Last Stand of Tadeusz Bakalar

## Background

Tadeusz Bakalar was a knight and sworn Paladin of the Order of the Blazing Swords, he had been fighting in the war since 67 FA. He was deployed outside Wulfturlita, on a mission tasked to him by the Church of Sol Invictus. He was to safely escort the Reverend Cardinal Lech Kosa from his diocese in Lania to the safety of Spiremarch.

The Preussen garrison of Wulfturlita, commanded by Graf Wilhof Mürgen von Alpensturn, and reinforced by Katrina Bolmar, a Walküre, was roughly 2,000 strong. The Preussens discovered Bakalar as he was attempting to escort the Cardinal out of Wulfturlita.

After briefly buying time for the Cardinal to flee, and faking negotiations, he walked up an adjacent hill, and assumed a stance to fight.

## The Slaughter

The Preussens, upon seeing this lone knight assume a fighting position, laughed and scoffed at his folly, and the Graf ordered his soldiers to charge. Of the 2,000 strong garrison, only 1,200 were summoned to deal with the interloper. The Graf sent 200 of this number to attack the Lanian Knight.

Suddenly, the Knight began to give off a radiant glow, and his weapon burned with holy light. The eye-slats of his visor glowed with divine energy, and he cut down dozens of his attackers.

By the time the Graf had realized his folly, it had been too late. Over 100 of his soldiers were slain, and many more wounded. The Graf, infuriated with his failure, challenged the knight to a single duel.

## The Duel

The Graf, in an effort to atone for his failure by either slaying the knight or being slain in an honorable duel, challenged the knight to single combat.

The Graf promised that if the knight won, he would be permitted to leave with his life for being an honorable combatant. It is not believed that he was attempting to deceive Bakalar, and he is believed to be genuine in his convictions.

The duel lasted 15 minutes, with the knight using his heater shield and blessed sword, and the Graf using a two-handed warhammer. The duel ended when Bakalar stabbed Mürgen through the heart.

## The Betrayal

With Mürgen dead, command fell to his second, Graf Richardt Mürgen von Müsselhoff. Richardt was Wilhof's great nephew. And upon seeing his great uncle perish, the young count turned back on his uncle's promise, and ordered all his soldiers to attack.

The fight lasted an hour, with dozens more killed by the Paladin. At one point, Katrina Bolmar attempted to slay the knight, who scrambled up the outside of her armor and sliced from her right coxal bone to her left shoulder. He believed her to be dead, and so resumed his combat against the remaining Preussens.

Eventually, he was surrounded and fatigued. He was slain by a halberdier after killing nearly 250 Preussen soldiers.

## Aftermath

### In Lania

The news of a paladin slaying hundreds of enemy soldiers who ambushed him as he was trying to protect a member of the clergy soon spread to Lania, emboldening and riling the populace. The Tear, which had previously died down after the Razing, begun anew as Connies attacked Eaglets on the streets.

Bakalar's body was returned to his home of Eszland where it was given the proper rights and customs and interred in the Bakalar family mausoleum.

### In Preus

In Preus, the news was met with shame and humiliation. The state did all it could from allowing the news to reach the people. Graf Wilhof was given a proper burial at his estate near Neunweil. The Graf Richardt inherited his Great Uncle's title, becoming Graf of Neunweil and of Mitterkreis.

The garrison did not know the knight was protecting a cardinal, and this fact was kept secret from the populace and the soldiery for fear of a riot.

### In Sol Invictus

The Cardinal petitioned to the Pontiff that Bakalar be made a saint. The Pontiff concurred and Tadeusz Bakalar was officially beatified and made Saint of Selfless Sacrifice.