The Praesidian Challengers
The Grand Prince Escaeda has caused a great stir in the martial world with the announcement of his tournament of swords.
Rumours now swirl about in the noble courts, in the sword schools, in barracks, and in mercenary dens -- who has won or lost a medallion? And who holds one now? And for those who aspire to the Praesidian Challenge, who do they choose to test themselves against?
Rumours now swirl about in the noble courts, in the sword schools, in barracks, and in mercenary dens -- who has won or lost a medallion? And who holds one now? And for those who aspire to the Praesidian Challenge, who do they choose to test themselves against?
Thus far, the grapevine has only confirmed five Medallion-holders out of the full sixteen. Although they come from different backgrounds, each is a redoubtable swordfighter with a storied history:
- LADY PIRADA, the Saint of Atalante (Iagos)
- Sir NOAH BLACKFALL, rogue knight (unknown)
- XATAXES of Dumacia, gladiator (Old Cyrona)
- Chevalier DAMION ST-LOIC, courtier (Athagon)
- Captain JANOS SZARCO, hussar (DEFEATED)
Other medallions are said to have turned up in major centers of Capracia and Torvaria, as well as the mercenary ports of Delon... but exact details are spotty, and accounts often mention different names. It seems the dust has yet to settle in some places. Some have theorized that several medallions may not even be on the continent.
Captain JANOS SZARCO
(DEFEATED)
Mercenary Hussar
Weapon: Dobrin heavy cavalry saber
Ht: 5'9 / Wt: 185 / Hair: brown / Eyes: brown
Age: 35 / Creed: Dobrin / Status: ACTIVE
Nine generations ago, Rastanian horse-soldiers exiled from their homelands were employed by Dobrinia to repel incursions from both the eastern Taizong hordes and the southern armies of the Daramadi Caliphate. In the course of this service, the heathen Rastanians were exposed to precepts of old Imperial martial discipline, Dobrin chivalric culture, and the holy Braicosi faith. Through these forces, these adept hussars were forged into a standing military force like no other.
Janos Szarco began his career at the bottom, and advanced himself through a combination of excellence and pure force of personality. A notorious duellist, his volatile pride often led him to seek satisfaction at a saber’s edge. It is said by some that Szarco aggressively pursued military commissions only as a means to win the right to challenge officers who had wronged him, but who were previously above his station.
In truth, it’s difficult to say whether his haughty temper has helped or hindered his path overall. His bellicose tendencies earned him many sanctions, effectively ending any further career advancement. In fact, it’s been said that Szarco and his duels may have cost the Kingdom of Dobrinia more promising officers than the whole of the Talumar Caliphate.
After being implicated in a failed coup against the Dobrin Warden of the Southern Armies, Szarco and his company turned to mercenary work during the Clarion secession. In this period, his duelling exploits continued to win him no small renown.
Szarco is a stern man with a thick mustache, red face, and the sides of his head shaved in the Dobrin hussar style. Szarco is a master of the Dobrin cavalry saber, and is at home on horseback or on foot. He has excellent guard technique, which he combines with strong cuts and bursts of explosive movement. He is an aggressive fencer, who fights with focused intensity, allowing no quarter or mercy.
DEFEATSzarco was challenged to an impromptu duel in the city of Oranda by the notorious adventurer, Mad Jack Tyrson. It is said that Tyrson insulted Szarco to drive him into a rage, and then took advantage of his foe's disarray.
The duel was quick, vicious, and ended with both fighters bloodied but with Tyrson as the clear winner. Szarco sustained numerous injuries that would have felled a lesser man, but was finally overwhelmed. He survived the duel and is presently recovering in Oranda.
Although Tyrson's victory was as resounding as it was savage, some claim that he fought with the aid of sorcery, and employed magical weapons acquired in his journeys to best Szarco.
There have even been whispers that Tyrson did not win possession of the medallion, and was denied an invitation to the Challenge on account of his devious methods.
