Leth Bloodaxe

Leth Bloodaxe was an infamous raider and adventurer who terrorised the Sunscald Coast during the 9th century. Though his exploits were numerous, he is perhaps best known for his Razing of Nearmaidas (now known as Medaris) in the year 867. After accruing a great fortune through his raids, Leth disappeared from the Sunscald Coast in the 870s under unknown circumstances. Parts of his fortune were later uncovered by the treasure hunter Marinus Alethe in 1339, though many other relics, including his infamous 'blood axe', are yet to be accounted for.

History

Much of Leth's life outside his interactions with the cities of Sunscald remains shrouded in mystery, and consequently details about his early life or identity are often minimal. The origin of the name 'Leth' is under debate: some claim it is a derivation of a southern Sunscaldic name such as 'Læth' or 'Leith', while others claim it may be a shortening of the Armaidan 'Eletheros'. In many cases, theories on this origin tend to differ politically, that is, whether the theorist themselves is from northern or southern Sunscald and whether they are aiming to claim or disown any connections to Leth. Other theories claim that Leth may be a corruption or transliteration of the Old Armaidan word 'aleph', literally meaning 'first' but often used to mean 'leader' or 'captain' even in some modern contexts.
Regardless of his origin, it is generally agreed that Leth rose to prominence in the 'Midlands' of Sunscald, the rugged hilly region separating the more Armaidan-influenced north from the continent's south. At the time the region was still largely undeveloped, and had grown into somewhat of a haven for outcasts, criminals, and so-called 'wildmen' fleeing from both sides of the continent. These groups would often band together to raid nearby settlements for food and supplies, but prior to Leth's ascension these raids were usually small in scope. The late 840s witnessed a substantial increase in the number, range, and intensity of raids from the Midlands, which is traditionally ascribed to Leth's influence. Settlements that were previously considered well-guarded and safe from any danger now lived in fear of invasion.
Leth Bloodaxe's first major raid took place in 851, against the city of Lettin in the north of southern Sunscald. As with many of Leth's successes, it was built largely on the tenets of surprise and deceit. Lettin, a well-fortified city with a navy large enough to prevent any blockade, considered itself largely invincible to any attempted raid despite its proximity to the lawless Midlands. At the time, few cities in Sunscald had any significant land military outside of a small guard used mostly for policing - settlements generally relied on the power of their ships and fortifications to defeat raiders, which was usually very effective owing both to raiders' general lack of organisation and the prevalence of piracy relative to any land raids. To 'break' the city, Leth sent a portion of his men to the city in disguises over a number of days, giving the raiders a significant presence within the walls. Leth then marched on Lettin with the remainder of his forces. When his advance was noticed and Lettin's guard hurriedly prepared its defenses, Leth's men within the city sprung into action, taking the guard by surprise and reopening the gates for the rest of the raider army. The raiders sacked the city, slaughtering a large proportion of its adult male population in the process. They were also able to ground or capture the ships in Lettin's harbour, using them to abscond from the city with their seized riches.
The acquisition of a fleet of ships gave Leth and his forces a great level of manoeuvrability. Unlike the pirates still fairly common in Sunscald's waters at the time, Leth avoided naval engagements wherever possible. Instead, his general strategy was to moor his ships out of sight of his targets, ferry his men to shore, and approach his target from the ground. These assaults often took their targets completely by surprise, and the manoeuvrability offered by the ships gave Leth's army the ability to move to a new target at speeds unexpected of a land army - these two traits combined made Leth's forces appear near-supernatural, able to appear seemingly anywhere at any time. Over the following years, Leth was able to carry out a vast number of successful raids across much of the Sunscald coast, targeting everything from country estates to large settlements and even a few smaller fortified cities. It appeared as if Leth wished to explore the entire continent - in order to ravage it for wealth and treasure.
Leth's most notorious conquest was also one of his last: the Razing of Nearmaidas in 867. Nearmaidas, now the site of the city of Medaris, was one of the oldest and unquestionably the wealthiest city in the Sunscald at the time. Founded as an Armaidan colony and essentially becoming the locus of 'New Armaidan' society following the collapse of the Armaidan Empire, the city was often viewed as the 'Jewel of the Sunscald' and nigh-impenetrable. Leth and his armies landed near Nearmaidas in the midst of the traditional sugarcane-burning season, so the air for miles around the city was thick with smoke and fire. It is said that Leth's forces marched straight through fields of burning sugarcane to mask their approach. Many of the raiders carried lit torches or even pieces of burning sugarcane to continue this smoke trail. Consequently, Leth's vast army was able to make it most of the way to Nearmaidas undetected. This trail of smoke seemingly did such a good job at concealing the raider army that lookouts spotted the smoke before the soldiers underneath, and raised an alert that the sugarcane fires were getting dangerously close to the city. Consequently, many of the first waves of Nearmaidan defenders sallied out to meet Leth's army armed only with buckets of water.
Owing to this distraction, Leth's forces were able to cleave their way past the city's initial fortifications and into Nearmaidas proper. They swept through the vast city, taking what they could and setting fire to most else. The city's remaining defense forces bolstered themselves in the city's internal fort, but the rising smoke from the lower districts wormed its way into much of the fortifications with the help of raiders, essentially 'smoking out' the city's remaining defenses. Leth and his forces were able to then march on the ruling quarter of the city, seizing its large trove of gold, jewels, and Armaidan artifacts. The upper quarter was similarly set ablaze. Leth's reputation as the 'King of Raiders' was cemented with his sacking of Nearmaidas, though the victory did come at the cost of a large number of his own forces.
Following the Razing of Nearmaidas, raids by Leth's forces diminished more and more in frequency and appear to have ceased completely by the end of the next decade. There are also multiple recorded instances of city-state naval forces sinking small numbers of ships bearing the symbol of Leth multiple times beginning in 871. Leth is presumed to have perished at some point in the 870s, although no evidence of his body was found. Some theorise that Leth intentionally performed a bold and reckless attack on Nearmaidas as a 'last hurrah' to cement his reputation, either because he was suffering from a terminal illness or he simply wished to retire. Others believe that, having claimed the 'Jewel of the Sunscald', Leth ventured onwards to unknown waters to seek out new challenges and treasures. It is generally considered likely that following Leth's death, his forces were divided amongst his underlings, explaining why fleets bearing his symbol seemed to travel in smaller numbers and be easily intercepted by city-state navies. Leth left no heirs (though he likely bore many illegitimate children), and it is assumed most of his plunder was ultimately claimed by the sea.

