Virgil I of Wyrsia

***“**The state of Wyrsia's defenses is – for lack of a better word – pathetic. Fix it.**”***
— Virgil of Wyrsia

**Virgil I of Wyrsia**, nicknamed **Virgil the Defender**, born **Virgil Mitthel**, was the King of Wyrsia from 812 AW until his death in 830 AW. An officer his entire life, Virgil was extremely militaristic and sought vengeance against the Kingdom of Fühlgart after Wyrsia's defeat in the First Fühlgartian-Wyrsian War.

He is mostly remembered as the king who began constructing the Highlands of Death and who led Wyrsia to victory in the Second Fühlgartian-Wyrsian War.

## Biography

Virgil Mitthel was born to Prince Henry in 744 AW. His father, a militarist in his own right, passed his values along to his son. Virgil would end up a squire before being knighted and becoming a lieutenant in the Army of Stavia under his father from 762 AW onwards. He would grow up resentful for being just too young to fight in the Wyrsian-Fühlgartian War.

Prince Virgil would have his chance to prove himself against Fühlgartians before long, however, as he was promoted to a captain in the 770s and later to his father's right-hand man in the Army of Stavia shortly before the outbreak of the First Fühlgartian-Wyrsian War in 791 AW.

Virgil would command the right flank of his father, which was battered the heaviest of all flanks of the already stretched thin Wyrsian line north of the River Suttock. However, a Fühlgartian breakthrough would come eventually, forcing the Wyrsians back to Stavia. Here, Virgil and Henry III disagreed on the next course of action, with Virgil wanting to dig in and his father wanting to launch a counterattack. Ultimately, Henry III launched his countercharge without Virgil by his side, defeating the Fühlgartians at the Battle of Stavia. However, with the Wyrsian armies out of steam, they were ultimately forced to sue for peace, giving up Nordland once more.

After Wyrsia's defeat, Virgil was reassigned, becoming the General of the Army of Wyrgate. He served as an advisor to his father, who had launched the Imperial Oceans Project to counter Fühlgart's naval dominance. Furthermore, a series of settling efforts of uninhabited or undiscovered islands began under Henry III. When Henry III died of old age in 812 AW, Virgil took the throne and was crowned Virgil of Wyrsia. Once inaugurated, he swore to complete his father's work.

Virgil expanded the Imperial Oceans Project even further, allowing Wyrsia's navy to surpass Fühlgart's altogether. He began to drill the army to the point of excess and arranged for new equipment and tactics to be introduced, further preparing Wyrsia for another war.

In 826 AW, a Wyrsian explorer called Reginald Miller discovered what would later be named Woodhall Island. This massive island was far larger than any of Wyrsia's settled islands thus far. Furthermore, with its relatively close proximity to Fühlgart, it could be used as an important naval base. Virgil immediately ordered the island to be settled. However, once Fühlgart received the news, concerns arose that the island could pose too big a threat. Ultimately, the Fühlgartians would attack first, launching the Second Fühlgartian-Wyrsian War in 827 AW.

Virgil would hastily march south, capturing all Fühlgartian land north of the River Suttock. Meanwhile, Wyrsia's newfound naval power prevented the Fühlgartians from blockading Wyrsia's coastal cities as they had done in the first war. With no other choice, the Kingdom of Fühlgart launched another series of attacks on the Suttock, yet failed to break the Wyrsian lines. After a year of stalemate, the Fühlgartians finally surrendered, giving up all claims on Woodhall Island as well as the lost territory north of the Suttock.

Yet, despite the victory, the war left lingering doubts in Virgil's mind. The Wyrsians had won for now, true, but what about the future? What if there were incompetent kings and corrupt generals, what would happen then? Ultimately, he chose a natural chokepoint for the site of a new construction: a hilly area south of Stavia, impossible to go around. In 829 AW, construction began on a series of castles, fortifications, and earthworks that would eventually become the Highlands of Death, sometimes also referred to as the Virgil Line. However, Virgil would never see his project be completed, dying of old age in 830 AW. With no sons of his own, the crown passed to his younger brother, Edward.

## Career

Kingdom of Wyrsia

* Prince (744-770 AW)
* Squire (756-762 AW)
* Knight (762 AW)
* Knight Lieutenant (762-772 AW)
* Crown Prince (770-812 AW)
* Knight Captain (772-789 AW)
* Second in Command of the Army of Stavia (789-793 AW)
* General of the Army of Wyrgate (793-812 AW)
* King of Wyrsia (812-830 AW)
* General of the Army of Woodhall (812-830 AW)

## Military Career

* First Fühlgartian-Wyrsian War
	+ First Battle of the Suttock River - Victory
	+ Second Battle of the Suttock River - Victory
	+ Third Battle of the Suttock River - Defeat
	+ Battle of Ekora - Defeat
* Second Fühlgartian-Wyrsian War
	+ First Battle of the Suttock River - Victory
	+ Battle of Webfeld - Stalemate
	+ Battle of Riesmann Bridge - Stalemate
	+ Second Battle of the Suttock River - Stalemate

## Awards

* Service Medal - Kingdom of Wyrsia
* Chivalry Medal - Kingdom of Wyrsia
* Wyrsian Defense Medal - Kingdom of Wyrsia

## Personality

Sources describing Virgil of Wyrsia from the time tell the tale of a man with no interest whatsoever in befriending other people. Disciplined and strict, the man bore a deep hatred of all things Fühlgartian. He would always be seeking some way to hoodwink the Fühlgartians and would always feel that Wyrsia could be prepared for war. This made him hard to befriend, as he was always going on about either war or his hatred for Fühlgartians.

Virgil also had some more tyrannical qualities than other monarchs, as he wouldn't bat an eye at executing any courtiers that dared spoke even the slightest bit in favor of Fühlgartians. Ultimately, when he died and the crown passed to his more mellow brother Edward, the court culture of Wyrsia switched significantly, as the shadow of Virgil's wrath no longer hung above the head of the nobility at court. This has ultimately given him something of a mixed legacy, as Virgil was both the great defender of Wyrsia, yet also something of a tyrant.