Raynor Family
Contents
The Family
Members of the Raynor Family:
Active
- Stormbrew Raynor - heir and first daughter of Fungeiton
- Illidan Raynor - first son of Fungeiton
- Bethesa Raynor - niece of Fungeiton
- Brevon Raynor - son of of Odwern
Retired
- Owdern Raynor - nephew of Hamiron the Wicked
Deceased
- Ellesime Raynor - first daughter of Hamiron the Wicked
- Martha Raynor - Second daughter of Fungeiton
Units Commanded
Current
- Large unit of highly trained axemen from the duchy of Cteduul. Clad in a mostly red attire, they have seen many battles against Daimons and Rebels in the devasted areas of northern Avalon.
- Bowmen of great skill who hail from Bethesa's estate in Elroth.
- Armoured horse from the region of Kell. With the lands to the north and west of Kell falling to the forces of the Netherworld, these inexperienced but well-trained horsemen fight to save humanity on Beluaterra.
Past
- Minor rebel sympathisers and petty thieves from eastern Ircymbar, where Illidan's estate is located. They have opted to serve in the Ashborn army rather than in prison. The unit is commanded by Illidan.
- Swordsmen commanded by Bethesa, they hail from the villages near her estate in Elroth.
- Large unit of armoured horse.
- Large spear unit. Fought valiantly against the Daemon Lords to liberate the lands of Ashborn's allies - Old Grehk and Neo Grehk - from Daemonic attacks.
- Heavy Cavalry that served as General Stormbrew's Personal Guard.
- Hastily recruited militiamen who defended Old Grehk's capital, Ossmat, when the kingdom was on the edge of annihilation. They now fight to recover the many regions Old Grehk has lost to the Netherworld.
- Spearmen commanded by Bethesa who helped Falasan capture the region of Amdor from Eston. The unit has since become a militia unit, permanently based in the region.
- 36 fearless accolades who lived only for battle. They believed they had already died in a battle against monsters but were later brought back to life by another, magic-wielding, monster but with no memory of the past and a consuming thirst for war.
History
Although little of the family's history is verifiable, and much of these stories disagree with stories written by others, the Raynor family history, as told beside campfires is as such:
In ages past, the Raynor family lived in a lost clan called Estolan. Not much is known of where Estolan was located but it was most likely in the semi-autonomous, tribal area that once existed in the central-southern area of Atamara. From paintings and scripts that have past down through the ages, it is known that Estolan lay just to the east of a large enchanted woodland which the people of the clan named Doridöm. Closely allied to the 5 other semi-autonomous clans of the area, the Raynor family's ancestors rose to become chiefs. They lead their clan into many wars against various evil forces and even amassed a sizeable amount of gold and treasure which was kept on display and in vaults under the keep within the clan's main town of Nernioth.
During the reign of Fargunth the Bold, Estolan was utterly destroyed along with surrounding clans during the invasion of large monsters known as the 'Korrocs'. Driven by some unspeakable evil, these murderous and vile creatures destroyed all the lands held by the allied kingdoms, wiping them off the map for hundreds of years.
As a result of the loss of nearly all written record, the family's history has long been the subject of debate and rumour, much of it clouded in uncertainty. But, important events which are surely more than mere rumour are as follows:
Battle of Thristiem Woods
Tales are often told of the legendary battles the Raynor family fought in after the allies defeat at the Battle of the Dagger, as Korrocs flooded into Estolan from the north. On one such occasion, three sons of Fargunth the Bold and their guard were in the company of not more than 300 men from the Estolan army when they were spotted by a horde of over 100 of the massive Korroc beasts.
Being forced into battle, they instituted a cunning feign tactic where the Estolan army pretended to rout towards a nearby woods a top a hill, while the fine troops of the Elite Guard (who provide personal protection to the sons of Fargunth) held their ground. The trap worked well as most of the monsters left their lines and gave chase towards the retreating soldiers. This allowed the elite guard to easily defeat those Korrocs who had stayed in line. During this part of the battle, the Korroc commander, a hideous creature named Shinriku, was decapitated by Marthru, first son of Fargunth. Shinriku's body let out a terrible cry as it fell to the floor; thereby letting all present at the battle thence know that the Korrocs commander was no more.
