[CHAR] The First War

[KingTony]

Cast of Characters (coming soon)

[KingTony]

Paul, Duke of Westrock:



Physical Description:

• 26 years of age (based upon the story beginning in the Year 926 of the Universal Calendar, or UC).
• 6'2", 215#.
• Well sculpted, muscular body; very fit, very strong.
• Dirty blond hair.
• Deep green eyes.
• Multiple scars, to be described later.
• Although not yet applicable, well endowed.

Personality:

• Confident.
• Highly educated, highly knowledgeable, highly intelligent.
• Soft spoken unless people who should be listening to him aren't.
• Thinks before he acts, but acts nonetheless.
• Charismatic. Women tend to like him quickly, sometimes too quickly.
• Conscientious lover.

Background:

• 900 UC: Born, the third and last son of Cranston, Duke of Westrock.
• Educated by the best tutors of the Continent.
• 908 UC:
  
  • The growing conflicts across the Continent drew Paul's father and eldest brother, Carl, into conflict.
  • Paul began combat training, contrary to the wishes of his mother, who -- due to his intelligence -- wanted him to join the Priesthood and become a Scientist.
  • In the mean time:
    
    • Cranston's second son, Richard -- then only 12 years old -- nominally governed the Duchy under the tutelage of Count Barker.
    • Count Barker was Cranston's most trusted Knight and the husband of Cranston's youngest daughter, with whom he had children who were in yet were far down the line of succession.
• 914 UC:
  
  • Paul proved to be a skilled warrior and tactician.
  • A band of highwaymen began harassing caravans traveling between Westrock and its neighboring Duchies.
  • Paul secretly led an ambush on their camp.
  • The highwaymen were slaughtered or jailed and later executed.
  • Paul's reputation as a warrior and leader of men was established.
• 917 UC:
  
  • Cranston's army was reported to have suffered a major defeat.
  • The survivors had scattered in all directions, and the fate of his father was unknown.
  • Paul assembled a force and departed Westrock to locate his father.
• 918 UC:
  
  • Paul's brother, Richard, died suddenly. The official cause was fever, but poison was suspected by many.
  • With the Duke and his male heirs absent, Count Barker volunteered to govern the Duchy.
  • He vowed that if neither Cranston nor Paul returned, he would turn over rule to the eldest heir present in Westrock, a boy who then was only 4 years old.
  • Over the years to come, that child and the next two children in line died of various illnesses or accidents until finally his own children were the heirs to the Duchy. Coincidental bad luck...? I doubt it, though there is no proof.
• 926 UC:
  
  • For 18 years, Count Barker had essentially ruled the Duchy, and he was beginning to feel confident that his eldest son would soon become Duke.
  • Then ... Paul returned.
  • More to come.

[KingTony]

Count Lars Barker of the House Ryrstone, Regent of the Duchy of Westrock:



Physical Description:

• 44 years of age (based upon the story beginning in the Year 926 of the Universal Calendar, or UC).
• 5'11", 195#.
• Fit, muscular body with a layer of "winter fat" from good living.
• Bright, blond hair.
• Hazel-green eyes.
• Multiple scars, to be described later.
• Missing his left pinky (from a sword fight that, ironically, he won).

Personality:

• Confident, sometimes overly so.
• Educated and knowledgeable; intelligent.
• Loud, forceful; doesn't hesitate to speak is mind.
• Vengeful and violent when necessary to achieve his goals.

Background:

• 882 UC: Born, the second (middle) son of Lars Deemis, Count of Ryrstone.
• Received an above average education, but yearned to spend more time with a sword in his hand than a book.
• 894 UC: At age 12, Barker became squire to the Cranston, Duke of Westrock.
• He became a favorite of Cranston's wife and, particularly, his eldest daughter, Mary.
• 898 UC: At age 16, he married Mary.
• 898 UC: Barker's first child was born and named Lars Cranston to celebrate the union of the Duchy of Westrock and County of Ryrstone.
• 900 UC: In a fight against the Wildland Raiders, he lost his left pinky saving Cranston's life. He replaced the Captain of the Guard, who was killed in the fight.
• 908 UC:
  
  • When Cranston and his eldest son left to join the conflicts exploding across the Continent, Barker remained to take the position of Regent of Westrock.
  • He served as Advisor, Advocate, Tutor, and Protector to Cranston's second son, Richard -- then only 12 years old -- who nominally governed the Duchy.
  • While his loyalty to Richard and the Duchy seemed solid in public, in private he was skimming a significant percentage of the Duchy's tax income, as well as secretly forging alliances with neighboring Lords that were meant to benefit him.
• 914 UC:
  
  • Cranston's youngest son Paul -- at this time 14 -- was proving to be a skilled warrior, tactician, and politician; unlike Richard, who was more on the quiet, meek, reserved side.
  • Barker could easily manipulate Richard, but he knew Paul was going to become a problem.
  • When a band of highwaymen began harassing caravans traveling between Westrock and its neighboring Duchies, Barker manipulated Richard into sending Paul to deal with the criminals. Barker was hoping Paul might be killed, but instead Paul wiped out the Highwaymen and returned a hero.
• 917 UC:
  