LADY PIRADA
The Saint of Atalante
Weapon: Longsword, Sagrado Quadrada school
Ht: ~ / Wt: ~ / Hair: ~ / Eyes: ~
Age: 26 / Origin: Iagos / Status: active
As the stories have it, when the city of Atalante was under prolonged siege by the armies of Malochovia, a simple maid took up arms to protect her city and rallied its faltering defenders to repel the invaders. Despite having no experience or formal training, she held the line against impossible odds, dispatching stout men-at-arms and sending invaders hurtling from the battlements.
Soon, all were talking of the virgin chosen by the Saints to defeat the enemies of Atalante in the name of the Prophet Braius. So blessed was the girl that it was said that no man could best her in combat, a premise that was tested again and again by the Malochovian invaders. No matter which champion they sent against the city, the maid Pirada emerged victorious. Despite the city’s dwindling resources, Atalante was nourished by the peoples' faith in their invincible lady, and stood fast until the siege finally broke.
It has been nine years since that time, and the Lady Pirada is still honoured as a living saint in Atalante. She has made pilgrimages to various temples and holy sites, and even met with the former Hierophant of Parona, but she has declined invitations to relocate to the holy city. Instead, she prefers to remain in the city of her birth.
Other famed champions have stepped forward to challenge the Saint of Atalante in a test of swords, but it is said that she remains undefeated. Today, she is one of the most renowned swordfighters in the Empire, though many question whether she owes her reputation to divine providence or to raw skill at arms. For the people of Atalante, her holiness is in no doubt.
Sir NOAH BLACKFALL
Fallen Knight, Mercenary, Adventurer
Weapon: Longsword, mixed style
Weapon: Longsword, mixed style
Ht: ~ / Wt: ~ / Hair: ~ / Eyes: ~
Age: 47 / Origin: Wellundian / Status: exile
Blackfall was a career soldier from Wellundia whose skill and daring earned him a knightly rank at a young age. He served as a judicial champion in Duathaine, and later was named the Sheriff of Harkrest. After playing an instrumental role in foiling the notorious Harkrest Plot, he was given a commission to quell an uprising in Graybarrow. Commended for his handling of that affair, he was granted a lucrative title as the Royal Warden of Brinhall by order of the Clarion Throne.
During these years of service to his king, Blackfall garnered a reputation as a master of the sword. Although he rarely competed in tourney events, those who saw him fight often touted him as one of the finest swordsmen in the Hundred Thrones.
Lord Blackfall's steep rise came to an abrupt and ignoble end. After two lavish years in Brinhall, his lands and possessions were seized by the Clarion Treasury over irregularities in the royal exchequer accounts. The dishonoured Blackfall was branded a traitor to the throne, but evaded capture and fled the realm.
He remained in exile until the Regicide, when the subsequent decay of Clarion authority allowed him to return to Wellundia. While he has reportedly been involved in military actions in several northern kingdoms as a mercenary, many in the Hundred Thrones who remain loyal to the Clarion Throne still consider him a criminal.
Despite his fall from grace, Blackfall's reputation as a dashing renegade and military adventurer persists. Some say he led mercenary companies in Capracia during the War of the Phoenix, while others whisper of his scandalous involvement in campaigns in distant Talumia.
Meanwhile, rumours of his dueling escapades continue circulate throughout Duatha. While most of these accounts are outlandish and likely untrue, they only add to Lord Blackfall’s mystique.
Eques XATAXES the Sun-Blessed of Dumacia
Champion Gladiator
Weapon: Cyron Gladius
Weapon: Cyron Gladius
Ht: ~ / Wt: ~ / Hair: ~ / Eyes: ~
Age: 35 / Origin: Cyron-Duma / Status: active
Far to the South, on the isolationist fortress island known as Old Cyrona, the remnants of that once-great empire now hold closely to the tenets of originalist Imperial culture. Among these traditions is their famous taste for elaborate bloodsports.
