Meamnar:For Mariah - Carrac's Background
Of all the men to hold an officer's position in the Imperial Army, Carrac of Valeris is the most unlikely. Nonetheless, he has served for nearly two decaded as the commander of Wyvern Keep, the stronghold that separates the Empire's northern territories from the orcs of Madagar. And served well. Three times, the orcs descended upon the ancient keep since the second war, and all three times they were repulsed even before reinforcements reached the outpost.
Carrac often smiles at the strange hand that fate dealt. A soldier's soldier, he never aspired to join the officers' ranks, and in fact never completed the required formal training. He was a footsoldier in the war, a sergeant, a common man's hero, but a common man all the same. With no title to his name, no lands to protect, no family under his care, he fought hard and drank hard, and became the fodder of many bards' tales.
The first time he met Octavius, his regiment was force marching their way to Hawk's Pass in the Valeris mountains. They were the lead element in a brigade that was trying to head off a horde of orcs that were supposedly trying to cross the imposing mountain range and come down on the Army's left flank.
A skirmish with some orc raiders two days earlier left few casualties, but the ranking officer of the regiment, Colonel Voll, was one of them. Regardless of the loss, the unit continued to carry out its most recent orders, to beat the orc horde to Hawk's Pass. The men were veterans, and needed little direction, and so the loss of their commander was little more than a nuisance in the eyes of some.
And then came Octavius. Riding up on his horse to the front of the unit, he headed them off. Carrac, in the front ranks, saw the fresh tassels of a newly-appointed colonel, and dismissed the man immediately. It was the only mistake he ever admitted to making.
Octavius spoke briefly with the acting commander, Colonel Voll's Aide de Camp, a man named Sarek, then gave a loud cry to get the unit's attention. Waving his arms, he gestured for all of the men to come closer, forming a half-circle around him.
"My name is Octavius," he announced, once everyone was in earshot. "And you're going the wrong way." The men, all 72 of them, began grumbling at once, shuffling their feet and nodding to one another.
Octavius continued, unconcerned. "That raiding party you encountered at Hawthorne was from Mabelrode's command. He's a particularly nasty brute who's known for two things; one is splitting his raiding parties so that if the advance element encounters the opposition, the rear element can send word to him undetected." Though a few of the men showed signs of believing the newcomer, most were still ready to dismiss his claim. Nonetheless, they listened intently. "What's the other?" one asked, waving his hand in front of his crotch, "Chopping their foe's privates off?" Several men chuckled, until they saw Octavius' cold eyes staring him down. "No," he replied in a grave tone, "being able to force march his orcs hard enough to outflank any opponent."
Octavius then pointed over his shoulder to Khyber Pass, several peaks southward from their original destination. "He's going to cross there," he said flatly, "and we're going to beat him." At this point, no one laughed.
Octavius was right, of course. The regiment beat the orcs to the pass by half a day, enough time to get dug in really well. They held it for three days, until the orcs finally retreated. One regiment fought off a horde of over a thousand orcs. It was definitely the stuff of legends. Carrac lost count of the orcs he slew that day, and in the days thereafter. Not content to enjoy the victory they earned, Octavius pulled his men out of the pass and sent them northward, to help the main body of the army. Carrac fought alongside Octavius in several battles, and found the man to be an excellent fighter, and a good friend. Toward the end of the war, Octavius pulled him aside one day.
"Old friend, I need a favor," he asked. Three days earlier, Octavius had been promoted to General, and was now in charge of the whole brigade. Sarek had his old command, and Carrac figured that was the last he'd see of the man. Yet here he was, in the General's headquarters.
"My fourth regiment lost her Colonel last week," he said. "I'm short on officers, and I need somebody I can trust."
Before he could continue, Carrac cut him off. "Oh no, sir," he said, taking a step backward and waving his hand in defense, "you don't want me." The man some said was made of iron was now melting in front of his brigade commander like a corporal fresh out of camp.
"Sergeant!" Octavius shouted, freezing Carrac in his tracks. Octavius then stood toe to toe with him, staring him down. "You will take command of the fourth regiment, and you will get them to Wyvern's Keep by the end of the week!"
"Wyvern's Keep?" the old soldier asked, completely baffled.
"The orcs are desperate," Octavius explained. "They're putting everything they've got into this push across the Amari Plains. We're going to stop them in the hill country, I'm sure of that."
Carrac listened intently, still just as confused.
"I mean everything," Octavius reiterated. "Wyvern's Keep is practially deserted. They don't figure we'll try to go around them and strike that far north."
"But I'm going to," Carrac finished for him.
Octavius pointed at Carrac, drilling his finger into the man's chest. "That's right," he said. "If you do, then you can rain down on them as they're retreating up the canyon. They'll never know you're there until it's too late."
"And if I don't," Carrac added, "they'll fall back to the Keep, and this damn war's going to go on for another year."
"Now you're thinking like an officer," Octavius said, smiling.
That was almost twenty years ago. Octavius' plan worked perfectly. The few orcs remaining in the keep were no match for the regiment. Meanwhile the orc horde was routed, and they ran, disorganized, straight back across the plain, and toward the keep. Carrac's men had just enough time to secure the stronghold and gather a defense. The horde was caught completely by surprise, pinned between the keep and the advancing Imperial Army.
Most of the regiment was comprised of men from the village of Rhea, which had fallen to the orcs early in the war. Their families had been murdered, their homes destroyed. With nothing left to return to, they were given the option to stay on at the keep. They formed the backbone of the garrison there, and requested, practically demanded, that Carrac keep the command.
Today, Wyvern's Keep is still the first line of defense against Madagar. The men there are tough, stubborn, and battle-hardened, just as they were when they took it two decades ago. Carrac, though he is the commander, is simply one of the men, a soldier's soldier, content to follow his orders, and determined to do a better job than the next man.
And that's how he views this grave matter, in such simple terms. As far as he's concerned, his commander has given him an order, and he will follow it, even if it means his own death.
