Lance The Great
Born into poverty on the Outskirts of Gamma, the Capital of the Achean's League Alliance, Lance clawed his way into the creation of a settlement known at that time as "Curtopia". It was not until after his settlement turned into a village, then a large village, then a Town, that the people began calling him "Lance The Great".
He would later build Curtopia into a Capital among itself. The leader of the Achean League, (TInk!) and now Curtopia's direct neighbor geographically, asked that Lance's new thriving town be moved farther away from Gamma. Lance agreed and began the process towards the exodus of his people...
While his knights were out slaying Wolves one fateful day, they came across a fertile patch of land with a single Sheep on it. When Lance The Great later came out to see this bountiful land, he was instantly inspired. He began construction and trade passages to build what later became known as "West Curtopia". Now, with two cities under his control, Lance the Great began planning his exodus...
Before Lance the Great could begin his Exodus, he knew he would need plenty of manpower and resources. Moving an entire town is a tedious task which required the movement of mass amounts of Stone, Clay, Iron, Wood and not to mention bringing your Town's food supply along with you! He began massive construction projects: improving his Market, his Warehouse, his Spell-Casting abilities and Magic produced at his Mage Tower, etc etc. This became known as "The Time of Upgrades" in Curtopia. Everything needed to be ready to be self-sustaining when they arrived at their new location.
While the Town of Curtopia became a Thriving Town, Lance's Scouts and Knights traveled the lands looking for large areas of plentiful food and other resources. His search brought him all over the continent: Arran, Tor Carrock, Wolgast, Azura, Western Perrigor, and many other places became potential areas to move to. The time was coming soon to choose...where will we go?
Meanwhile, in West Curtopia, Guilds were being built to gather precious Minerals, Herbs and Animal Skins. West Curtopia was becoming a town built for Crafting the best equipment for sale or for use of Lance The Great's growing armies. The question remained, however, after the Exodus of Curtopia begins...what would become of West Curtopia..?
Lance the Great then began to look towards the North. Still trying to stay in the Providence of Perrigor, he brought his knights to the northern border of Perrigor. He fouund a nice-looking spot with sufficient and bountiful land that was completely surrounded by Plans--the best terrain for his knights to fight and defend from. He decided to settle a third city which he would then call "North Curtopia". The new settlement, however, would not be "north" for very long. He had found his kingdom..The northern border of Perrogior and the southern border of Middle Kingdom. Now, it would be time to finally start the Exodus of the Capital City--Curtopia.
The final month before snow began to fall in Elgea the great Exodus of Curtopia began. Next to a ruined tower from ancient times lie a fertile pasture. This was where the miles of caravans and people stopped to rebuild the city. It took many days, and not all of his people made it through the exodus with their lives...but for the new generation of citizens; the new settlement for Curtopia had been built. Using the teleportation spell of Tenaril, Lance the Great brought "West Curtopia" to a large hill southeast of the new location of Curtopia. The large hill held such wonderful surrounding lands, that he decided to change his capital to West Curtopia- which would mean its name would change to simply: "Curtopia". When all was said and done, Lance the Great made an observation. The three cities, now in their final locations, formed the outline of an equal-sided triangle.
Since North Curtopia was no longer "north" and Curtopia was no longer "West Curtopia", he decided to change the names of his settlements for the last time. The thriving town (which was once the capital) would be called "Tierce". In the leader's adolescent years, an architect once spoke to Lance about the top point of a triangle shape while looking at the blueprints of a building. The architect referred to the top point as a "Tierce"- this inspired Lance the Great to rename this particular thriving settlement (the one at the top point of the triangle of cities) to "Tierce". The smallest, and newest settlement would be renamed "Equies". This was another way of saying "Equal". Lance the Great was referencing an equal-sided triangle. Finally, the town once known as "West Curtopia", teleported to its new location, was now known as Curtopia. The grand exodus had finished. Now that he was no longer in safe reach of the ACHE Alliance, he needed to allign himself with a new and better alliance. He decided to follow a conquerer known as "Iknights" to an Alliance known as "Night Squires". Where would his new journey with Night Squires take him?
His first assignment with the federation involved a tournament of hides. Competing alliances in Elgea and other parts of the world would have to slay wild animals for their hides. The STORM alliance paid whoever offered these hides in gold. So Lance the Great would rebuild his army for the objective of hunting.
During the later days of the tournament of Hides, Lance the Great decided that it was time to expand his reach in the areas of middle Elgea. A fourth settlement would do the trick, he thought. Seeking a spot south, he found a perfect location in the terriroty known as Arran. Next to other Night Squire alliance cities, he settled at the shores of a lake. The spot had plenty of potential for food growth, lumber and iron. He named this new settlement "Lazura" and began sending equipment and resources to the new hamlet from Tierce and Curtopia. The caravans took slightly longer due to the far distance Lazura was from the rest of Lance's cities. In the middle of winter, Lance the Great was attempting to create a self-sustaining settlement farther to the south. He hoped he would succeed and that Lazura would thrive just as Tierce, Curtopia, and Equies had. But he would need more than hope. He would need help.
