Rebel Prince Durkrin

Prince Durkrin in 146 AW.

***“**Turning against one's family is the hardest decision someone can make, even if it's for the greater good.**”***
— Rebel Prince Durkrin

**Rebel Prince Durkrin**, often called the **Two-Faced Prince**, born **Durkrin iz Toscov**, was a Toscovish prince who rebelled against the reign of his brother, Emperor Ludimik II, in 146 AW, sparking the War of the Fifteen Princes. He served as the head of the Rebel Princes until his death during the Fourth Battle of Machayya in 150 AW, after which the Rebel remnants passed to his younger brother Zhincis.

## Biography

### Early Life

Prince Durkrin was born in 116 AW as the second son of Crown Prince Budimiv and his wife, Galya. He grew up in Toscov at the Imperial court, where he gained an early fascination with the Imperial Guard. It should come as no surprise, then, that the young Durkrin begged his grandfather, Emperor Gazrev I, to train to become a knight. Gazrev and Budimiv agreed, and Durkrin received full military training in the art of personal combat and battlefield tactics.

By 128 AW, he became a squire and was fully knighted when he came of age in 132 AW. Gazrev I appointed Durkrin to the Imperial Guard only a few weeks afterwards, drawing some ire from the more experienced knights that made up the Imperial Guard.

Gazrev I fell ill in 135 AW, and Budimiv took over most of his father's duties. That same year, with the previous Imperial Guard Captain resigning due to old age, Durkrin was appointed as the new captain and charged with palace security, providing him with much political power and fame. This power increased when Gazrev I died in 136 AW and Budimiv was crowned Emperor Budimiv I.

In 138 AW, a group of miners discovered the Blooded Blade of Onir, an Artifact lost during the Divine War. Through some backroom negotiations, the weapon ultimately fell into his possession which he claimed would help him defend the Emperor better. The Blooded Blade would quite literally close wounds and give new life to its wielder as long as it was used to kill people. As a result, Durkrin developed an extremely aggressive fighting style that bordered on suicidal at times.

### The Sixth Plague

In 140 AW, the Sixth Plague of Ihyll was unleashed on the Golden Empire of Toscov by the Goddess of Death, Ihyll. The Sixth Plague turned ordinary Humans into vile monsters of tooth and claw that had an insatiable bloodlust, mindlessly ripping and tearing through anything that moved. These creatures are now known as the Krighal Taresh, but at the time, they were commonly called beastmen. The Sixth Plague utterly devastated the Empire, destroying its economy, heavily damaging its military, and rapidly decentralizing it.

Budimiv I raised countless hunting parties, collectively known as the Beasthunters (later the Anti-Krighal Watchmen), and began to indiscriminately slaughter any beastmen he came across, scouring the woods and the hills. Durkrin was relieved from the Imperial Guard and appointed as the Knight-General of the Princely Army of Vozhirishia in the south. While he received an education in tactics and leadership, Durkrin wasn't a natural general, though he was well-liked by the men he commanded.

Durkrin formed hunting parties similar to his father and led many expeditions against the beastmen. In 141 AW, he was mauled by one of these monsters, sustaining grave injuries, although he survived. The first shreds of disloyalty within Durkrin began to appear in 142 AW. During this year, a doctor from the Kymelian Order, Mikhail Ivolanov, discovered a cure for the so-called beastmen. While they could never regain their Human bodies, these cured individuals would regain their overall sanity and humanity (nowadays called the Krighak Vitna). The treatment was a lengthy though relatively straightforward process, but Budimiv I ignored these findings and refused to implement them, continuing his slaughter of all beastmen, cured or not. During this time, many of these cured victims formed their own isolated civilian communities, fleeing persecution from the Empire's forces.

Durkrin pleaded with his father multiple times to take a softer approach towards the victims of the Plague, yet Budimiv refused to budge. In the following years, two of Durkrin's siblings, Prince Woldar and Princess Zivura, became victims of the Plague and were subsequently cured by doctors of the Kymelian Order. However, they disgusted Budimiv and were banished from the capital. Zivura went into hiding in the dense forests near Kovka, but Woldar didn't take it lying down. He raised his own militia of cured victims and rebelled against Budimiv, spreading the news of his rebellion as far and wide as possible to embarrass Budimiv. Enraged, the Emperor tracked down his son but was ultimately ambushed by Woldar in 145 AW and killed, causing chaos across the Empire.

