Lance Crusade
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Introduction
One of the greatest champions to ever walk upon the Earth, Lance Crusade was the epitome of the nature of a hero. Although he lived before the founding of the Five Civilized Nations, he did more than anyone else to set the foundation of a hegemony of thousands of years.
Biography
Born to an obscure noble family in China, whose name has been lost in the tides of time, the man known now as Lance, was orphaned when he was still a baby. He was found by the childless Duke of Cala along with two scrolls, written in a foreign tongue. The Duke promptly adopted the baby and named him, Lance Crusade, because of a faint scar on his back, made by a lance thrust.
From his youth, the Duke of Cala doted upon his adopted son, training his son in diplomacy and philosophy, while a succession of fighters, most notable of whom was the powerful master of Mt. Mirror, taught the young man how to fight. When, the Duke of Cala died, Lance only sixteen, but a swift, powerful fighter, succeeded him as the 98th Duke of Cala.
It was at this time that a horde of centaurs and orcs ravaged the lands. Advised by a prophet to seek out the assistance of the dragonlords, Lance set out upon a fateful journey. During his absence, the Duchy of Cala was annihilated, the survivors scattering to the four winds.
In a journey that lasted two years, Lance finally arrived at the home of the dragonlords, a place known as Mt. Skyfire. There, Lance met the last of the dragonlords, Omnus Stormrider. Lance befriended Omnus, and the two friends returned to the Duchy of Cala, only to find it obliterated.
Resolved to avenge the deaths of so many of his loyal subjects, Lance took up his sword and went in chase of the horde that had destroyed his home.
Initially Lance was unsuccessful, nearly killed by the overwhelming numbers of his opponents. Only the timely arrival of Omnus prevented Lance's death. Nursing Lance back to health at Mt. Skyfire, Omnus discovered the two scrolls. With growing astonishment, Omnus realized that they were sacred scrolls containing two powerful fighting techniques. When Lance was strong enough, Omnus began to translate the scrolls and the two friends trained earnestly in the two techniques. Within two months, the two friends had mastered both techniques, the Eighteen Palms of the Xiang Long and the Infinity Swords Technique.
Feeling ready for battle, the two friends moved off and chased down the horde of vile orcs and centaurs. In a bloody battle lasting two days, the two friends exterminated the horde, killing every last orc and centaur. Satisfied, the two returned to Mt. Skyfire, to a period of meditation.
Four years later, Lance descended from the mountain and began to travel the lands. First, Lance traveled to the west, assisting the vampiric-demon Kain Irenicus in regaining his homeland.
As Lance was heading back east, he discovered the trail of a powerful demon rampaging through what was then the Roman Empire. The Roman citizens tormented by the demon called him Nightmare. The demon in actuality was known as the Great Demon, Hezekiel, was a powerful demon that had arrived upon the mortal plane by possessing a young mage named Azara Telas. In a terrible battle that ended only with the banishment of the demon to the Timeless Realms, Lance came out badly wounded, assisting the now free Azara. The two parted ways, good friends.
Lance then headed north, stopping at the cold Baltic Sea and meditating for several days. Heading east, Lance joined up with a party, among who were Azara Telas and Armad Delaz, seeking an artifact known as the Blood Goblet. Although at the end, the quest was unsuccessful, Lance made numerous friends.
At twenty-seven, Lance finally returned to the vast expanse of land, known as the Middle Kingdom (a.k.a. China). There, Lance made himself a new life.
When Lance turned twenty-five, he married Amelia Eiken, a powerful sorceress and the daughter of the venerable master of Mt. Mirror.
Making his home upon the mountain with his wife, Lance was truly happy. Lance was overjoyed when his son was born a year later. Pleased with himself, Lance named his son, Amistad and vowed to teach his child all he knew.
But something intervened... Lance became involved in a plot to assassinate the covetous and deceitful Qin Shi Huang]. When the Emperor of the Qin Dynasty heard of Lance's participation in the plot, dispatched an army widely believed to number 1 million to capture Lance and his family.
In an epic battle upon the plains of Xiliang, Lance battled the Qin army, sacrificing himself to save his wife and his son. Lance achieved his goal, but was mortally wounded and died upon the plains. When the battle was over, Lance's body had disappeared, while his spiritual essence floated upward, into heaven...
Lance became another dead hero, meant to live till the end of Time reliving their heroic battles. But once again, fate cruelly intervened, sending Lance back to the earth along with a slew of other heroes to deal with an invasion from the seas...
The attempt by Lance and his fellow heroes to stop this invasion was a dismal failure. Many were killed, including Lance's son, Amistad.
Distraught, Lance retreated to a small world he purposedly created to honor those killed in the myriad of conflicts throughout the world. But then, the demonlord, Nez'gah came to annilihate this paradise... Lance was barely able to defend his home...
Still mourning his loss, Lance travelled to Velmora, where he attempted to help Kain restore it to what it once was. But he failed to live up to his task and his name. With deep resignation, Lance realized that the time had come to pass on the torch...