Lance the great called apon members of his new alliance, Night Squires, to help him ensure the future of Lazura in the far south territory of Arran. Cities belonging to the Night Squire "Gengas" were close to Lazura, and were the first obvious option. A unlikely ally was found in an alliance member known as "Stang". Stang, with all of his power and wealth, decided to send caravan missions to Lazura to help establish the new settlement. Lance the Great, able to breathe a bit easier, turned his sights back to his ruling city: Curtopia.
He decided that Curtopia would become the crafting capital of his kingdom. Mainly in the area of Horse Breeding. He began researching how to breed all types of horses. Lance the Great's ambitions, however, would not end with horses. He began crafting master weapons such as Dragon Spears, Boar Spears, Forest Spears, Razor Edge, and Plainsman Spears (along with Plansmans Chainmail and Armor). A lot of this equipment proved extremely useful to humans, but not to other humanoid counterparts. Lance the Great, needed to expand his markets to include Elf, Dwarf and even Orc weaponry and armor.
When Curtopia became another Thriving town, just as Tierce was becoming a large town and on its way to city status, Lance the Great increased his trade and crafting abilities in the towns of Curtopia and Equies. These towns had guilds, and now both towns had something they didn't have before: Traders! Curtopia began excelling in breeding Riding Horses, War Horses, Steady Horses, Nimble Horses, "Battlebred Horses", and Draught Horses for the siege army held at Tierce. Lance began sending these horses, random animal anatomies, and several types of crafted spears and leather armor to the nearest trade hub in preparation for his Traders. When his traders would arrive, they would have plenty to work with and lots of money was to be made. Lazura was designated as a wine making town, as well as a harvesting location to procure animal parts in Arran that were not present in Perrigor. Things were lining up for Lance the Great to build both a conquering army, AND trade routes. It was time for Lance the Great to truly earn his title.
One fateful day, after waking from his nightly slumber, Lance the Great looked apon his kingdom. His people numbered over 10,000, and the time came, yet again, to make room for more citizens that were still traveling to his lands to settle or make trade. It was time for Lance the Great to found a 5th city.
Lance's kingdom spanned all the way through middle Elgea- from Perrigor to southern Arran. He now had Traders in two Hubs- one in Perrigor and one in Arran. His trade profits had increased drastically. He mastered horse breeding and spear crafting in Curtopia, made every type of leather armor possible in Tierce (along with the largest army of Knights in the entire kingdom), he made Equies his center for Magic and town trades; and even Lazura (far away in south Arran) crafted chainmail armor to add to his vast trading network. His 5th City needed to be strategically placed to serve a purpose as a line of transport from one province of Elgea to another. He landed on a spot right at the border of Arran and Turalia. Among the mountain range which separates the two provideces, Lance the Great sent his settlers to a small opening between two peaks in the middle of the massive mountain range in western Turalia. Now, travelers going between Turalia and Arran (or vice versa) had to take notice of the town established in the mountain range. He aptly named this new settlement: "Tural Pass". His plans for this new town were simple: make it a trading town. Once he builds a merchant guild in Tural Pass, he will then be able to sell basic needs for any city (horses, livestock, swords, spears, leather armor, chainmail, plate armor, beverages, books, hides, etc). Caravans could decide to pick up these basic needs at Tural Pass instead of traveling all the way to a Faction Hub in either Arran or Turalia. The other bonus of the surrounding area, was the unlimited access to minerals and rare minerals along the mountain range. The cotters and miners of Tural Pass could have a field day with the amount of resources they could harvest from literally any direction they looked. It seemed to Lance that Tural Pass would prove to be a smart investment.
While his affairs were getting in order, and his trade was beginning to pay off, Lance the Great decided it was time to make a difference in the world of Illyriad. He wanted to make an even greater impact than simply making lots of gold and claiming land. He wanted to help those in need. He soon left the alliance he had been part of for months, Paradox, due to internal conflict and a dissipation of the alliance. It was at this time that Lance saw an opportunity. A chance to make the impact he has wanted to make. He had a thought: "What do people want more than anything else in this unstable world?.." With a snap of his fingers, it came to him. Protection! People want to feel safe. Also, people want to be feared, in order to feel safe. His idea was simple: create an alliance of mercenaries. Other rulers who were without an alliance and wanted to make gold and a legacy for themselves with the massive armies they had assembled. Many rulers in Illyriad had build massive armies for the potential threat of attack, or invasion. Why not offer the less protected ones an army to help them feel even more safe? They would, of course, have to pay for this protection. But, some people are willing to pay for safety. Also, some are willing to pay for help with their attacks. Anyone who invades another's kingdom wants to ensure their victory. What better way to guarantee victory than to hire more reinforcements?