Soon after, Durkrin's older brother Ludimik took the crown. Durkrin had hoped Ludimik would be more willing to see reason, but he continued the same indiscriminate slaughter Budimiv had started. When Ludimik began a spree of nepotism, firing officials and appointing his own friends, Durkrin had enough and started to quietly scheme behind the scenes. Most of his siblings opposed Ludimik's antics, though some did serve him out of loyalty to the Empire at large. However, Durkrin wagered that an alliance of princes could oust Ludimik, restoring order to the Empire. In 146 AW, these plans began to unfold.

### War of the Fifteen Princes

In early 146 AW, Durkrin made a secret alliance with his younger brother, Prince Zhincis. Together, they planned a coup attempt, smuggling soldiers into Toscov. The coup was launched on the 10th of Greenburst, and Toscov became a battleground. Ultimately, the rebels were driven back, after which they laid siege to the capital. While not the victory he had hoped for, Durkrin nonetheless declared the creation of the Rebel Princes, seeking to overthrow Ludimik II and install a new Emperor on the throne. He sent messages to all his siblings, inviting them to join him.

Ultimately, the response was somewhat mixed. Princesses Lubomia and Jaleka joined Durkrin's cause, though they commanded little real power. Later, Princes Zelumir and Sacek also joined him. While Zelumir commanded many troops and a large amount of political influence, Sacek was dead weight to Durkrin, always trying to undermine him. Prince Borklaw and Princess Sobieryna also rebelled, but they would form their own faction, the Free Princes, an ally in the cause against Ludimik II but not one that was always fully cooperative.

The Siege of Toscov was abandoned when Prince Deslov showed up with the Princely Army of Ozach in tow, defeating the relatively inexperienced militias of Durkrin and Zhincis. Durkrin retreated to Tikhdovo, whose lord had joined the rebellion earlier. From Tikhdovo, Durkrin and Zhincis gathered their strength, training as many forces as they could muster from around the Empire. Durkrin's Warband consisted mainly of defectors of the Princely Army of Vozhirishia and even a handful of Imperial Guards.

By 147 AW, a newly rejuvenated Durkrin and Zhincis set out, defeating Deslov at Zheledar and capturing him a few days later. Deslov would become a captive of Zhincis but escaped later that year. Meanwhile, Durkrin made an amateurish mistake when he besieged Toscov a second time with insufficient numbers to threaten to capture the city. To make matters worse, forces of the Golden Princes soon threatened to surround Durkrin, forcing him to abandon the siege. However, the Golden Princess Radchava was unwilling to let her brother walk away unharmed and chased him down, defeating him at Vseba and inflicting many losses against Durkrin's Warband.

When it became clear that Durkrin, while a deadly fighter, wasn't the best general, he transferred most of his remaining Warband over to Zhincis, who had studied tactics his whole life. Instead, he returned to Tikhdovo, becoming more involved in the politics of the Rebel Princes. Durkrin was a very charismatic individual, and he held the Rebel Princes together despite many conflicting goals and motivations between different commanders. Instead, he acted as a common figureheard which most lords could rally behind. The Rebel Princes reached the height of their power between 148 and 150 AW, with many of the more localized lords scoring victories against the Empire.

In 150 AW, a target appeared for all factions in the War of the Fifteen Princes. The headquarters of the Golden Princes, the city of Machayya. Machayya had been attacked thrice before, battered by both the Free and the Rebel Princes, though it held on each time. However, part of the garrison was redeployed, leaving it weaker than before. Free Prince Borklaw was convinced that an all-out offensive against Machayya would be the key to winning the conflict. Both Durkrin and Zhincis agreed, and a gigantic army of rebels marched on the city. However, spies within the Rebel ranks had fed this information back to Golden Prince Gradimr, who urged all the Golden and Imperial Princes to reinforce Machayya.

