Ji'Ardan Family

Family

The Ji'Ardan clan was a wealthy family originally from another faraway land. Kel-Jadoni was the father and the head of household when they first emigrated to Rrerat. Having already lived a life too filled with adventure, he was looking to settle down, and Rrerat seemed about the most peaceful place he'd ever seen. He retired in the Red Keep, and looked forward to the day when Abek, his first born son would take over the job of running the realm.

Unfortunately, Rrerat was a little too peaceful for Lord Abek, an ambitious young man, decided to leave the safety and comfort of his family home for wild adventure in the land of Dwilight, one of the most dangerous realms in the whole world.

This left his second and only other true-born child, Lady Eva his one and only heir. Eva was similr to Abek, in that she was also ambitious, but where Abek saw a quiet land, Eva quickly discovered otherwise. Though her father was reluctant to have his precious daughter be put in harms way, he raised his children to be strong and independent minded, so there was no persuading her otherwise, once she made up her mind.

There is at least one son of questionable birth, named Pyr, but Kel-Jadoni does not ever speak of him, and he is banned from the family estates. Neither Eva nor Abek know the mystery behind it, though he is younger than Abek but older than Eva.

Eva Ji'Ardan

Eva Ji'Ardan, Viscountess of Rrerat in the duchy of the Dark Isle in the kingdom of Coralynth, Marshal of the Shield of Coralynth, Knight of Sartan of The Church of Sartan, and she sits on the King's War Council. She is young and beautiful, but also a strong and fearless leader, with a bright sense of humor (sometimes lost on all the brooding men she is surrounded by). Many men have tried to court her, but none have succeeded.

Red Blade Spears

An infantry unit, originally called the Red Blade Elites, they were reformed as the Red Blade Spears. So called for the red wash their swords and spears are painted with right before combat. Their captain goes by the name Klaus. They can be devastatingly aggressive in combat (if their equipment isn't falling apart!) Eva readily acknowledges that the exemplary performance of the Red Blades in combat is part of what got her noticed for the position of Marshal of the Shield.

Notable Moments

Assault of Sasrhas/Injuring the Ohnarian King

Viscountess Eva Ji'Ardan, Marshal of the Shield of Coralynth, stood tall, her long hair billowing out from under her helm. The morning sun was slowly illuminating the top of the fortress walls of the capital city of Ohnar West, while a massive host gathered in the surrounding fields. Her King within eyeshot, surrounded by nearly 900 soldiers of the Dark Isle and almost 2600 soldiers from all across the entire Far East.

She smiled inwardly, remembering the first and last time Lady Eva had ever visited Sasrhas was when she had first arrived in the Far East as a Knight. She had no idea that Ohnar West was an enemy of Coralynth and that travel there was forbidden to all Dark Islanders.

Now she was back, and while she'd been impressed with the city before, now the walls looked a little taller, more sinister. She was here to lead her army up those walls and slaughter the dragon cultists where they lived. Her god Sartan demanded it, and it was far overdue. The Ohnarians had offended too many, committed too many acts of sacrilege, made too many enemies. Sartan wanted the blood of their Taikun Ingall Altenahr, a name that sounded alien on her lips, and she would take it and offer it to him.

As soon as the sun had risen, the order was given to attack. A large line of infantry brought up nearly 60 siege engines to the tall fortress walls, while massive wave after wave of arrows flew over their heads.

She led her unit the Red Blade Spears up the ladders to the top of the wall. They met up with the North Wall Watch, a militia unit of the city. It was a bloody mess, five of her men were cut down and they were able to throw down the ladder. The viscountess gathered her men, they reset the ladder and they charged up the tall walls again. It would take more than a few lucky hits from a militia to keep her out.

The Ohnarians had managed to damage or destroy 10 of the siege engines, but it wasn't enough. More and more men kept flooding over the walls and through large holes that had been knocked down in several places. She felt the God of War was smiling down upon them all.

When she reached the top of the wall this time it was the Night Watch Macemen militia unit meeting the Red Blade Spears, and this time she was prepared for them. Two more of her men died in the melee, but the militia unit lost almost ten of their macemen.

They were now able to move into the city and attack at will. They met their first actual soldiers of the Ohnarian army, the unit called Last Shadow. She looked to identify the leader of the unit and the normally completely composed Eva's mouth literally dropped open. It was none other than the Taikun himself, there in the flesh. She felt a wave of energy flow over her that she could only imagine was the hand of Sartan himself guiding her right to her offering.

She drew her sword and led her men straight towards the Ohnarian king. Swords and spears clashed against armor and pierced flesh. The king looked at her with utter contempt.

Her men were falling to her left and right, if it were any other target she might have considered pulling back. She finally got within striking distance of the Taikun, his magnificent and legendary magic black war hammer glimmering evilly in the morning light, rising up to strike down the Marshal of the Shield. She tried to step out of the way of the blow and only barely managed it.

