Henry of Skalitz

https://kingdom-come-deliverance.fandom.com/wiki/Henry
Henry - commonly called Hal by his friends and locals of Skalitz, or occasionally Henry of Skalitz - is the main protagonist in Kingdom Come: Deliverance and the upcoming sequel Kingdom Come Deliverance II. He is a commoner who lives in the town of Skalitz and is apprenticed to his father Martin, a highly skilled blacksmith. As a young man in medieval Bohemia, he lives a normal and happy adolescent life until one day, Skalitz is raided by a army of Cuman mercenaries led by King Sigismund. He helplessly watches as his parents are killed during the attack along with many of the townsfolk, including his lover Bianca. Having lost everything he ever loved and cared for, he embarks on a path of revenge against his parents' murderer, leading to him becoming a skilled warrior and having many adventures in war-torn Bohemia.
He is voiced and motion-captured by English actor Tom Mckay.
== Biography ==
Henry is a young man living in the tranquil village of Silver Skalitz, training to be a blacksmith under Martin, his father and master blacksmith. In his free time he'd around with his friends - Fritz, Matthew, and Matthias - while flirting with Bianca, the local alemaid and his sweetheart. He secretly learns swordsmanship and warfare from Vanyek, a mercenary, much to his mother's disapproval.
During Unexpected Visit, Henry and his father finish making a masterwork sword for their liege lord, Sir Radzig Kobyla. Henry soon learns that, in addition to being a skilled swordsmith, his father had some talent in sword fighting as well. Henry longs to venture into the outside world, so he asks his father to teach him how to defend himself, but Martin refuses, preferring him to settle down with a nice girl, learn his blacksmith's trade, and keep away from trouble.
However, this peaceful life was soon to be interrupted. In 1403 a Cuman army commanded by Markvart von Aulitz, one of King Sigismund's lieutenants, attacked and destroyed Skalitz - becoming an event later known as the Sack of Skalitz - as revenge on Sir Radzig for sending valuable silver and his continues loyalty towards King Wenceslas IV, Sigismund's deposed half-brother and the rightful king of Bohemia.
Both of Henry's parents are killed in the attack along with dozens of villagers. Henry managed to escape the slaughter in Run!, stealing a horse and riding to Talmberg to warn Sir Divish of the attack. During his journey, he may be able to distract some Cumans from raping and assaulting Theresa, a local miller girl. He is later injured by a Cuman arrow before arriving to his destination.
Once in Talmberg, his wound is treated and he is put on guard duty, as Divish and his captain of the guard, Sir Robard, are wary that Talmberg might be the next target for the approaching army. Luckily, the survivors of Skalitz manage to escape and flee to Rattay, passing by Talmberg on the way south. Sir Radzig is relieved to see Henry alive and commands Divish to keep him confined in Talmberg castle, forbidding him from returning to Skalitz, which by now is surely swarming with bandits.
The next day, Sigismund, hot on Radzig's tail, assembles his army outside Talmberg, but thankfully decides to move on in search of his prey, convinced by Divish that they have not seen the escaping refugees. Henry takes the opportunity to escape the castle, and heads back to Skalitz in Homecoming.
There, among the smouldering ruins of the town, he sees the bodies of many of his friends and neighbors, including Bianca, and his mother and father. Henry tearfully vows to bury them and begs their forgiveness for being a coward. Determined to bury them, Henry searches for a shovel and stumbles across Zbyshek, who is trying to loot the corpses. After a confrontation, Zbyshek runs off, but leaves behind his shovel. Henry returns to his parent's bodies, but is interrupted by Zbyshek, who has brought with him a group of scavenging bandits, led by the powerful and brutal Runt.
Runt, taking a liking to the exquisite sword Henry still carries, beats him up and is about to kill him with it, when Theresa appears, followed closely by Sir Robard and some of the Talmberg guards. They chase off the bandits and Theresa takes Henry to her Uncle Peshek's mill in Rattay, where she nurses him back to health over several weeks during Awakening.
