Artur von Ludenburg

Artur von Ludenburg, 199

**Duke Artur von Ludenburg** (b. 171) is the Lord of Skye, Baron of Stauffenbourg and retired pilot ace from the Volkhad Confederacy.

## Early Years

Born in the year 175 in his ancestral seat of Stauffenbourg, Arthur von Ludenburg was first born son to his father Baron Heinrich Paulus von Ludenburg. The von Ludenburgs were a distinguished Volkhad military family, perfectly encompassing the values of duty and honour to the Volkhad Confederacy. Tales say that Arthur learned to ride before he could walk and a life in the prestigious cavalry of House von Ludenburg awaited him.

Educated in the traditional Volkhadian fashion, Arthur was tutored in swordplay, riding, shooting and of course etiquette. He was after all the hier to the von Ludenburg name and all the titles and land that came with it. Arthur took to these lessons like a duck to water and was exalted as the model heir, loved by his father, mother and 3 older sisters.

## Adventures In the Black Forest

As a child, he often liked to take walks around his family’s land, the country of Stauffenbourg and mingle with the locals there. The ties between the people of Stauffenbourg and the Ludenburg family ran deep and old, and the people loved the chance to speak with the future Baron. Arthur loved his people as well and was enamoured with the chivalric tales of old, of the courageous knight who protected the smallfolk from dragons and monsters. But by the time of Arthur’s birth, the monsters were no longer mythological creatures and demons, they were men.

One particular tale that Arthur could always recount, was that of a peasant family that found him wandering alone past dark. He had somehow found himself lost in the giant forest that covered the western edge of his territory and by the time he managed to navigate his way out of the wood it was well past dark. Arthur, a boy of only 10 was terrified and in a panic, until a peasant girl scarcely 9, took his hand and managed to calm his nerves. She told him that her family’s house was only miles walk and that he could happily spend the night there, completely unaware of Arthur’s true heritage. Arthur accepted the gracious invitation, and without question the girls parents welcomed Arthur into their dilapidated cottage to eat brown bread and soup. The family consisted of at least 12 members of various ages and genders and when the soup ran out before Arthur could eat his fill, the parents opted to forego their share and ensure Arthur could sleep with a full belly. Arthur and the girl spoke long into the night, Arthur sharing tales of his adventures in the forest and the girl dutifully listening and asking pointed questions at just the right time. Her name was Lysithea, and unbeknownst to him at the time, she was Arthur’s first and only love.

By mornings break Arthur was geared up and ready to depart his gracious hosts, armed with a basic map of the surroundings he was sure he could make it home before lunch. The parents of the girl asked him what village he came from, which confused Arthur, he replied that he came not from a village, but from Ludenburg Hall. Suddenly the pieces clicked together in the parents minds, his well spoken attitude, his clothes in good repair and his utter lack of knowledge about the dangers of the wood at night. He was Arthur von Ludenburg, heir to the very land they stood upon. Before they could even fall to their knees in homage a thundering of hooves was heard in the distance. Arthur’s father, the Baron Heinrich had at last tracked his son’s location. Nary a word was spoken before his hunting party scooped Arthur up on their horses and whisked him away from the peasant family that had given him succour and a roof. The journey home was filled with Arthur’s protests that he had been well looked after and that these people were kind and gracious to him, his father was silent. When the arrived back at Ludenburg Hall, his father was stern with Arthur, “You are never to wander off like that again Arthur, and I will hear no more mention of this peasant family. They should count themselves lucky I do not have their eyes for not returning you immediately.” Arthur knew better than to argue with his father and sullenly agreed to his demands. But made it a point to sneak out as often as he could manage to visit his peasant Princess.

