion will chose gear and outfits that makes princes look like peasants, he is a full fledged commander, of course he wants to look good, he wants others to look bad around him even.
Yet if the time comes where he must escape a siege, where he must pass unnoticed, where he must lick his wounds after a devastating defeat then he is perfectly willing to stash away all that pride and convince himself that he will be back and make good upon it.
This is to show that the mercenary life is far from glamorous, he would like to have brand new equipment, fat horses with barding, an alchemist to handle all the gunpowder, a siege specialist, a navy officer, an honest quartermaster, a fair but tough drill sergeant, a sneaky scout squad.

But the reality of the situation is not so good on the Coal Company, in one campaing they are charging alongside kings, on the next they are scattered and hidding like rats amongst the common people

.[quote]Also, is Ecthelion from ANYWHERE other than the LoTR (he was Denethor's, the Steward of Gondor's, father)?
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That was Ecthelion II I believe named after someone from the first age, indeed Ecthelion was THE fountain guard who fought and slew Morgoth who in turn was THE balrog ( this one would have made the Durin`s bane look like a pack of welcoming puppies by comparison) which in no way, mean or shape is foreshadowing [i]ANYTHING[/i]

I just wanted a fairly obscure name that rhymed with Lion and came from one of my favorite fantasy universes, so Ecthelion does not feature on the movies and it belongs to a pretty badass one that is pretty much the opposite to my own character, the fountain guard was noble, beatiful and died with honor the captain in sharp contrast is treacherous, deeply scarred and lives plotting a revenge that might never be met

In my opening post (with the blessings of gourmet) I plan to give a quick and down to earth look at just how unbalanced and fickle the course of the Coal Company is and can be