Post by General Madoc on Apr 30, 2014 9:23:43 GMT -8
Name: General Madoc, also known as the Wolf of Mangora, the Fallen General, etc
Age: 34
Class: General (20/1)
Appearance: Madoc has the face of a warrior, square and muscular jaw with high cheekbones and a broad slightly crooked nose (from previously being broken). He has a muscular build born from years of combat and physical labor. His eyes are almost out of place, instead of the savage eyes fitting of most warriors his show hints of his surprising intelligence and wisdom, and more recently his sorrow. They are sky blue mirrors into his hidden inner self. He has light brown hair and a goatee both with streaks of grey creeping in.
Personality: Madoc is still coming to terms with the results of the Battle of Broken Pines and the Siege of Sidon. He has become somewhat distant of late, and has a flashy temper. He has isolated himself from everyone from his former life, soul searching and trying to figure out why the gods would curse him with such foul luck.
Backstory: Madoc was a highborn second son of a nobleman of Mangora, a small but growing nation in the mountains of what would become Bern. As the younger son he was doomed to inherit none of his father's lands, which suited him better because it forced him to seek out a life of glory from him own military achievements, rather than riding on his father's laurels like his brother. He went into training to become a knight and his tactical and combat aptitude quickly shone through as he quickly climbed the ranks from squire to recruit to trusted knight leading by example on the frontlines. He was ferocious in combat, a deadly artist with his lance, and eager to learn a little of swordplay from his fellow soldiers. He quickly mastered the art of heavily armored combat and inspired many bard songs with his heroics on the battlefield. He was the perfect fit for the King of Mangora, Viktor, as the young and impudent ruler's ambition meshed perfectly with Madoc's prowess in war and the Mangoran borders quickly grew. Madoc was a vital part of several key victories, including the capture of the capitals of Mangora's two biggest rivals, Lincia and Fargas, battles that would almost single-handedly double Mangora's borders. The latter battle would see King Viktor reward Madoc for his successes by personally naming him General of the largest portion of Mangora's army dubbing him the Wolf of Mangora, the highest honor he could bestow upon him.
Madoc's success would continue for a time, fashioning Mangora into a small empire. His largest victory, and the one he would become known for in his golden age, occurred when a quarter of his main troop got lost in the mountain forests of the tribe of High Rock, the latest country he was trying to annex. With a force of only a hundred men he managed to using a mixture of cunning and stubborness employ a quasi-phalanx maneuver and was able to defeat an army of a thousand men with minimal losses, before reuniting with the rest of his troops and bringing High Rock to his knees. He appeared unbeatable, some claiming him to be immortal, others proclaiming him the Messenger of the Gods. It was a golden age of expansion for Mangora, and Madoc was a celebrity, practically worshiped everywhere he went, second only in prestige to the King.
But his fortunes would not last, and when a collection of small independent mountain tribes forged an alliance against Mangora, raising around ten to twenty thousand shields against them, Madoc was once again called upon to bring glory to Mangora. In two fell swoops however, Madoc would be brought to his knees, and the swelling empire of Mangora would come crashing down on itself. The first blow was the Battle of Broken Pines, a large scale skirmish between three of the united tribes against several battalions of Mangoran troops under the direct command of General Madoc. Amidst the tribesmen was a young rebel who was proclaiming himself lord of the Liberation Army, and was promising to liberate all of the lands that Mangora had conquered and bring them fair and just rule. Madoc's mission was to capture this rebel and bring him back to the capital, dead or alive. Madoc ordered his forces to charge the enemy's position, and the group in the center of the enemy's lines slowly retreated. Madoc pressed his forces on and the center group continued to slowly retreat, but the enemies on the outer ranks held ground, and as the Mangorans continued to advance, these outer ranks circled around until Madoc's men were surrounded on all sides. The fighting was brutal and the Mangoran losses were severe. Madoc narrowly managed to punch his way out of the enemy lines with a small handful of his lieutenants and best warriors, and was able to escape with about ten or twenty men, nearly completely losing the soldiers he had entered the battle with. It was a humiliating defeat for Madoc, a first for him, and it allowed the rebel lord to escape into Mount Esgard, a imposing fortress carved into the side of a mountain with defenses that were rumored to be impregnable. Furious at the outcome at Broken Pines, Madoc blindly made the decision to lay siege to the fort, in a last ditched effort to bring the lord back to the capital.
For three weeks the Mangorans lay siege to Mount Esgard, Madoc sending wave after wave of cavaliers, wyvern knights, and foot soldiers crashing against their outer walls. The losses were catastrophic and what was worse was the enemy never surrendered. Madoc was sure that he would be able to starve them out of their hiding hole, but what he did not account for was the hidden passage in the rear of the mountain which enabled rebel sympathizers to smuggle in food to allow the rebels to hold out. When the Mangoran losses had become significant enough, the rebel army marched out to meet them on the fields in front of the fortress gates. Before Madoc could order his forces to attack, another battalion of troops from another one of the rebel tribes joined the battle to Madoc's forces' rear. He knew that if he ordered the attack his forces would be irradicated, so in order to spare the lives he had left to spare he laid down his sword at the enemy commander's feet and surrendered. The rebel's had won, and it would spell the collapse of the Mangoran empire.
Madoc was lampooned for this defeat, citizens of Mangora calling him the Phony General, or the Wolf Pup, Fallen General, and so on. Madoc could not show his face in the capital without inciting a riot, and he had to pack his bags and leave town. Madoc was devastated, and he could not bring himself to understand how he had managed to let an inferior force defeat him at the top of his game. He now wanders the countryside as essentially a mercenary, as much in search of work as he is for closure. He is a man humbled by his own pride, trying to put the pieces of his life back together.
