Warrior-King Bruce Kalion son of Ares & Athena

You are Bruce Kalion, rumored son of the god & goddess Ares & Athena. At only 26 years, you are a man gifted in war like your divine father with the wisdom of your goddess mother. King of the independent city-state that shares your name. You sit back in your saddle and adjust the armor that sits comfortably on your muscular frame.

The light leathers were a gift from the centaurs of the Western plains, masterfully crafted and layered with oriental silk; this armor turns aside both heavy thrusting spears and needle-sharp arrows. Instead of a shield, you wield twin swords each one as long as your arm with skill unlike any other mortal. You know that you are only of average height and weight, but with long silver hair, sky blue eyes & handsome features from your Olympian heritage, you stand out from your men.

Courtiers seeking to flatter you claim that you have a radiance that is evidence of your parentage, but you learned as a young boy not to listen to this kind of nonsense. Your appearance and youthful energy have drawn the attention of many female admirers wherever you've traveled, but none as of yet, have captured your heart.

You are traveling to Athenapolis with your elite Kalion Guard, a unit of 500 of the most feared and respected men out of the more than 5,000 warriors of your city. Unlike in other city-states where the hoplite legions are formed from the upper-classes of the city, much of the Kalion Army is made up of escaped slaves, bandits and other criminals who have fled to your mountain homeland and pledged their service in exchange for the right to live free. One might think that a ragtag group of former cutthroats and slaves would undisciplined and poorly skilled in organized warfare but you train your armies to the point that they would rather die than dishonor you or their comrades.

It is just as well these men are so well trained, you muse as you glide lower and check the even ranks of this small army below your drake. You're siding with neither the attackers nor defenders of Athenapolis, but intend to minimize the chaos that is the inevitable consequence this war. It is an uneasy balancing act and you'll need the discipline of this elite and every last bit of cunning and determination to keep the situation from developing into a bloody mess. In your favor is the fact that neither side can afford to offend you or the Kalion Guard as long as there is a chance you'll join their cause.

Your city-state is just too rich and powerful to ignore, and unlike Athenapolis which has angered all its neighbors, your homeland has the grudging respect of almost all who deal with you.

Hidden in a valley nearly completely surrounded by impassable mountains, a narrow path on the Eastern side is the only way in on foot. Luckily the city-state of Kalion with its population of 36,000 is essentially self-sufficient. Blessed with a number of high-yielding gold, silver & precious gem mines, your homeland has more money than most. The abundance of these materials has encouraged a multitude of fine jewelers and craftsmen that live in the mountain valley, and Kalion jewelry is second to none. The city also makes a decent profit from rich merchants and nobles of other nations who make the arduous trek to the mountains to visit the many bathhouses and natural hot springs.

The three mountain ranges surrounding Kalion are full of Drake dens, and Kalion has earned the reputation as the City of Drakes. The great beasts are so numerous that they are trained not only by Riders for warfare but are used for more mundane tasks including transportation of people & trade goods, to help the farmers & miners.

Your drake, Spook is a giant albino almost twice as large than other drakes, stronger, faster, and in your opinion, smarter than any other drake you've ever heard of. Not that that is saying much. With a grin you rub Spook's neck-ridge, drakes do what drakes do, as the saying goes; a good Rider doesn't ask anything more than that of his mount.

In more ways than one you envy your great drake; all he does is eat, sleep and mate with as many females as he can fly down. If only your life was that simple. The people of Kalion wish their king would find a wife so they may be blessed with an heir to secure their future, but you don't want to be married off like a stud ram to the secure an alliance with some other city, you dream of finding a bride who can match your spirit.