| Lady Aedale Redfist
According to her teachers, Aedale is a girl who might be destined to become the most powerful spellcaster of the Empire. Not because of her current power or experience but because of the very potential within herself. Despite obviously still having much to learn, Aedale had set sails overseas to join the Imperial Army in its war against the enemies of mankind, which made her tutors rather worried that her ambition to prove herself to both others and herself might lead to her downfall. Yet, not even her father, Duke Redfist himself, was able to stop her from joining the Imperial Army - and therefore "escape" the wishes of her tutors. |
| General Aveen Elvir
General Aveen, the current leader of the Falcon Regiment, is rumoned to be a distant relative of the Emperor - maybe even an heir of the original founder of the regiment. While she is a capable leader and beloved by her soldiers, she seems to prefer keeping her distance to the other generals and people that are no part of her regiment in general. The ones who believe that she may be related to the Emperor believe this to be the reason, that as a relative of the Emperor, she is supposed to keep her distance to keep her true identy hidden. Others think that she simply prefers her animals over her fellow humans - which seems to be not too uncommon for members of the Falcon Regiment. |
| Councilor Birram
No record can be found about Birram or his past, which led to several rumors about him being a renegade mage. These rumors grow into claims that the kind of knowledge the scholar tampered with was of rather dark and unknown nature, the kind of forbidden knowledge that should not be used. He first appeared on the very day Gardon Bloodclaw was made general. Birram was his generals' advisor on all magical matters from the very beginning and fiercely loyal. Despite appearing to be a mage of great power, Birram had always prefered to serve as Gardons' advisor rather than serve him in battle - and Gardon had Birram be part of his personal council since the very beginning of said council. |
| General Blen Greymoore
General Greymoore is said to embody everything the Empire stands for. He is an honorable warrior, proud to fight for the Empire and the Emperor, following every order and doing whatever he can to make the Empire a better place - even if it means that he has to fight the enemies of mankind without showing any mercy, hunting them until they are completely destroyed.
Already, many bards tell romantical tales of the veteran who was born a peasant and rose through ranks only by his wit, his tactical mind and his strength in both body and mind, saving not only his men but also fair ladies on a daily basis. Of course, the tales are exaggerated, as tales tend to be, and Blen wouldn't consider himself a paragon, having to send his men into certain death again and again to assure victory for the Empire, mourning those who he lost. Greymoore's soldiers all look up to him, seeing him, who fights at their side in every battle, as their inspirational role model. |
| Lord Brian the Fallen
Long ago, before the Empire had set sail over the sea, Lord Brian was a high-ranking member of the Emperor's court. People were afraid of the lord in dark armor who was said to study the forbidden dark arts of Shadow Magic. One day, he and his family disappeared without any trace of their whereabouts. Since he didn't return after many years, people started to believe he had died. However, in truth, he had discovered ancient secrets and power. Whatever happened to him, it made him immortal and gave him unknown power and knowledge. It remains a mystery what he has done over the past centuries. |
| Lady Cora Redfist
Following her father's wishes reluctantly, Cora joined the Imperial Army instead of continuing her studies in the Imperial Academy. Having proven herself as a valuable asset of the army, she was given the offer of joining the Imperial Navy. She had always loved the sea and knowing that the Imperial Navy would enable her to progress further in her studies of water magic, Cora accepted the offer and became a member of the navy, later serving as the liaison officer between the Imperial Navy and the Golden Guard. Over time, she developed a certain dislike for Renald van Durce, the general of the Golden Guard, considering him arrogant beyond measure. |
| Commander Daric
The mercenary commander Daric spent many years in service of the Empire, putting down revolts and uprisings in many regions both in the Empire and the Kingdoms. For his service and his ingenious tactics and strategies, he had been rewarded with lands between the Kingdoms of Salria and Rengar. However, Daric refused to take any noble title and instead had decided to continue using his title as a mercenary commander, focusing on taking down the enemies of the Empire.
