Hailing from the Kingdom of Haense, Ahren Strauss is a wandering bowman. He was born into a Hansetian military family, where soldiering was more than just a long-running family tradition. War ran deep in Ahren’s veins: his father was a soldier, as was his grandfather, his great-grandfather, and so on. He knows this much because his family and relatives maintained detailed records of their lineage. His genealogy dated back many centuries, long before the Descendants first settled Arcas. There were even footnotes that referenced battles and skirmishes not recorded in mainstream history books. Apparently, some of Ahren’s ancestors had even fought for the Teutonic Order against the Undead menace back in Aegis. Reading the records, it was clear to the young Highlander that he had a lot to live up to. Countless campfire tales, bardic ballads, and books about the Kingdom of Hanseti and Teutonic Order (along with their later incarnations) reinforced these expectations in his mind. Before long, those expectations started to get to him.
They were... inconvenient, to say the least. Ahren already had his own aspirations in life: to graduate from a university, become a renowned scholar, and publish books and academic journals. None of this involved clashing swords, dying horribly, and getting tossed into a mass grave for the ambitions some King or Emperor who would never do so much as remember his name. What glory was there in soldiering? What would Ahren achieve? What legacy would he pass down to future generations? Ahren wanted nothing to do with the family business. He didn’t feel cut out out for it. Compared to his brothers and cousins, Ahren wasn’t at all talented with bows, swords, or halberds. He still spent real blood, sweat, and tears learning the Art of War, but it wasn’t as if that were the sole focus of his formative years: he preferred the peace and quiet of the library over the organised chaos of his local training ground. Yet, no matter how much he wanted to skive from daily practice and trade his sword for a quill, a very different path had already been set out for him. He didn’t want to disappoint his family. He didn’t want to disappoint his ancestors. He had a duty to prove himself on the battlefields of Arcas. One way or another, he was going to do it.
One of Ahren biggest regrets in life was not being born in time to enlist when Joseph I made his bid during the War of Two Emperors. It would’ve been one of his only chances early on in life to really prove himself. When Ahren finally came of age, he signed up the Kingdom of Haense’s military. Reality turned out to be very disappointing for the young Highlander; he became a soldier during a time of relative peace. He would serve for several uneventful years as an archer garrisoned in Reza. He never fought in any major battles. He never took part in any skirmishes. He never so much as shot an arrow during the so-called Three Month ‘’’’’’War’’’’’’. The fact that he never did anything of note throughout his service to the Holy Orenian Empire vexed him to no end. The closest thing he had to an achievement was getting promoted and becoming a quartermaster for his unit (and that only pulled him further away from anything resembling a front line). Ahren left the military as soon as his contract was over. He has since become a bow-for-hire, wandering Arcas in search of new, better employment. Even if he’s had no success thus far, he’s still trying his damned hardest to seek out a life that would make his family and ancestors proud.
Recommended Comments