The following year, at age 11, Arthur was to attend the prestigious Pretzuntif Military Academy, to be groomed for command of the Stauffenbourg army like his father and his fathers father before him. Arthur knew he wouldn’t be able to see Lysithea again for years so the night before he was shipped off, he snuck out of his manor and made his way to Lysithea’s cottage. He found Lysithea tending her family’s cows and she was overjoyed to see him. They spoke long into the night, laughing, joking and promising each other that they would see each other again.  Arthur, perhaps in his youthful naïvety, promised Lysithea that he would wed her when he returned as an officer and Lysithea, wishing with all her heart for that to be true and not regarding the wider reaching consequences, accepted the child’s proposal.

## Pretzuntif or Bust!

### Early Days at the Academy

It was in the year 183 and at the age of 11 when Arthur began he training at Pretzuntif, the academy was widely regarded as one of the finest officer training institutions in all the Volkhad nations. Run by the respected von Rosengart family who had turned out generations of military leaders and great warriors, Arthur could think of no better place to learn the art of war. There were four different houses in the academy, named after the greatest generals the Volkhad nations had known, Friedrich House, Schutzgeld House, Bayern House, and the house in which Arthur found himself- Rosengart House, named for the legendary Albert von Rosengart who had led his nation to countless victories, and who was also the namesake of the Tesrin of House von Rosengart. Arthur had heard rumours of a von Rosengart attending the academy at that very time and could only imagine the prowess and skill a man bearing that name could possess.

After the House sorting ceremony Arthur settled into his communal bunk area that he shared with 9 other officer cadets. The Volkhad peoples had always been a warlike race but if their was one place they could come together in community it was here. He met heirs and sons of generals here and made sure to befriend as many as he could, for the secondary purpose of any influential officer cadet is to foster alliances that can result in aid in any wars that might befall his nation. Chief among his confidents were Alois von Hambourg, third son to the Lord of Hambourg, and Klaus Riechstoff, son of a famous general in the military of Kostentall. Kostentall was a neighbouring country to Arthur’s, and he had heard dreadful rumours about the lingering communist sentiment fermenting in the area, Klaus was surely here to make sure that never spilled over.

Arthur, Alois and Klaus spent much of their years in the academy together, learning horsemanship, fencing and rifling together. The bonds the three shared seemed unbreakable and they were collectively referred to by the teachers as “The Iron Curtain”. By the year 186 the three were at the top of their classes, sportsmanlike competition kept them jockeying for the top spot and drove them further and further above their cohort. All this time Arthur had been writing his family back home, updating them on his achievements and in return he had received various missives telling him how proud they all were of him and that each of his letters had brought tears to his fathers eyes. But Arthur lamented that the one person he truly wished to write to was out of his reach, Lysithea. He decided that he would take a risk and sent a letter to his sibling Jeanette, who had always been his closest friend growing up due to the small difference in age between them. He asked her to seek out Lysithea and give her a note in which he professes his love for her and promises to come back to her soon. He never received a reply.

### Big Trouble in Little KIPPER

It was a dark morning when Klaus received a letter from his homeland telling him of the KIPPER Union and how his presence was requested back at home. Arthur and Alois were loathe to see him go, he still had 2 years left at the academy before he could graduate, but his family were insistent. A few weeks after that the news had hit Pretzuntif. Kostentall had been occupied by the Astarian Empire who now had a firm foothold on the continent. Tensions were at a boiling point, and it was clear now that this could only mean war. Alois tried to talk Arthur out of it, but he was determined to set off home and ensure his family were ok. They were neighbours of Kostentall and first in the line of fire to any Astarian Aggression, but it was too late, that very morning on the day Arthur would depart, it was reported that Astarians had crossed the border and set the country of Stauffenbourg aflame. The various nations of Volkhad were in panic, each mobilising it’s military but the decentralised nature of their resistance meant the Astarians were cutting a swathe through Volkhad land. Arthur was forbidden by academy staff to return to the war zone and was convinced the best way he could serve his family was by completing his training and joining the rag tag group of soldiers, made up of men from the initial countries hit, that had managed to escape the Astarian attack and were reorganising in the Volkhad heartland.

