Ser Ector Aquila
Lord Father of the army
Age: 53
Sex: Male
Rank: Lord General of the Brionian Forces
Race: Human
Physical: Ector's tall, weathered figure is one of comfort to his troops and fear to his enemies. He's tall and lean, with a fierce look to him that tends to frighten newcomers. He's fast and he's strong after years of training, and perhaps he's not quite what he used to be, but he makes up for it with skill. In a way he's handsome, but the marks of battle have taken a toll and he's never one to indulge in any vain practices that might improve his rough looks.
Combat Skills: If it's a soldier's weapon, you can bet your life that Ector can wield it effectively. He prefers the hand-and-a-half or bastard sword with a round shield, but will pick up whatever's closest in a pinch. He's pretty good with unarmed combat but truly he fights best from horseback, especially with a lance. He was originally trained a knight and won many jousts in his youth, skills which he carries well to the field of war.
Leadership Style: Ector is often called the Lord Father of the army, for he treats every man in it like his own son. He's a strict father with high expectations, but his genuine caring is impossible to doubt. He's old fashioned, a knight thrust into officer's clothing rather than the other way around, and some of those old fashioned traits have crippled him. He's religious and more than a little xenophobic, but the biggest issue he faces commanding is his chauvinism. He, like his fathers before him, sees the man's place as the field and the woman's as the home. While he's ever courteous to female soldiers and officers, he's never approved of them and has deep-seated doubts their abilities. He's caused more than a little conflict in the past by micromanaging other high-ranked females or even doing their work for them. Though this makes him difficult to deal with, Ector is a talented and dedicated leader with years of experience and learning under his belt, making him an excellent tactician, orator, and strategist.
Other Skills: Strangely enough, Ector's passion is making maps. Cartography helps him relax, and his detailed records of enemy territory have made return expeditions to old areas much easier. In addition he's rather fond of singing and practices often, though he prefers hymns to the bawdy drinking songs of most soldiers.
Personality: Old-fashioned and polite but with great expectations, Ector is a knight first and a commander second, a good friend to many and a father figure to countless more. He's a chauvinist and a xenophobe, but a religious and genuinely caring man who perhaps should have been born another century or two earlier.
Past: Raised in a backwater fief, he always dreamed of being a knight on a white horse, waving the banner of god and country. It was a long tradition that, unfortunately, did not entirely fit the new world. He adapted and became an officer, and was starting to relax and loosen up when his eldest daughter announced her intention of becoming a knight. Shocked and outraged he cracked down, attempting to mold her into a lady. What resulted some years later was a sudden fire and her disappearance, and though in many letter's she's claimed it to be coincidence, the blaze claimed the life of two of Ector's sons and his wife besides, and he has never found it in his heart to forgive her, though her innocence was later proven and she was indeed knighted. This has fostered in him a deep and resounding sadness, as well as a resentment and apprehension towards women taking on men's work. His two dead sons he sees daily in the boys serving under him, and seeks to make them all into men their fathers could be proud of.
