Richard Greyward

Richard Greyward, more commonly known as Richard the Righteous, was a Nerish man responsible for founding the Grand Duchy of Lorehold and is the first person to lead an organized group of people following the Great Fall and War of Nations.

Appearance
During his time, Richard was regarded as a traditionally handsome man with a strong jaw and prominent, sharp facial features. He had dirty blonde hair, fair skin and a scar a distinctive scar along his lip. It is rumored that his eyes were golden, a feature unusual among the Nerish, which lead many to believe he had a portion of Alterian blood running through his veins.

Personality
Regarded as a pillar of justice, Richard was known as a fair man who treated everyone with the same amount of dignity and respect. He was hailed as a charismatic, zealous leader with a voice as loud as thunder and a smile to charm even the most foul of creatures. A philanthropist in the truest sense, the majority of the wealth he accumulated through his campaign to unite the villages and developing cities of early Khona was given back to the community or used to fund public commons.

Humble Beginnings
Supposedly, Richard was born in a small town bordering the northern reaches of Khona. In his early years he worked tirelessly with his family to maintain the sanctity of his community, often taking on tasks that were far too dangerous or far too challenging for the townsfolk. Among them included standing sentry along the town's edge, a position that entailed supervising the sheep and cattle and informing the local militia in the case of Alterian raids.

At the age of fourteen, Richard distinguished himself as a man of a different breed when he single-handedly bested a horde of Alterian raiders with nothing by a sharpened broom stick and his quick wits.

Henceforce, he was regarded as a local hero by the townsfolk. As the raids became more frequent, his bravery inspired morale among his people to join him in the defense of their livestock. Within a year, Richard convinced the Alterian raiders to abandon their attempts of thievery and invited them to join the ranks of the village. The townfolk, while reluctant, soon began to observe the effectiveness of such an agreement. Within half a decade, Richard had garnered a massive following in the northern territories after uniting each hamlet under a single banner. He managed to unite nearly all Nerish townships with little to no struggle or conflict, and convinced foreign migrants and their expeditionary forces to join him in accomplishing his goal: establishing order, peace and prosperity among all inhabitants of Khona.

Ascension to Grand Duke
By twenty, Richard declared himself the first Grand Duke of Lorehold. With his ascension came innumerable trials and tribulations, countless assassination attempts, and civil wars among the nobles in disagreement who had united under his banner. During this era of turmoil, his closest friends became his deadliest enemies and he could only trust as many people as there was fingers on his hand. In spite of it all, Richard succeeded.

None could compare to his skill with a sword, and it said that the rebel armies that opposed him did not meet any of his armies on an open field, but rather, a single man with enough strength to rival the force of five-thousand men. His prowess in combat garnered him his lesser known moniker, the Gilded Champion, a title which inspired fear among even the most experienced of soldiers and generals.

After years of combating contention, Richard focused on developing the internal structure of his newly founded nation. He and his entourage of advisers traveled from city to city, from town to town, looking for conditions that required improvement and making the necessary changes to ensure that populations had the resources and opportunists they needed to succeed. Every now and then, he awarded signet rings to folk heroes who proved themselves capable in one manner or another.

Forced Succession
This continued up until his death in the year 1410, wherein his son, infamously dubbed Adrian the Ambitious, killed him atop his throne in order to force a change in the edicts of the land. To this day, however, Richard is regarded as the single most influential individual in the new histories. His legacy stretches beyond the continent of Khona and across the world, where even foreign leaders recognize his accomplishments.