Gorivad der Schwartz

Gorivad der Schwartz (13 December 1609- 28 September 1665) was lord of Schulfsrum and the leader of the Apfeltskian nationalists. He is recieved with heavily mixed reviews,  he is often seen as an Schulfen nationalist, and is mostly well recieved by the said ethnicity. He was older brother to Cee, queen of Apfeldonia, and a member of house Schwartz. He was also blind in his left eye.

Early Years and Rise to Leadership
Gorivad was born on the 13th of December as first born son of the reigning lord of Schulfsrum. He would come to have four brothers and one sister. His childhood was a difficult one, his father was often away, he was left to take care of his siblings, his mother was often bed ridden and sick.

Some time after the death of king Robert II, his father had frozen to death while ice fishing. Leaving him to the lordship of Schulfsrum. Shocked and under severe stress, as he was most of his life, he blamed his father's odd death on the bad omen brought by the equally odd death of king Robert. The new king Richard was the individual who Gorivard put the blame on.

The Calm before the Storm
As the new lord of Schulfsrum, he was put under even more stress, Richard had demanded his miners work extra hard to supply the crown with the materials needed to build up Lipton. This enraged Gorivard, whom saw no responsibility for the building of a city far to the south, a city that he would have nothing to do with. With even more stress now piled on him, he began to spread anti-royal sentiment in the north. To secure peace between the crown, he had allowed his younger sister to marry Richard, who had been the one to propose the idea. This seemingly worked, Richard demanded much less from the north and the two houses were seemingly at peace.

The Civil War
Soon Richard demanded even more resources and this time taxed Schulfsrum in order to build a new palace. Outraged and at the cracking point, Gorivad gained the support of the northern lords and declared independance, calling for "an independant Schulfen nation". Gorivad would lead the rebellion, he named his army "the Apfeltskian Nationalists" and used the name for his cause. He would act as head commander of the northern forces and often act as battlefield general, he did so at many famous battles.

In need of support for his cause, he sent letters to his sister, the queen, to aid him. To his dismay and great sorrow, she declined him, he had lost support of her.

Death
At the battle of Littlefield on September 28th, 1665, Gorivad was commanding troops when his horse was shot from underneath him. He landed softly, however has he staggered onto his feet he saw the line of musketeers infront of him break and flee, riding through them was a regiment of royal cavalry. He drew his pistol and fired at a charging enemy, killing him. He appearently attempted to pull his sword, but the scabbard wasnt tied properly to his belt and the hilt was stuck on rope, before he managed to get the sword free he was struck in the chest by an enemy lance. He was killed on impact, his body was recovered in the aftermath of the battle by royal forces. He is buried next to his brothers at the Schwartz family cemetary in Schulfsrum.

Legacy
During the civil war, he would earn the nickname "the griffon of the north" and would be seen as a patriotic figure to the Schulfen peoples. This feeling has worn down but still remains, and despite his defeat, he would be viewed by modern Schulfens as a standard barrier for greater Schulfen equality and freedom.