### Graduation

Two more years passed in Pretzuntif, Arthur, driven by bloodlust and determination leapt ahead of his classmates on a personal mission to eradicate any Astarian that dared set foot upon his precious homeland. He pushed aside his friends, including Alois von Hambourg, to focus completely on his studies to become the greatest threat the Astarians would ever know. In the year 188, Arthur von Ludenburg graduated with the Sword of Honour, bestowed upon the most promising cadet in the graduation class, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the newly formed Volkhad Confederacy Army, which had been assembled to better organise a consistent defence of their homeland.

## Military Career

### 2nd Lieutenant 188-189

War was not as Arthur expected. As he went into the academy with the aim of becoming a cavalry officer, which was seen as the most noble and honourable of branches in the military he was disappointed to find out that after the miserable failure of cavalry against gun, the entire cavalry section of the Volkhad military had been relegated to message running and reconnaissance. Arthur had not trained this hard, hurt so much, to be a glorified messenger boy. The final straw for Arthur were his orders to transfer to the supply corps, he personally wrote to the commanding officer of the Volkhad military at the time saying   “I have not gone to war in order to collect cheese and eggs, but for another purpose.” At that moment in time an experimental flying force under the command of Winford Dashingham, son of the famed inventor of the Dashingham Engine, was being formed in the Capital. They had a lack of recruits due to the perceived danger of such an endeavour and had asked the Volkhad generals for any daring and courageous men to be sent to them. Arthur was transferred without a second thought.

### Flying Officer 189-190

From June to August of 189, Arthur served as an observer in the plane of Charles Thaddeus Sambridge, a son of a minor noble in the Capital. He was initially nervous of flying, and any attempts by Charles to teach him to fly solo were met with catastrophic failure. Arthur was simply an incompetent flyer at best, a disaster at worst. But Arthur did gain some renown with his comrades when he shot down an Astarian reconnaissance plane while taking aerial photographs of the battlefield, enough renown to be introduced to Winford himself, who took an immediate liking to Arthur. Arthur explained to Winford his ideals of knighthood and honour and how the mounts for this new golden age of knighthood were not horses, but planes. Winford enjoyed Arthur’s tales of chivalry in the skies and how it related to the tales of yore and personally instructed Arthur in the art of flying. This perspective was what Arthur needed, and after his private tutelage with Dashingham had improved remarkably. While he would never match the aerial acrobatic feats of Winford, he developed his own style of flying, emphasising group tactics and formation flying, climbing higher and higher until he could attack the target from above and with the sun at his back.

### Flight Lieutenant 190-193

His first major combat engagement as a solo pilot came in the year 190 above the town of Riechtstag. Winford’s squadron had been informed of a massive Astarian assault on the town, and he was to take his best flyers and scout the area before a counterattack could be launched. The weather was foul on the morning of January 16th and Winford, having lost track of most of his squadron due to poor visibility gave the verbal order to land. However, Arthur had already drifted too far away from his squadron leader and could not hear the order, instead pushing further toward his target of Riechtstag. By the time the weather had cleared somewhat it was plain to see that he was alone, undeterred he leant out of his cockpit to take photographs of the battlefield, unbeknownst to him an Astarian fighter wing was rapidly approaching from the west. He heard the sound of the engines first, assuming Winford had finally caught up to him, next he heard the sound of machine gun fire skidding past his head. Turning to his left he saw 3 Astarian planes rapidly approaching his own Dashingham mk2 fighter plane. Taking evasive manoeuvres he began to climb into the sky, plunging propeller first into a cloud. Thinking on his feet he realised he was in the perfect position to have the sun at his back as it was still early on the morning and his opponents were approaching from the west. Descending rapidly through the skyline he pulled his finger over the trigger and when the Astarian fighters came into view he clenched his finger tight. Arthur recounts the experience as a blur but when he came to his senses he saw a plume of smoke crashing into the ground. He had shot down one of the planes! Hoping the loss of the central plane in the wing would sent his opponent’s into chaos he took the opportunity to start a mad dash back to allied lines. The Astarians were not so easily deterred however and took chase after the young Arthur. Now unable to fire back at the enemy save for his desperate pistol shots unleashed without even being able to turn and aim, Arthur was in a tight spot. But then suddenly, on the distance he saw a familiar sight, Winford Dashingham had took to the sky in search of his lost squadron member. A veritable tornado of bullets was fired upon the pursuing Astarians, and taking this as an opportunity, Arthur looped in the sky to join in the hail of gunfire. It was over soon after that, the combined efforts of Winford’s and Arthur’s gunfire sent the Astarians plummeting to the ground. Suddenly, as if a cruel trick were being played on them a larger squadron of Astarian fighters came over the horizon. Luckily Winford’s own men were swiftly behind him and a dogfight ensued. Bullets were exchanged over the course of the next hour, each side taking multiple casualties, but eventually Dashingham’s squadrons superior flying ability won the day and they set off in flight towards their home airfield.