It is said that Sir Lerrig Goldheart has hired Daric to make up for Lerrig's own rather lacking strategic skills. While Daric himself considers Lerrig a poor tactician, the experienced mercenary acts professional and respectful and is the one keeping Lerrig's men in line - though now many soldiers began to say that things would go much better if Daric was in command instead of Lerrig. |
| General Dorbric Berangar
The current leader of the Bull Regiment, the veteran General Dorbric, is said to be as strong as ten men, his axe having cut large Demons in half with but a single strike. There are also rumors that, on the way to the Kingdoms, his ship was attacked by a sea snake and he tore the beasts' jaw apart with his bare hands as it tried to devour him. Like his warriors, he prefers to charge right into trouble and break through anything in his way, leaving the more complex strategies to other regiments and generals. Still, labelling him as little more than a simple-minded buffoon would be a grave mistake. One should not give the Bull a reason to start a stampede while standing in front of him. Dorbric may be more of a brawler than a leader, but exactly that made him the perfect leader of the Bull Regiment. |
| King Dorten of Kerrel
The King of Kerrel, Dorten, is the oldest king still alive and the only living king who, as a young prince, had fought the war against the Demons BEFORE the Empire had arrived. He is the only king to remember the days when there had been no one to help them when the Demons charged in, wave after wave, day for day. Then, when his father died, he became king and led his people from afar, yet had to see them die while the Demons kept throwing wave after wave against the Humans, as if there was no end to their numbers. When the ambassadors of the Empire arrived, promising help to the Kingdoms - if the Kingdoms agreed to their terms and joined the Empire. Like the other rulers of the Kingdoms, Dorten saw no other way than to accept the offer and wait. Then, the Empire of Humanity arrived.
Thousands upon thousands of ships came to the shores of the Kingdoms, to destroy the demonic threat. Yet, despite them being here to fight a common foe and while everyone else cheered, all that Dorten felt was fear and dread. They had invited new conquerors to their homes and welcomed them like their brothers.
The Empire had managed to defeat the Demons, yet failed to destroy them for good, and for years, a countless number of Imperials, of strangers, sailed over the ocean to march through his kingdom.
Dorten, now a bitter old man, despises the Empire, seeing them as double-tongued liars who didn't keep their word and forced the Kingdoms into servitude, even recruiting his very own subjects to join their Imperial Army - and for what? To keep failing. Dorten made the officials of the Empire feel his discontent on so many occasions that the Imperials had decided to ignore him completely. "Age will kill him soon enough anyway" they said. |
| Duke Volarian Redfist the Tyrant
While being considered a tyrant by many to the point that it became his official title, the history of Duke Redfist is a rather tragic one. Despite being born in the Empire, Redfist, only a lowborn noble back then, moved to the Kingdom of Lor only shortly after the Void War had ended, having found the love of his life in that kingdom during the war, marrying her and founding a family.
However, fate was cruel to him and he found his family lying dead around him sooner than he could imagine. Broken, Redfist returned to the Empire, locking himself up for weeks in his chambers within his family's castle. When he left his chambers, he was a different man. Where kindness had been, there was mercilessness. Where tolerance had been, there was hatred. Where compassion had been, there was apathy.
Redfist was now driven by nothing but his hatred and rage, which fueled him to rise quickly through the ranks of the Empire, even becoming a duke despite being of "low birth". It is said that even the Emperor and his advisors fear his rage. Redfist married again and founded a new family, having several sons and daughters with his new wife. As it was with most other families of mankind, they lost several children in the war against the Demons. It is said that this new family managed to damp his rage, but no one within the Empire doubts that they could escape his endless rage if they dared to threaten him or his family. No one knows what his goals are, as he doesn't seem to care much about power, but about one thing, there can be no doubt: Redfist is still driven by his rage, and the day of his reckoning will spare none of his enemies, whoever they are. |
| General Gardon Bloodclaw
General Gardon is the most ruthless and merciless general in the Empire. He is known for using every available weapon against his enemies without showing any pardon. His background is a mystery. He simply appeared out of nowhere and became general. He proved very fast, that he got that position for a good reason, destroying the enemies of the Empire with fast, merciless effectiveness. He is the commander of the Ironfist, an elite force of the Empire, which often carries out top secret missions for the Emperor himself. According to rumors, Gardon himself enjoys the favor of the Emperor - much to the frustration of many higher-ranking Imperials. Yet none would dare make a move against him, as in the past, such attempts ended in disaster. |
| Lord Genethas
Born in the Empire, Genethas already was a respected veteran of the Imperial Army when it arrived in the Kingdoms. Having fought against the Demons for years, he and his soldiers had gained quite the reputation in the Imperial Army. Lord Genethas was the general in charge of all armies during the Voidwar, the war against the Demons that was supposed to be the last one. He led the army of Humans, Elves and Dwarves to victory after victory. However, they were betrayed by a general of the Imperial Army and lured into a trap. All other generals fell, only Genethas survived and he ordered the armies to retreat. Without this retreat, the remaining army would have been wiped out and the Kingdoms would have been left defenseless. Despite the failure, Genethas was honored for his efforts and offered a chance to retire, living the rest of his life in peaceful luxury back home.
