Sergeant Douglas

Detailed Narrative

There are many noble boys, born under great Lords and Knights, who are taught from a young age the values of chivalry. These boys grow to become men of honour, riding forth to spread justice and defend the innocent in the name of their king and country.

Sergeant Douglas is not one of these men.

Born in the bustling city of York in the year of our Lord 1330, Douglas's origins were modest. His father, a man of moderate talent, was an agent or administrator, possibly connected to Scandinavian or Hanseatic trading interests for which York served as a depot. His mother, however, possessed a sharp wit and a keen understanding of trade and other practical skills, which she diligently sought to impart to her children. This commercial awareness in the family would subtly shape Douglas's path.

As the third child, Douglas inherited little in the way of land or fortune, a common fate for younger sons not destined for the Church. His early prospects seemed bleak. Despite attempts to secure work as an entertainer, his distinct lack of musical skill meant he often struggled for a meager meal or two.

Luckily for Douglas, a great war was brewing.

From around the age of fifteen, in 1345, as tensions from the Hundred Years' War continued to escalate across the Channel, Douglas found himself drawn into the burgeoning conflicts. He began to acquire basic martial skills, and his natural, if rough-hewn, charisma proved surprisingly effective. Leveraging his family's potential trade connections, he found early work protecting vulnerable trade routes, a vital necessity in an era of banditry and lawlessness. For the next several years, he honed his martial prowess, not in the tourney grounds of chivalry, but in the brutal crucible of necessity. He also acquired a dark practical education, learning how to "persuade" a man who stole valuable goods, how to assess the worth of a human life for ransom, and how much a human life was worth when extinguished—skills common in the irregular warfare and mercenary activities of the time.

By 1349, with the Black Death ravaging England and causing immense social upheaval, Douglas, now nineteen, made his way from a plague-stricken London, crossing the narrow sea to Normandy. English forces maintained a presence in parts of Normandy, and amidst the chaos of ongoing conflict and the plague's aftermath, he found a new purpose. His burgeoning experience allowed him to help rally and train local militias, turning peasants into serviceable, if raw, fighting men to bolster depleted local defenses.

In 1351, his reputation for ruthless effectiveness, however unsavory, attracted the attention of a formidable trading company with interests stemming from the Holy Roman Empire. Such companies, active in volatile regions, often required enforcers capable of protecting their assets and navigating dangerous territories. It was during this period that Douglas encountered Sir Nicholas Hale, a knight of some repute. Hale, perhaps involved in his own unconventional ventures or recognizing the unique value of Douglas's brutal pragmatism, offered to further Douglas's training in the art of the sword. This was less an act of chivalric mentorship and more a pragmatic exchange: Hale gained an even more effective operative, and Douglas refined his lethality.

Douglas remained deeply embedded in the swirling conflicts of the Hundred Years' War. He became a more efficient killer, a master of inflicting pain, and his burgeoning ability to train others in the brutal dance of war made him an increasingly valuable asset.

By 1357, his reputation had reached the ears of those administering English Gascony, a vital territory, particularly after the Black Prince's recent campaigns and victory at Poitiers. Douglas, now twenty-seven, was formally hired, his past perhaps overlooked in favor of his proven utility in training and enforcement. He proved an invaluable tool in the myriad skirmishes and larger engagements that arose, not only for his prowess in battle but also for his exceptional skill at transforming raw recruits into effective fighting units.

After approximately three years of loyal service in Gascony, Douglas was contacted by Sir William, a trusted retainer of a Lord Terence. He was offered board and food in exchange for continuing to train soldiers and helping to "keep the peace" within Lord Terence's domains—a common path for experienced soldiers.

It was Lord Terence who, recognizing Douglas's ruthless effectiveness in maintaining order, formally designated him as his Sergeant. This was a position of significant authority within the Lord's own domain, responsible for training men and ensuring continued support for the English war effort through means both fair and foul. Sergeant Douglas, in turn, kept the town and surrounding territories under a tight, unyielding control.

Later, Sergeant Douglas would be placed under the banner of Sir Michael, a testament, perhaps, to his practical "good deeds" in securing English interests. His specialized skills in enforcement and training remained in demand.

You might find Sergeant Douglas still patrolling the dusty streets of a frontier town in English-held France, or perhaps in the sprawling camp of an expeditionary force. He will gladly show you the way of the sword, if you dare to ask him. Or he may just as easily place you in chains for a minor transgression. With Sergeant Douglas, who knows what will happen? His path is as unpredictable as the war that shaped him.