It was out of these ideas that "Soldiers For Hire" was formed. Lance the Great would guarantee a Siege army with catapults, rams, and soldiers, or a blockading army of soldiers, or a siege-killing army of soldiers to any client willing to pay for them. He soon found a few rulers willing to help in the effort. Each had their own reasons for joining.
Zander Wren, an Elf ruler from the Duchy of Keppen, was the first to join Lance's crusade. Zander was making an impact in Elgea with two towns under his control. While attempting to settle a third, Zander heard rumors of Lance the Great's ideals. Zander Wren searched the plains of Perrigor until he found Lance and asked to join his efforts. He told Lance the Great the story of how he has lost his mother and father after a group of Orc's stormed their farm. Zander felt obligated to help the innocent citizens of Elgea and felt that Lance's alliance was the best way to do so.
Next to join was Hammond- a human from the rugged hills of Norweld. Hammond felt as though he needed to make his mark in this world. He claimed that he had felt this way his entire life. He managed to create a thriving settlement; even in the crowded terrain of Norweld. He named his first settlement "Reindell". After gaining enough followers for a second settlement, Hammond sent his new settlers farther north to the region of Wolgast, and cast a spell of teleportation for his capital, Reindell, to follow. Lance the Great had already heard tales of Hammond through travelers from Norweld and the Northern Regions. Hammond was a legacy up there. He heard the story of a destitute Human from the rugged terrain of Norweld climbing his way to higher status. Lance felt drawn to this story, because it sounded so much like his beginnings. Lance decided to ride north and visit Hammond in his newly established kingdom. He humbly asked that Hammond be a representative of "Soldiers for Hire" in the northern regions of Elgea. Hammond thought about it, and eventually accepted the offer. He saw this as an opportunity to gain the riches needed to expand his kingdom.
After Zander and Hammond joined, Lance knew he was missing someone. A Dwarf, and friend, whom he met in his former alliance. A dwarf who went by the name "Draken the Savage". Their reunion was a joyous occasion. They drank wine and remembered the glory days of Paradox where the two fought side-by-side. The festivities and celebration went on for days; echoing in the air of northern Kal Tirikan. When the festivities were over, and the reuinion was finished, Lance turned to Draken with a serious tone. He asked Draken to consider being the commanding officer in his alliance. He would earn the title "Head Mercenary". The parameters of Draken's title would allow him to oversee all activities within the alliance. Draken would be in charge of training Zander and Hammond to become altruistic, and only use their power to help the client with whatever they hire us to do. Draken stood up from his throne, and paced the halls. "Would this mean that you are the leader? Would this make YOU my king??" This was a valid question due to the fact that Lance the Great founded the alliance. Lance's response, however, was "No, Draken. I would not be your king. In fact, you would be in charge of everyone else. You handle the trainee's and give orders to the mercenaries, and my job would be to ensure that we collect what is owed after a job is finished, or after our troops arrive. I will also be contributing my own armies to each assignment. So, in a way, this would make you MY king..." Draken thought harder on the proposition. Just then, Lance the Great approached Draken the Savage and kneeled down before him. Draken was in shock. Lance the Great was a mighty King, and he was bowing before him. When Lance looked up, he asked a simple question: "Draken...after all our time together. After all the battles we fought...do you trust me?" A smile slowly came upon Draken's face. He grabbed Lance's shoulders and pulled him up onto his feet. While looking up at Lance, Draken embraced his brother in arms. Draken spoke the words in Lance's ear: "I trust you with my life, my human brother... now lets have some more wine!"
With one solid embrace, the foundation for Soldiers for Hire had been built. The two friends continued their celebration for 10 more days and nights. When it was time for Lance the Great to return to his kingdom in Perrigor, he officially named Draken as the one, and only, "Head Mercenary" of Soldiers for Hire.
With Lance's alliance now being official, he immediately began receiving offers for jobs which paid handsomely in gold. One ruler decided to put Solders for Hire on retainer with 10 million gold pieces. That meant that if this person were to ever be in trouble in the future, the alliance will be there. But trouble was brewing on the Horizon, and Lance the Great did not know it yet...
Another ruler who did not agree with the beliefs of Lance the Great, nor those of his alliance, submitted that another smaller ruler change his name to "Lance the Dimwitted". This was, of course, meant to be a direct insult to Lance the Great. However, with everything Lance the Great had been through to get to this point, a person mocking his name would not even come close to bothering him. The small ruler, with one village, sent an army to Lance's town "Tural Pass" in the mountains of Turalia. In the Spring, under a waxing moon, the Battle at Tural Pass took place.
