Gibson Family/Ferdinand
Ferdinand
Ferdinand, the son of Timothy and Drieir Gibson, set out from his home in Nida soon after his 20th birthday. Unsure of what he sought, he decided to try a more exciting life than that of managing his father's estate by becoming a knight. He had heard that the city of Skalk would be an excellent place to start his search for a liege, and was not disapointed. Entering service under the Duke of Skalk, Dakkon Blackblade, Ferdinand entered his new career with ghusto. Ferdinand was assigned to The Lightning and participated in several key campaigns against Falasan. He assisted in the take overs of Nazgorn early in February (2009) and Beleriel.
Ferdinand became a Knight of Barad Falas when it was acquired by the Cagilan Empire and the Dukeship was transfered to Duchess Rennee Quaseth. When Coria acquired Corniel, he transferred to become a Knight of Corniel and help provide estate support.
He is currently assigned to the army, The Corian Guard. While in the Guard, he served as official scout for several months and currently serves as Vice-Marshal of the army.
He was formerly the proud owner of the helmet, the Daemonic Helm of the Vulcano, which unfortunately was lost during repairs.
Stories
Roleplay from Ferdinand Gibson (February 2010)
As Ferdinand galloped towards Barad Falas on a large black stallion, he did his best to control the horse using only one hand. A sling wrapped around his other shoulder and arm concealed a deep wound sustained from the battle in Lyton the week before.
Suddenly, a messenger came up beside Ferdinand. As they came to a stop, their horses hooves bit into the soft green grass of Beleriel, churning up the turf. Ferdinand read the report that the messenger handed to him. He thought for a moment before turning back to the man and asked, "I would like to make an announcement. Would you be so kind as to deliver it?" The other man nodded.
"Friends and nobles of Coria,
I am honored by the office of High Magistrate bestowed upon me in the last few days. Justice is something that no great realm can stand without and it is one of several values I hold in the highest regard. A wise old sage once told me, "seek justice and honor will follow".
For now, though, I believe my place is on the battlefield rather than in the courtroom. Thus, out of respect for Fingon and for the glory of Coria, it is now time for me to restore this office to its rightful holder, Fingon Amandil, who was stripped of the position through no fault of his own.
Now that Fingon has been released from the enemy prisons, it is my intent to step down and allow him to resume his duties. I have the option of holding the position until the next election, however, I am of the opinion that time is of the essence during war and I believe is worth the small price I will have to pay in prestige and honor. Once again, it has been a pleasure to serve you all in the capacity of High Magistrate, if only temporarily. Thank you.
In service,
Ferdinand Gibson"
Ferdinand carefully grasped the large metal signet ring on his hand that had been placed there only yesterday. He gently slipped it off his finger and marveled at the intricate engravings of the High Magistrate's ring in the early morning light. Then he carefully wrapped it inside a small leather pouch and gave the messenger instructions to deliver it to Fingon.
Ferdinand Gibson High Magistrate of Coria
Roleplay from Ferdinand Gibson (November 2009)
A scout rode up to the cavalry unit just before they crested a large hill. "There were a dozen monsters just below," reported the scout. At the news, Ferdinand's men sat up a little straighter in their saddles and grasped for their swords.
"A battle, eh?" Ferdinand said as he turned back to look at his men.
Gaining speed and momentum as they galloped down the hill, Ferdinand watched as most of the monsters fell from archer fire. His cavalry headed for the last two beasts standing. Getting in only one pass, the two monsters fell into the dirt with a resounding thud. Their giant stature no match for the overwhelming force assembled around it.
As Ferdinand's men rode from the battlefield, a messanger ran up along side with orders from the Marshal. Ferdinand read them aloud to his men and looked up, a grin crossing his face, "That's right boys, you heard the Marshal. Let's move out to Lothruin!"
Letter Box
Miscellaneous Opinions and Speeches
Scribe Note Battle in Menedor
In the battle above, we incurred a large overkill on the first turn which reduced our hits against the defenders significantly.
Although this was a small battle and the overkill did not prevent our victory, I was curious to see if there was anything that could be done about it.
I came across the following tactic in the library, found it to be interesting, and thought I would share it with the Members of the League. Maybe it will be of use.
