Egregii Family/Anselm
Contents
Anselm Egregii is the oldest male heir of the Egregii family, who come from Lakota, in Atamara. His twin is Occam Egregii, but he is the oldest by some minutes. He is sworn into the service of the Cagilan Empire, and his liege is Count Shaun of Lakota. Anselm is currently only seventeen years old.
Appearance and Character
Anselm is of middle height and build, with brown hair and eyes. His general appearance could be described as 'nondescript'; he favours black and grey clothing, unobtrusive but durable. His tutors instilled great respect for honour and loyalty in him during his education, and so far this has stood him in good stead. He is usually calm and quiet, preferring to allow older, more prestigious nobles to argue with each other without joining in. His opinion, when it is asked, is usually weighed carefully.
Education
Unlike recent generations of Egregii, Anselm and his brothers received a broad education. He has been instructed in the rudiments of swordplay and riding - as much as a youngster can be expected to learn without fighting in a real battle - and also in natural and moral philosophy and prosody (verse composition). Along with his brothers, Anselm studied ancient languages.
Sword
Anselm carries the only Egregii heirloom of any value, the so-called 'Sword of the Egregii'. This longsword is good quality, but unadorned except for the family motto, Numquam Sistite, Numquam Concedite (which might be translated as Never Stop, Never Surrender), inscribed on the forte (near the guard). For several centuries the sword had lain neglected in the attic of the family home as the family's fortunes dwindled; it did, however, remain in a usable condition, though blunt.
Recently, when the family became a little richer and it became clear that Anselm would become a Troop Leader, his formidable aunt remembered about the sword's existence, brought it out, sharpened it and gave it to him as a coming-of-age-present.
Unit and Career
Anselm currently leads a group of Companions, composed of family retainers and spare farm workers. They wield various battered and aged melee weapons - swords, battleaxes, maces and even, in one case, a flail - from the Egregii family store.
On 5-6-06 Anselm fought in his first battle, a victorious defensive action against the invading forces of Abington and Carelia (attackers c.18000 CS vs. defenders c.20000 CS). His men fought courageously and did not retreat; five were killed and five were wounded. Anselm was unharmed.
Notable Speeches
Before his first battle, Anselm made the following speech:
Companions, the likelyhood is that the enemy will soon be upon us. If - when - that happens, I want you to stand with me in the front line of battle. I know that a mere two weeks ago you were simply retainers of my family, not soldiers. I know that I, your leader, am untested in war. I know that you wield a motley collection of old weapons from my impoverished family's armoury.
But I think that you will stand with me. You will stand because we are not fighting a war far from home against men with whom we have no quarrel; we are fighting to defend our homes and families, against the perfidious soldiery of Abington and Carelia. You will stand because you are not mercenaries paid to fight but men of the Cagilan Empire, fighting for the Cagilan Empire. You will stand because, though your weapons be old, they are still sharp. You will stand because, like me, you love liberty, honour and glory. You will stand.
Captivity
During a 10,000CS+ battle in Garnagi, on the 14th August 2006, Anselm was captured by Carelian forces.