The Fourth Battle of Machayya would involve six princes fighting on the same battlefield simultaneously, with many regional commanders flocking to the aid of both sides. The resulting battle would become the deadliest bloodbath of the entire conflict as forces launched themselves at each other in the thousands. Princess Radchava, the leader of the Golden Princes, would die first, yet the battle was far from over. On the fourth day of fighting, Durkrin's Warband was caught overextended and overrun by Prince Deslov's expert cavalry. He was subsequently surrounded and cut down. Zhincis would be heavily injured but ultimately managed to escape with his life. Prince Borklaw, while unharmed, had lost most of his forces.

Ultimately, the Fourth Battle of Machayya would be a devastating miscalculation from the Free and Rebel Princes, annihilating their ranks and killing any momentum they still had. With the charismatic Durkrin dead, the Rebels immediately turned on each other, with blame being thrown around loosely. Many of the remaining Rebel leaders went down their separate paths, becoming easy pickings for the Imperial Princes, or went into exile. Prince Zhincis ultimately had to take over what remained of the Rebel Princes. He would miraculously carve out a minor victory for the rebellion by the end of the conflict in 156 AW, claiming the Principality of Arkhalesk for himself.

Prince Durkrin's life is ultimately a matter of dispute. West of the Kinzovan Mountains, he is often remembered as a traitor and opportunist who caused the downfall of the Golden Empire while chasing personal glory. East of the Kinzovan Mountains, where rebel leaders would be appointed as regional lords by Ludimik II during the peace negotiations, Durkrin is often viewed as a great hero who tried to save the Golden Empire from corruption.

Even now, with the Golden Empire long gone, many statues of Prince Durkrin still stand proudly in the centre of many Avateauxan towns and cities. Despite being from an entirely different continent, the Blue Skull (Who later founded the Kingdom of Avateaux) incorporated Durkrin as a hero of their own, using symbols of him in the military and in noble banners to this very day. While he ultimately failed to secure the Empire, Durkrin's legacy is easily the grandest of any of the heroes that arose during the War of the Fifteen Princes.

## Career

* Golden Empire of Toscov
	+ Prince (116-150 AW)
	+ Squire (128-132 AW)
	+ Knight (132-150 AW)
	+ Imperial Guard (132-135 AW)
	+ Captain of the Imperial Guard (135-140 AW)
	+ Knight-General of the Princely Army of Vozhirishia (140-146 AW)
	+ Leader of the Rebel Princes (146-150 AW)

## Military Career

* War of the FIfteen Princes
	+ Siege of Toscov - Defeat
	+ Battle of Zheledar - Victory
	+ Second Siege of Toscov - Defeat
	+ Battle of Vseba - Defeat
	+ Fourth Battle of Machayya - Defeat

## Awards

*Main Article: List of Awards*

* ~~Service Medal - Golden Empire of Toscov~~ (revoked)
* ~~Knighthood Medal - Golden Empire of Toscov~~ (revoked)
* ~~Imperial Defender Medal - Golden Empire of Toscov~~ (revoked)

## Personality

Brave, gallant, and just. Durkrin was described as a model knight by sources of the time. Always acting in the name of the greater good, though never wavering on his morals, Durkrin was viewed with respect even by many of his enemies. He was a staunch believer in meritocracy and often recruited nameless, faceless nobodies to act as officers within the ranks of the Rebel Princes.

## Relationships

* Prince Zhincis - Zhincis was Durkrin's number two in all matters and by far his closest friend and ally.
* Prince Borklaw - While their reasons and goals differed, Borklaw and Durkrin frequently cooperated throughout the conflict.

* Ludimik II - Durkrin didn't hate Ludimik and still loved him as family. However, when it came to politics, they were each others' greatest enemies.
* Prince Deslov - Despite being enemies, Durkrin liked Deslov, as they had been friends before the war.
* Prince Gradimr - The war made them enemies, but Durkrin was proud to see Gradimr become a talented general with no earlier military experience.