Age: 34
Class: General (20/1)
Appearance: Madoc has the face of a warrior, square and muscular jaw with high cheekbones and a broad slightly crooked nose (from previously being broken). He has a muscular build born from years of combat and physical labor. His eyes are almost out of place, instead of the savage eyes fitting of most warriors his show hints of his surprising intelligence and wisdom, and more recently his sorrow. They are sky blue mirrors into his hidden inner self. He has light brown hair and a goatee both with streaks of grey creeping in.
Personality: Madoc is still coming to terms with the results of the Battle of Broken Pines and the Siege of Sidon. He has become somewhat distant of late, and has a flashy temper. He has isolated himself from everyone from his former life, soul searching and trying to figure out why the gods would curse him with such foul luck.
Backstory: Madoc was a highborn second son of a nobleman of Mangora, a small but growing nation in the mountains of what would become Bern. As the younger son he was doomed to inherit none of his father's lands, which suited him better because it forced him to seek out a life of glory from him own military achievements, rather than riding on his father's laurels like his brother. He went into training to become a knight and his tactical and combat aptitude quickly shone through as he quickly climbed the ranks from squire to recruit to trusted knight leading by example on the frontlines. He was ferocious in combat, a deadly artist with his lance, and eager to learn a little of swordplay from his fellow soldiers. He quickly mastered the art of heavily armored combat and inspired many bard songs with his heroics on the battlefield. He was the perfect fit for the King of Mangora, Viktor, as the young and impudent ruler's ambition meshed perfectly with Madoc's prowess in war and the Mangoran borders quickly grew. Madoc was a vital part of several key victories, including the capture of the capitals of Mangora's two biggest rivals, Lincia and Fargas, battles that would almost single-handedly double Mangora's borders. The latter battle would see King Viktor reward Madoc for his successes by personally naming him General of the largest portion of Mangora's army dubbing him the Wolf of Mangora, the highest honor he could bestow upon him.
Madoc's success would continue for a time, fashioning Mangora into a small empire. His largest victory, and the one he would become known for in his golden age, occurred when a quarter of his main troop got lost in the mountain forests of the tribe of High Rock, the latest country he was trying to annex. With a force of only a hundred men he managed to using a mixture of cunning and stubborness employ a quasi-phalanx maneuver and was able to defeat an army of a thousand men with minimal losses, before reuniting with the rest of his troops and bringing High Rock to his knees. He appeared unbeatable, some claiming him to be immortal, others proclaiming him the Messenger of the Gods. It was a golden age of expansion for Mangora, and Madoc was a celebrity, practically worshiped everywhere he went, second only in prestige to the King.
But his fortunes would not last, and when a collection of small independent mountain tribes forged an alliance against Mangora, raising around ten to twenty thousand shields against them, Madoc was once again called upon to bring glory to Mangora. In two fell swoops however, Madoc would be brought to his knees, and the swelling empire of Mangora would come crashing down on itself. The first blow was the Battle of Broken Pines, a large scale skirmish between three of the united tribes against several battalions of Mangoran troops under the direct command of General Madoc. Amidst the tribesmen was a young rebel who was proclaiming himself lord of the Liberation Army, and was promising to liberate all of the lands that Mangora had conquered and bring them fair and just rule. Madoc's mission was to capture this rebel and bring him back to the capital, dead or alive. Madoc ordered his forces to charge the enemy's position, and the group in the center of the enemy's lines slowly retreated. Madoc pressed his forces on and the center group continued to slowly retreat, but the enemies on the outer ranks held ground, and as the Mangorans continued to advance, these outer ranks circled around until Madoc's men were surrounded on all sides. The fighting was brutal and the Mangoran losses were severe. Madoc narrowly managed to punch his way out of the enemy lines with a small handful of his lieutenants and best warriors, and was able to escape with about ten or twenty men, nearly completely losing the soldiers he had entered the battle with. It was a humiliating defeat for Madoc, a first for him, and it allowed the rebel lord to escape into Mount Esgard, a imposing fortress carved into the side of a mountain with defenses that were rumored to be impregnable. Furious at the outcome at Broken Pines, Madoc blindly made the decision to lay siege to the fort, in a last ditched effort to bring the lord back to the capital.
For three weeks the Mangorans lay siege to Mount Esgard, Madoc sending wave after wave of cavaliers, wyvern knights, and foot soldiers crashing against their outer walls. The losses were catastrophic and what was worse was the enemy never surrendered. Madoc was sure that he would be able to starve them out of their hiding hole, but what he did not account for was the hidden passage in the rear of the mountain which enabled rebel sympathizers to smuggle in food to allow the rebels to hold out. When the Mangoran losses had become significant enough, the rebel army marched out to meet them on the fields in front of the fortress gates. Before Madoc could order his forces to attack, another battalion of troops from another one of the rebel tribes joined the battle to Madoc's forces' rear. He knew that if he ordered the attack his forces would be irradicated, so in order to spare the lives he had left to spare he laid down his sword at the enemy commander's feet and surrendered. The rebel's had won, and it would spell the collapse of the Mangoran empire.
Madoc was lampooned for this defeat, citizens of Mangora calling him the Phony General, or the Wolf Pup, Fallen General, and so on. Madoc could not show his face in the capital without inciting a riot, and he had to pack his bags and leave town. Madoc was devastated, and he could not bring himself to understand how he had managed to let an inferior force defeat him at the top of his game. He now wanders the countryside as essentially a mercenary, as much in search of work as he is for closure. He is a man humbled by his own pride, trying to put the pieces of his life back together.
