James Leslie of the Grove
Man-at-Arms (1350 – Present)
Basic Information
Name: James Leslie of the Grove
Birth: 1350, Exeter
Parents: Father a fletcher and archer in the king’s army; mother a spinner
Current Year (Persona): 1380
Current Age: 30
Status: Professional man‑at‑arms in the Companie of the Badger
Equipment: Maile and breastplate, visored bascinet, gauntlets, greaves, war horse, and fine sword
Timeline
1361 (Age 11) — Orphaned
Mother dies during the pestis secunda. Father frequently away on campaign; James fends for himself in Exeter.
c. 1369–1370 — Alone in the City
Father recalled for renewed war in France and killed around Poitou. By age 20 James is alone, surviving as a thief, runner, and bully‑boy.
c. 1372–1378 — The Spice Trade
Dockside guard work leads to employment with a wealthy Exeter merchant dealing in wool, tin, wine, and spices. Promoted to guard valuable shipments to the master’s cellars.
In 1375 thwarts a warehouse raid with brutal efficiency, earning a stake in a pepper shipment. The venture succeeds, giving him his first substantial funds.
1378–Present — Transition to Mercenary
Dissatisfied with merchant life, James invests his earnings in full professional armour and a war horse. Takes service as a man‑at‑arms in France, Castile, and Italy.
1380 (Present) — Companie of the Badger
Joins an English‑rooted free company operating in France. Now fights to win fortune in the spoils of war.
Detailed Narrative
Orphaned & Early Life (1361 – c. 1370)
In 1361, the pestis secunda tore through Exeter. James’s mother succumbed, and with his father often campaigning, the boy learned to survive in the alleys and markets of the city. By the end of the decade his father had fallen in fighting around Poitou, leaving James truly alone—hard, wary, and quick with his fists.
The Spice Trade (c. 1372 – 1378)
Work as a dockside guard put James in the orbit of Exeter’s merchant elite. His aptitude for violence and his keen eye for risk saw him rise from warehouse watchman to escort for high‑value cargos. In 1375, when thieves struck the warehouse, his ruthless response protected the goods. Rewarded with a small stake in a pepper shipment, he tasted his first real profit.
Transition to Mercenary (1378 – Present)
Money alone could not still his restlessness. The tales of free companies—of ransoms, plunder, and swift advancement—drew him across the Channel. He invested in a proper kit: maile and breastplate, a sound bascinet with visor, good gauntlets and greaves, and a reliable war horse. He is no nobleman, but he is every inch a professional soldier.
Current Status (1380)
Now thirty and blooded in skirmishes, James has found a berth with the Companie of the Badger, an English‑rooted free company active in France. With steel in hand and decent armour on his back, he means to make his fortune—or die trying.