Hord Hrethelson

Overview
The son of Ulred Hrethelson of the annexed kingdom of Nurhst. Brother to Hrothgar, brother to Astrid, brother to Asa, and son of Alva. Known for his great skills as a warrior and leader, as well as for his rashness and quick temper. He was born too late to know the glory of his family during their time as king, but just in time to see the world spit on them. Just in time to be forced to fight for the same men who had disgraced them and killed his grandfather. He made a silent vow as a child to see them return to their rightful place at the top of the world, and would stop at nothing to see it realized.

The only thing that was more important than his pride was the well-being and happiness of his family, and it killed him inside to see them suffer. This launched his crusade/storyline in Dawn of Chaos and Blood to rescue his mother and sisters form Urbish captivity, and break away from Exitium, only for said crusade to be cut short by an apparent apocolypse brought about by the son of the "Demented Dynasty" that threw his family in the mud decades earlier.

He is mainly concerned with the honor and prestige of his family, and his chief desire is to be a King. These are desires that change as the series progresses, with Hord's focus expanding to wishing to be king of the Nurhst and the Urbs. He would do anything to ensure the safety of his family, and kill anyone who endeavored to injure them. He is unaligned with Zzaro, Draemor, or any gods.

Early Life
Following the Nurhtish War about fifty years before the Hord was born, House Hrethel was exiled from Nurtheim and forbidden from ever returning to the Grand Keep. Hord's grandfather Revel Hrethelson was executed long before he was born, their family name was disgraced, and they were replaced with Exituist selected vassals in the Kartanians. Nurtheim was renamed Kartania, Hrethel sympathizers were imprisoned and/or executed, and any likenesses and namesakes of the Hrethel family were destroyed or renamed.

This was the world Hord was born into. Hord had never known Nurhst beyond the island of Hrethel, which was his family's ancestral home, which now acted as a prison. Rakem Rhalasian I who had led Exitium to victory over Nurhst in that war had wanted to execute all heirs along with Revel Hrethelson, since in his eyes so long as House Hrethel still stood, the Nurhtish would rally to them. He was dissuaded only by his propensity for cruelty. Instead of having these heirs killed, he would have them punished and broken. They would be imprisoned on the island that beared their name, and disgraced in the eyes of the people who used to serve them. He would indoctrinate the young heirs with the Zzari religion and teach them Exituist ways. Their plan was to have future heirs like Ulred, Hord, and Hrothgar believe that they were not prisoners or victims, but allies. His goal was to make the people of Nurhst not want to follow them.

Wrath of Hrethel
''' "Today they have justified my fury." '''

Following the kidnapping of his mother and sisters, Hord, his brother, and father plot to take back their ancestral home, war with Urbs, kill the Imperator, and take control of his entire empire. They do this by venturing first to Noelia to gather men, and then to Nurtheim to fight their way into the castle to depose the Kartanians and rally the support of a Nurhtish people who had long since lost faith in them ever returning to their former power.

Important Miscellaneous Dialogues
The following are quotes said by or said to Hord which help illuminate his character. ' "Things do not become true just because you say them, Hord." "Many men pray to your god to grant them my demise. Perhaps one day he'll find the nerve to try." -Hord Hrethelson' "'I serve no gods. I put none above me. I am the sole master of myself just as I am master over you. In my eyes, I am God.' -Hord Hrethelson." ""