Drigon Harai

Drigon Harai was an Imperial general of eastern descent. He was born in the Eastern state of Sahar, the son of a warrior.

He spent most of his childhood and adolescense on the move with his clan, learning the ways of the warrior.

When he was 14 years old, his clan was destroyed by a rival clan. The survivors, mostly women and children, were either taken as concubines or sold into slavery. Such was the fate of Drigon. He was sold to a slaver in a coastal city. From there he was taken across the Great Green to the great archipelago.

He was bought and sold several times, mostly due to his penchant for fighting. He was eventually put a ship to Systeros, where the the bloody sport of gladiatorial fighting was extremely popular.

He was intended to be sold to one of the pit lords who train, feed and own the gladiators.

However, he never arrived on the red sands of the Colossea, the massive stadia were the games take place. Almost as soon as he left the ship, his owner recieved an offer for him, a substantial offer. Realising the offer was even better than he would get from the pit lords, the trader sold him to the mysterious buyer.

Drigon was taken to a small villa outside the city that was extremely well guarded to meet his new owner. He had been bought by a young Hastyr Diamos, who would go on to forge the greatest empire the world had ever seen.

Drigon quickly realised he had not be bought to be a slave. Hastyr offered him, in exchange for his loyalty, his freedom. So far from home, with nothing to return to anyway, Drigon agreed to bind himself to Hastyr in exchange for his freedom.

Together, they returned to Hastyr's home in Menthynos. Drigon slowly came to realise that Hastyr was not simply a wealthy Menthyn noble, but a prince. Drigon served in the Menthyn Army, as a cavalry officer. He found this to be particularly difficult, due to the fact that rumours of his past life had spread and his troops where reluctant to follow a slave, even a freed one. In any case, Drigon earned the respect of his men the hard way, through courage, strength and sound leadership. By the time he reached the age of 21, 3 years after joining the army, Drigon had risen to the rank of Commander, the youngest non-royal Commander in Menthyn history.

Meanwhile, tension had been brewing between the King of Menthynos, Hastyr's father, and his younger brother, who believed he would make a better ruler.

The breakdown in their relationship culminated in the bloody Night of Tears, when the King's brother attempted to seize control in a coup. 10,000 soldiers loyal to the brother entered the city and marched on the palace. The surprised 6,000 men of the Royal Guard were all that stood between them and the palace. The two forces men in a ferocious and bloody battle in the massive city square in front of the palace.

Meanwhile, the brother, who had entered the palace earlier, confronted his elder brother while he was praying to the gods. A frantic fight ensued as the King's surprised bodyguard attempted to hold of the betrayers men. The King himself engaged his brother in combat, despite the fact that he was clothed in robes while his brother was wearing full armour.

Ultimately, the coup failed when Hastyr himself killed his murderous uncle while Drigon despatched the betrayers son, but not before the King was mortally wounded. The Royal Guard successfully held off the betrayer's army, but at a cost. In the confined space of the city square, more than 16,000 men had fought, with almost 10,000 losing their lives.

Following his father's death, Hastyr took the throne and Drigon became his Commander of Cavalry. Together, along with several other generals, they set themselves on a path of conquest that would lead them first to Systeros, then to all the other states and as far north as the tribal lands of Keltica.