Cynthia Grey

***“**Do I believe in the Phantom of Matthysia? If my boys put ten bullets through Cynthia Grey's head today, the peasants would still be screaming about sightings for the next two decades as if she were still alive. So, no. I do not.**”***
— Gert Brokmann

**Cynthia Grey**, sometimes refered to in Wyrsia as the **Phantom of Matthysia**, is a former Wyrsian minor noble and scout, later becoming a partisan leader and folk hero in the wake of the Republican-Wyrsian War.

She is credited with many skirmishes, acts of sabotage, and (sometimes exaggerated) feats of bravery. However, these achievements are often deeds of other partisans that were simply misattributed or total fabrications to begin with. Nonetheless, Cynthia Grey has become somewhat of a folk hero and a symbol for the native resistance against the Republic of Southern Wyrsia and the now-collapsed Protectorate of Woodhall.

## Biography

Cynthia Grey was born to Cyrus Grey in Matthysia in 1191 AW. She had one older brother, Leopold. A year after Cynthia was born, the Sixth Fühlgartian-Wyrsian War broke out.

Cyrus Grey would find nationwide fame when he challenged the Fühlgartian monarch, Dietrich III, to a duel. Dietrich III, a well-respected warrior, accepted the challenge, despite Cyrus being a relatively unknown and low-ranking knight at the time. Everyone expected Dietrich to be the victor, but Cyrus Grey cut down Dietrich III in late 1192 AW, throwing the Fühlgartian invasion into chaos and ensuring a swift end to the war. By 1197 AW, Cyrus was named the Grandmaster of the Order of the Eternal Oak in the wake of Grandmaster Alfred Fane's death.

Appointed as the highest-ranking knight in Wyrsia, Cyrus moved to the capital city of Woodhall, taking his family with him. Fascinated by their father, both Leopold and Cynthia would take up military training to become knights themselves one day. Leopold favoured the sword, whereas Cynthia favoured the bow.

In the Kingdom of Fühlgart, the death of the beloved Dietrich III threw the country into chaos, and his unpopular and corrupt son Albin III took over as monarch. In 1202 AW, the Fühlgartian Civil War broke out. Most notably, the newly-found Republicans led by Jan Luftschwert, the Duke of Freistadt, were using gunpowder weapons imported from Nytalyria, disregarding the dominantly Human Dishonourable Weapons doctrine. Subsequently, most Human nations and generals abandoned this doctrine and demand for muskets and pistols went through the roof.

Cynthia Grey was no exception to this craze, and after practically begging her father, she managed to get her hands on a modern musket and a pair of pistols, which became her weapons of choice, replacing the bow. Cyrus, a veteran knight strictly devoted to the doctrine, disagreed with this choice, yet he didn't stop her.

When the Republican-Wyrsian War broke out in 1211 AW, Cyrus Grey was appointed as general of the Army of Stavia by King Stephen II and sent to the Highlands of Death, which had always acted as the main defensive line against Fühlgart's many invasions of Wyrsia. Both Cynthia and Leopold accompanied their father to the frontline of the Battle of Stavia, which turned into one of the most hellish places on Enselonde. Gunpowder weapons, the large number of fortifications in the area, and Richard Trappike's use of pyromancy utterly ruined the region, turning the Highlands into a scorched wasteland.

Whereas her father and brother oversaw local defences, Cynthia was content with being a mere scout. She modified her uniform, dying it grey to fit in with the ash-covered landscape. She would sneak towards the Republican lines every night, staying undetected by Fühlgartian scouts and sharpshooters alike. Cynthia would be instrumental to her father's intelligence network, providing detailed reports on troop movements, supplies, and commanding officers. She would also regularly take out enemy sharpshooters with her musket, allowing for safer troop movements. Cynthia's biggest claim to fame would be when she successfully infiltrated the captured and mostly destroyed Sloethorn Castle, sneaking right past the Republican garrison and sabotaging a large ammunition storage. Shortly after, she escaped into the night, and what was left of Sloethorn was levelled soon after, with dozens of Fühlgartian troops dying in the resulting blast. Despite her victories and popularity with the soldiers, Cyrus Grey heavily disapproved of Cynthia's "cowardly tactics".

In the wake of the Battle of the Green Grove, the majority of the Wyrsian army was cut off by the Fühlgartian Second Army to the north and subsequently surrounded. The Highlands of Death and Stavia were abandoned, and Cyrus Grey and Trappike took a last stand at Matthysia. Somewhere during this time, Cynthia Grey supposedly escaped from Matthysia and fled into the wilds, though she was presumed dead at the time.

However, in 1213 AW, it was reported that she was still alive and leading a small band of about a dozen rebels roaming the countryside, entirely consisting of former soldiers. Frequent sightings were reported to the newly established Republic of Southern Wyrsia and Protectorate of Woodhall. Many of these sightings – even those untrue – spread like wildfire throughout Wyrsia, earning Cynthia Grey her nickname: The Phantom of Matthysia.

In the 1220s, she reportedly abandoned Wyrsia altogether, moving into Western Innyria with her militia. Still, at the same time, she was credited with a string of sabotage and assassination around Wyrgate and Sunfort. She also reportedly caused a minor fire in Woodhall itself. She can't have been in all three places at once, which proves that around this point in time, she became something of a boogeyman for the Republicans in Wyrsia. Further conflicting reports came during Cresslock's Rebellion between 1225 and 1227 AW, where she was supposedly part of the Syndicate expedition under Reniel Haelos supporting the rebellion, while other sources place her at Mellowood, Sunfort, Stavia, Woodhall, or even inside the borders of the Duchy of Redlyre.

It wasn't until 1228 AW when the first undisputed sighting of Cynthia Grey happened when she came out of the woodworks during the Woodhall Campaign alongside her growing militia to support the Army for the Liberation of Wyrsia at the Battle of Thorne. Joyous celebrations followed as many expected Cynthia Grey to join the Monarchist army under Oliver Oakfield, but after the battle, she disappeared again, last seen heading south. Most recently, she is believed to be operating right out of her hometown Matthysia, yet this is unlikely due to the heightened military presence in the area caused by the war between the resurgent Kingdom of Wyrsia and the Republic of Southern Wyrsia.

## Stories

*Main Article: Story: Cynthia Grey - After Dark*