Once recovered, Henry requests a meeting with Lord Radzig, asking to be sworn into his service, in order to learn how to fight, kill Runt and recover the sword, sparking Vengeance. Radzig is at first hesitant to make a squire from a blacksmith, but relents and orders Henry to undergo basic training with the Captain Bernard in Train Hard, Fight Easy. During this time, Henry meets Hans Capon, who will become the governor of Rattay when he comes of age, and the two strike up a rivalry.
Bernard then orders Henry to join the local watchmen on evening patrol as part of Keeping the Peace. While on duty, Henry attempts to close the local tavern, and gets into a fight with Sir Hans, who is less than pleased to be ordered home by a commoner. The fight is interrupted by Sir Hanush, Hans' guardian, who is disgusted with the two young men. To ensure Henry learns his place and Hans learns his lesson, he orders them to go on a hunting trip together in The Prey.
While on the trip, the two men learn a bit more about each other, and both become a bit more respectful, further cemented when Hans is taken prisoner by two Cumans, and Henry is able to save him and ensure his safe return to Rattay. Having now earned the respect of the nobility, Henry is officially accepted into Sir Radzig's service. However, at that moment Captain Bernard arrives to tell them that there has been a raid on the local Neuhof stud farm, and Henry is asked to accompany the captain in The Hunt Begins.
Once at the farm, they are horrified to learn that nearly all the horses have been slaughtered, along with many of the people. Henry investigates and confirms that the raiders came from the north, and that Runt was among them. He becomes suspicious that a stableboy named Ginger might know more than he's letting on, and begins Ginger in a Pickle after discovering he has fled the farm.
As it turns out, Ginger is innocent, but because he recognized one of the bandits, he ran away, terrified that they would come after him. Henry dispatches Ginger's pursuers, and Ginger gives him a lead - a man from Uzhitz with a limp. After some more investigation, Henry learns the limping man is called Lubosh, and heads off to Uzhitz to track him down in Mysterious Ways. However, he arrives too late, as Lubosh has been brutally murdered.
At first, Henry is dismayed, but manages to discover that Lubosh had been spending a lot of time with the local cleric, Father Godwin. Although the priest states he cannot break his vows to tell Henry what he needs to know, they agree to meet at the local tavern and try to work something out. The two discuss the corruption of the church and drink heavily into the night. The next morning, they awaken hungover and Godwin promises that if Henry performs that day's sermon, he will tell him all he knows about Lubosh. Alternatively, Henry will have the opportunity to speak with the local Bailiff. Either way, he will set off in search of his new lead - Reeky from Ledetchko.
Eventually, by completing On the Scent, Henry is able to track Reeky to a cave near Ledetchko. If he gets there in time, he can save Reeky from the bandits who are out to kill him and gain some valuable insight into the Neuhof raid, but if he takes too long he will find Reeky beaten almost to death, and can do nothing more than ease his passing.
Henry sets off to find the next member of the gang, Timmy, in My Friend Timmy, and tracks him to a windmill south of Merhojed. There, Henry is confronted by four bandits, led by Morcock, and can either tell them where Timmy is, send them to Rattay while he finds Timmy himself, or else kill them. In any event, he will learn the vague location of the bandit camp, and further investigation will reveal they hiding at Pribyslavitz.
This begins Nest of Vipers, where Henry is tasked with infiltrating the camp, and may take the opportunity to sabotage the food and arrows in preparation of the upcoming battle. While there, he is able to confirm that Runt is holed up inside the crumbling church. Along with Sir Radzig and Sir Bernard, Henry takes part in the attack in Baptism of Fire, wiping out the Cuman and bandit camps before turning their attention to the church.
Runt flees up to the steeple with Henry in hot pursuit. At first, the bandit commander does not recognize him, until Henry begins to demand the sword. The two finally fight as equals, and Henry is able to overpower him, repeatedly demanding the sword and becoming more enraged as Runt laughs at him. Henry continues beating Runt's head against the ground until he is no more.
Sir Bernard and Sir Radzig congratulate Henry on his first successful battle, and overlook the remains of the camp, where their troops are finishing off the last of the enemy. Overcome by the sight of the slaughter, and the turmoil of emotions he feels now that Runt is dead, but the sword is still lost, Henry is promptly sick. Bernard advises him to put the day behind him, but Henry vows to never forget what had transpired.
