[hider=Gloriana Lutz] [CENTER][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/230630/305fe4ef95438a8f0a63c1e78a9edc51.png[/img] [img]https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/45db6066-8a36-4f92-82b7-a8e7b0f48438/dap420u-d9d9a005-c533-4f4f-ad08-c5ae8626ec8a.jpg/v1/fill/w_752,h_1063,q_75,strp/courier_6_by_kupieckorzenny-dap420u.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwic3ViIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl0sIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiIvZi80NWRiNjA2Ni04YTM2LTRmOTItODJiNy1hOGU3YjBmNDg0MzgvZGFwNDIwdS1kOWQ5YTAwNS1jNTMzLTRmNGYtYWQwOC1jNWFlODYyNmVjOGEuanBnIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTc1MiIsImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MTA2MyJ9XV19.SKsMH2pHd-yf9ATHtjeehNJLglPqMVhzFFRc57HL7j4[/img] [/CENTER] [color=FEF698][b]Appearance:[/b][/color] Gloriana is of average height with a well-muscled and athletic build, her face and body well-worn from years of military service. Her curly brown hair hangs just past her ears with strands of grey appearing here and there. Time and service have done a good job at marring the simple beauty Gloriana once had as a young woman with scars and wrinkles covering her well freckled face. [color=FEF698][b]Affiliation:[/b][/color] Founder and leader of The Rough Riders mercenary company [color=FEF698][b]Previous Affiliations:[/b][/color] NCR Military, NCR Veteran Rangers [color=FEF698][b]Gear/Equipment:[/b][/color] Gloriana is likely to be seen wearing her veteran ranger armor painted in the same six color desert pattern as the rest of her rangers. She usually wears her helmet but has a navy-blue beret with a gold lion pin to replace it when necessary. When in garrison or off duty she normally wears well-worn denim jeans, a button up flannel over a tank top and combat boots. Regardless of where she is her ranger sequoia revolver stays holstered at her hip accompanied by a knife somewhere on her person. When in combat or in an operation Gloriana will tend to bring whatever is necessary, a habit typical of veteran rangers. [color=FEF698][b]Background:[/b][/color] From a small town nestled in the mountains of southern California Gloriana is not public about her childhood, mentioning only that life in the NCR called her away from her family and home. Enlisting into the service as quickly as she could Gloriana cut her teeth as a rank-and-file grunt embracing the culture shock and the camaraderie that came with it. She was hooked and despite the desperate decision to flee into a life of service she wasn’t terrible at it. Gloriana is very soft-spoken, friendly, and compassionate traits not often accredited to infantrymen, but it helped greatly with the rapport between her and her unit. She was well liked by those she served with and proved her metal in combat numerous times. Eventually approached by an opportunity to join the NCR Rangers Gloriana jumped on the chance. What had once been an essential escape had now become her passion. She loved the challenge and the rough and tumble life in the field, so the Rangers seemed like a perfect fit. Still young when she passed selection and earned her ranger badge Gloriana felt a little out of her element, but another woman took her under her wing, Ranger Teresa Lutz. They had gone through training together and over the duration of it instantly clicked. While Gloriana rarely left enemies behind her as she transferred from unit to unit, she always felt like she never really had friends. Teresa was the first person that made her feel like someone genuinely cared about her and the two of them became inseparable. Life in the military made it difficult for them to stay by each other’s side but they would stay in contact as frequently as possible and any chance for leave was spent together. After a few years the two of them were married, dedicating their lives not just to the rangers but to each other. At this point Gloriana had volunteered to become a veteran ranger and this is what would take her away from Teresa and slowly start to plant the seeds of dissent in her mind. Spending most of her time at the spear tip of the NCR’s expansion started to open Gloriana’s eyes even wider to the negligence and failings of the NCR as an institution. Eventually she just didn’t love it like she used to, something she struggled with for a while but life as a veteran ranger kept her engaged and satisfied. She had spent most of her time hunting down Caesar’s Legion targets across the Colorado River leading up to the First Battle of Hoover Dam. During the battle she had gotten caught up in repelling the attack on Camp Golf while her wife Teresa was stuck at the front-lines at Hoover Dam. When news got back to her that Teresa had died after getting trapped in Boulder