LoR - LC16 - Return of the Prince

Yay! the Prince is back! Excellent build and story Matt. You have really developed your own style for the LoR, and I like it!

This is great, Matt!

Thanks guys!

Here is a character who will be featured in the other parts of the story:

Lord Commander Joseph Howitzer - Age 36 (Commander of the Queen's Forces in Dalmanutha)


(Seen here escorted by two Queen's Black Guards)

Early Life:

Born Joseph Anthony Howitzer to a local Canal Courier named Richard and his wife Margaret Howitzer of the poverty stricken Sandy Shore district (Old Port in Dalmanutha), Joseph from the beginning was a lad who was always happy to help others and be at his best firmly believing in the Loreos traditions which fostered prosperity, honour and strength in duty. So even while his family suffered in poverty, he held firm that the outlook on life would change and was determined to make that happen. So when Joseph turned age 8 he started to help his father with the Courier Trade on the Canal. They started originally with just their long skiff called a “Tismur” until they made enough money to buy another. Eventually by Age 10 Joseph and his father had been able to foster a growing commercial enterprise with 16 Tismur’s and employees to help them courier trade throughout the busy City. However, with their growing success came the watchful and greedy eyes of the Local Garrison Commander who felt that those who came from Sandy Shore should stay in Sandy Shore.

So on one fateful day… Richard, who had recently picked up a shipment from a new client in the wealthier side of Dalmanutha found himself under arrest for theft of goods and property. As it turned out the goods he received were in fact stolen from a wealthy noble family. However, Richard was not aware of this dirty deal and soon found himself in the City dungeon with his assets seized by the Garrison. After a brief and quick trial, Richard was found guilty by a corrupt local magister who was paid off by the Garrison Commander and although Joseph had attempted to get the attention of the Prince Mark, his response was too late for before the tender watchful eyes of young Joseph, his mother and two younger brothers (Edward and Othello), Richard, guilty of only trying to be better was hanged as a thief along Victory Bridge to warn others of what theft would cause in the Capital.

With the death of his father, Joseph and his mother along with his two twin brothers soon found themselves being evicted from their home because they could not pay their taxes. In a vain attempt to feed her family and keep their home his mother took a job in what Joseph thought was in the Palace Kitchens, soon over time turned out to be in a brothel runned by another noble in the City. When Joseph found out the truth at age 14 he decided he would run away from home and join up with the Merchant Caravel Fleet. There he learned and mastered Sea Travel working himself up to the rank of Merchant Captain where he was granted his first ship ever called the Blissful Dolphin. These were great times for Joseph as he amassed a small fortune from the Sea Trade and was able to live a rather blissful life for the moment…at least until war was declared.

The Southern War:

With the advent of the Southern War to defeat the Outlaw menace, the new Prince of Loreos (Jarius Lorean) decreed that all merchant crews would need to be drafted into the Loreesi Military. Soon Joseph and his crew found themselves drafted and trained in the tactics of warship measures. Joseph who had been a merchant Captain himself excelled at the training and found himself working fast up the military ranks in the Naval Academy to be the pilot on a warship called the “Raven”. Although he wasn’t a Captain, his rank was still significant enough that he would be in Command of the vessel if the Captain and first mate perished. This as luck would have it actually happened. For during the Battle of Gull Cove when the Loreesi fleet engaged the Outlaws fleet in the Cove, the Raven soon found itself in trouble when a heavy Outlaw ship smashed off the side oars and boarded the vessel slaying in rapid succession the Captain and first mate who attempted to repel the boarders. Realizing all would be lost soon, Joseph from the pilot station gave out orders for the bridge towers to open fire on the deck smashing in the boards and causing the Outlaws to retreat. With this action he saved the ship and was promoted to the rank of Captain. This served him well even during the Battle of Emerald Bay where he sunk single handed with the Raven three Outlaw ships. This earned him the name “Fearless Joe” from his peers and earned him the revered Pilium Cross award for bravery. Eventually, due to his increasing success Joseph was promoted to Squadron Commander of the “Blood Crows” (a group of Loreesi Ships recognized by their sails which featured a red crow). Everything seemed to be going great until the fateful battle of Heath’s Bay.

