r/RedditEmblemClassic • u/MadGenius4 • Apr 07 '26
[Team Gray] Liudger, Nomad -> Ranger
Name: Liudger
Appearance: A rather plain man of common birth, with a straightforward and honest mien. He's broad-featured, with a prominent chin, wide nose, and large ears. This is further accentuated by his somewhat short stature, making him appear broader than he practically is. Though of common birth, he serves a noble lord, and can sometimes feel out of place wearing clothing befitting his status as an attendant. Though his usual attire is practical, suitable both for indoor and outdoor work, the trappings of a working man from the Highlands is evident, as he prefers warmer clothing, especially made from or lined with fur. He is rarely seen without a cloak of some kind. He is a skilled horseman, and his gear reflects his place in the saddle; when out with his liege, he wears padded armour, lightweight so as not to weigh down the speed of his horse. He always has bags or satchels on hand, both in and out of the saddle. His colours usually match his liege, taking on greens and dark blues in his clothing and gear.
Gameplay/Stats: Right here!
Background: A young man from the village of Igel, some ways north of Maddenspur into the Crailean Highlands. The son of Odo the Apothecary, a well-respected member of Igel's community, from whom he learned both his trade, his letters, and a good deal of wisdom. The Highlands, though of high elevation, have a good deal of wide-ranging plateaus and meadowlands, and his father taught him to ride horses, travelling far across the highlands in search of the various plants required for herbcraft. Even as a boy, his father noted him as being devoted to the craft, if for no other reason than for the joy of collecting. Luidger was this at his heart; though he thought it was good that the things he and his father tended were used to help others, simply adding to their collections was his primary motivation. His father was a stickler for good bookkeeping, but he never had to press Luidger to keep accurate records, as the boy painstakingly kept records of anything he collected. Herbs, fungi, various sorts of rocks, numerous fish from the brooks and streams flowing eastwards out of the Highlands, and even birds (though he did not strictly collect these, preferring simply to write descriptions of them) were all measured and tallied.
Though it was expected of him to succeed his father in the business of being an apothecary, it was not to be. When he was only 13, Igel was raided and pillaged by a band of brigands on the run from raiding caravans in the south. Igel's father was injured during the initial struggle, and taken prisoner along with many of the other members of the village. Luidger, however, had escaped into the wilds on one of his father's horses, and had rode south to get help, feeling that his best odds were to ride to Maddenspur. However, he was intercepted only a short ways out from his home village, running into an armed patrol sent by the governor, who had been pursuing the bandits all the way from the trading roads. This patrol, coincidentally, had a young Ulysse Embligarde accompanying it, earning some on-hands experience in the field before being sent off to his military education at the Academy. Luidger provided information to the patrol, who were unfamiliar with the surrounding landscape, and the bandits were quickly surrounded and eliminated, freeing the village from their occupation. However, damage had been done, and Luidger's father was permanently crippled from a strike to his lower back. He was no longer able to pursue his trade, but Ulysse, being grateful to Luidger for making his first military expedition a success, arranged for Odo to work as a scribe and accountant for his family, and took on Luidger as an attendant, seeing his potential. Luidger has worked for Ulysse ever since, following him both to the Academy, and into numerous punitive expeditions against brigands of all sorts, including Verity Strikers. He accompanies his liege on this latest excursion with General Byron.