City Gloriana’s morale was crushed. After that day she never truly felt like the same person and everything she did with the rangers just didn’t feel right. She had spent the next few years spinning her wheels hanging on for Teresa’s sake and for the sake of the rangers she served with, but she could never shake the loss. Once assigned to Baja for what seemed like a useless ghost hunt Gloriana started drawing up the plans for her departure. Most of the rangers she served with in her platoon shared her sentiment. So, once they were recalled back to Nevada in preparation for the Second Battle of Hoover Dam just to have the rug pulled out from under them, they walked away forming the Rough Riders. A chance to set things right and make up for where they failed. A chance for Gloriana to bury her ghosts. She visits the Boulder City memorial as often as she can muster the strength, but she still can’t make it past that cold stone with Teresa’s name etched into it. [/hider] [hider=The Rough Riders] [CENTER][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/230630/2852b08918ea2dc03e1af4c59c867208.png[/img] [img]https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/upload/images/artifacts/san-jacinto-battle-flag/san-jacinto-flag-box.jpg[/img] [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/230630/b4c30e073e19b12e897cb6039dce3b3a.png[/img] [/CENTER] [color=FEF698][b]Description:[/b][/color] The Rough Riders are a small tight knit mercenary company operating in the Mojave after the NCR’s withdrawal from the area. Founded from a company of NCR Veteran Rangers under the command of Veteran Ranger Gloriana Lutz. Fed up with the bureaucracy and incompetence that all but infested the NCR, no love was lost when they walked away from it. Many of their initial contracts came from caravan companies that paid them to scout out potential routes or escort their caravans through especially rough terrain. [color=FEF698][b]Territory:[/b][/color] Headquartered at Wolfhorn Ranch the Rough Riders have reinforced and expanded on the ramshackle homestead turning it into a self-sufficient headquarters more than suitable for supporting their numbers with excess crops used to barter or build relations with local communities. Their other notable garrison is at the mountain top observation post Outpost Guardian. Under contract from the 3rd Infantry Battalion, they dug in and fortified the position. Using it primarily as a jumping off point for reconnaissance missions into the surrounding areas. [color=FEF698][b]Sphere of Influence:[/b][/color] The Rough Riders maintain garrisons at their headquarters in Wolfhorn Ranch and at Outpost Guardian. These areas are patrolled heavily but it’s not uncommon for them to be spotted elsewhere in the Mojave, either in service to their 3rd Infantry Battalion contracts or on independent business. They are generally well respected by the settlements in the Mojave and are often called on to mediate small town disputes and help quell local disturbances. A service they usually provide with no expectation of payment. [color=FEF698][b]Force Composition:[/b][/color] The Rough Riders consist of about 100 personnel. 40 of them are NCR Veteran Rangers, mostly members of the founding company but there are a few new faces. Making up the difference are NCR patrol rangers and regular soldiers. All of them are considered combatants and able to take on missions when necessary. A vital aspect of Rough Rider operations stems from their extensive application of horses and pack animals. Used to rapidly deploy small units over long distances, turn regular infantry into shock units, or just make long distance scouting missions more efficient. All members of the Rough Riders are trained rigorously in horsemanship and their horses have become the lifeblood of their operations allowing them to operate well outside of the confines of the Mojave. In some areas of Wolfhorn Ranch it’s easy to forget that you’re inside of a military compound with barns and corrals giving it the appearance of a traditional horse ranch. Although following the famine, care of the horses has become increasingly difficult to maintain and a sizeable amount was lost to starvation. With their numbers now close to 50 they are a resource looked after even more closely than before. Currently structured into 3 platoons, rotations between each one is common in order to ensure that each soldier is given a chance to unwind and that the home front is well looked after. These 3 companies are as follows. [i][b]HQ Platoon:[/b][/i] It may not always be the same people but there will always be a sizeable force in the home guard. The primary duty of this company is to protect Wolfhorn Ranch. Although due to their self-sufficient nature personnel assigned to this company will also be