Red

Red (full name Bertram Redsteele) is a fisherman and the governor of Fort Roberts. He was banished from his homeland due to an incident.

Personality
Red is generally known to be a polite, if somewhat quiet man. Rarely talking to people, he's considered sort of a loner. Some would consider him to be emotionally distant, not getting emotional at events to the same degree others do. Regardless, he's seen as a hard worker and pleasant enough once you get to know him.

Early Life
Red was born to parents Gustav and Elia Redsteele in a town far north of Alathra, though Red can't recall the location or name. Red was the third of four children. He has two older siblings; Viktor, his older brother, works in the mines, and Mathilda, his older sister, works as an apothecary. The family would later welcome his younger sister, Vivi, who would become a cleric in the local church. From an early age, Red took to fishing, taught by Gustav, a fisherman in their town. He took to it quickly, enjoying the smell of the salty sea air and the generally relaxed work they did out on the water. He would help Gustav catch and process fish, as well as any other goods they caught along the way. In the evenings, his mother Elia, a homemaker and expert cook, would prepare a meal for the family, and they would dine together. The importance of family was often emphasized in the Redsteele household, dinner being one of the prime examples.

The Redsteele Tradition
One day, at the age of twelve, Red noticed a well-worn sword poking out of the chest at the foot of his parents' bed. Knowing none of his siblings were warriors, he asked Gustav what the sword was for. Once they were on the water fishing, Gustav began to explain the tradition of the Redsteele clan. For hundreds of years, the Redsteele family contained powerful warriors, serving as respected knights for their king. However, in each generation, only one child would become a notable warrior, and that child would be a child of the previous Redsteele warrior. Gustav, the second of six children, was the warrior of the previous generation. He originally expected Viktor to be the next warrior, given his immense strength and willingness to get his hands dirty. However, given his mild, jolly nature and aversion to violence, it seemed unlikely he would take up the mantle. Given Mathilda's career choice and Vivi's kind nature, it was also unlikely either of them would be the one. This left Red as the most likely candidate. Fishing was not as easy as it seemed; fish would often put up a fight, requiring strength and technique to wrangle, which Red had learned well by that time. With this in mind, Gustav asked Red if he wanted to train with a sword, to which Red agreed.

Training and Guarding
Soon after that conversation, Red began training with Gustav after fishing. These training sessions would run until dinner was called. His training focused on the sword and, eventually, shield. His skill with the sword became apparent, quickly exceeding Viktor's and making clear Red would be the next Redsteele warrior. This carried on until he was sixteen, at which point he was old enough to become a member of the town guard, a small, informal militia tasked with the defense of their town. He would fight in skirmishes when requested, protecting the people of the town from brigands. This changed when war came to their nation. A kingdom to the east initiated the attack, leaving the army of their nation in disarray. The king called for reinforcements from the towns, including Red. His participation was largely limited to smaller skirmishes, given their distant location from the frontlines. However, the tide of the war changed, and the invaders began pressing south towards Red's town, where the guard was tasked with defending them from the onslaught of the kingdom's main force. Despite overwhelming odds, Red stepped up, rallying the guard and guiding them to defend the town. Under his direction, they held off the main force long enough for the knights to arrive, and by combining their forces, they were able to drive back the enemy forces.

Noble Plot and Exile
Red's actions in the war caught the attention of Cuthbert Wardyworth, the king of their nation. Bertram was summoned to the capital to appear before the king, much to the excitement of him and his family. This would likely result in him becoming a knight, officially becoming the next Redsteele warrior. Upon arrival, he met with the king, as well as the council of nobles. The nobles' snobbishness and disdain for commoners was well-known to the townsfolk back home, and it was clear they could barely contain their disgust at Red, one such commoner appearing before them. The knights consisted primarily of the second and third sons of nobles, with very few commoners. The king announced that Red would be inducted into the order of knights, despite the nobles' protest. The knighting was to take place one week after this first meeting. Unseen to Red, the nobles began plotting a scheme to get rid of him. They decided to assassinate a lower noblewoman they didn't care for, planting evidence to indict Red. The plan worked, and Red was accused of murder. The trial was held on the day he was supposed to be knighted. The court was run by the same nobles, and Red could tell by their sinister grins they were in on it. Unsurprisingly, he was swiftly found guilty, unable to provide any defense. Final judgment rested in the hands of the king. The standard penalty for murder was execution. In a surprising twist, however, King Cuthbert decided instead to sentence Red to exile, citing uncertainty about the case. Red was permitted to return home and gather his belongings before leaving. He was forced to say goodbye to his family, who was certain he was innocent and would fight to get him back however they could, as well as promising they would see each other again soon. After packing his sword, tools, and fresh cooked food from his mother, Red left the kingdom, likely never to return, and with some sense of bitterness hanging over him.