  • Unknown to anyone but his closest aide -- a man named Crone who is little more than an assassin -- Barker send work to an enemy force about where Cranston's army was positioned.
  • The Army was attacked by a superior force and very nearly wiped out.
  • The survivors scattered in all directions, and the fate of Cranston to this very day is still unknown.
  • Again, Barker manipulated Richard into sending Paul with a force to locate their father or, at the least, return his body to Westrock.
• 918 UC:
  
  • Again unknown to anyone but Crone, Barker poisoned Richard, killing him with the symptoms of a fever that was sweeping through the Duchy.
  • With the Duke and his male heirs absent, Count Barker volunteered to govern the Duchy.
  • He vowed that if neither Cranston nor Paul returned, he would turn over rule to the eldest heir present in Westrock, a boy who then was only 4 years old.
• Over the years to come, that child and the next two children in line died of various illnesses or accidents until finally his own children were the heirs to the Duchy. Coincidental bad luck...? I doubt it, though there is no proof.
• 922:
  
  • For years, Cranston's widow, Eddithia, has feared that Barker would never turn over power.
  • She had been conspiring with loyalists to seize power from Barker, but she had to be cautious because her eldest daughter, Mary, is Barker's wife.
  • On the eve of an action to take control, the conspiracy -- which had been long ago uncovered -- fell apart. Claiming that Eddithia had suffered a mental breakdown, he had her confined to a tower in the Cathedral under the supervision of the Monks. The other conspirators were accused of and tried for treason against none other than Eddithia herself, then executed.
• 926 UC:
  
  • For 18 years, Count Barker had essentially ruled the Duchy, and he was beginning to feel confident that his eldest son would soon become Duke.
  • Then ... Paul returned.
  • More to come.

[Kyrisse]

Of House Ryrstone

Physical Description:

• 18 years of age (based upon the story beginning in the Year 926 of the Universal Calendar, or UC).
• 5'5", 125 lbs.
• 34-24-35 in.
• Blond hair.
• Blue eyes.
• Elegant and sophisticated.
• Youngest daughter of Count Lars Barker.
• Doted on by her father.

Personality:

• Patient and meek.
• Highly educated. Would speak her mind when she sees the need to.
• Courteous, kind and pleasant. People adore her.
• Thoughtful.
• The favorite of her parents.

Background:
908 UC:

• Born the youngest daughter of Count Lars Barker of the House Ryrstone, Regent of the Duchy of Westrock.
• Educated by the same tutors that taught Paul Cranston. Her father wanted the best for her as so she received nothing less.

914 UC:

• At 6 years of age, Count Barker started bringing her along with him to the Duke's residence.
• She met Richard (18 at this time), who was under the tutelage and protection of her father, for the first time.
• Richard made a remark of how lovely the young girl would grow up to be.
• She delighted in spending time with the handsome young man as he would take time off to play with the little girl.

917 UC:

• She would constantly insist on going with her father to the castle so that she can pore over the massive collection of books in the library. She also looked forward to spending time with Richard and listening to his stories.
• She overheard her father advising Richard to send his younger brother to look for the whereabouts of the Duke. At the young age of 9, she didn't think much of it.
• She had her first encounter with Paul when he was about to be sent out on his mission to find his father but unlike his older brother, Paul didn't take notice of her. She, however, became enamored by the young man and looked forward to his return.

918 UC:

• She mourned the loss of Richard, who she had come to look up to like an older brother, more so than her own.
• She is unaware that her father had a hand in Richard's death and remains close to him, often reminiscing about good times with the man that was supposed to be the next duke had he not died.
• She often wondered when the youngest son of the Duke would come back, looking forward to finally being able to talk to him like the way she did with his older brother.

920 UC:

• She stopped going to the castle on orders of her father. According to him, he didn't want her catching the fatal virus that was wiping out the heirs of the Duchy.

924 UC:

• At 16 years of age, she found a great dislike for politics and disapproves of her father's hunger for power.
• Her parents arranged for her to marry Alexander Gordon, 7th Marquess of Aberdeen. The marriage was to take place when she turns 18. Her father insisted that the arranged marriage was for her own good.
• She doesn't want to marry a man almost thrice her age and have time and again argued with her father about it. Her father, however, remains adamant about the marriage.

926 UC:

• For the first time in a long while, she sets foot in the castle once more, just in time to see Paul return.

[Kyrisse]

Physical Description:

• 21 years of age (based upon the story beginning in the Year 926 of the Universal Calendar, or UC).
• 5'6", 120 lbs.
• 34-22-34 in.
• Dark brown hair.
• Blue eyes.
• Has rough hands from working the field day in and day out.
• Has a slight limp from a past knee injury.