Lance's first move was to reinforce his isolated town in the mountains. He sent a reinforcing army from his town of "Equies" which would arrive approximately 2 days before Lance the Dimwitted's army would. After reinforcements had arrived from Equies, the town of Tural Pass took the initiative to strengthen its walls in preparation for the attack. The only thing left to do; was wait. Two days later, the army arrived at the gates of Tural Pass. Lance the Great's forces made an example of the smaller army from Lance the Dimwitted. The enemy's troops numbered over 400; which were no match for Lance the Great's forces numbering in the 1,000's. Something else was coming, however, that Lance the Great did not anticipate.
It was soon discovered that shortly before Lance the Dimwitted abandoned his people from fear of retaliation by Lance the Great, the Dimwitted sent two additional armies to occupy lands just outside of Tural Pass in attempts to surround the town. Each army, again, numbering just over 400 troops. Lance the Great deployed his troops from Tural Pass to the mountains surrounding it two more times to finally defeat Lance the Dimwitted's attempts to intimidate his people. Lance knew that three armies with such small numbers could not have been a real attempt at an attack. This fact made him wonder...was this a warning of some kind, or a declaration for a war that was only beginning...?
Now that the strange events at Tural Pass had come and gone, Lance the Great discovered his Kingdom, now at 20,000+ citizens, was once again crowded. He needed a more drastic measure this time, however, than simply sending off settlers once again. He turned his attention to an abandoned town on the eastern forests of Perrigor. He found a perfect Town which had been abandoned all except for 700 or so soldiers left to defend it. He started diplomatic missions right away: scouts, spies, thieves, assasins...anything to get the attention of the people and the potential magic runes that awaited his future sieging army. Then, the final order he gave: "send the siege! Capture the Town"...The Siege in Eastern Perrigor was about to begin.
Days later, the Draught Horses blew dust out their nostrals while dragging the massive catapults through the damp woods outside the city "Magic Hat". An army of Men at arms, spearmen, and knights marched in front, winding through the trees like rushing water. In front of them: "Sir Peter of Curtopia" rode his infamous Riding Horse at the front of the line. His hose splashed mud in all directions as he approached the massive town walls. Yelling and horns rang out from behind the gates signaling the panic of the towns people. Sir Peter stopped. He un-sheathed his sword, and speared it into the ground. He turned to face his men. His elite group of 150 men at arms, his personal guard, followed by 773 more in formation stopped in their tracks along with 200 elite Pikemen in formation to his right lead by "Reddick the Mighty Spear". The spear unit stood at attention; guarding the massive siege engines. The horses stopped as well, breathing in the crisp morning air. The sky was grey, and sunlight was approaching. Sir Peter spoke to his men: "Brothers in arms...this sword marks the spot of our campsite...Prepare the catapults!" A loud roar emerged from the entire army. The Siege had begun.
The rain had subsided, and the fire balls continued hurling into the screaming town of Magic Hat for two entire days and nights. There was no stop to the bombardment. Two armies camped on the north east, and north west corners outside the town. Both camps had more than a dozen catapults hurling fire balls into the town non-stop. Finally, the walls came down, and the soldiers left inside were ready to fight to their last man...
They were archers. "True Shots"- the Elves called them. They were elite bowman and there was over 700 of them lined along the tree line- split up into two large groups standing in front of both of Lance the Great's siege camps. Sir Peter turned to his men and looked at them all. Each soldier had mud, blood and sweat covering their faces and clothes. He pulled his sword from the mud. It had stuck in the same spot throughout the entire siege. He placed the sword into his shirt which was pulled into his hands; and wiped the mud off of it. It was a clean sword he raised into the air that clear sky morning. For a moment...there was silence. The elves stood in formation with bows drawn and aimed at Sir Peter's men. He calmly pointed his sword in their direction, and with a large inhaled breath he released his battle cry: "CHARGE!"
The men fought bravely at the battle of Magic Hat. They took the town that day, and men were lost. Every elf bowman had lost his or her life. His men walked into the ruins of the town, and Reddick the Mighty Spear brought in the flag of "The Company"- The new name and banner under which the Soldiers for Hire rode. Reddick walked the flag into the middle of the town square, and shoved the bottom of the flag pole into the sturdy ground. Magic Hat was no more. This town now belonged to Lance the Great. This town...was now "Woodhurst". Lance gazed from outside the town through the trees with a serious look on his face. He rode away with his Royal Guardsmen; there was no smile on his face. The day had been won- but many had died. He allowed his men 3 days and nights to celebrate. The town was loud once again. This time, however, the sound was laughter and joyous chants. Lance still rode off in silence. He spoke to himself "Let them celebrate. They have earned it. I will mourn for my men." Such is the burdon of a King.