Landing together behind allied lines Arthur thought he was in for a disciplinary, however, Winford could not contain his laughter and joy taking Arthur into a hug as soon as the two came close. “Bloody good show Arthur!” Is all Winford could say, the adrenaline of combat washing over his brain. Winford himself helped paint five Astarian crosses on the body of Arthur’s Dashingham mk2 while Arthur added three more onto the collection that Winford had accumulated on his own. “Ace in a day? Sadly you’re not the first old boy, but I’m quite happy to call you my second in that regard! Now that you’re officially an ace, you need a name for your aircraft!” Arthur knew immediately what his plane would be called, “Lysithea.”

The years that followed that day saw a meteoric rise in the popularity and skill of Arthur von Ludenburg, he and Winford Dashingham were lauded as the ultimate goal of any aviator. In a ceremony in the Capital, the king himself Edvard III, presented Winford and Arthur with the highest military honour a Capital aviator could receive, the newly created Mordus Max. The medal hung on a blue ribbon around the neck of the recipient and to date only a few select men have ever held the honour of such a medal. After one ceremony came another, the marriage of Winford to his bride Lady Abigail Keller, Winford could think of only one man he wanted to be his best man and just like that Arthur was introduced to Capital high society as a war hero, but more importantly, as a friend. But there was no rest for the wicked, Winford was called out to battle again and Arthur dutifully followed. Their next major engagement was on July 16th 193, it was an instrumental mission to the success of the allied advance on Geniasburg, without the reconnaissance that Winford’s squadron would provide they would be forced to halt the advance and potentially lose the opportunity to take back this vital town from the Astarian menace. The winds were high and Winford was in a sorrowful mood, quite uncharacteristic for him, but Arthur knew better than to press Winford for details before a mission. They took to the sky and the mission seemed to be proceeding as planned, Arthur’s gleaming plane was now adorned with 24 Astarian crosses making him the third most successful ace of the war, behind his mentor Winford Dashingham and their Astarian foe, Otto Monterose, or as he was known amongst the Astarians, “Astarion’s Fist.” When the squadron flew over Geniasburg they were greeted with a grisly sight, rather than attempt to hold the town against the approaching allied force they had decided to systematically execute the town’s population and pile their dead bodies in the town square. Taken aback by the sight Winford’s squadron were brought to tears, then anger. One novice aviator emptied his belly over the side of his cockpit. No sooner had they taken stock of the brutal scene that lay beneath them bullets were whizzing past Arthur’s plane. The Astarians had caught them in an ambush. From all directions Astarian fighters descended upon Winford’s squadron. Three planes were immediately plummeting to the ground and Winford barely had time to order his men into attack positions before more bullets were unleashed upon them. They must have been tipped off that Winford and Arthur were here and were hoping to put a dent in both the aerial capabilities and morale of the Capital/Volkhad troops. Taking control of his wing of fighters Arthur ordered them to climb, climb higher than they had ever dared to climb before, while Winford organised a defensive dogfight to keep the fighters busy. Many good men were lost in the ensuing combat, screams of agony were heard for miles and flames took over the town below. It was to become the most deadly aerial battle in the war with 43 planes on either side being downed in the bloodbath. Arthur’s gambit won out in the end however, and he was able to scare off the remaining Astarian fighters with his relentless attack and climb, formation flying tactics. En route back to the airfield Winford shouted something to Arthur, “I’m a father, Arthur, found out this morning. Don’t suppose you fancy being her godfather do you old boy? It’s the least I can do for the man who just saved my life.” Arthur retorted, “Only paying you back for my first foray Winford, and I’d be honoured.” The battle of Geniasburg went down in history, and Winford’s daughter, Eugenia, was named for the town which they had fought above.

