Giles Baxter, Steward of Caelester

Once merely a successful merchant, Giles Baxter assumed the mantle of Steward of Caelester after the death of the Grand Duchess and her known heirs in a devestating Earthquake eight years ago. He has ruled the city with an iron fist ever since, supported by a host of mercenary companies.

Early Life

Giles Baxter was born into a wealthy salt merchant family in Longdale, a city state in southern Asuria. As a second child, he grew up accustomed to a life of luxury, but the large mercantile empire that financed that lifestyle went to his elder sister, Honoria. He and his younger siblings were each entitled to a generous stipend - enough to provide a life of comfort as a minor noble, but not sufficient to provide the excesses to which Giles was accustomed. But instead of settling for less, or seeking a position in one of the religious orders (a traditional occupation for second children of noble families dating back to the Asurian Empire) he opted to follow a martial path...not by engaging in warfare directly, but by studying strategy and investing his stipend in a number of mercenary companies.

Warlord

Giles Baxter's investment plan was simple: he would pay to outfit a mercenary company with high quality weaponry and equipment, turning ragtag bands of thugs into respectable army units considered worthy of a much higher fee. In return, they would pay back a portion of his investment until that was paid back, plus a small percentage of their fees and spoils of war in perpetuity. Additionally, he asked them to fake incidents throughout the region, ratcheting up tensions between powers in Asuria. This increased the demand for mercenary services in Asuria, both increasing the fees paid to established companies and increasing the number of new bands that might benefit from his investment scheme.
Combined with strategic advice offered to the more pliable mercenary leaders, he soon had more than half a dozen bands that swore fealty to him over even their paying clients, trusting that in the long run, maintaining this business relationship would be mutually profitable. This, and the ever increasing number of mercenary bands paying his ongoing royalty, soon made him one of the wealthiest men in Asuria, and by far the most powerful from a military perspective. For years, he kept much of this quiet, financing mercenary companies under a number of assumed names and hiding much of his wealth - after all, he had learned the value of keeping one's true power a secret until the proper opportunity.

Stewardship

That opportunity came in the form of a mighty earthquake that struck down the once mighty city-state of Caelester. Soon after the disaster, he led his most loyal mercenary bands to the city, claiming to be a concerned nobleman offering the manpower needed to clear the rubble and search for survivors. His forces, young and strong warriors, chiefly took responsibility for digging through the heavy stone debris of the ducal palace, where they quietly ensured that the few who survived its collapse did not do so for long.
Soon after, he issued a Proclamation that the grand duchess and her heirs had died and that, until such a time as the next in line could be determined, located, and brought to the city to accept the throne, he would rule the city as Steward. Public outcry against this outsider siezing power culminated in an event now known as the Ascension Riots, when the common people attempted to force their new Steward to step down and were met by the steel of his unflinchingly loyal mercenaries.
Since then, he has ruled Caelester, quietly having presumptive heirs to the throne removed and attempting to solidify his position as ruler of the city. However, his refusal to accept advice from those who understand the inner workings of the city means he has actively stifled the city's recovery on many fronts, meaning that even now, eight years later, the city still struggles to rebuild.