Richard III Sword of Magnursia
Richard III he is one of the greatest war kings in the history of Magnursia. During his reign, the conflict that later became known as the Great War began and changed the shape of the continent forever. Richard combined military courage with the ability to use magic as a weapon of mass breakthrough. He conquered Trabazar, led the largest armies of his time, and fell in battle as a monarch who was not afraid to stand at the head of his own men.
Dynastic Information
Hot head on the throne
Richard succeeded his father, who had been carefully preparing the ground for war for decades. Unlike Ignatius III. however, Richard was not a man of waiting. What the father wove in silence, the son cut with the sword. Diplomatic relations with the neighbors were already strained and Richard did not have the patience to mend them. He believed that Magnursie was strong enough to impose a new order by force. Shortly after the coronation, he therefore declared war on Trabazar. At first it might seem that it will be another of the series of interpersonal conflicts. In reality, however, this set off a chain of events that surpassed all of the kingdom's previous wars.
From the Third War of Kings to the Great War
At first, Richard's campaign seemed like a fast track to victory. But Trabazar was able to enlist the help of Medonia, Arostermancy and Waldoria. The Kingdom of Magnursia thus found itself at war on multiple fronts, and the conflict, which at first appeared to be another human war, began to grow to proportions the continent had not remembered. Richard responded to this situation in a way that defined his reign. Instead of retreating, he decided to go directly to war as a personal leader. From -116 he regularly participated in campaigns and gradually became the image of a battle king. He often left tactical leadership to the generals, but was present where the will of the army broke down. This earned him enormous respect from his own soldiers. At a time when many monarchs waged war from the safety of court, Richard walked among the banners and risked his own life.
The Troubles and Fall of Ancient Human Kingdoms
One of the highlights of his reign was the conquest of Trabazar. To break through the walls of the capital, Eagle's Nest used battle mages, who in a matter of days broke through the defenses in an unprecedented manner. What would previously have taken months or years of sieges could now be broken in a matter of days. After the fall of the city, Richard continued his pursuit of the royal family and won a decisive victory in a battle known as the End of the Old Kingdoms. In doing so, he declared himself king of Trabazar and showed that Magnursie was no longer waging a war just for borders, but for the very rewriting of the political map of the human world. However, his idea that this would make others peaceful turned out to be an illusion. On the contrary. The war spread further.
The elves enter the war
In -109, the Great Elven Empire entered the conflict. This changed the war forever. For the first time Magnursia was opposed not only by human states, but also by an ancient racial power whose size and prestige surpassed anything Richard had ever known. Richard responded with a massive military deployment. He divided the army into ten battalions and created a force of about 350,000 fighting men. It was the largest army Magnursia had ever built. It was made up of knights, mages, mercenaries from orc tribes and mobilized villagers. This mass showed the enormous power of the kingdom, but also the price it was willing to pay for survival and victory.
South ford and the death of the king
The last and most famous chapter of Richard's life was the Battle of the South Ford in -103. Here he faced the superiority of the elves and Waldoria, but with the help of elite mages and new Trabazar archers, he was able to turn the tide of the battle. The battle lasted six hours and was one of the bloodiest engagements of the first phase of the Great War. In the third hour of the fight, Richard was hit by an arrow in the back of the head. The doctors quickly understood that the intervention was fatal. Nevertheless, the news of his condition was kept secret in order to avoid panic in the ranks of the soldiers. Richard died before the battle was over, but the army fought on and won. This created one of the strongest legends of Magnura history. The king fell, but his sword prevailed even after his death. Hence his nickname Sword of Magnursie.