In the scuffle, someone on the Ohnarian side stepped in a pool of Coralynth blood, and slipped-- right into the leg of the Taikun. He stumbled and for a moment his guard was lowered, again she felt the hand of Sartan guiding her sword between the plates of armor protecting the king of Ohnar West. She saw his eyes go wide in surprise, and then he stopped moving. She pulled her sword out of the monarch, it was now dark and wet with his blood. His surviving men pulled their king away from the combat.

Before they could decide where to attack next another unit of the Dragon army approached, Dragon in the Sun led by Knight Wilhelm Altenahr of Attlel. Overflowing with adrenaline, the Red Blade Spears charged right into the enemy, and this time it was the dragon warriors falling left and right. Knight Attlel fell to her captain's sword, Klaus was sporting the largest grin she had ever seen the normally dour man display. Without their commander, the Dragon in the Sun fled before her men.

At this point there were so many soldiers inside the city, that she had trouble finding more Ohnarians to offer to Sartan. Almost at the same time, the Ohnarians realized they were now massively outnumbered and no longer protected by their high fortress walls. They fled the field in droves, the battle won.

Abek Ji'Ardan

Abek Ji'Ardan, Count of Duil in the duchy of Eidulb in the kingdom of Astrum, Marshal of the Austere Army, Knight of the Temple of Sanguis Astroism, and he sits of the Vasilif's Council. He is a serious and stern man, but also willing to give someone a second chance. He does not chase a fight but will not turn away if a fight is called for. His eyes glitter with intelligence, and though he came to Sanguis Astroism as a late convert, he's come to believe that the Bloodstars do shine on his future and his fellow citizens.

Whitebows

An archery unit, noted for their deadly accuracy. Their bows are either painted white or made from a light colored wood, and the fletchings in their arrows are a crisp bright white as well, so they can be seen from quite a great distance. Their captain goes by the name Axelbrand, whom Abek trusts and confides in completely. When Abek is called to lead the Defenders of the Bloodstars as Vice-Marshal, he leaves the command of the Whitebows to his captain. Very few units can withstand a fully volley of arrows from the Whitebows and not be utterly wiped out.

Notable Moments

Becoming Vice-Marshall Right Before a Big Battle

Abek was relaxing comfortably with his unit near his command tent. They were celebrating their recent battle in Knyazes. It had been the Whitebows' first battle in a raging storm. All their advisers had said that their archers would be worthless.

"Tell that to Knight Batugan!" and the men laughed. The Farronite commander had left the battle field with their white-fletched arrows buried in his body.

Captain Axelbrand ran up to Abek ending their brief moment of light campfire banter.

"Sir, this just came in! Marshal Turin is in Sabadell. Duke Brance has just named you the new vice-marshal for the Defenders of the Bloodstars," the captain said to everyone, their faces slack-jawed, including Count Abek.

Abek responded, shocked, "He did what?" His men were shouting and clapping and celebrating the news. Abek and Axelbrand locked eyes and exchanged a grim silence.

He pulled his captain to the side and spoke quietly but quickly, "We need to get up to speed as quickly as possible. While I have command of our army, I will be depending on you to ensure the Whitebows continue to perform as we have both come to expect."

"Of course, Vice-Marshal," he said with a smile. He had always liked his Lord. Fearless in combat, friendly and approachable to his men, he had earned his Lord's trust and respect and would die for him without hesitation if it came to that.

"Dispatch a letter to the Lord Strategos, I need to know what our orders..." Count Abek began as a scout ran up to him and saluted.

A breathless scout interrupted, "Lord Abek, the Farronite peasants have formed a militia and are blocking our movement into the village!"

Abek looked over the reports of the "enemy" forces, "Grim work putting down peasants, but the Defenders will not be turned away." At least he could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that his first command would almost certainly be a success.

He dispatched runners to all the other unit commanders, ordering them into the "Archer Opening" formation, of course.

Once the battle was over, Count Abek pulled a flask from within his tent and shared a good stiff drink with his Captain. Reminiscing about days long past when, as a young knight, he had travelled back and forth across these peaceful lands in search of any way to earn a name for himself, and often arriving after the battle was over.

"Now we were at war against three enemies, above and below, and I'm in command of one of the largest armies in all the land," they both took another drink from the flask. These were certainly interesting times.

"It's time we talk to the Lord Strategos," his captain nodded and pulled out his quill and ink and began scrawling on a piece of parchment...

Realizing the Depths of Farronite Insanity

Finally, the last Farronite banner fell, splattered in blood, defeated. Their echoing screams could still be heard throughout the entire bailey.

A nasty ugly battle, that revealed one thing to Count Abek's mind: the Farronites were a lost cause. He had once believed that the Asylons had somehow tricked or bribed corrupt officials in the Farronite Republic in order to convince the rest to turn on Astrum, but even if it were true, it no longer mattered. The Farronites had thrown their lot in with Asylon completely, and whatever ties Astrum and the Farronite Republic had once shared, whatever hope there had been for them to come to their senses had died along with the 1500 soldiers of both sides on the walls of Farrowfield, a tragic unnecessary slaughter.

