From a young age , prince Gastoh had been thrust into the violent currents of war . It was not simply a duty, it was very air he breath as the first son of King Hadran, A ruler renowned for his unyielding thirst of power.
Gastoh's childhood was a relentless March from innocence to brutality, by the time he was twelve, he had already wielded a sword , trained under the eyes of battle-hardened generals, and learned the art of reading an enemy's weakness like a map.
Determind to live up to his father's towering expectations , Gastoh's reputation as the kingdom's greatest warrior was not mere legend but a testament to countless battles marked by bloodshed and valor.
His mother, Queen Iseal, a beacon of warmth and wisdom , died suddenly when Gastoh's younger brother Matthew was born. This loss left a void in Gastoh that no amount of glory could fill . King Hadran taught Gastoh that compassion was a weakness that could unravel a kingdom.
Gastoh's first true test came at the battle of Velemar, a bloody confrontation against alliance of Rogue Lords challenging King Hadran dominion. Though just sixteen, Gastoh charged into the fray, wielding his sword with the fury of a man possessed.
He became the turning tide of that battle, breaking the enemy lines and slaying over fifty opponents himself. The victory crowned him as the "wolf of Velamer" a name spoken in both reverence and fear .
In the years that followed , Gastoh led compaigns against the rival kingdoms of Malaka, Solmari, Nigara ,and the Illyria, crushing their armies and burning fortresses to the ground. His strategy was brutal but effective : overwhelm, decimate, and claim.
There were stories of entire armies surrendering at the mere sight of his black war banner, for to face Gastoh was akin to embracing death itself.
The war that brought him closest to the edge of his own humanity was the siege of Drakenmoor, a fortress city with towering walls and cunning defenders. For three grueling years , Gastoh's forces battled the elements and constant ambushes. Yet, Gastoh was relentless, devising a masterstroke of using underground tunnels to breach the inner sanctum. When victory came, the price was steep , thousands lay dead, and the prince himself bore wounds that would scar him for life.
Gastoh's prowess expanded Hadran's reign, making the kingdom unmatched in power, but at the cost of turning his son into a man who saw glory in conquest and shadows in peace. Whispers followed him: tales of unmatched strength and a heart encased in ice. Yet beneath this exterior, Gastoh harbored a silent longing for something more , a flicker of warmth that once existed when his mother was alive.