Edrick the Strong Posted by Vacithius
Edrick was born in Kalkland, were he grew up with his
noble father, Romin Landslow of Martry Clan, who was
honored throughout his life with the duty of representing
his clan and state at the nation's capital building in
Volkan. Edrick grew up trained in the fine art of warfare
and was good with a sword and shield, so good in fact,
that he outwitted and overpowered many of his tutors, so
that new and better ones had to be called in. His
strength was said to be phenomenal and he gave his father
great pride. Edrick seemed ungrateful when he left home
one night, his father was in Volkan as always, and wasn't
heard from for many weeks. Worry brought his father home,
but word soon spread of the fantastic feats of a great
swordsman fighting in the great contests of honor,
bravery, and military prowess that abide the men of
Kalkland between times of war. Traveling to one of these,
Romin was heartened to see his son winning easily in the
d ngerous gladitorial style combats of the time.
Afterwards, when asked why he had ran from home, Edrick
said that he hadn't, he had simply come to fight but
couldn't tell of his adventures for fear that his father
might restrain him. A letter of explanation was found
misplaced upon his return home with his father,
explaining all. Romin, see his sons destiny, encouraged
Edrick to join the ranks of the national army, but as a
leader, for he did not enjoy the thought of his son dying
young on an unkown battlefield. Edrick was grateful to
join the army, but not as a leader. However, he thanked
his father and left for military school the next morning
with blessings from his father.
Knowing of his father, he gained easy access into the
school, but his training was difficult, for he preferred
to fight and not hide behind the lines like a coward, or
so he wrote to his devorced mother. He got into trouble
many times with his commanders and never adapted fully to
the commanding lifestyle, but three years later he
graduated and attained the rank of Kormanner. His first
assignment was as a leader of a contingent of men serving
as a border guard against Arowa, which today, as now, has
shown many a tyrranical streak in its relationship with
Kalkland, but times then were worse and war was never far
away. Not two years into his service, war did come, but
not with Arowa. An invading fleet from Mordregga landed
off the coast of Kalkland and was striking towards Volkan
with the intent to destroy it and everything in-beween.
There numbers were said to be great and more landed by
the day. Known as the Bloody War of Volkan, it was one of
the worst in Kalkland history.
Having landed near the Kalkland border with Arowa, Edrick
was forced to remain as a guard, for fear of Arowa's
involvement and emminent attack. Edrick was could hardly
contain himself and threatened to leave the border to
join the fray, but his leaders told him to stay or be
hanged for dereliction of duty. The war raged on though
and many lives were lost. Finally, under threat of the
capture of Volkan, Edrick and his command were ordered to
reinforce defending forces there.
Battle followed soon upon his arrival and nearly his
entire command was lost in one battle. Given a new
command, the next battle proved just as horrible and his
men came near to retreat. Yelling a battle cry, Edrick
ran through the lines and carved a whole in the enemy
advance, which his men filled behind him. His brave lead
proved to be fortuitous, for reinforcements arrived soon
after and the enemy was flung back. Standing on the steps
of Volkan, Edrick turned into an inspiration for his men
as he repelled enemy after enemy, killing many in one
well aimed blow. His men and the men left without a
commander around him cheered his name as the enemy began
to retreat and finally turned and ran. Edrick didn't
hesitate, but was said to follow on their heels all the
way back to the enemy landing sight. The regular army
advanced one step behind him and his men, but Edrick held
the front all the way and was present as the enemy was
slai on the shore, turning the sand to red pumice beneath
his feet. The enemy loses were almost total and Kalkland
saw its advantage. Despite its bloody wounds, Kalkland
decided to invade Mordregga and teach it a lesson, for it
was discovered that Arowa intended to stay neutral in the
war. Edrick returned home to rest, but found his home
burned and was feeled with hatred for the enemy like
never before. His father was busy at the capital, but
found time to write him while his son recovered from his
wounds, which, although serious, were not life
threatening. He didn't wait long though, for a cleric of
Talthazar arrived to heal him of all injury along with a
command to help lead a contingent of men through the
mountain, around Arowa, and into Mordregga. His orders
were to exact retrobution, and he accepted without pause.