He could still hear the mocking laughter of the Farronite nobility in reply to his offer to spare the slaughter of their own countrymen. What kind of person laughs in the face of their own doom? Clearly, whatever light the Bloodstars shone within these heretics had long gone out, in its place a diseased flesh that seemed human but was not.

There was nothing to do but reap the diseased flesh of these lost heretics off the body of the Church, and pray to the Bloodstars that when all was finished, the Church would be stronger for this struggle.

Gideone Ji'Ardan

Gideone Ji'Ardan is a Knight of Karbala, in the duchy of Karbala, in the Elven Republic of Sirion, and Knight in the Army of Sirion. He spent quite a long time travelling to the Eastern lands from the Far East, and though he is far out of his element, he has adapted to the strange ways and customs of his new brothers and sisters of Sirion.

Silverhawk Marksmen

The Silverhawk Marksmen are still a young unit, only having been in service for a short time. They recently emerged as victors in their first battle against an angry horde of monsters. The Captain of the Silverhawks is a man who goes by the name Trubald, who's receding hairline is the source of constant amusement, but who's accuracy with a bow is deadly enough that only an utter fool would crack a joke within earshot of the old elf.

Notable Moments

Gideone's First Battle

It was less than a week ago that Gideone Ji'Ardan had first met and pledged his fealty to his lord, Duke Ryu, wherein he was granted a beautiful estate in the city of Karbala called the Mersault Plaza. There were reports coming in of monsters and undead rampaging throughout the lands, so Gideone's service as a new knight in the Republic was welcomed and appreciated by the Duke. Though he arrived with a platoon of competent and capable archers who called themselves the Silverhawk Marksmen, their number was too small and their experience was too green to take them into battle just yet.

After clearing up some concerns about the high level of taxation on his estate (the Duke claimed half of all of his earnings), Duke Ryu granted him some extra gold with which to recruit additional men and begin his own training in the long sword. Once he arrived in the capital, he found some capable archers who hailed from Al Amarah, as well as a new captain who went by the name Trubald (do not say a word about his receding hairline!) He had time enough for a little instruction with a sword master, though the tutor refused to let him even hold a sword until he had first "mastered the art of breathing and standing."

It seemed a crime to depart the magnificent jewel that was the grand city of Sirion so soon after arriving for the very first time. The way the sun caught the white granite in top of the ducal palace, reflecting its light brilliantly, it could be seen for miles around in every direction. While this had been his first visit to the capital of the Elven Republic of Sirion, Gideone knew it would not be his last.

A request for assistance had just arrived from Knight Garas of Sirion with a scout report of Limbar that indicated the local militia was about to be overwhelmed by a hoard of just over two dozen monsters. As Limbar was a short journey from Sirion City, it would be a good first taste of battle for his still green Silverhawks, and they should arrive in time to help Knight Garas and the local garrison.

As the sun came up, Gideone met up with the other commander that had heeded Knight Garas's call, Baron Tiberius. His reputation and honor were sterling, and his division the Domitius Honor Guard consisting of over a hundred archers far eclipsed his own meager platoon. Knight Garas commanded a platoon of just over thirty infantry that looked only slightly more experienced than his own green archers. Garas thanked us both for arriving in time and the battle was underway.

Unfortunately, the wind was not cooperating, and the creatures seemed undaunted by the large host that had arrayed to defend Limbar from their onslaught. When the monsters charged, the Silverhawk Marksmen were the first to maneuver into position and fire off an initial volley. The monsters were tough though and only a couple slumped to the ground.

Garas bravely led his Gabanus Guards into the field to confront the creatures, while the militia stayed behind their camp fortifications. The Silverhawks and the Domitus Honor Guards held their position and kept launching volley after volley of arrows. Almost half of the monsters were slain, mostly from arrow fire, but the Gabanus Guards were nearly completely slaughtered when they crashed against the deadly monsters.

Amazingly, even though there were only 10 infantrymen left under the command of Garas, they did not flee their commander and kept on fighting. Gideone positioned his archers closer to the bloody combat, so that his archers would have better shots at picking off the monsters engaged in claw to hand combat.

All but one soldier were slain in the next few moments, and Gideone now found his Silverhawks the lead unit in the battle. "All archers, FIRE AT WILL!" They scored many hits, but if it were not for the support of Baron Tiberius' archers, his entire unit would have been destroyed just like Knight Garas had witnessed. Finally the Limbar militia advanced out of their encampment and joined in the fray. And even though 8 of his men fell (7 of whom would never rise again), the last of the monsters were utterly and finally wiped out.

Limbar was safe, for now.

Bastards

Pyr is a commoner with some questionable connection to the Ji'Ardan family that is unclear. Not having the expectations and obligations of the noble-born children, Pyr has enjoyed exploring the lands to a much greater extent than his siblings. To date, his most notable encounter was the discovery of a special ring, the Brilliant_Band_of_Glory.