Torba'Keldi

*"This planet will not fall as long as I live!"*

-High Duke Torba'Keldi, last words-

   **High Duke Torba Keldi**, commander of Banners and protector ofFal'Kaboss, was the Karthemas  commander who led the forces of the Kingdom of Yadra during the Invasion of Fal'Kaboss. An experienced, stubborn commander, his strategies turned the battle into one of the bloodiest in Commonwealth  history.

Born in Yadrani  in 2203, Torba Keldi was one of the many sons of the High Dukes of House Keldi, a family which, while powerful in the past, had quickly fallen from grace as other, more important and rich houses managed to get the attention of the King, earning many of the positions and duties previously reserved to this noble house. With few other options left for him, Torba joined the royal army, first serving as a knight commander in one of his father's Banners.

The Fall of Yadra was both a blessing and a curse for Torba. Like many other Karthemas, he saw many friends and family members consumed by the advance of the Biluan mind, he himself fighting in many of the major battles of that war as the Royal Banners tried to push back the growing hordes of Biluan drones. While he did perform well, slaughtering many foes in a series of ambushes and defence operations, there was no way either he or his decreasing forces could stop the invasion. His forces were some of the last to flee from those planets lost to the mind.

After the defeat, Torba, like many other Yadrani, fell into a deep depression and for many years she kept away from public life, unable to face the shame of his defeat. Only after the death of King Mezak and the rise of his heiress, one which would later be known as The Scarlet Empress, did Torba agree to return, eager to defeat the newest foe of the Kingdom of Yadra: The Commonwealth.

## Great southeastern war and invasion of Fal'Kaboss

### Protector of the capital

   As other, more experienced and trusted servants of the new empress were given command of fleets and attack armies, Torba was given the duty of preparing the capital for a possible siege. Close to the Commonwealth frontier, it was an easy target and even more so if the Yaanari league or Zracon Union did not manage to beastTask Force Manticore in space.

Studying what reports he had of Commonwealth planet invasions in the past, Torba soon realized his banners would be unable to face his foes armed forces in the open, where the batteries of their fleet would reduce Karthemas regiments into dust in a matter of moments. Instead, the Royal Banners would use the mountains and irregular terrain of the planet to their advantage, creating hidden bunkers and prepared ambush zones.

Despite the trust the Scarlet Empress had on her navy and the strenght of her allies, she still heeded Torba's advice when it came to not taking to much resources out of the capital's defence. After theBattle of Tyntregal, banners which had been readied for recovering the lost planets of the kingdom now were sent to the barracks and fortifications of the capital. Soon, the Commonwealth would arrive, and with it, war.

### The siege

The Invasion of Fal'Kaboss was both a battle between armies and a duel of minds between General Torba and General Telaviin, the Kithri  general of the invasion force. While surprised at first by the number of defending forces and the strenght of the planet's fortifications, Telaviin did not give up the battle as Torba would have hoped. Resourceful and always quick to adapt, he prevented the complete destruction of several Commonwealth armies, sometimes baiting Karthemas banners into the open to be destroyed by superior artillery and fleet guns.

As Telaviin continued to slowly gain ground, the faith of the Royal Banners in Torba began to decrease, his orders often resulting in bloody last stands where Karthemas had to endure the battering of Commonwealth artillery without any hope to counter attack. Many quickly turned to the new rising star of the battle, a knight by the name of Terranal Mezedak, but who would be known to history as the Paragon Blade. Often fighting from the front, the knight was both honorable and deadly, his tactics making many wonder if he should be the one to take command of the planet's defence instead. Enraged, Torba changed his tactics, taking his command HQ closer to the front lines, so he too would be seen and recognized.

This would be his last mistake. Lucky shots from the fleet in orbit managed to find their mark, obliterating the general and most of his officers in a single volley during the last weeks of the battle. Torba would keep his promise, not living to see the last of the Yadrani army giving up arms as they surrendered the planet to the Commonwealth.