The current year is 612, May.
Name: Ser Silvain Valmont
Age: 26 (586 - )
Appearance:
Silvain is about 1.71 metres tall.
Skills:
Swordplay: Silvain has 9 years of sword-fighting experience.
Magic?: Silvain, while technically born with magic, has kept her skills hidden. Her magical power exists, but she doesn't know how to use it beyond creating small flames and making lights.
Tactician: Silvain is generally competent in leading small groups of mercenaries, soldiers or mages.
Brief History: A former knight from the Kingdom of Valois, Silvain was at the front-lines of the wars that characterised the disastrous 'Era of 5 Emperors'. The only daughter of a count who thought that having a knight 'son' would help further his ambitions in the short-lived kingdom of Valois. Silvain, already quite a masculine girl to begin with, was pressed into joining the armies of Valois and fast-tracked to become a knight at the age of 17. She made herself known as a capable tactical commander, but her long-term strategies failed to see Valois through the dark times of the Era of the 5 Emperors.
Valois fell during the time that Emperor Jonathan was in charge (when she was about 20), and Silvain took the opportunity to escape from her father. She took up work as a mercenary, joining the 'Black Iron' company. Without knowing how to act like a lady, she took the only other choice and acted like a man and a soldier. For 6 years, she made herself quite famous even within Black Iron. Her real gender was revealed to some by accident, though just about the entirety of Black Iron members who knew considered her too competent to be sexist against. She partnered with a few mages, some of whom suspected that Silvain had magical talent, but none of them had anything solid to cling onto such beliefs.
When she left the Black Iron on amicable terms, she decided to look to create her own group. And the first person to find would be a mage.
Personality: Silvain's intense and dislikes nonsense. The job, to her, is everything, and she tolerates very little tomfoolery. Though she's actually quite decent to her mage partners, most of them call her a 'fair person, though a slave-driver'. However, when outside of the job, Silvain relaxes and becomes more amicable, friendly and perhaps even a little flirtatious to the girls.
Misc: Silvain likes guys. And girls.
Era of 5 Emperors
Emperor Phillip III (578 - 609 Oct): The last emperor to rule more than 1 year. Phillip III was unable to prevent the many petty kingdoms around him from declaring their independence. When the kingdom of Valois and the kingdom of Capet declared their independence in the year 603, Phillip personally led the armies against them, but to no avail. As more kingdoms declared their independence as well, the Emperor was unable to resolve their rebelliousness, even after 6 years, he was overthrown in a coup by General Francis. Francis then installed himself as Emperor.
Emperor Francis (609 Oct - 610 Jan): Francis tried to change the policies of the empire, allowing mages their own independence in the empire's army rather than subjugating them to a non-magical handler. However, another general by the name of Johann would be outraged by this. He would launch his own coup, and install himself.
Emperor Johann (610 Jan - 610 Jul): Johann reversed the reforms Francis instated. As a compromise with the army commanders that sought more independence, Johann allowed them to decide their own courses of action so long as they vowed to protect the empire. This worked as well as you thought it would. Johann was killed in a palace coup by General Jonathan, one of those army commanders that really lusted for power.
Emperor Jonathan (610 Jul - 611 Jun): Ironically one of the longer lasting emperors, Jonathan was a tyrant to the core. The only thing really keeping Jonathan in power was that despite his own greed, his military skill was without compare. He crushed 3 of the kingdoms (including Valois) and put its people to the sword. He would be assassinated by a palace eunuch by the name of Karl. Karl installed General Guy as emperor. Guy showed his appreciation to Karl by having him executed for treason.
Emperor Guy (611 Jun - 612 Mar): More of an administrator than a commander, Guy managed to politick his way into reuniting some parts of the old empire back. However, his 'peace before war' views did not sit well with some of the generals. General Godwin would act upon these thoughts, killing Emperor Guy and placing himself as Emperor.
Emperor Godwin: (612 Apr -): Taking the throne just a month ago, Godwin has sought the annihilation of all the petty kingdoms. He has reinstituted mages into the Imperial Army, but unlike Emperor Francis, he has subjugated them to tighter leashes.
His utter dedication to war has made the kingdoms fight in a true struggle for their survival, but everything else in Francia has gone to shit. Bandits rule the roads when no armies are marching past. Goblins have become bolder and have begun attacking towns. And there are worse things to fear than Emperor Godwin's wrath.
