Garlan 'Ulf' Lionheart

Physical Description
Garlan is a massive man standing at 7'2" he weighs aproximately 360 lbs and is mostly muscle. His immense size and strength make him stick out like a sore thumb among crowds. Starting from his head, he has Jet black hair that flows down to a full large beard, which sets the pale blue eyes that rest in the center of his face, near the left eye is a faded scar close to going through it, but not close enough to have cause him to go blind. Otherwise his face is clearly used to being hit with Harsh weather and therefore has a more rugged look to it. His eyes also have an emotionless and cold state to them never revealing much to anyone.

Tattoos
His body is covered in tattoos consisting of various things. Rising from his waist is runic fire, followed by this on his left peck is the mark of Odyn, on his right is the Mark of Helya. Flowing down his arm is a tribal sleeve, this is on both arms. On his left Fore Arm is the symbol of Arathor, on the right is the Symbol of Lion's Reach.

Personality/Mental Description
Garlan has been taught since a young age by the best tutors offered within the duchy, he was taught in politics, tactics, diplomacy, trading, and most importantly the art of war. He is fairly intelligent and is also cruel to his enemies. He is known as "The Brutal" to some due to his harsh tactics that leave many of his enemies dead, and destroyed to much to bury. Starting at the ripe age of seven he began using dulled, but metal, training blades against his trainers. This developed his fighting skills tremendously as he was taught to use multiple weapons of war. His personality is almost never changing. It remains either cold, calculated, and emotionless. Or as a loud, brutal, beserker. His mental barriers against magical attacks focusing on attacking the mind is very powerful, forcing out most.

History
Garlan Lionheart was born to a noble family that ruled the large duchy of Lion’s Reach. Garlan’s father became known as Gaellus the Great for his many reforms and the rapid expansion and modernization of the duchy. Gaellus thrust Lion’s Reach from a primal raider culture into a powerful mining, and trading hub. They became well known for their well crafted metal materials. And their blacksmith’s were unrivaled with their talents. Due to the duchy’s more primal past most blacksmith’s were also very good with runes making a simple steel blade far more effective than a normal mithril blade.

Garlan was trained to become the Ulf’s hand. Which also held the rank of Thane, the highest rank below the High Thane. Garlan was a prodigy with using dual blades and a pole arm. To this day he is still a monster with those two forms of combat. Garlan first started his training at the age of three. Beginning with wooden swords with heavy agility and conditioning training. As he grew his father upped his training, he started using blunted blades at the age of seven.

Garlan started his campaigns into the more savage lands of the Duchy at the age of fourteen. He became a ruthless general and a brutal warlord crushing the trolls, and feral tribes that patrolled the area. As he decimated his enemies he expanded and civilized the western reaches of the duchy. Expanding the duchy’s already immense wealth. With the new lands Garlan showed he would be possibly one of the best High Thane’s that the duchy will ever have.

Garlan came back from his campaign with riches that he presented for his father, but he was simply thrown back into training. His father wanted a weapon as his heir. He had Garlan learn how to use many forms of fighting, he became proficient with most two handed weapons (Axe, Polearms, Longswords, war maces, etc…) He was also made to be proficient with dual wielding many weapons, he focused mainly on two swords, and two axes. But he was also able to use daggers, and maces. But not to the deadly efficiency as he could use swords and axes.

As Garlan grew to become age twenty his father was forced to go deal with a rebellion, Garlan became one of his main field generals leading in the front lines he lead the vanguard testing out the enemy. To his surprise they nearly eradicated the Vanguard. His father followed up with the midgard, attempting to decimate the enemy. Ignoring Garlan’s warnings of the rebels suprising tactical prowess. The midgard was decimated by the rebels and Garlan’s father was killed as Garlan attempted to aid him. The army retreated back.

As the Western reaches of the duchy was slowly taken over by the rebellion Garlan was forced to begin another campaign. After licking the wounds of the loyalist’s Garlan used a deadly and brutal tactic drawing the Rebellion Leaders and their main army into a canyon. As the rebels made their way through the canyon doors caved down trapping them. Garlan let the rebels wittle down their resources before he launched an attack archers appeared on both sides of the canyon. He slaughtered the rebellion and took back the western reaches. He took his place as High Thane of Lion’s Reach and lead the duchy into an even more expansive land. He was given the title of The Brutal due to his incredible and deadly tactics.

Lion's Reach
Lion's Reach is a large duchy, it is also a sister duchy of Carthan, that is based within Arathor. It resides in the Northern Arathi mountains bordering the Hinterlands. There is not much know about this harsh mountain land due to it's people being extremely wary of strangers. The only city truly open to none soldiers hired by Garlan is Mountain Hearth, the duchy's capitol and trade hub.

Lionheart family
The Lionheart family was founded by Vladimus the Brutal, who carried the original name of Lionblood. The name was changed by Vladimus when he founded Lion's Reach and became the first High Thane.

Vladimus the Butcherer
Vladimus the Butcherer was the founding member of the Lionheart family. Apart of the great troll wars he was a general within the Arathi military leading attacks upon small troll encampments in the northern Arathi mountain range. Once he conquered this area he took the soldiers who would follow him there to settle there and create their own duchy to help protect the Highlands North flank. Due to the original low population when a ship filled with Vrykul explorers the population became 'infected' with the Vrykul, their next generations becoming far larger and stronger then before. At the end of Vladimus' life the Vrykul's arrived.

Gulthran the Mad
Gulthran The mad was Garlan's grandfather on his fathers side. At first he led the duchy traditionally as the other High Thanes had, however as he aged his mind decayed, he began to believe all the members of the Original Crimson Reach wished to kill him, he would disband the order removing the ability for the Council to aid him. This only served to destroy his mind more, eventually Gaellus was forced to poison his father and lay him to rest. Due to this he took the throne and would begin to lead.

Gaellus the Great
This man was Garlans father. He led the duchy into a more modern culture developing it's production, and expanding it's lands greatly. During a civil war in the Western reaches he was murdered by a zealot paladin.

Garlan The Brutal
Garlan became the youngest High Thane to take over the duchy when his father was killed on the battle field. In a fit of revenge he decimated the rebel force with ease, slaughtering every last one of them in a canyon eventually known as 'Garlan's stand' The canyon was filled with arrows as his men unleashed a flurry of ranged projectiles upon the rebels. Thousands were slaughtered before Garlan even sent his force into the canyon. Garlan gained the title of 'The Brutal' after this and his reign is still going on.

Titles of Garlan
High Thane

Grand Champion of Arathor

Champion of the Lionbloods

Warden of the Highlands

The Twin-Bladed terror

Ulf

Conqueror of the Western Reaches

Crimson Warlord

The Iron Legate