Joakim Mizzick

Joakim Mizzick is a Great Captain of Dace. His position grants him the authority of the state, the right to operate a mercenary company - the Lions of Mizzick, one of the two that helped establish the Hegemony of Taphonomy Bay in Dace - and a reserved seat in the senate with special powers, which is used against Sarah Gizka on the issue of political organization; while she desires to centralize authority, he is a staunch proponent of provincial rights.
Joakim is more of a folk-hero than Gizka is, and he and his unit operated within Dacian borders long before The Gizka Company returned to the country, as freedom-fighters and guerillas fighting for the Vedrim Faction, which eventually became the Taphonomy Bay faction.
Mizzick and Gizka hate each other. During the war, they worked together well, but after the war, the Gizka Company took it upon itself to "clean house," and brutally hunted down and executed tens of thousands of mercenaries, rebel bands and militia groups, many of which had been allies during the war, and had been promised protection, often by Gizka herself. The betrayal of these freedom fighters struck a chord with Mizzick, and the two haven't spoken civilly to each other since.
The resulting heat between the two resulted in them coming to represent opposing political factions in Dace itself.
==The Mizzick Faction==
The Mizzick Faction (represented by a lion) is a hawkish, expansionist Imperialist party that wants more representation for the city-states in the senate, and reduced power for the Ducal office. It has long relied upon the support of the Volkodavs in its push to lessen federal authority, making Joakim a major patron.
==Supporters==
Chief among Mizzick's supporters is Stephan Ranakrojac, an Osterbijan warlord who lost favor after the Siege of Tenja. He had anticipated the fortress collapsing, and had planned on raising an army large enough to defeat the Marju who penetrated through it. 
Instead, the fortress held without his help, and he ended up looking like a real asshole for not sending any support. He was forced out of the country, but the army he had been raising followed him out of loyalty. He fled to Dace, and was sheltered by Mizzick. His military reforms, intended to fight the Marju, became the basis for the Volkodavs.
==Lions of Mizzick==
Led by the infamous Joakim Mizzick, the Lions were once a freedom-fighter force that sought to end the civil war in Dace by disabling both sides' ability to fight the war, and forcing a settlement. Guerillas with the love of the people and funding from outside the country, they distinguish themselves by not being a hit and run force, or cowardly skirmishers. They favor lightning fast but hard-hitting and disciplined assaults at close quarters with swords and bucklers, often riding to battle but dismounting to attack at night, not with the intent to raid, but to destroy the panicked foe in sustained battle relying on sheer ferocity and pulsing, encircling attacks.
Their armor later inspired the Volkodavs--Heavy padded coats with chain or partial plate covering, and helmets adorned with horsehair to resemble the manes of lions.
Their favored weapon is the falchion, but many also wield sabers, messers, or Karthacki Tulwars.
=== Trivia ===
-Joakim Mizzick was once described as "a stonefish, a porcupine and a viper sitting on an antipersonel mine in the middle of a hallway, screaming "don't tread on me!" to people inching along the walls to avoid them" by Jimmy Rome. This is a reference to the Revolutionary American slogan "Don't Tread on Me," which formed the 13 American colonies into the shape of an angry snake, warning away the British.
-"Mizzick" is a word in Dacian meaning the feeling of impotent anger one experiences when hitting one's head on something hard by accident. Whether this was Joakim's name at birth or if he adopted it to describe the nuisance he makes of himself for his enemies is unknown.Category:Dace
Category:People