Health’s Bay was a virtual disaster for the Blood Crows and one of the worth acts of cruelty by Sea in the Southern War. The fleet commanded by the recently promoted Lord Reginald Ulmar who had served a term in the Garrison of Dalmanutha were given orders to assault a fleet of fleeing Outlaw vessels and warships spotted in Heath’s Bay. Lord Reginald, eager to please the High Command of Lenfald, Loreos and Garheim along with the King sought to reign terror upon the unsuspecting Outlaws and for the most part was completely successful in his operation. The battle at first started with the small Outlaw fleet spreading out into combat formation with the smaller warships forming a ring to protect the larger carrier ships in the middle that were believe by Lord Reginald to carry more troops who might impede the ground assaults in the muddy swamps. At first, the battle seemed even matched, until the Blood Crows smashed through the Outlaw’s ring of warships and hurdled into the carrier vessels in the middle. Eager to prove his worth and uphold his reputation, Joseph led the boarding party onto the nearest vessel. When his men rushed the decks they soon found themselves completely caught off guard. Instead of an army of Outlaw soldiers, they would innocent women, children along with sick and wounded Outlaw soldiers who desperately pleaded for their lives. Filled with compassion, Joseph ordered his men to halt and ordered his flag officer relay to the rest of the fleet to stop their assault. To his surprise the fleet at first listened and halted until the flagship of Lord Reginald ordered them to assault again. Countermanding the orders, Joseph ordered the fleet to be flagged again to stop the senseless violence and slaughter. Infuriated by his vain attempts though Lord Reginald ordered his flagship to the location of Joseph’s position where he immediately set forth to board the same vessel with his loyal soldiers. Lord Reginald in a fury demanded from Joseph why he stopped. Joseph, pointed out the innocents and replied “It would be a crime to kill these people, they are guilty of nothing more than being victims of this war” for which the female captain of the Outlaw vessel chimmed in to profess her people’s case stating they were farmers, villagers and townsfolk who fled when the King’s armies sacked their homes due to this war. Tired of hearing the lamentations of this women Lord Reginald pulled his sword and pointed at the woman then gave an order to Joseph and his men “THESE PEOPLE ARE SCUM! OUR ORDERS ARE CLEAR! KILL THEM ALL!”. Joseph seeing the people behind him retreat in fear stood his ground and said “NO! They are innocents!” and with that found himself slowly committing mutiny. Lord Reginald enraged yelled at Joseph again “ARE YOU NOT A SOLDIER OF LOREOS! IF YOU ARE! YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!” and again Joseph refused but this time he pulled his sword. With that the act was clear and Lord Joseph order his men to advance. As they did so, Joseph’s men pulled their weapons and soon found themselves embattled against Lord Reginald’s men who with superior numbers eventually overwhelmed Joseph and his crew. However their brave act of defiance managed to allow many on the greater vessels to escape to the shore where they vanished into the woods. Joseph and his men on the otherhand found themselves either slaughtered or captured. Those like Joseph were then brought to the shore and hammered to the trees to die by the Crows. With Lord Reginald laughing at the fools who would defy orders. Although Joseph and his men saved many, thousands of innocents died that day and even when Joseph himself though all had come to an end, the same female Captain of the vessel he attempted to save found him, and saved him and the few survivors of his crew from the trees when the Fleet departed. From that day forward Joseph became an Outlaw and during the Magic Isles Campaign won many battles earning himself recognition by Queen Galainir and the title “Defender of the People”.

For when the time came to set up a new ruler in Dalmanutha, the Queen couldn’t think of anyone better for the job than Lord Commander Joseph Howitzer who quickly earned good faith with the citizens of Dalmanutha when he removed the corruption in the forces of the city, built schools for the children, built new homes for the poor and built public hospitals to treat the sick and elderly. The people of the City soon never found themselves hungry, poor or in lack of anything so long as “Saint Joseph of Dalmanutha” was leading them.

Great story Matt! It's really nice to see that both sides have bad and good guys

Very nice!