Page 1/5 Statement of Purpose I, Jacque Hander, am writing this book so that I can share the values I consider important and answer common questions new Resistance and Guild members ask every year in advance. Fair warning: Anyone who reads this book and then proceeds to ask the same questions will get a smack on the head. (Try this if you'd like to get a good 12 hours of sleep.) Page 2/5 "You want it? Then fight with honor and take it!" This was the first and last lesson that my father taught me. My father was the captain of a merchant ship, but one day, he was labeled as a pirate captain and hanged. I have no idea when he suddenly turned pirate, but it is rumored this was actually a ploy to have him eliminated after several lords no longer had any use for him. I had worked on my father's ship since I was a child, I learned something basic and fundamental about the world while being around those rough sailors. In this world, the strong make the rules. And when that system of rules breaks down, even the grandest of ships will capsize under a tiny wave. That's why I decided to become the strongest man in the world and make my own rules. Page 3/5 "Why I Entered the Navy" When I was 12, the merchant vessel I was working on was attacked by a huge pirate ship that appeared out of nowhere. Those hulking brigands quickly boarded our ship. Most of our crew were either killed or captured. As the scoundrels gathered the looted items on the deck there came a sudden and deafening crash like thunder. The pirate ship was instantly engulfed in flames, its crew sent flying through the air, screaming or jumping overboard into the sea. It turned out that a ship from Solisium's naval fleet had fired their cannon at the pirate ship. Cannon. Singular. The sight of it was forever burned into my memory. Gaining the ability to blow a pirate ship apart in one shot became my goal in life. Page 4/5 "Meeting a Fateful Rival" DaVinci Aron... I suppose you could say he is at all at once my friend, comrade, and lifelong rival. As the kids would say our relationship was "complicated." From the first time I saw him while in the navy, I knew I would have to best him someday. We had both made names for ourselves while serving with distinction in the navy. Whether it was a competition or a duel, with us it always ended up in a tie, even if we went at each other a hundred times. Even King Hortis knew about us. Other than our ability levels, DaVinci and I had nothing in common. He was loyal to the king, able to inspire his men with words, and carried himself like the model commander you might find in a textbook. Truth be told, he was the kind of guy who drove me up the wall. Around this time, regions in the southern part of Solisium began to shake off the yoke of their kings or lords in favor of autonomous rule. To defend their lands, they either organized their own guilds or hired mercenary knights. Naturally, wicked local lords persecuted or harassed them. DaVinci and I, who were well aware of the injustice of these lords, decided to quit the navy and create a guild with a few loyal officers to protect them. But it wasn't long until some serious issues began to emerge. Reville used his own personal guard, Arkeum, to kill King Hortis and take control of Solisium. He even banned the establishment of guilds. I guess he never heard the saying, "Let sleeping dogs lie..." Page 5/5 "Though we share a common enemy in Arkeum, don't be so naive as to think this a permanent alliance!" We fought against Arkeum with all our might. DaVinci cultivated his influence around Laslan, while I focused on Stonegard. But all of the factions opposing Arkeum united under the banner of "the Resistance." Reville's Arkeum expanded its power mainly by bringing regional lords to heel or buying influence by lending out troops. Arkeum's one-way offensive slowed to a crawl as the Resistance gradually gained allies. Eventually we succeeded in driving them out of Laslan and Stonegard altogether. The Laslan Allied Resistance Forces of DaVinci pushed for the integration of all guilds and insisted that the loose alliance should formally merge as a single entity, but I had completely different intentions. Without free competition and the desperate endeavor to attain individual power, everything can be taken away again in an instant. This is why I declared that the only way I would hand over Stonegard Castle after capturing it was if someone were to win it from me in a fair fight. Forget forced centralization under some half-baked pretext. To me, a competition engaged in freely and fairly is the only value or principle of nature worth considering when it comes ensuring self-protection.