### Squadron Leader 193-199

To prevent further attempts like this one, the high command decided to separate Winford and Arthur, giving Arthur leave to create his own squadron of flyers, consisting of purely Volkhad aviators. He named it “The Knights of the Sky” in honour of his ideals of chivalry and gallantry. The members of this squadron took to naming their planes after heroes of Volkhad mythology like Sir Faust and Sir Lancelvere. And in honour of his time with the Capital military Arthur painted his Dashingham mk2 fighter plane a vivid shade of gold, one of the Capital’s colours. From that moment he was known as “The Golden Baron.” He led his squadron to countless victories in the war, maintaining a gentleman’s rivalry with Winford as to who could shoot down more Astarian planes, Winford had the advantage of starting first, but Arthur was never far behind him. When asked about why he fought, he replied “for the man in the trenches, I want to ease his hard lot in life by keeping the enemy flyers away from him.“ He began engraving bullets with the date and aircraft type of any confirmed kills he obtained, and by the end of the war he had a full bandolier made of these bullets which he wore at social events.

The years were kind to Arthur, becoming a hero in the Volkhad Confederacy and the Capital.  But he lamented that he had still not heard news of his family and Lysithea, still countless miles behind enemy lines. He resolved that he would win this war so he could see her again, even if he had to do it single handily. The next major engagement Arthur was involved with was the battle of Hambourg, the town from which his old friend Alois hailed. The year was 197 and Arthur was tasked with providing aerial support to the ground troops while they engaged the Astarians below. The mission began normally, and Arthur was convinced of yet another victory for his Knights, however the winds turned sour and out on the distance a rumbling engine was heard, unlike any engine he had heard before. Over the horizon, in the latest Astarian model of fighter, Otto Monterose made his dramatic appearance. The dread of allied airmen everywhere, Otto was single handedly responsible for 67 allied aerial deaths. Arthur, undeterred gave an order to his squadron to engage Otto’s support flyers while he took care of Monterose himself. Picturing himself in a knightly duel, Arthur saluted Otto before beginning his rapid ascent into the sky, and Arthur could swear Otto saluted him back. Arthur took many tilts at Otto, like a joust of olde, neither pilot could get the upper hand on one another. Witnesses say they took 10 passes at each other, each failing to land a decisive hit, until a rogue Astarian pilot came upon Arthur from behind scoring a critical hit on his rudder. Arthur knew his fighter wouldn’t make the trip back to the airfield and bailed out of his aircraft as it plummeted toward the ground like a golden flash of sunlight. People also claim that for the underhanded way in which Otto gained victory, he shot the rogue Astarian pilot himself for depriving him of the critical blow. In any case, Arthur landed badly just behind allied troops on the ground and caused considerable injury to his body. Now confined to a military hospital for months he was forced to take morphine for his injuries, which he still has a dependency on to this day.