"The more overkill you do, the higher the reduction of hits caused will be. So too much overkill is bad. Your target should be able to just reach overkill. By doing so, you will inflict the panic penalty on the enemy units, while wasting only a few hits.
...due to their charge bonus, cavalry forces reach overkill easier than anyone else. So now one method to employ would be to have the cavalry hit one turn earlier then the main force, hoping for overkill which will soften up the enemy and incur a panic penalty (or even cause them to flee outright). Then the main force joins the close combat, saving the cavalry (who don't have a charge bonus anymore) and again ensuring that overkill is reached."
This tactic is unusual but would make sense when we have a strong cavalry force and when fortifications will not be present in the battle. The "Cavalry Charge" formation should coincide with this strategy and probably work best when we have mostly range 4 archers or either don't have many archers. The "Soften and Charge" formation should also coincide with the strategy and would probably work best when the enemy is mostly infantry.
In service,
Ferdinand Gibson (Knight of Corniel)
Responsibility
Ferdinand disagrees with a young knight's, Sir Bruce's, opinion that, "A real honourable man should pledge his loyalty first to his liege, then the kingdom or empire. It is my liege that pays me, not the King. If the liege betrays his current empire, I would follow. I see nothing wrong in that. The fault lies in the hand of the liege."
Sir Bruce,
I disagree. Our loyalty should not stem solely from the person who pays us. If a liege betrays the empire he serves, the fault doesn't lay only in the liege's hands.
When a knight follows and supports his liege in doing wrong, he is just as guilty as his liege. His liege may get most of the attention and blame, but behind the scenes it is the knight who makes it possible. An analogy that comes to mind is that of a horse and rider. The rider may command his horse to walk into quicksand, but it is the horse's decision to follow and seal both their demises.
In the case of Duke Maniac, he betrayed Falasan, purposly upsets the Cagilan Empire's plans for the region of Barad Falas, and proposes a duel which is a violation of Cagilan law.
Some of his knights have chosen to support him in what he is doing. They continue to serve him as knights and allow him the means to stay in power. How the knights of Barad Falas can justify defending and putting their trust in a disloyal and unpredictible man is, frankly, beyond me. Why entrust your career to a shaky foundation? Those knights will not have my complete trust or respect as long as they continue to support a person that is untrustworthy.
Ferdinand Gibson (Knight of Skalk)
Purpose of the Imperial Movement
Lords Neleron and Velkyn,
I appreciate the open discussions you have initiated. They have helped clarify what the purpose of the guild is for me. I have always been slightly uncertain about the guild's goals and purpose even though my sister, Anne, explained it to me several times.
May I suggest that some of the information that has come out in these discussions be added to the guild houses' introduction or member boards for future reference. They would serve as a great introduction for all present and future members. I realize that we already have a guild introduction, but I believe it could be expounded upon. Perhaps the following quotes, with some slight modification, would work well...
Lord Neleron: "The Guild is an excellent means for three things:
1) The spreading of the Empire's culture to Coria. 2) An aid in discussing diplomacy, coordinated military campaigns and other such matters. 3) The political movement in both sides to ensure that the Empire and Coria remain close friends and allies, closer than we are with Tara or Carelia (our other two successful colonies) whom while we are Federated with the former and allies with the latter, communication is not done on a daily or even, sometimes, weekly basis and only ever between our leaders. This does not aim for the Empire, Coria and possibly others being under one flag or one government. 4) The ease of trading and supportive measures. Through the Guild I have arranged food from Ansalle to join Earl Jeren's own surplus to be sent further north, quite often to Lord Merlin and Lady Caris. It is not impossible without the Guild, but it will be very difficult once Coria begins."
Lord Velkyn: "The goal of the guild is retain relations between the two nations that normally cannot be fostered. Governments drift apart because of separation, the guilds network can bridge that gap between the peoples, and thus have a deeper connection then overt channels of diplomacy, a bond breed from communication and comradeship.
The very communication we are having is a perfect example, we are able to discuss matters and hammer out matters of confusion. We can bridge gaps and decide on courses of action. "
Best regards,
Ferdinand Gibson (Knight of Barad Falas)