At the same time, the men at the edge of the woods, had turned back and having the high ground were at an advantage to the Korrocs who although possessing huge individual strength, were now fighting completely out of formation. Despite taking heavy casualties, the men of the Estolan army (who pretended to rout before) managed to hold their ground. The battle was sealed when the troops accompanying the sons of Fargunth, who had defeated their part of the opposing army, charged the back of the remaining Korroc horde.
The Korrocs were surrounded, already demoralised from the loss of their commander, they were mercilessly cut down by the Estolans. By the fall of night, every last one of the hideous Korrocs were dead and the surviving 200 men of Estolan celebrated their victory. Marthru became a much celebrated commander of whom many stories were spoken of for countless generations.
Fall of Estolan
Over the coming years, after the battle of the dagger, thousands upon thousands of Korrocs poured into nearby lands and realms, pillaging as they went. Estolan was slowly but surely taken by the Korrocs. Fargunth the Bold, who in his twenties had lost his young wife while campaigning in the north, had sworn never to leave Estolan (which he had not done for over 50 years). He stayed true to his oath when he and a force of two thousand men defended the Raynor family's home town of Nernioth which was besieged by thousands of Korrocs, rumours even tell of the Korrocs being assisted by captured trolls. Little is known of the fate of these brave warriors who no doubt fought valiantly against the horde, but after the inevitable loss of the town, it is believed it was burnt to the ground and all trace of the once beautiful town was either buried or destroyed. No-one has since even found the actual location of Nernioth or the many riches which were once stored there. Or at least if someone did, then it has been kept secret for a very long time, but rumors persist even till this day of the treasures of Nernioth being kept by someone, somewhere.
To Túmino and Back
The siege of Nernioth however allowed the sons of Fargunth and the several thousand connected to the Raynor Family to travel south-west, to the allied kingdom of Asamoth, away from the evil happenings which were emanating from the north. Eventually, when even the lands of Asamoth fell, the few remaining survivors set sail for the tiny island fortress of Túmino. By this time only Tareigth, the youngest of the three sons of Fargunth was left as the single heir to the Raynor family legacy. On the tiny island of Túmino, Tareigth and his descendants lived for many ages until word came that the Raynor ancestral homeland was free. For it is thought that the very evil which was driving the Korrocs' destructive fury, eventually destroyed the Korrocs themselves.
A Peaceful Existance
Over the next year, the Raynor Family and their many peasants, migrated back to their homeland. The family have since lived a relatively quiet life; gone are the days of old when Raynor sons (and occasionally even daughters) did battle with forces aligned to evil; gone are the days of plundering gold from the towns of evil men, but the flame for adventure is still alight - just - somewhere deep down in the hearts of Raynor sons and daughters, for recently several of the younger ones have travelled far and wide. Taking up arms for the glory of adoptive realms, they fight against those whom they suspect of being allies to the descendants of the evil - but now long forgotten - Korrocs.
Current Family Statistics
Highest recorded CS unit: ~750 (Stormbrew Raynor)- Wearing the Black Helm of Ircymbar as a noble of Ashborn, Stormbrew personally commanded 70 skilled archers to defend the great Old Grehk city of Gethsemene against gruesome Daimons of the Netherworld. The unit suffered many casualties, but most of the men made it back to the Ashborn capital, Keffa, where they staged a final desperate defence against more Daimons attacking the city's food stores.
Highest recorded character prestige: 27 (Stormbrew Raynor) - Coming to fame in the defence of Caligus during the Yssarian invasion, prestige has dropped slightly since moving to the now Daimon plagued island of Beluaterra however.
Highest recorded character honour: 127 (Illidan Raynor) - Risking life and limb in the heat of battle with his troops, Illidan fought to save the realm of Ashborn against their hated enemy, Sint. After the realm's capital was saved from the mighty armies of Sint and Heen, Illidan had a vision and travelled east, eventually pledging his life to serve the Order of the Druids.