### Air Vice-Marshal 199-200

The war passed quickly for Arthur after his injury, and against all advice he still ran combat missions. Suffering from nausea and headaches after every flight, he fought through it all and ended the war as the most decorated aviator in the Volkhad Confederacy and with a promotion to Air Vice-Marshal. The day of the ceasefire Arthur was flying a mission over enemy lines, and as soon as the radio told him of the cessation of hostilities he flew headlong toward his ancestral home, ecstatic that he could finally see his family and Lysithea again. But soon his joy turned to ashes in his mouth, as he flew above Stauffenbourg he saw only a shell of the country he had left. Covered with mud, trenches, fire and debris, this was not the home he had once known. He touched down near his ancestral hall and he ran as quickly as his legs could carry him. But he was too late, when he arrived he found only a burning ruin. The bodies of his father, mother and three sisters lay sprawled along the ground in front of Ludenburg Hall. A bullet in the back of each of their heads. Arthur fell to his knees in shock, then anger, then unconsolable grief. As it turns out, the Astarian’s were using Ludenburg Hall as a HQ for continental affairs and when they had withdrawn they decided to burn it to the ground to hide any evidence and eliminate the native occupants they had kept prisoner.  Arthur dragged himself to his feet and set out running towards Lysithea’s cottage, they would have no reason to kill her he thought. When he arrived he found nothing but miles of trenches and burned out buildings, locals he spoke to told him that most peasants had fled years ago and that Lysithea’s family was one of them, they were most likely dead everyone agreed. Arthur now truly had nothing left, everything he was fighting for was gone, every letter he had penned hoping for a response was likely laughed at by Astarian occupiers and burned. He went back to his plane and flew toward the only friend he had left in this world, Winford Dashingham.

## Lord of Skye

The first few months at Dashingham’s estate were filled with sorrow, Winford could do nothing to console his friend and Arthur slid closer and closer toward suicide every day, even Eugenia’s poems and jokes did nothing to rise Arthur out of his sorrow. A messenger came in January 201 to deliver post that had been held since the war began. In it contained a letter to Arthur, dated 186, just before the outbreak of the war. It was from his sister Jeanette, telling him she had done exactly as he had asked of her and located Lysithea. And attached was Lysithea’s reply penned by his sister. “To read your words brings me more joy than I can tell you, I have loved you since the day we met in the forest all those years ago. I know you will be back for me soon Arthur, and I’ll be waiting for you. I’ll wait my entire life if that’s what it takes, then we can be wed just like you promised me, ok?” Arthur did not cry at these words, he instead laughed. Because he knew everything he was fighting for was worthwhile, and while he would never see Lysithea again, he knew she loved him as he loved her. And that was enough. He went to Winford the next day and told him his plan, he would petition the king to grant him a title and then he could go about setting a life up for himself in the Capital, he would no longer wait to die, he would live, for Lysithea.

Winford and Arthur went before the king, Alfred, and asked for a noble title in the Capital. Alfred, knowing the heroic reputations of the men in front of him was keen to use this as a political tool to increase his popularity and so dubbed Arthur, Lord of Skye, to show his complete mastery of the air. Winford loaned Arthur enough money to purchase property in Fairmont Place and with his pensions from the army and generous donations from Capital elite Arthur was able to set up a comfortable lifestyle in high society. Becoming what was essentially a troubadour, Arthur rented his services to the Capital’s elite, he would come to their fashionable dinner parties and regale their guests with tales of heroics and war, he would always leave much wealthier than when he arrived.

The last and most recent tragedy that befell Arthur was the tragic loss of his best friend Winford Dashingham. Some might call it a miracle though. Arthur was meant to join Winford on the journey around the world that he was taking his wife on, but Winford insisted that Arthur would look after Eugenia while they were away as Atticus couldn’t be trusted. Reluctantly agreeing, Arthur had to watch his friend board the airship before the explosion took his life.

## Trivia

Has 80 confimed kills and countless unconfirmed kills. The most successful ace in the entire Volkhad Confederacy.

Developed airsickness after his accident which he keeps a secret from the press.