After being healed, he wasted no time in finding his
command and gained permission to begin without further
delay. Before he left, or so the story goes, he was
visited in the night by a powerful cleric of Talthazar,
who gave to him a sword blessed by the god himself to
slay the ruler of Mordregga. All that's known is when he
lead his men into the mountains that next morning, with
all those who could be spared in what seemed a suicide
mission, his men, some who had been with him at Volkan,
were heartened by the sight of their second in command
waving them forward with a gleaming sword raised high
overhead, which was said to glow like a silver sun,
stiking a heroic tone in all their hearts. Unchallenged
in the mountains, the kalkland warriors were given leave
to pass through the valley of Rordin Falls by their
strange dwarven neighbors, proclaiming themselves allies
to any enemy of Mordregga, for they too had suffered
under recent attacks from the black nation and were
fearful what might befall them in their desperate hour.
Racing down Rordin Pass under the cloak of night, the
Kalkland men crashed in fury into the unwary troops of
Mordregga stationed in the pass crushing their resistance
with undeniable force. Those few who returned to warn
their nation's capital of the invading forces must have
barely had time to catch their breath, for the fury of a
Kalkland storm caught many soldiers unaware in the early
morning of the second day, truning them on their heel
until they reached the gates of their seat of power,
ordered by dark clerics to die fighting or suffer a worse
fate at their hands. Die they did, but the gates of the
capital remained closed. Clerics of Talthazar were called
forward to spend there magic in hopes of breaching those
high dark walls, among their number some of the most
powerful of all the clerics of Kalkland. Under their
combined forces the gates fell, but behind them stood
death. A great army, gathered while the walls still held,
charged from those gate and hit the Kalkland warriors
hard. Holding their ground, both sides traded blows and
many died over little ground. Finally, the Kalkland force
began to weaken and was pushed back, leaving them trapped
against the spring flow of a powerful river, surrounded
on all sides. Help though, arrived in the form of several
hundred yelling dwarves, freeing them from certain death
by cutting through the enemy flank and opening up a path
of escape. Still, arrayed in a strong line once again,
this time of dwarves and humans fighting side by side,
the battle raged on for hours more. Eventually the
commander of the army was slain in a surprise enemy
offensive strike which was only repelled at great cost.
Mordregga began to fear for its fate, but found strength
by sending the city guard to join the battle until more
forces could be gathered from other fronts. The city
guard left the city defenseless, but their strength,
combined with what rema ned of the sorry Mordreggan army
at hand, was enough to force a battered Kalkland army
into retreat. Knowing men would have to be sacrificed to
cover the retreat, Edrick stayed behind, fighting till
the last of the rear guard fell and then diving into the
freezing waters of the river, letting it carry him back
to the city gates and past enemy lines who were blind to
his passing. Wrapped in a cloak stolen from the corpse of
a dead enemy, Edrick snuck through the broken gates of
his enemies home, running through the streets unnoticed
in a city left unguarded. Slaying what few royal guards
challenged him, Edrick ran down the long halls of the
palace of the nations capital, finally finding the royal
chambers themselves. Crashing through those final doors,
he fought the personal guards of the then king, who
watched in fear from the thrown at the rooms end, finally
left to his own devices before one lone mad soldier who'd
cut through his guards like a knife through butter.
Running up those steps, he was hit by a magical flame
thrown from the Malladorian blessed fingers of his rival.
It's said his sword divided those flames in twain,
leaving its possesor unharmed. Belowing, "For the
sons and daughters of Kalkland," he plunged that
sword though his enemies black heart, slaying him
instantly. It is said that Edrick laughed in triumph as
the remaining guards closed in upon him, and that the
smile never died from his lips as they hacked him down at
last. The sword of Edrick is said to still rest soemwhere
in the dark treasuries of the new priest-king of
Mordregga, its steal undestructable even to the magic
fires of the high priests of Malladorian, just like the
heart of Edrick himself. To this day Edrick is hailed as
one of the greatest heros of Kalkland, the man who taught
Mordregga about the might of Kalkland revenge.
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