The Border Reivers, “The Thornbound Brotherhood”

“Enter the brutal world of the Border Reivers—fearsome raiders where honor is forged in blood, and every shadow hides a deadly betrayal waiting to ignite your campaign!”

• Name – Border Reivers
• Symbol / Emblem – Black rampant lion entwined with a silver thornbush on a field of sable and blood-red
• Motto or Slogan – “Where law fails, blood prevails.”
• Type – Clan-based raiders and semi-autonomous war bands
• General Alignment – Chaotic neutral to chaotic evil, bound by clan loyalty and survival
• Purpose / Function – Publicly marauders enforcing brutal frontier justice; secretly custodians of ancient pacts and eldritch rites
• Founding Date / Origin – Late 13th century (circa 1270s), amid Anglo-Scottish border conflicts
• Founders – Unknown original clans; later dominated by families such as Armstrong, Elliot, and Kerr
• Beliefs & Core Values – Fierce clan loyalty, survival by strength and cunning, reverence for ancestral spirits, and binding pacts with supernatural forces
• Public Reputation – Feared marauders by nobility and clergy; grudgingly respected protectors by common folk
• Hidden Agenda (if any) – Maintain secret balance between mortal and supernatural realms through blood oaths and ritual violence
• Leadership & Hierarchy – Led by “Lords of the Marches,” clan chieftains commanding councils bound by oath and fear
• Number of Members – Estimated in the hundreds, scattered among many clans
• Key Figures – The Black Laird of Hermitage, legendary warlord and alleged wraith-bound pact-maker
• Recruitment & Membership – Clan-based, emphasizing blood ties and toughness; outsiders accepted only after trial
• Initiation Rites or Requirements – The “Night of Shadows,” a trial involving confrontation with spirits and supernatural endurance
• Rules / Code of Conduct – Loyalty to clan above all, mandatory vengeance, secrecy of rites enforced by death penalty
• Headquarters / Base of Operations – Bastle houses and pele towers across Liddesdale and the Cheviots
• Territory / Sphere of Influence – Anglo-Scottish borderlands, especially West, Middle, and East Marches
• Allies – Allied clans, opportunistic ties with local lords and mercenaries
• Rivals / Enemies – Border nobles, crown forces, clergy, rival clans, law enforcement
• Known Operations or Projects – Cross-border raids, cattle thefts, ritual ceremonies to ancestral and otherworldly patrons
• Funding / Resources – Plundered livestock and goods, illicit trade, ransom, exploitation of superstition
• Affiliated Organizations – Outlaw bands, some mercenary companies, secret mystical circles
• Symbols in Use – Tattoos of thornbush and lion motifs; banners with clan colors; bastles marked by symbolic runes
• Attitude Toward Outsiders – Suspicious and hostile; trust reserved for kin and oath-bound allies
• Customs & Rituals – Blood feuds, sacrificial rites to ancestors, secret nocturnal gatherings invoking protections
• Language / Ciphers Used – Scots and northern English dialects with coded clan phrases and runic symbols
• Notable History / Key Events – The “Black Laird’s Pact,” a dark alliance with a wraith-queen granting supernatural prowess, shaping border warfare for generations
• Human/Non-Human Members – The Border Reivers are predominantly mortal men and women bound by blood and clan, though whispered tales speak of certain individuals marked by otherworldly heritage or gifts. Among their ranks are those rumored to bear the blood of ancient spirits or fae, granting uncanny agility, foresight, or resilience in battle. These non-human members are seldom seen openly but are revered and feared within the clans, believed to be intermediaries to the shadowy powers underpinning the Border Reivers’ secret pacts. Such figures may serve as seers, shamans, or warleaders whose uncanny presence inspires both dread and loyalty, weaving mortal conflict with the hidden currents of the supernatural.

Along the wild and shattered marches where the crowns of England and Scotland vie for dominion, there dwells a fierce and shadowed fellowship known as the Border Reivers. Their standard, oft bearing a black rampant lion entwined with a silver thornbush upon a field of sable and blood-red, strikes dread into the hearts of those who glimpse it amidst the smoke and ruin of their nightly forays.

To the eyes of nobles and commoners alike, these horse-bound clansmen profess loyalty to no sovereign but the harsh land itself, claiming to uphold a bitter justice where law falters and the writ of crown and clergy is but faint rumor. Yet beneath this guise of marauding brigands, they are the unacknowledged wardens of an ancient and secret legacy—keepers of arcane rites and custodians of powers whispered in the darker corners of sacred groves and forgotten barrows.