However, Genethas declined, stating that he would continue fighting against the enemies of mankind until they were all finally dealt with, once and for all. |
| Lord Harmos the Guardian of the Flame
Being the Guardian of the Flame makes Harmos one of the highest-ranking and most respected members of the Order of the Flame in the Kingdom of Rengar, second only to the grandmaster himself. Harmos had been given to the order when he was still but a child. Harmos showed great understanding and control of the flames early on. On his thirty-third birthday, he summoned the great elemental of fire and completed the trials of the flame, making him the new Guardian of the Flame, a sacred position within the order - as it was with the other elemental magic orders.
Both in his youth and in his later days, Harmos was known for a rather fierce personality, having little patience for anything he considers a waste of his time and was called "grumpy" by others behind his back. Yet, he had a great heart and always held humanity's best interests before his own. |
| Horgar Whitebeard
Horgar Whitebeard is the current ruler of the Lorekeeper Dwarves and the order of runepriests, being one of the oldest of their kind. While technically the "king" of the Lorekeeper Dwarves, like those who came before him, Horgar does not wear this title. After all, Horgar, was a true traditionalist and never considered himself a "king" by any means, he was the advisor and supporter of the other kings - and the high king of course, Horgar being the one who crowned Zarin like he crowned the two who had come before him. Unlike the progressive Bloodstone Dwarves, Horgar opposed the idea of leaving the Humans on their own during the First Voidwar, before the Empire had arrived, and it was him who convinced the high king, Zarin's predecessor, to ignore such requests, reminding him of the friendship between the two races. Like Zarin and many other Dwarves, Horgar would not tolerate the Dwarves leaving the side of their allies unless the latter convinced the vilest of crimes. |
| General Kenos Harron
Silent and mysterious General Kenos is the leader of the Phoenix Regiment. He always wears his mask and is fully clothed. Most believe the rumor that a demon sorcerer had once trapped Kenos inside his own phoenix, slowly burning him alive. It is said that the pain made Kenos, a recruit summoner back then, accidentally channel too much magical power into the phoenix. This overflow of magic energy is said to have caused a massive explosion, killing the demon sorcerer but also further burning Kenos alive, making it a miracle that he was still alive. Since Kenos never speaks about this, it is unclear how much truth is to this. Some rumors claim that Kenos is in fact the original founder of the Phoenix Regiment who has used the secrets of the regiment to cheat death. |
| Larine the Exile
Larine used to be the personal guard and a good friend of the elven queen. However, she began criticizing the fact that the Elves were hiding in their woods instead of fighting side-by-side with the Imperials and Dwarves. She blamed the Queen for the fact that the Elves were despised by many of the Humans who had been forced by their superiors to defend them. She left the Elven Kingdom shortly after the mysterious death of her lover and was later exiled. She traveled to the court of King Dorten of Kerrel and began working for him, gaining his respect. Trained in both archery and nature magic, she is ready to fulfill her superior's every command, while secretly still hoping that she would be able to return to her people one day and save them from the incompetence of their Queen. |
| Sir Lerrig Goldheart
Sir Lerrig Goldheart is a high-ranking military commander of the Imperial Army, hailing from a powerful Imperial family. Shortly after having been knighted, Lerrig married the daughter and only child of one of the most powerful figures in the Imperial Court. This marriage and his heritage gave Lerrig his current position of a high-ranking commander, yet he kept having problems keeping his soldiers in line. The reason being that his strategies and tactics were often either flawed or required the sacrifice of large amounts of soldiers. Yet, him being the son-in-law of a very powerful person within the Empire protected Sir Lerrig from all attempts of higher-ranking officers to get rid of him.
