Eadric of the Figars
| Biological | |
| Full name: | Eadric I |
|---|---|
| Born: | June 16 |
| Birthplace: | Renoa Oasis |
| Sex: | Male |
| Race: | Human |
| Hair: | Blonde |
| Eyes: | Blue |
| Height: | 6'4" |
| Weight: | 220 lbs |
| Personal | |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Family/Relationships: | {{{family}}} |
| Religion: | Figaran Pantheon |
| Title: | King of the Figars, Lord Commander of the Fallowmen |
| Nicknames: | The Last King of the Figars, The Fallen King, Eadric Longshanks |
| Hobbies: | Swordplay, chocobo riding, mathematics |
| Known skills: | Swordsmanship, mounted combat, archery, diplomatic and court knowledge |
| Favorite color: | Blue |
| Inspiration: | Ealogus the Great |
| Motto: | "The Kingdom of the Figars may have fallen, but their spirit lives on." |
Eadric is the King of the Figars in exile. When he was eleven, and a prince, their kingdom was invaded by forces from the Jidora Federation and annexed. The king was killed in battle, but Eadric escaped with a contingent of a hundred and twenty royal knights who vanished into the borderlands. He has yet to make any claim to the throne, and instead leads the mercenary company known as the Fallowmen. He is often called Eadric Longshanks.
Contents
Personality
Eadric has been shaped by the hard circumstances around his upbringing. He has learned the art of being subtle and hiding his emotions well. He often hobknobs with members of high society who know who he really is, but cannot acknowledge it. He comes across as a reserved, but charismatic man who has won the genuine loyalty of his men. He is also generally imposing; his height is fearsome, at least on his world, and he carries himself as a man of distinction and martial skill.
History
Eadric was the first of three sons of Ealdred III of the Figars. He was born in Renoa Oasis, the nominal capital of the Kingdom of the Figars. His father's clan - and the clan that held the throne since the unification of the Figar clans - was the Ronic Clan. His mother came of the northern Lenowa Clan, rooted in the forests bordering on Letian (and imperial) territory. He could trace his lineage back through his father to the founder of his clan and the chieftain who unified the Figars, Ealogus the Great.
Prince of the Figars
Eadric was known to be a future King of the Figars since his birth. While Renoa Oasis hardly compared to the great cities of the Jidora Federation or the Golden Capital of Abrazerei, it was still a relatively luxurious place. The oasis provided ample food, largely consisting of a few tropical fruits grown in royal gardens, and crops grown nearnby. His every want and need was seen to.
The Figars were no strangers to wars. Maintaining the federation of the clans involved periodic wars to bring wayward clans in line, as happened when the Ronic, Lenowa, and western Halcourt clans moved against the Vear Clan when it sought to separate itself from the kingdom. From the ages of six to nine, Eadric was nominally the Lord of Renoa Oasis as his father led the triple clan host against the Vears. Here, Eadric held court, though his rule was effectively governed by his father's advisors acting as regents.
Eadric was trained in his youth in the traditional skills needed of a King of the Figars. This included use of sword and lance, and extensive training in mounted combat. The Figars also developed and prided themselves on the use of advanced crossbows, which Eadric was trained in the use of - and construction of. He also learned diplomacy firsthand, as well as through training. He was taught letters and numbers in his schooling.
The Fall of the Kingdom
Eadric's father returned when he was ten. The War of the Four Clans had taken its toll on the Figars' strength. The Vear Clan had put up a greater fight than ever expected, and though they were vanquished, their chieftain slain, and a guardian put in to guide his young son, the three clans that led their men against them had suffered considerable losses. One of Eadric's uncles died in the fighting. The Jidora Federation chose to use this weakness and add the Kingdom of the Figars to their lands.
The invasion began some two months after the soldiers had returned to their lands. There was little time to martial a full host. The Halcourt Clan, which had suffered heavy losses in the prior war, was defeated before the capital could rally. They managed to sweep through the kingdom, isolating clans and defeating them piecemeal. The superior host arrived at Renoa Oasis three months after the invasion began and after Eadric's eleventh birthday.
Ealdred chose to fight. He had his three sons smuggled from the oasis, as the enemy closed around them. Eadric, with a hundred and twenty of the royal knights, set out for the northeast and escaped the Jidoran lines. The capital was taken, and Ealdred died in the fighting, leading to Eadric to become the claimant of the throne.
On the advice of his fathers' knights, Eadric did not claim the throne. The knights disappeared into Letian lands, and served in the border regions as mercenaries denying who they brought with them to get by. Here, Eadric received a very different kind of education. He learned of war - strategy, tactics, and expanding his training in weapons made necessary by a suddenly harder life. He also learned of surviving in the wilderness.
Eadric Longshanks, Leader of the Fallowmen
As Eadric became older, he began to realize his survival was no accident. His siblings had been recognized to be in exile in small kingdoms and city-states, and had forsaken any claim to the throne. They gone unmolested. He began to realize that the federation was willing to ignore his existence if he did not become inconvenient to them, and chose to stay on that course for the time being. The royal knights had become known as an effective mercenary company known as the Fallowmen.
As he became of age, Eadric began fighting in missions with the Fallowmen. He also became exceptionally tall; by the age of eighteen, he was a towering six feet, four inches (and a great height over the average man in his region, who stands at five feet, six inches). This led to the nickname Eadric Longshanks. At the age of eighteen, the royal knights - and the men who had been recruited into their ranks since their exile - voted to make Eadric the leader of the Fallowmen.
Eadric Longshanks became his public name, as well as his nickname. Since then, he has assisted lords and merchant princes in the Federation, as well as the kings and dukes of small independent principalities between the Divine Empire and Jidora Federation. Seven years of fighting and mercenary work has made him both a feared enemy and a prized mercenary captain. His true identity has become something of a public secret; it is often whispered of, but it is also considered a fact that Eadric will not seek to reclaim his empty throne.
Whatever Eadric Longshanks really thinks, no one is certain.
Eadric I, as of Kupopolis Proper
Eadric I is considered by many to be the first modern King of Figaro. He is something of a legend, and much of his life is unknown to modern historians. His nickname, Longshanks, is known; however, his younger life is not. It is known that he survived the War of the Magi, and unified Figaro in the World of Balance afterward. It is said he was successful in war, and he is renowned by Figarans as one of their greatest heroes.