If you have From the Ashes DLC, a short time after this, Henry will be appointed Bailiff of Pribyslavitz, tasked with rebuilding and managing the village. If he is successful, he will be granted its income for five years - a very tidy sum and a huge step up in the world for a blacksmith's son.
Sometime later, the bandits are still conducting raids, and the nobles discover that a chest of coins recovered from the church are counterfeit. Hearing that the villagers of Merhojed have captured a bandit, Sir Radzig dispatches Henry to interrogate him in Questions and Answers. The bandit reveals that Runt took his orders from a man they called "The Chief", and he is due to rendezvous with a merchant named Menhart in order to collect another chest of counterfeit coins.
Henry meets again with Sir Radzig to report what he has uncovered. The two enjoy a quiet moment on the lookout point near Talmberg before Henry questions why such terrible things happen - what is the point of it all? Sir Radzig responds that life is a trial, and the more problems you overcome, the better a man you will be. He gives Henry approval to pursue Menhart in All that Glisters, telling him "good luck, son."
Henry tracks Menhart to Rovna,, but finds only an empty wagon and some dead guards. He discovers that the local charcoal burners looted the wagon, but did not attack it, and questions a Mercenary they have rescued, who tells Henry the wagon was attacked by a knight. Henry eventually discovers that the knight is named Ulrich of Passau, and he is also seeking the counterfeiters. With Ulrich's assistance (or not), Henry manages to find the head counterfeiter, an impoverished knight named Sir Jezhek, and places him under arrest.
Jezhek will reveal that he was hired in Sasau, and put in charge of minting the counterfeit coins by a young foreigner called Erik, who in turn took his orders from an unknown Hungarian nobleman - the Chief. Henry sets off in search of the bandit recruiter in If You Can't Beat 'em, hoping it will finally lead to the man behind it all. Following several potential leads, he eventually learns that the bandits have a secret meeting place - the church of Sasau.
Once there, Henry is confronted by a bandit named Kozliek, who turns out to be the recruiter. Kozliek gives Henry a test - find and kill the last remaining member of the Neuhof gang, Pious, who turned tail and ran when the robbery turned into a massacre. Pious, as it turns out, has taken vows at the Sasau Monastery and become a novice monk.
In order to infiltrate the order as part of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience, Henry tracks down a nobleman named Karl, who is unwillingly being forced to become a join the same order as Pious. Together, the two conspire to obtain the writ needed for Henry to access the monastery while posing as Karl. The ruse is a success, and Henry is given the name 'Brother Gregor' and becomes a novice monk.
Thus begins Henry's new life as 'Brother Gregor' in A Needle in a Haystack, as he tries to figure out which of the four novices is Pious. After some time in the Monastery, he is able to determine that Pious has taken the name Brother Antonius, and seems to sincerely repent his actions. After deciding what to do with Pious, Henry will meet up with Kozliek again and learn the location of the bandit camp - Vranik.
Before setting off to Vranik, Henry visits Sir Radzig and Sir Hanush, to tell them of his plan to infiltrate the bandit camp in The Die is Cast. Hanush is enthusiastic but Radzig hesitates, telling Henry not to put himself at risk. After tying up some loose ends, Henry arrives in Vranik, where he is able to gain entry and speak to the captain, Erik. However, he quickly discovers that Sir Istvan Toth, carrying Sir Radzig Kobyla's sword, is the true mastermind behind the plan, but Istvan captures him before he can escape to warn Radzig.
Istvan orders his lackey to beat Henry, and tells him of his plan to secretly help King Sigismund claim the throne of Bohemia, and be rewarded with Lordship over the Sasau region - he gloats that even the combined forces of Divish, Hanush and Radzig can't stop him now. He finally reveals the secret everyone has kept from Henry his whole life. He is not the son of Martin the blacksmith - he is the illegitimate son of Lord Radzig Kobyla.
Istvan taunts Henry, telling him the reason Radzig never told him of his true parentage was because he was ashamed of him. Henry vows to kill Istvan with the sword, but the traitorous Lord laughs it off and promises to give him the chance. He leaves his lackey to beat Henry senseless, intending on holding him to ransom. However, Henry is able to escape, with the help of Zbyshek, and make it back to Rattay.
