William Ryker

**William Ryker**, better known as the **Blade of Cossyxia**, is the current Champion of the Goddess of Stars, Cossyxia, and the king-consort of the Kingdom of the Green Grove. He rose to prominence throughout the Great War alongside Nivhael Laetien, a refugee from the Battle of the Green Grove who would become his long-time companion and eventual wife.

Ryker fought under the Army for the Liberation of Wyrsia (ALW) in the Eastland and South. During this time, he championed the plight of the non-Human volunteers bolstering the predominantly Human exiles fighting for the ALW. This made him a target for harassment by soldiers of the Sallanthian Empire. Ryker died at the Battle of the Great Sand Sea in 1214 AW, after the Sallanthians betrayed the Monarchists and attacked them in the middle of the desert, seeking to wipe them out at the orders of Muzai II. Ryker bought time for his non-Human allies, charging at and fatally duelling the Sallanthian general, Alos Amukkia, who killed him.

After his death, the Clian Sword disappeared from the vaults underneath Freistadt where it was kept previously, falling from the sky and landing in Ryker's hand, resurrecting him as the Champion of Cossyxia. A staunch supporter of peace between Humans and non-Humans as early as the Human Rebellions, the Goddess of Stars had noticed and approved of Ryker's work in mending the racial divide previously present amongst the Monarchist exiles. Mere seconds after Ryker's revival, Akkumia and most of his men lay dead.

After the betrayal in the Great Sand Sea, the ALW split due to a hasty retreat and harassment by the Desert Lords. Ryker and Nivhael were part of the smaller group accompanying Queen Cecilia, thus far simply a figurehead, northeast towards Llendus. They remained at her side in the following years, marching north throughout Sallanthian Agumia, Llendus, and wartorn Daletia before playing a key role in the rise of the Free City of Rosendorf under the Grey Temple. From there, the group linked back up with the rest of the ALW under Oliver Oakfield currently fighting in the War for Weckstein.

After regrouping with the ALW, Ryker's involvement in the closing stages of the Great War was limited. He briefly fought in the Insular Campaign, yet shifted his focus to liberating the Green Grove alongside his wife. He joined the breakaway Army for the Liberation of the Green Grove (ALGG) led by Nivhael, which restored order to the Green Grove shortly after the Woodhall Campaign. With Nyara, the Goddess of Life who had taken care of the Grove previously, and most of the old Faerian nobility dead, there was a lack of government in the Grove. While it was not her original goal, the ALGG somewhat unceremoniously crowned Nivhael their new queen, with Ryker acting as king-consort since. The pair had their first child, Princess Cennael, in 1229 AW.

In the present day, he remains a major figure among Monarchist circles, with many looking up to him as a hero. His service in the Great War has granted him connections and friendships with important people, including Cecilia I, Erik von Kalzberg-Mitthel, and Oliver Oakfield. Thanks to the joint effort of Queen Nivhael and Ryker, the Green Grove has grown increasingly close to the Kingdom of Wyrsia, granting the latter a boon in having a friendly eastern neighbour.