Valerian

Valerian Hathorne (387 H.A. - present) was an Alondrian officer, tactician, and adventurer. The only son of Duke Bastian Hathorne, he quickly displayed an aptitude for tactics and combat, and attended the Royal Academy, graduating with honors in tactics and logistics with the rank of Lieutenant when he was 19.

Although initially unpopular and distant from his men, Valerian soon earned their respect after he was nearly killed on the front lines when his rapier broke in combat. His refusal to use what was seen as the typical officer's weapon and tactical genius saw him become an interesting figure in the Alondrian military, and he was soon elevated to the rank of Captain and assigned a command of three hundred untrained militia near the border with the Tribelands at the age of 22.

Upon arriving, he soon learned that this area was expected to be the target of a large goblin raiding force, and that his force was even more unprepared and exposed than he had feared. He quickly wrote to the local duke, William Bishop, and requested permission to withdraw his force to a more defensible position. When this was denied, he asked the next nearest duke, Thomas Beckett, and his superiors within the Alondrian military for aid. Beckett refused, but Command dispatched a large force under the command of Major Fredrick Shepherd. However, as the goblin force approached and Shepherd failed to make an appearance, Valerian was forced to conclude that he was on his own and set up his forces for a defense. Nearly five thousand goblins crashed over his force, and, although they fought valiantly, the outnumbered Alondrians were annihilated. By the time Shepherd's forces arrived, only twenty Alondrians still stood. Furious at his late arrival, Valerian confronted Shepherd to learn that he had been delayed by a deliberate order from Duke Bishop, and only its countermanding by Command had lead to Shepherd arriving at all.

Over the course of the next year, Valerian was stripped of his command and rank and exiled from Alondria, mostly due to pressure from Dukes Bishop and Beckett and testimony from Major Shepherd. Bitter and confused, he brooded in Accordia for most of the next year, before deciding that the time had come to try and start a new life for himself and trying out for the Order of the Silver Blade as a member of Team Six. The next few weeks were intensely confusing for the young Alondrian, as the world of tactics and logic that he had known was explosively introduced to magic and demons in quick succession.

Upon the imprisonment of Renn Tarthal and the rapid decomposition of the Order's chain of command, Valerian finally found himself back in his element. Before his disappearance, Renn had reminded the Order of its most crucial role- to provide a bulwark against a demonic invasion- and with evidence pointing to an invasion coming soon, Valerian has thrown himself into war preparations. He has served as field commander of Order forces when they were deployed in the Battle of the Sanctuary and the Battle of Drendor, and spent much of his free time drilling with Order forces and training.

Valerian is, first and foremost, a soldier. While Renn, and, briefly, Salris Silvertongue, were present, he deferred to them as the senior officers present, but in their absence, he has resumed his old role as an officer. He is tall and thin, and despite his background in combat, is not especially strong- instead, he relies on speed and tactics to overcome his opponents. In combat, he prefers to put himself in the epicenter of the action, where he can use his defensive skills to avoid attacks and prevent enemies from retreating or threatening his allies. He is also known for opening a fight with a rapid flurry of blows on the most powerful target on the field in an attempt to put it out of action immediately. Valerian's fighting style lacks the flash of an Alondrian duelist, the elegance of an Gaikokujin swordsman, or the brute strength of many of his fellow soldiers- instead, it is mainly characterized by a set of basic moves and maneuvers performed in quick succession, with machine-like precision, and in unusual and often deadly combinations.