It is said that Lerrig had begun hiring mercenaries to advise him in military matters to improve his own skills - though some rumors persist that he merely did this to let them do all the work for him. |
| Lord Korras Retka
Lord Retka, a wealthy and influential noble of Pyrru, always was an enemy of the Empire. He never understood why he and his family should throw themselves under the rule of some foreigners who, in his eyes, were unfit to rule lands they neither knew nor understood. The young king of Pyrru, however, was a fierce follower of the Empire who was even married to a noblewoman of the Empire - much to Retka's frustration who considered this borderline betrayal. Then, when the king of Toran broke the betrothal between his daughter and Retka's son in order to have her marry an Imperial noble as well, Retka began to understand what was going on. The Imperials were marrying nobles of the Kingdoms to gain rightful claims on the lands of the Kingdoms, attempting to take their land from them! When they approached Retka for a similar offer, asking for the hand of his sister and also offering a wife for his son, the enraged lord threw them out of his castle all by himself. However, he also saw this as an opportunity. A cause that would make the other nobles join him, a chance to take the crown of Pyrru - and of Toran too. He gathered other nobles and prepared. |
| Lord Marin
Hailing from a wealthy noble family, Lord Marin is, without a doubt, the most renowned and skilled engineer of the Empire. Being the inventor of many amazing weapons used by the Empire, including the famous Destructors, even the Dwarves are impressed by his genius and understanding of mechanical weaponry. Some were wondering why a man like him, who is driven by nothing but logic, not by faith, came to join the righteous Golden Guard (some even claim that he merely joined to escape "boredom"), but he is known to be a close ally and even friend of High Lord Inquisitor Renald van Durce, having fought by his side for many years. It is rumored that Marin is working on new methods combining arcane power with his machines which would, without a doubt, result in powerful yet terrifying war machines - even more powerful than the ones he already deploys in battle. |
| Admiral Merlon Seabright
Both in the Imperial and Royal Fleets, Admiral Merlon Seabright is a living legend. It is said that he was the captain of the ship that killed the Terror of Feraldir, a gigantic, demonic sea monster that had terrorized ships for thousands of years. Merlon dislikes staying on the shore for longer than absolutely necessary, for the sea is his true home. He is said to have been a critic and even an enemy of Gardon Bloodclaw until the two of them were assigned to a special mission. After that mission, Merlon remained silent about Gardon and even proclaimed to assist Gardon whenever he was needed.
Today, he is Gardon's most loyal ally who is not part of the Ironfist. |
| Orgen Bloodstone
A distant cousin of King Ragnar Bloodstone, Orgen had been serving in the armies of the Bloodstone Dwarves for many years when the First Void War broke out. When the Bloodstones were finally allowed to support their kin, Orgen was among the first to join the fight, killing many Demons from afar with his modified rifle – and piercing through the chest of those that came too close. It was also during this war that Orgen first met the Humans of the Kingdoms – and like many other Bloodstones, he supported the idea of leaving them to their fate as they only hindered the defense efforts. When the Humans of the Empire arrived, he also found himself prefering them over their kin in the Kingdoms, just like many other Dwarves. After the First Void War, Orgen was offered to be promoted into the higher ranks of the dwarven military but politely declined as he wanted to return to his duties as captain. He did not want to bother with the politics and other responsibilites, he wanted to keep doing what he liked the most: Hunting creatures, tinkering with his rifle – and blowing things up. Orgen was still a real Bloodstone after all. |
| Sir Praxeus "The Holy Bastion" Braelon
Nothing is known about the exact origins of the Holy Bastion, but when he joined the Order of the Righteuos (and therefore, by extend, the Golden Guard) Sir Praxeus already was a very skilled paladin of the Empire. Being a massive figure, tall and strong, and wearing an armor, so heavy that no one else could wear it, forged by himself, Praxeus was intimidating yet it was made clear very soon that he was a good man with a pure heart, even if unwilling to talk about his past. He stood in the first line of every encounter and shielded his comrades with his armor and spells alike. His loyalty made him rise quickly through the ranks of the Golden Guard, yet unlike most of his comrades, Praxeus was not considered arrogant. When others were sitting around campfires, he would often be found sitting alone, thoughtlessly looking at the amulet he always wore and refused to take off. |