responsible for tending to the farms and animals, maintenance of equipment and facilities, and more general day-to-day operations. [i][b]OP Guardian:[/b][/i] Due to their current contract with the 3rd Infantry Battalion a garrison at Outpost Guardian has been stood up. Personnel assigned here will spend most of their time manning the outpost or using it as a base-camp for operations into the surrounding areas. [i][b]Away:[/b][/i] Generally used to refer to personnel not in garrison and operating out in the wasteland. Duration spent in this status is solely dependent on how long an operation lasts and some personnel can be classified as “away” for months until they return to garrison. [color=FEF698][b]Equipment:[/b][/color] Stemming from their time in the NCR Veteran Rangers, the founding members of the Rough Riders have always kept a diverse arsenal allowing others to choose whatever gear suits them and their mission set best. An example of some of the equipment at their disposal is the .308 M1 Garand battle rifle, 5.56 light machine gun, .45-70 govt brush gun, .308 sniper rifle, .50 anti-material rifle, 5.56 service rifle, 40mm grenade launcher, and .45-70 revolvers. Although it’s not uncommon to see other weapons checked in and out of the armory. Their uniform is similar in design to standard NCR fatigues except normally worn with a navy-blue blouse, and khaki or 6-color desert camo trousers. Issued combat armor and helmets to wear over their fatigues most members choose to wear as little as possible and replace their helmets with Stetson cavalry hats worn with gold cords and yellow handkerchiefs tied around their throat. A sign of bravado amongst the Rough Riders but also representative of their highly mobile approach to combat. Most soldiers inevitably end up only wearing a helmet and chest guard to avoid impeding their mobility. A small reserve of NCR Veteran Ranger armor is maintained and used only by the most elite of the Rough Riders. Most of it is a pre-war USMC variant with the armor painted in 6-color desert camo (chocolate chip) and the brown trench coat replaced with a navy blue one at the operator’s discretion. If operating with NCR personnel where confusion could occur, they will either wear a navy-blue trench coat and/or distinguish themselves with yellow markings, normally a handkerchief tied around their neck or arm. [color=FEF698][b]History:[/b][/color] Formed shortly after the NCR’s withdrawal from the Mojave the founding members of the Rough Riders all came from Veteran Ranger Gloriana Lutz’s company. They had grown disillusioned with the meandering bureaucracy of the NCR and chose to strike out on their own. Initially working with caravan companies to help get established. Their skills in the wilderness made them excellent scouts and many companies like Crimson Caravan and the Gun Runners used them to survey new supply routes or escort caravans through treacherous territory. Amid the chaos that consumed the Mojave and left reeling from the famine themselves the Rough Riders were forced to form a bond with local communities or risk dying out themselves. So, for little to nothing in return the Rough Riders would help settlements, however they could for little to nothing in return. This included running off raiders, mediating disputes, guiding hunting parties, guarding general stores, and training settlers to better protect themselves. All of this in the hope that when they had something to give it would come back to the Rough Riders. Normally it was just small quantities of food that the people would pool together for them, but it helped keep them in business. Contract work at this time was at an astronomical high. Caravan companies desperately needed help moving their products as more and more caravans carrying essential supplies were raided before ever reaching their destinations. Using their previous connections and reputation, the Rough Riders were able to step in to bolster security and help some caravans avoid raiders by navigating more treacherous trails. While still a modest boon to the overall dismal situation in the Mojave, it still made an impact for those that needed it. All of these were moves that would help set them apart from the quickly deteriorating organization they used to belong to. In most settlements the Rough Riders were spoken of positively and community outreach during such a troubling time seemed to foster support for the mercenaries amongst the locals. Eventually due to their former interactions with one another and increasing need for more resources Gloriana and the Rough Riders would end up taking contracts for the NCR by proxy of the 3rd Infantry Battalion. Except this time, they weren’t beholden to the system that so often failed the ones it was supposed to protect. [/hider]