The Iron Phalanx and Sacred Splendor Mage

The Iron Phalanx: A Blood-Sealed Oath

When the Iron Phalanx marches, there are no hymns, no banners in the wind. Only the sound of boots echoing through the streets of Marenstadt, the sharp crack of steel as pikes lock into place. They are not heroes. They are not saviors. They are the last wall standing between a city that thrives on broken promises and the chaos beyond.

Their story begins in Rabenhold, a border duchy that once protected Marenstadt’s trade routes. For generations, it had been the city’s shield—until it was no longer convenient.

The Council of Twelve had built its power on commerce and diplomacy, maintaining its independence through gold and pragmatism. But war was coming, and Marenstadt could not afford open conflict. So they sacrificed Rabenhold.

Gregor Voss, merchant prince and ruler of the duchy, struck a deal with the enemy to preserve Marenstadt and his own position within the Council. He handed Rabenhold over to the High Kingdom, securing peace at the cost of his own bloodline.

When the High Kingdom’s troops entered the fortress, there was no siege, no final stand. The gates were opened from within.

The Death of a Prince

Conrad Voss and his men were abandoned. No army marched to save them. No aid came from Marenstadt. The city could not risk angering the High Kingdom—not when its own survival depended on keeping the balance of power intact.

Gregor Voss did not betray his family out of hatred, but out of necessity. With the duchy surrendered, his place in the Council of Twelve was secured. His wealth remained intact. And his younger brother, a soldier without a title or land, had no place in the city their family had served for generations.

But Conrad did not die with Rabenhold. When the flames consumed the fortress and its banners fell, he disappeared.

There was no trial. No formal exile. To Marenstadt, he simply ceased to exist.

The Years in Neverra

For Conrad Voss, war did not end at Rabenhold. His name was erased from the records, but his sword found a new purpose.

He traveled north, to Neverra, where feudal wars and shifting alliances always had a place for men like him. There, he learned what it truly meant to fight without a homeland, without a king, without a cause.

Over the years, his reputation grew. He became a captain without a lord, a commander who did not betray his own men but served no master. His warriors were not mere mercenaries. They were survivors.

Thus, the Iron Phalanx was born.

The Return of the Man Who Cannot Be Bought

Years later, Conrad Voss returned to Marenstadt—not as an exile seeking redemption, but as a shadow the city never expected to see again. The Council of Twelve feared him, but they could not ignore him.

The High Kingdom now ruled over the lands that had once been his, but Marenstadt remained free. And the Iron Phalanx had become an army no one could afford to underestimate.

He did not demand justice. He did not seek vengeance beyond the blood of his brother. But he did not bow to the burgomasters who had condemned him to oblivion, either.

Now, his presence looms over the city like a blade on the scales. He does not answer to the Council of Twelve, but he does not openly defy them. When he intervenes, it is by his choice, not by their command.

He is an arbiter whose rules no one understands. A warrior who seeks neither crowns nor fortune. No one knows what he truly wants.

The burgomasters wonder at his purpose. The merchants speculate on his price. But those who have met his gaze know the truth: Conrad Voss is not here to bargain. He is here to remind them.