| General Ramerius Prideblade
The proud and somewhat imperious General Ramerius is the current leader of the Dragon Regiment. Like all human members of the Dragon Regiment, he serves the Empire and Emperor with pride and has a high opinion of the abilities of his regiment. Some say that his behaviour and rather extreme confidence come from the time when he was a soldier of the Golden Guard. He would probably still be a member of the Golden Guard if his father had not been the leader of the Dragon Regiment before him. When his father asked him to join the regiment to one day take his place, Ramerius followed the call. He proved to be even more skilled than his father in the art of warfare, combat and even in controlling the beasts of the Dragon Regiment. So, when his father retired, Ramerius took his place. |
| High Lord Inquisitor Renald van Durce
Being one of seven younger brothers of the former emperor and therefore one of the uncles of the current Emperor, Renald could have lived a peaceful life of luxury in the Imperial palace. However, he loathed his other brethren for letting the luxury make them become lazy and corrupt. Becoming a great warrior-priest and leader, he himself led the final assault that removed all Demons from the continent of the Empire. Renald had always been arrogant, but his success made it even worse. However, his loyalty towards the Emperor is almost limitless and only the Emperor himself can command van Durce. Whenever he and his Golden Guard are sent on a mission, the Emperor sends his finest, most loyal and most arrogant soldiers.
His full title is:
High Lord of the Imperial Court, Lord Inquisitor of the Order of the Righteous, Lord Consultant of the Emperor, General of the Golden Guard. |
| Queen Renova
Renova was raised in a life of luxury and wealth, far away from the problems of the "commonfolk", just like most other elven nobles were, yet, as she reached adulthood, she rebelled against her mothers' wishes to have Renova "stay inside the palace" and, when her mother was "visiting" the then-king of Rengar, Renova sneaked out of the palace to see her future realm with her own eyes, like an ordinary elf, not like a noble. She learned much about her people during this time, but it wasn't too long until her mother's henchmen had found her and when Queen Keera returned, she punished her daughter for disobeying her by locking her into her chamber for three years - a life of luxury for sure, but a life of loneliness and of isolation. For an elf, three years weren't as much time as for a Human, yet Renova felt misunderstood and mistreated by her mother, beginning to wonder if Keera actually cared about her. Her imprisonment would have been longer if her mother had not died after these three years. Renova acted in public like a daughter mourning the loss of her mother, but behind the scenes, she removed all that remained of Keera's influence in the court. When the Empire arrived, Renova was quick to announce her intentions to closely work with the Imperials, but she still failed to have the Elves participate in the war as much as the Empire wanted and therefore left the continent to talk with the Emperor himself about the matter. |
| General Salana Woodhunter
On the very day Salana became the general of the elven armies, her parents were killed by the Demons, leaving nothing but the amulet that was gifted to Salana's great-grandparents by the legendary human dragonslayer Rahandir Drakeskull behind for her to remember them. Salana, already having been in favor of approaching a more active role in the war, then decided to use her new position immediatly to prepare the Elves for war - even if her attempts to convince the queen, whom Salana served without question, of her point of view remained rather unsuccessful. Her commitment has been rewarded with a position as diplomat of her people. The more time Salana spent with the outside world, the more she began to have doubts about the policies of her people and began to think on new ways on how to convince the queen to finally change her mind. |
| Salomar the Healer
The experienced paladin Salomar, hailing from the Kingdom of Lor, is the well-known leader of all paladin orders. Formerly leading only the Order of the Purehearted, when the Empire arrived, it made the paladin orders in the Kingdoms unite under a single leader, they themselves would be allowed to choose - they chose Salomar as he was respected by all others for his heart of gold and for the fact that, unlike many others, he wasn't too zealous. Being a well-tempered experienced veteran, Salomar was both skilled and wise, understanding when it was necessary to adapt to new ways of thinking and acting. Salomar's loyalty lies with the Kingdoms of Arkain over the Empire, but he doesn't care for politics, he only wants to serve his people and allies to protect them against the endless tides of enemies, be it Demons or others. |
| Scarlett Retka
