[MAR - KT - Cat A] Lord Rein van Helborg

[Khorne]

 

Lord Rein van Helborg and retinue: (L-R) Manni the squire; Jan Sanders, follower of the rebel priest Birger Jung; Georg the Grey, master at arms; 2 foot soldiers. Rein has opted to bring a second horse to the joust.

Lord Rein van Helborg entered the city of Londa in an understated column of yellow and black, several streamers flopping in the wind and the black bird of Essen, and thus the Riverlands Trade League, perched atop a handful of banners - denoting the allegiance of the scion of Riesmond's House Helborg.

In front of Rein, Jan Sanders the black-clad priest trotted, firmly clasping his raven-topped staff. From underneath his wide-brimmed hat he eyed the Mardierian people in the streets who were looking at the tiny procession with a mixture of awe at the knightly sight and disdain at the open display of crow and raven symbology, strongly associated with the Carolean Pale and seen as a marker of anti-royal sentiment and defiance of the true Faith.

Next to Rein were his trusted lieutenant Georg and Rein's squire Manni. Georg was a veteran of many conflicts and willing to lay down his life in a heartbeat for his lord, should the situation come to a head. Manni, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. A young lad, with a fresh mind still open to be impressed by the world. He stared his eyes out at the architecture and people of Londa, capital of Mardier and one of the oldest cities in this part of the realm.

Trailing behind was a small but able bodyguard Rein had brought along, just in case. Mostly at the urging of Georg, who had a bad feeling about the whole event, certainly giving the tense political situation the Kingdom was in.

One of the soldiers was carrying the personal banner of House Helborg: the black and yellow badger, known for its endurance and tenacity and most likely originally chosen in the old days to signify the ancestral castle home of Helborg. While yellow and black are colors associated with the counts, and often accompanied by a raven or crow, the blackbird itself was actually the symbol of the city of Essen. As one of the constituents of the Riverlands Trade League, the raven was then also adopted as a symbol of the broader League and often flown by the counts to show their allegiance. 

Despite the palpable tension, Rein was looking forward to test his mettle in the joust.

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The Von Helborg dukes have been a staple in Essen's history since I first posted a figbarf and some random lore I had written. Over time, the lore has evolved and the role of the dukes has changed slightly as well. The colors @Keymonus used in his Merchant District are retroactively directly referencing the count's coat of arms.

Since they are extinct in the normal BOBS timeline, I thought it'd be interesting to include an earlier, less powerful version in BOBS-TOO. They're only just counts currently, and haven't fully become Carnish yet in culture. They still go by van Helborg here .

Disclaimer: since I'm the one organizing the joust, I won't put up my entry for the vote. I just wanted to build and enter a character, so that we'll have plenty of participants in the joust. Also, I'm not eligible to win the joust itself. That wouldn't be fair to all other participants.

Having said that (not entering to win), I also like to add that this won't be my final participant in the joust... Calamity might ensue for greater story purposes .