00:00Peggy 16
00:13In Calradia, they say that looking back and telling of a fulfilling life gives you peace of mind.
00:20So let me try and see if that is not just nonsense.
00:30I was born the son of a hunter. We lived a simple life. It was neither good nor bad.
00:36But I do not want to complain. Had I been born a daughter, the world would have been far less
00:42welcoming.
00:44I learned how to hunt with bow and arrows, and also where it was best to sell furs and meat.
00:49But I wanted more, and so I apprenticed to a craftsman early on.
00:55Later, I would go trading for him.
00:58And then I heard of Calradia, where opportunity and danger were said to exist in equal measure.
01:05We can fight our way to the top with swords, charm our way up with our silver tongue, or strive
01:12for balance in all aspects of life.
01:16We come to Calradia as life has made us.
01:19Our experiences help us on the way, but the future is all ours.
01:32Like everywhere in the world, life is full of difficult decisions.
01:36This was already apparent when looking for a new home.
01:40Six realms are fighting for power.
01:42Six possible new beginnings await us coming from afar.
01:46In the southern deserts, the Sultan of the Saranids reigns over an army of heavily armoured cavalry and light infantry.
01:54They watch over the oases and flourishing cities, where the roads of the spice trade from all over the world
02:00come together.
02:02Further north, stretch the seemingly endless steppes, where the savage Kyrgyz riders hunt and pillage.
02:08Those who love their life stay away from the sea of grass.
02:12But with strength, perseverance and a steady bow arm, you can conquer your place there.
02:18Even further north live the Vagias in their eternally snowy realm.
02:24Sea raiders keep attacking their coast, in spite of the king's army and his boyars, defending their home bravely with
02:31spears, bows and axes.
02:33The more civilised relatives of the raider bands live further to the west, by the big cove in the north.
02:40They call themselves the Nord, after their northern home.
02:43They have always been proud of their artful way of fighting, with axe and shield on foot.
02:49But they deeply despise the southern fools on horses.
02:53In the centre of Kalradia lies the realm of Swadia, home to the best knights in the world.
02:59Anybody who has ever seen them charge, all clad in steel, knows why King Harlaus can even feel safe in
03:06a country that is constantly at war with its neighbours.
03:10All the way in the south-west, on the rolling hills and along the shoreline, live the Rodok tribes.
03:17Time and again, they have to fight Swadia and the Saranets.
03:21They defend their thriving trade routes with large crossbows and long pikes.
03:28Luckily, I have always enjoyed travelling.
03:31Otherwise, I would have never seen all that Kalradia has to offer,
03:35with its vast land stretching from the deserts in the south to the coasts in the north.
03:42In small villages, surfs slave away for their lords who are often plundered or attacked by bandits.
03:48They are wary of strangers, but those who make their life a little easier, can earn their trust.
03:59The country's nobility rules the surrounding lands and villages from the safety of their 45 castles.
04:05Everyone dreams of owning a castle themselves and enjoying the sweet life.
04:11But unless you are noble-born, you have to go to great lengths to get that far.
04:17Back then, I first made for Shariz, one of the big cities of Kalradia.
04:22Corruption and crime are as widespread here as trade and freedom.
04:27The Guildmasters send their caravans out to the whole world.
04:30In the taverns, the ale is flowing.
04:32And those who are looking for goods and equipment can wander the markets for days.
04:44I tried to be honest. I really did.
04:47I wanted to buy things cheaply in villages and resell them expensively in the cities.
04:53Slowly build up something.
04:56But soon, a hard blow hit me.
04:58A gang of bandits showed me that one man alone cannot make it far in Kalradia.
05:03I've got some of the bastards.
05:04But when they dragged me off my horse, that was the end of it.
05:09I needed protection to get my goods safely to their destination.
05:13The toughest dogs that coin could buy would serve best.
05:17Much coin, as I soon came to realize.
05:20I wanted to stay honest.
05:22But the cost for my guards was much higher than what my humble trading yielded.
05:26Once there is no pay, the lads are gone faster than you can say Kalradia.
05:37So I had to reduce the cost of my purchases.
05:40When the peasants are frightened enough, they will hand over their things for free.
05:44After all, I had the swords to intimidate them.
05:47And if that was not enough, then their little villages would go up in flames.
05:53Good pickings, though, are not found in the cellars of those poor bastards,
05:56but in the chests and bags that pass from market to market on the caravans every day.
06:01Robbing these fellows is not as easy as giving some peasants a good beating.
06:05But even if one of my lads got his head bashed in every once in a while,
06:11it was always worth it.
06:13Especially if you can trade the peasants' things for weapons and armor
06:17that would even make a nobleman green with envy.
06:29My chance to lead an honest life depended on high walls and towers that had to be conquered first.
06:35When my men told me of a castle that was only held by a few men due to the war,
06:40we took a chance.
06:42We built a siege tower, took up our bows and crossbows,
06:46and made ourselves the Lord.
06:48The Lord that owned the castle was too afraid to lose his army
06:53and retreated after a few insults had been exchanged.
06:57Luckily, his king did not help him then,
06:59otherwise my newly won life would have quickly ended
07:03in the prison of the fortress I had just conquered.
07:06But as is well known,
07:08noblemen are prone to forget quickly when they receive gifts.
07:12And just like that, I, the bandit, became one of them.
07:17Despite the whispers about my origins,
07:20they all had to welcome me at their banquet tables.
07:24I even participated in their tournaments
07:26and increased my wealth with lances and wagers.
07:31I captured the hearts of all the noble ladies.
07:35They can hardly resist the winner of a tournament,
07:38especially if he has already made a name for himself among their brothers and fathers.
07:44I was torn between romance and politics,
07:47but as the Calradian saying goes,
07:50love withers, but land never slithers.
07:55But alas, the people remember who had plagued them before longer than their lords.
08:01So I had to first regain the trust of my new subjects on the lands around my castle.
08:06I did so by chasing precisely the sort of men who,
08:11like me before, stole from the weakest to enrich themselves.
08:16The crops from my peasants' fields were even enough to host a big banquet for my noble neighbors.
08:23Victories in battles bring you honor,
08:26but with a feast you can turn that glory into political alliances and even friendships.
08:33I also negotiated my wife's dowry at a lavish banquet.
08:40Feasts, weddings and tournaments were the sunny side of my new life.
08:44But the darker side of the coin was that I needed to defend with tooth and nail what I had
08:49built up for myself.
08:50A siege is a cruel affair.
08:53The wait until your enemy arrives at your walls with ladders and towers
08:57makes even seasoned men nervous.
08:59And the carnage that ensues when they storm the castle
09:02always fills the purses of the gravediggers.
09:05But I never let them take from me what I had taken myself.
09:10So, here I stand and tell you my story.
09:15I cannot say it gave me peace of mind,
09:18but I am content nevertheless.
09:21I took my fate in my own hands.
09:23Nobody ever gave anything to me.
09:26And that is precisely what gives me peace.
09:29I took control of my own destiny.
09:51I took control of my own destiny.
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