Calling the younger sister of Lord Korras Retka "crazy" is usually met with laughter - HER laughter before she lets fire rain upon those who call her that. It is unknown, what was the cause of her "condition" but calling Scarlett crazy is almost an understatement. Some blame the chaotic magic she has at her disposal, as those probably cause as much damage to her mind as they do to the landscape. Some believe that the Demons tried to manipulate her and failed, but damaged her mind - and others claim they may have succeeded, yet this theory is rather unlikely, considering that Scarlett has been seen tearing Demons apart with her magic. Her brother Korras makes no attempt to hide that her insanity annoys even him at times. However, he makes use of her immense powers and made her take control of the Kajon Marauders - brutal bandits and criminals - to both put an end to their raids and to gain their services for his cause. Scarlett follows her brother out of loyalty, yet, ironically, considers his plan "insane". |
| General Selior Cleavehand
General Selior Cleavehand is one of the best generals of the Empire, especially when it comes to the defense of fortified cities of castles. His courage and success have brought him countless medals and he is considered to be a true defender of the Empire. He is also a good friend of General Blen Greymoore, a fellow veteran general of the Empire. The two have lived through many battles together and while Greymoore had always been the one who led the charge against the enemies of the Empire, Selior had been the one to stay behind to make sure his friend had a place to return back to successful. Together, the two are claimed to be unstoppable. |
| Prince Toraes of Kerrel
The firstborn son of King Dorten of Kerrel, Prince Toraes, has been taught the ways of war by his father himself. Being the future ruler of Kerrel, Toraes has spent all of his life preparing for this role, but his focus remained on the arts of war as his father had always told him that war was inevitable and that, even after the Demons were "defeated", they would be back - as always. And even if not, there were other enemies to fight one day. While Dorten didn't really name them, the prince was sure his father was referring to the Imperials whom he, like his father, never grew to like. Some Imperials hope that, unlike his father, Toraes will be less annoying to deal with in the court, but most are not very optimistic since they consider Toraes nothing but a younger version of Dorten. |
| Vail
Being the descendant heir of the Ca'laer and Ca'lea of Zyainor, the fallen and hated human nation that once controlled large parts of Arkain before it fell and was split into the Kingdoms, Vail and her family were doomed to live as outcasts for all their lives. Her parents died when Vail was still young, so she has spent most of her life isolated alone in the wilds, being all on her own. Her fate changed when she saved the life of Prince Toraes of Kerrel who made her one of his personal guards, ignoring her heritage. However, the very blood in her veins was responsible for people to continue disliking her - while Vail wasn't bothered by this, this prevented her from ever becoming anything more than she was - which DID bother her as she wanted to DO something about the threat caused by the Demons. |
| High King Zarin Hammerfall
After the end of the First Voidwar, the high king of Dwarves was dead and the kings of the different dwarven clans chose Zarin of the Hammerfall Dwarves to take the seat of the high king. Zarin won the hearts of his people with his honesty, his skills both as ruler and warrior and his sense of honor. When the Empire arrived and saved the Kingdoms in exchange for the kings joining them, Zarin welcomed the Imperials in his halls with open arms, yet remained skeptical. After all, they were human but still strangers. However, he came to respect some of its military leaders whom he considered honest, honorable and courageous - unlike many generals of the Kingdoms Zarin had fought with whom he had considered to be cowards. As time went by, Zarin came to prefer working with Imperial generals over working with the ones of the Kingdoms his people had been allied with for generations - and many Dwarves tend to share the sentiments of their high king in that matter. |
| General Zoia Blackwolf
General Zoia is considered to be a brutal and ruthless but effective leader who prefers unconventional tactics - which is a given since most of her army consisted of bloodthirsty werewolves and normal wolves bred only to do battle. Having grown up as the firstborn daughter of an Imperial general, she considered it her duty to join the army and was in fact encouraged to do so. Her ambition and skill have brought her to the had of the fearsome Wolf Regiment. It is said that she has high respect for General Gardon Bloodclaw. They share a few characteristics - and he had managed to tame a direwolf which was both impressive and unusual. |