Hysaph Jaric

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Hysaph Jaric or Jaric the Small was a man from Westward who eventually rose to the rank of Hysaph for the first time in centuries and led the attack on Avalot during the Ninth Barbarian Invasion. In the aftermath, he gained Berma as a territory for Westward and married Mary the Mute.

## Background

Like most boys in Westward, Jaric was born to a family that could barely afford to feed him in a cold winter of 611 AU. Jaric was the runt of the family and not expected to survive, but still managed to pull on through and grew to outlive his siblings by the age of ten. After his little died from frostbite, Jaric vowed to run away from home and go see Avo for her sake, with no Westwarden having ever seen the city and only hearing rumors from travelers. With little else to live for, he made for Berma first, crossing over the dangerous Berman Pass and making his way to Black Mark.

Jaric made it to the village and survived there for several days off the scraps of food in the mines under the Black Castle. He was found one day by Benny Finn after her lunch break. The foreman took pity on the boy, despite his heritage, and brought him to her home to live and feed him. For weeks, he posed as a mere orphan they had adopted while the Finn family continued to support and feed him. Unfortunately, he was discovered during a Burning Day by the local lord, Arl Reed Howell, and was forced to leave the village but not before Howell punished Benny's father by execution. Jaric then traveled with Prince Jamie Narvineous to the Goldrok so that he could learn more about eastern culture. He stayed in the Gold Citadel, helping the Prince where he could, eventually leaving to fulfill his promise to his sister and visit Avo with the Prince's help. Jaric eventually returned to Westward, very enlightened, and still kept in close contact with Prince Jamie through careful annual letters.

## History

With his knowledge of eastern culture and experience of the outside world, Jaric set off to build his own following back in Westward. In 629 AU, he traveled to Zeal and built his own physical strength, joining tournaments where other barbarians would fight to the death. These battles earned him high popularity, and his training aboard had brought with him unique fighting styles which gave him an edge over his opponents. He eventually became a major contender in the arena, having a huge fan base which eventually evolved into a following. Through his own ambition, Jaric was able to form his own clan and began fighting for territory throughout Westward, eventually claiming Providence and the corresponding plains surrounding the city.

Jaric took further lessons from the Eastern Territories by appealing to the commoners. He promised those under his leadership fairer lifestyles in exchange for service in his growing army. His popularity grew in the north, and he soon claimed Sovereign for his own. Without much choice, the Zealots of Zeal were forced to surrender to the overwhelming number of supporters for Jaric. By 640 AU, all of Westward was united under his ruling and he took the title of Hysaph, the first in centuries.

For the next couple of decades, Jaric worked to build his army and prepare them to invade the Eastern Territories. From his new castle in Zeal, he began to act more as a king to his people. His fame actually bought the attention of the Midnight Hands agents, and through them Jaric was able to reconnect to his old friend, Prince Jamie. Despite noticing his friend's disgruntled behavior, Jaric gladly accepted the organization's help, though making it clear he would not be used as pawns of Hands. The Hands provided his people with better weaponry and armor, though not giving him rifles. Jamie insisted Jaric wait on their invasion, even though he was ready by 650 AU. Jaric was told to hold off until the eastern nations were more divided through the Hand's actions. His opportunity finally came in 659 AU when Jamie revealed it was now an appropriate to make his claim for Avo.

### The Ninth Barbarian Invasion

In the spring of 658 AU, Jaric launched his attack directly on Goldrok, being the first Westwarden to claim the city in less than a day. With the capital claimed, Jaric turned his focus to claiming the whole of Berma and establishing governance to ensure his army would have a safe place to retreat to upon marching further east. When every Berman city was taken under his command, with minimal pillaging or raping, he head south to Briggham. As with Goldrok, Jaric easily conquered the city and all of Farqual fell with it in an instant.

The only challenge Jaric did was at the hands of the Avalotian general, Gunter Newgate, whom he met at the late summer of 658 AU. Newgate had begun construction of a fortress around the Baltic Hills and was able to hold the line against Jaric's western advance. Stubbornly, Jaric refused to go south into the Pale Reach and instead battled into winter with the Avalotian army. This brutal standstill was only ended after the two generals met face to face, when Jaric used an underhanded tactic to move his forces around Newgate's defenses and headed straight for Avo. He then began to lay siege to the capital in the winter of 659 AU using catapults gained from Jamie in Mayford.

His siege was interrupted by Newgate, who sacrificed his own troops to break the borrowed siege weapons. Another standstill ensued with Jaric unable to pierce Avo's walls. Even when Mary the Mute arrived with the combined eastern forces, they were unable to end the invasion. Jaric, however, saw the pointlessness of a war that never ended and was willing to speak with Mary over peace terms. He agreed to return to Westward on the condition that Mary marry him and tie the west with the east through blood bonds. The terms were approved by the Court of Nobles and the two were wed in late 659 AU. During this time, Berma was also annexed into Westward as part of those terms.

### Peace and Beyond

In 660 AU, he and Mary parented their first child together, named Arthur Dacre after an old friend of his wife. Jaric knew right away that this child was not his true born son, but he tolerated his presence as to not make a scene in the eyes of the Court. He made sure to father a true heir to his position of Hysaph in 663 AU, ruling his nation well with Mary beforehand. However, when his daughter, Sigrid, was born, Mary perished during the birth. To his surprise, when he visited his late wife's memorial, he encountered her former lover, Arthur Mourne. He realized the power such an assassin as Arthur would have with the coming trials and spared the lover's life on the condition he serve the Hysaph and his family. The two agreed and a deal was struck.

Using Arthur, Jaric privately struck out at outside agents who would threaten his family. On the outside, he was a loving father, except to his son, and fair to his people. Between him and Arthur, however, he was ruthless to his enemies. This came to ahead in 670 AU when the Black Dog Revolution occurred after Bermans resented their new rulers. Jaric sent his armies to police the rebelling nation and ordered them not to attack anyone. In secret, he sent Arthur to assassinate key members of the rebellion. In 672 AU, the war ended and Jaric was able to impress the Court with his leadership skills, causing them to see Westward as not as savage.

In the modern day, Jaric is currently still dealing with the aftermath of the Black Dog Revolution. A group of unhappy Westwarden and Berman youths have banded together as a separate faction in Providence and are standing against him.

## Personality

Jaric evolved from a quiet boy to a strong man with much ambition in a short amount of time thanks to his friend, Prince Jamie. To his friends, Jaric was loyal and did everything he could to help them. To his enemies, Jaric was brutal and swift in his attacks. He always made it clear when he did not like someone. He was also an excellent fighter in his prime and even could fight off Arthur in 663 AU. To his family, he loved his daughter Sigrid, and made it clear what he thought of young Arthur. With Mary, he respected her strength and his lineage as a Dacre.