Unstructured Archetypes: The Companions

They are the Argonauts. They are the Merry Men. They are the 300. They are Odysseus’ Men.

They are men. Manly men! Women can not be Companions. Don’t be silly.

They may be Heroes in their own right but the Hero will be first among equals. This is his story, after all.

They are there to help the Hero on his Journey which may or may not be a Quest.

They are manly but not gay. There is no hanky panky in the camp.

They are dedicated and loyal. They will see the Hero through to the end and follow him into the Gates of Hell if necessary.

They aren’t wimps. Grrr!

They are vulnerable. They can be killed. However, unless they are killed by a betrayal, they will not be avenged. They will, however, be mourned.

They may have Sidekicks. Their sidekicks will almost certainly die before the Journey is over.

They know how to party but they also know when to Get Down to Business.

They aren’t always the brightest bulbs in the bunch. Lucky the Hero is around.

Sometimes they will have a False Companion in their midst who will betray them. The False Companion will die as a direct consequence of his Betrayal.

They probably believe in God but who cares? There’s manly stuff to be done!