For followers of the arena, the name of Xataxes the Sun-Blessed is esteemed alongside those of the famed gladiator champions of antiquity. Some say Xataxes might even be the best to have ever stood and bled upon the sands of the Grand Arena.
Xataxes hails from Dumacia, an island that yielded many other notable gladiators. It is known that he began his career as a soldier of the Legion, and benefited from a foundation of Cyron military training. However, for a crime which is now lost to history, he was stripped of his rank and sentenced to serve the Imperium in a different way -- as a slave in the Arena.
Xataxes hails from Dumacia, an island that yielded many other notable gladiators. It is known that he began his career as a soldier of the Legion, and benefited from a foundation of Cyron military training. However, for a crime which is now lost to history, he was stripped of his rank and sentenced to serve the Imperium in a different way -- as a slave in the Arena.
This turn was perhaps the greatest gift that could have been bestowed upon Xataxes, for whatever traits made him unsuitable for life in the Legion, his zeal for combat was quickly demonstrated to be second-to-none. In addition to his preternatural athleticism and skill at arms, Xataxes also possessed an overwhelming charisma and instinct for showmanship. He quickly became a crowd favourite who bested all challenges placed before him.
After a career spanning seventeen years, Xataxes has become a lauded celebrity whose popularity may rival the Imperator Numenus himself. After winning both his freedom and a substantial fortune in the arena, Xataxes now owns a gymnasium where he trains his own stable of athletes. For any other gladiator of his age and accomplishments, this would be enough - to retire, drink wine, tend his old injuries, sire children, and grow fat.
But this would never do for Xataxes. Rather than permitting his body to turn flaccid or his skills to grow dull, he has instead returned to the arena time and again to remind the crowds why he is the greatest of all time.
Some say the roar of the spectators in his ears is the only thing that satisfies his ravenous ego. Others say he only wishes for the gods to take note of his deeds, and reward him with immortality. Still others have suggested that a simple desire to spill blood resides in him, one which can never be slaked.
Some say the roar of the spectators in his ears is the only thing that satisfies his ravenous ego. Others say he only wishes for the gods to take note of his deeds, and reward him with immortality. Still others have suggested that a simple desire to spill blood resides in him, one which can never be slaked.
Chevalier DAMION ST-LOIC
Courtier, Duelist
Weapon : Court Sword, unknown school
Ht: ~ / Wt: ~ / Hair: ~ / Eyes: ~
Age: 30 / Origin: Athagon / Status: Active
Before long, St-Loic was a favourite of the Duchess D'Aquiel, and in return for her sponsorship, he became an important player in her famed feud with the Duchess de Cloville. Such circumstances frequently required the use of his sword arm - both in the course of formal duels, and in various swashbuckling adventures, all of which became the talk of Tristain.
Tales of his exploits soon reached the King's ears, and it surprised few when St-Loic was rewarded with a knighthood in the order of Alaric and granted a small estate of his own. Perhaps it was just a reflection of his rising profile at court, but many suspect this title might also have been a reward for some unnamed service he had performed on the King's behalf.
One of the most persistent mysteries about St-Loic is the question of his formation. He refuses to name the master who trained him, and claimed it was just something he “picked up along the way." As with everything he does, he brings a personal elan to his swordplay and to his own legend.
One of the most persistent mysteries about St-Loic is the question of his formation. He refuses to name the master who trained him, and claimed it was just something he “picked up along the way." As with everything he does, he brings a personal elan to his swordplay and to his own legend.
It may seem peculiar that someone of St-Loic's growing renown did not receive a direct invitation to the Praesidian Challenge. St-Loic, undaunted, and made the journey to Merencourt to challenge the great Maitre Jean-Lorent Athenides for his medallion. St-Loic triumphed, in a match that the sellswords of Legarnison are still talking of today.
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