Their public purpose, held aloft by cries of steel and blood, is the ceaseless raiding of cattle and spoils across the borderlands, their swift and cruel justice a law unto itself. Yet there is a hidden function far graver: the maintenance of a balance between the mortal realm and the unseen forces that seep through the fissures of this land—forces the clergy dare not name and the crown would see bound and broken.

The Border Reivers are said to hold to an ancient creed, wherein the spirits of earth and shadow demand tribute, and the ancestors’ voices speak through the fury of their raids. Some whisper that their oaths bind them to pacts older than the kingdoms they ravage—pacts forged in blood beneath the watching eyes of eldritch powers, granting them unnatural speed and ferocity in battle, but binding their souls to a restless fate.

Among the noble courts, the Border Reivers are reviled as lawless marauders, instruments of chaos that threaten fragile peace and commerce. The clergy condemns them as heretics and heathens, their rites deemed blasphemous perversions of holy truth. Yet to the common folk of the borderlands, they are at once tormentors and protectors—harbingers of ruin and patrons of survival in a land bereft of mercy.

Their knowledge of old legends and folk magic is both feared and sought after, for they exploit such tales with cunning—using charms and talismans to curse their foes, and whispering protective incantations to ward their kin. Some learned men allege the Border Reivers hold grim relics—wrought iron fetters said to bind restless spirits, and bones engraved with runes of protection—objects hidden deep within their bastle houses, their secrets guarded by blood oath and blade.

The Border Reivers’ dominion stretches from the ragged coasts of Liddesdale to the bleak moors of the Cheviots, threading through villages and keep-cities alike, though none dare claim their loyalty outright. Recruitment is a cruel rite, bound by kinship and trial; young men and women must endure the test of the “Night of Shadows,” where they confront spirits both real and conjured, emerging only if they bear the mark of resilience and a soul unbroken by fear.

Their leaders—chiefs known as “Lords of the Marches”—rule through a blend of bloodright and earned dread, their councils convened beneath the cloak of darkness and oath-sworn secrecy. Among these, the tale of the “Black Laird of Hermitage” persists—an ancient warlord said to have brokered a forbidden pact with a wraith-queen, his name cursed and yet invoked in desperate moments of border strife.

Membership

Border Reivers Low-Ranking Positions

Reiver (Raider)

• Role & Responsibilities: The backbone of the Reiver clans, engaging in raids, cattle rustling, and skirmishes. Skilled in guerrilla tactics, they enforce the clan’s will.
• Approximate Number: 20 to 100 per clan, depending on size and influence.
• Cultural Traits: Often bear clan tattoos or brands; bound by a code of loyalty and vengeance; personal honor tied to clan reputation.

Kinward (Clan Elder)

• Role & Responsibilities: Provide counsel, mediate disputes, uphold traditions, and preserve clan history and lore. Serve as spiritual guides.
• Approximate Number: 3 to 5 per clan, selected for wisdom and experience.
• Cultural Traits: Revered figures involved in rituals honoring ancestors and supernatural forces.

---

Border Reivers Mid-Ranking Positions

Warden of the Marches

• Role & Responsibilities: Semi-autonomous leaders overseeing specific border regions (“Marches”). Coordinate raids, manage resources, and maintain order.
• Approximate Number: 3 to 6, each governing a distinct March.
• Cultural Traits: Chosen for leadership and strategy; balance martial needs with diplomacy and resource management.

Seer of the Thorn

• Role & Responsibilities: Spiritual leaders interpreting omens, performing divinations, and communicating with ancestral or otherworldly spirits. Guide clan decisions accordingly.
• Approximate Number: 1 to 2 per clan, chosen for mystical connection.
• Cultural Traits: Undergo rigorous training; often secluded; insights valued yet sometimes feared.

---

Border Reivers High-Ranking Positions

Chief of the Clans (Reiver-Laird)

• Role & Responsibilities: Supreme leader uniting multiple clans. Makes final decisions on war, alliances, and policy.
• Approximate Number: 1 to 3, each commanding multiple clans.
• Cultural Traits: Embodies martial prowess and diplomacy; commands respect and fear.

The Black Warden

• Role & Responsibilities: Enforcer of secret and dangerous clan matters—handling traitors, forbidden rituals, and covert operations.
• Approximate Number: Typically one per clan, highly autonomous.
• Cultural Traits: Mysterious and feared; wields forbidden knowledge; decisions are final.

---

Border Reivers Notable Non-Human Members

Fae-Bound Champion

• Role & Responsibilities: Warrior bound by a pact to a fae entity, gaining enhanced abilities. Acts as elite combatant and emissary between mortal and fae realms.
• Approximate Number: Rare; usually one per clan.
• Cultural Traits: Revered yet distrusted; possess otherworldly traits; unpredictable due to fae influence.