Arrival in Alathra
Red hiked away from his homeland, not knowing when he would next find civilization. He claims his journey took about two months, although due to his rough condition from the long days of travelling, the exact amount of time is disputed. Regardless, he stumbled into the continent of Arith on December 14, 2021. Here, tired and somewhat delirious, he was found by Sparkus, a fellow fisherman and then king of the NGEC and mayor of Egregan. Sparkus immediately offered him a house to live in, which Red eagerly accepted.

Construction
The property Red had been given was in a great location - right next to the sea, just the way he liked - but the house itself was a bit lacking. At this, Red set out to tear down the existing structure, and in its place build a better home. After a few days, his work was finished, a house of spruce and dark oak now built. He would call this place home for his entire stay in Egregan.

Not content with just building a single house, Red received approval for, and began work on, several more buildings; one house and three shops. Over the span of a week, all the buildings were completed. Two shops remained under Red's care, while the house and one business were sold back to Sparkus.

Fishing
Red, already a fisherman by trade, sought to improve his craft further. He spent many days and nights on Egregan's docks, fishing.

This culminated in Red opening a restaurant called The Tackle Box, which he ran during his time in Egregan.

Outside Work
Lacking work to do, Red began taking up work outside Egregan. The most notable project he took on during this time was the construction of a canal in Suijin, though this project remains incomplete. He also built pathways out of Egregan, towards the Library and Taffasan.

Travel
Recognizing that he hadn't seen a lot of Alathra, Red spent a considerable amount of time travelling to many different cities and nations within Alathra. He got to know some of its denizens, and was pleased to find many of them to be welcoming, not too dissimilar from his old home.

The Quest for Hegulcien
During his time in Egregan, Red made a trip to the Library, a place he had visited quite a few times. This time, the Library's curator, Angela, showed him an ancient book. This ancient book turned out to be the journal of Gerald Redsteele, Red's ancestor and the first Redsteele warrior. Gerald was known to have moved to Red's homeland many years ago from down south, though he never told anyone exactly where he was from. Though the journal was worn from age and many parts were no longer legible, Red was able to decipher the text that was there, finding out about parts of Gerald's life, as well as Hegulcien, a legendary blade within the Redsteele family. Red had heard of the blade from his parents, as well as some aunts and uncles. The existence of the blade was unknown, as no one had seen it since Gerald himself. In the journal, he claimed to have buried it in order to leave his war-filled past behind.

The location was never explicitly disclosed, but with the knowledge that Gerald had lived somewhere in Alathra, he worked to narrow down the location. Eventually, he figured out where it was; buried underneath a jungle, next to a now-abandoned nation. He was able to recover the sword after a lengthy excursion to the jungle, and as he grabbed it, he felt some sort of sensation, as though it was meant for him. He began carrying it with him as his primary weapon.

Arrival
Growing increasingly dissatisfied with the state of affairs in Egregan, Red decided to move elsewhere. He chose to move to Fort Roberts, the capital of the former Southern Union, recognizing its historical importance and the wishes of Aurelius. On February 9th, 2022, he officially refounded the town and began construction, vowing to make it better than ever while respecting its storied past.

Changing Nicknames
While sitting in his office, Red read Gerald Redsteele's journal again. This time, he noticed more than ever how important the Redsteele name was to Gerald. In that moment, he made a decision. He would adopt the nickname Red, after the Redsteele name, and he would take pride in his family heritage. Perhaps this was part of the key to unlocking Hegulcien's power.

Building Projects
Tasked by Aurelius to rebuild Fort Roberts into a town worthy of its grand history, Red has since constructed multiple buildings of note in Fort Roberts.

The most notable of these buildings is Red's manor, where he currently lives. Also of note is the ship on the docks, which he has taken to calling the RLS Haven.

Fort Roberts remains under construction, and multiple projects are underway.

Current Affairs
Red is currently working on reconstructing and expanding Fort Roberts. He also continues to work on unlocking the power Hegulcien holds.