There, he reveals to Radzig that he knows the truth. Radzig promises that they will talk about it later, as they have to plan for the upcoming battle, and Henry races to Talmberg to tell Sir Divish that the armies were preparing to assemble in Payback.
Divish agrees to immediately round up his troops and march to Vranik. That evening, Henry joins the army in an all-out-assault on the camp - but there is no sign of Istvan or Erik, only a letter which mentions that Istvan will "soon succeed in seizing the castle". At that moment, the soldiers drag up a bandit that they've captured alive, who laughs at them and mockingly asks which castle they left unguarded - and Divish realizes with horror that Istvan has taken his men to Talmberg.
Together with the three Lords, Henry races to Talmberg, but it is too late - they have infiltrated the castle, and taken Lady Stephanie captive. In Out of the Frying Pan, the men launch a desperate attack to try and breach the castle before the enemy can roll up the drawbridge, but Istvan appears holding a knife to Stephanie's throat, and revealing he has also captured Radzig, who had raced ahead. Henry and his men are forced to withdraw as Talmberg burns around them. Outside, they discuss what their plan should be to rescue Stephanie and Radzig. Hanush is in favour of a siege, but Bernard suggests sending someone to sneak into the castle at night to release the hostages. Henry, of course, volunteers, along with several others including young Sir Hans Capon.
The stealth mission is ultimately a failure, as Henry and his comrades are detected, but they manage to flee before any harms befalls them or the hostages. The assembled armies then prepare to lay siege to Talmberg, and Henry completes various tasks to improve the morale and capabilities of the camp, as well as enlisting the help of Konrad Kyeser, the renowned siege machine designer who is currently in Sasau.
After many days of building, a trebuchet is completed, and after several attempts to fire at Talmberg's main gate, the walls of Talmberg are struck, and Henry and the assembled armies of the now two lords attack once again. Once they reach the central courtyard of the castle, Istvan is confronted by Hanush and the other Lords. Hanush eventually promises Toth that, if he leaves Sir Radzig safely in the nearby countryside, and the other hostages safe as well, then their men will be given safe passage to do so and a small head start.
Henry waits reluctantly as Toth rides out into the countryside with his father still captured. He questions those around him as to why Hanush had let Toth go, rather than just trick him and capture them all when they emerged from the tower. Hanush and the others explain that a lord's word is a powerful thing, and that it must be stuck to, otherwise Toth would have never trusted Hanush in the first place. Shortly afterwards, Henry rides out with Hans Capon and some other men to pick up Sir Radzig. They find him standing safely in a meadow. Sir Hans charges off after Istvan Toth, stating that now that Istvan has dropped of Radzig, he is considered fair game.
Sir Radzig and Henry stand and admire their surroundings, exchange some heartfelt words, and discuss all that has happened, before heading back to civilization together.
== Gallery ==
File:Bdbea95a0b12aa2888a1c1b0303ebd887a5e5f73.jpg|Henry romancing Theresa
File:Henry the Soldier.jpg|Henry before battle
File:Db975be3ea6ba1734c854d9825cb1f03.jpg|Original artwork of Henry after a battle
File:Kingdom come Deliverance 1.jpg|Henry working at the forge with his father
File:Henry defeats Runt-0.png|Henry killing Runt
== External Links ==
https://kingdom-come-deliverance.fandom.com/wiki/Henry
Category:Knights
Category:Adventurers
Category:Tragic
Category:Warriors
Category:One-Man Army
Category:Military
Category:Medieval Heroes
Category:Vengeful
Category:Lawful Good
Category:Vigilantes
Category:Rogues
__INDEX__
__NEWSECTIONLINK__
Category:Fighters
Category:War Heroes
Category:Leaders
Category:Assassins
Category:Freedom Fighters
Category:Lethal
Category:In Love
Category:Video Game Heroes
Category:Brutes
Category:Anti-Heroes
Category:Historical Heroes
Category:Master Orator
Category:Strategists
Category:Strong-Willed
Category:Merciful
Category:Orphans
Category:Loyal
Category:Protectors
Category:Determinators
Category:Dreaded