Personality:

• Outspoken.
• Never educated, cannot read or write.
• Hard working.
• Dreams of a better life.
• Thinks life is unfair and hates the nobility for having so much when she doesn't have anything.

Background:
905 UC:

• Born, the eldest daughter of Mira and Hector Blake, poor peasants that worked the fields.

910 UC:

• She didn't receive any form of education due to poverty. All she was ever taught was how to tend the field, how to harvest grains and how to raise livestock. This kind of education started at the early age of 5.
• Another sister was born into their family. There are three of them now.

914 UC:

• In four years time, two more siblings were born into the family despite the fact that her parents were having difficulty putting food on the table.
• She would often go to sleep without dinner so that her younger siblings would be able to eat.
• She would often disappear into town to watch the nobles, wishing for a good life like they have. It was also the first time she saw the Count bring his daughter to the Duke's castle.
• Envious of the small blonde child, she sneaked into the castle, where she had seen Paul practicing with a sword.

918 UC:

• The youngest in the family, the only boy and the favored of both parents, died. His death depressed her mother so much that she soon fell ill herself.
• Without her mother to help out in the field, most of the responsibility fell on her shoulders. She began eating less, saving most of the food for her siblings and her mother. Her father was almost always away, trying to find a way to earn more for his family.
• She began hating her life.
• She often saw young Olivia visit the Duke's castle. Because she had everything, Sophia began hating her the way she hated her life.

920 UC:

• She was approached by a man name Crone. He asked for a plant called Belladona in exchange for a few pieces of silver. She needed the money and so she agreed to the trade. The next few days, she and her family were able to fill their stomachs for the first time in a long while.

924 UC:

• Her father died due to an accident in the field. Her mother, hearing the news, sank to depression and once again fell ill. A week later, she died as well.
• Left with three younger sisters to care for, she began doing odd jobs in town. Once in a while, she would do sexual favors for the men in town in exchange for money. At first, she thought herself dirty for doing it but in time, she got used to it. It put food on the table, after all.
• She was later approached by Count Barker who made a deal with her. Something that involved Paul Cranston, if ever he returned. The amount offered was too large that she agreed readily. And the idea of rising in rank and finally improving her way of life by seducing Paul was too tempting to pass up.

926 UC:

• She didn't really believe that the deal between her and the Count would push through until Paul returned.

[KingTony]

Sir Winston, Lord of Greenbrier:



Physical Description

• ~40 years of age (as of 926 UC); he isn't entirely sure of his own age.
• 6'8", 255 pounds; muscular with a layer of fat; mighty, strong.
• Slightly wavy brunette hair which he normally wears wild but pulls back in a pony tail on the crown of his head in more formal situations.
• Multiple scars from battle, but the most prominent flaw are burn scars to his face from a childhood fire.
• Monster of a cock!

Personality:

• Entirely loyal to Paul (as further explained below)
• Quiet with strangers; boisterous with friends.
• Barely literate: he knows his letters and numbers but struggles with large or flowery words.
• However, he is no idiot and is very knowledgeable of the world in which he lives.
• Not afraid to use violence to get what he wants, but he's not unnecessarily brutal.
• Doesn't appear charismatic, but once you get to know him you realize that he can be charming beyond his looks.
• Women are more often than not frightened by him; and when gets naked with them, the fear of that monster between his legs doesn't often improve the situation.

Background:

• ~880-890 UC: Born to a tavern wench in a Northern Duchy.
• Youth:
  
  • His mother claimed the local Sheriff was his father, but being a whore she couldn't prove anything, thus robbing of him of Noble status.
  • His mother died when he was just 5 years old.
  • He lived in the backroom of the tavern until he was 8, when he was accused of thievery and tossed into the streets.
  • Already, he was bigger than most kids anywhere near his age.
  • A street tough named Big Bill -- who was only big in reputation -- took on Winston as his muscle.
• Adult years:
  
  • After the murder of Big Bill and the execution of much of the gang by the local Count's Guard, Winston fled south.
  • Having joined the crew of a merchant ship, he ultimately arrived in Portston.
  • While there, he stepped in to prevent the assassination on Duke Cranston of Westrock.
  • He was rewarded with a position on the Castle Guard.
  • A young Paul Cranston was positively entranced by the huge warrior and demanded that Winston become his bodyguard and warfare tutor.
  • Cranston obliged, and Winston has been with Paul since.
• 914 UC: After he saved Paul's life during the ambush of highwaymen who had been setting upon caravans on the Westrock Road, Winston was knighted and given title to the Town of Greenbrier on the northern frontier of Westrock.
• 920 UC: While he was away with Paul searching for Duke Cranston, Greenbrier was sacked and burned by forces from the North. With the walls breached, the population was without protection and dispersed into the winds. While still Winston's property, Greenbrier is today little more than a few homes that pay tribute to any raiders or forces that set upon them.
• 926 UC: Winston returns to Westrock with Paul.