Legacy

Leth Bloodaxe is one of the most infamous figures in Sunscald's history - no other raider or pirate can match the scale of his raids, or his bloodthirsty reputation. He is especially despised in the city of Medaris, which every year holds a festival in which effigies of him are burned as 'revenge' for Nearmaidas. His successes have given him an almost supernatural reputation as an unbeatable leader or even as a natural force of destruction. Despite his infamous reputation, Leth is generally held in high regard as a tactician, owing to his innovative use of stealth and misdirection very much atypical of a 'raider army'. Still, anyone praising his tactics is likely to immediately condemn him in almost every other aspect.
Leth's numerous raids led to a general increased vigilance throughout much of Sunscald. In general, settlements of all sizes paid much more attention to security. In smaller settlements, this could be limited to a more active lookout and preparations for fleeing if necessary, while in larger settlements and cities it could involve a great expansion of local militias and/or professional guards. Weapons and the skills needed to wield them proliferated as people fretted about needing to defend themselves and their communities - in smaller towns and communities it has become somewhat of a cultural norm to teach children how to effectively use a weapon. Ironically enough, the 'King of Raiders' ultimately made Sunscald a much more hostile environment for raiders in his wake.
As well as seizing multitudes of artifacts for himself, Leth's near-mythological status and supernatural reputation caused some of the items associated with him to attain a similar reputation of their own - a sort of regalia for the 'King of Raiders'. Leth's helmet was alleged to grant him unnatural strength and foresight, with some claiming that it allowed him to commune with vengeful spirits who would then assist him in bringing destruction. Leth's right eye was famously gouged out by a spear during a raid on the small city of Liadan (whose coat of arms now bears a spear stabbing an eye) - Leth was able to recover the eye following the battle and wore it pickled in a jar on his belt. It was claimed that Leth could see through the eye as if it were still attached to his body as a part of his soul had become trapped in it, and that it would turn to point to his next conquest. Most infamously of course was his eponymous 'Blood Axe', the colossal, blood-red axe that Leth would charge into battle with. The Blood Axe would allegedly drain the spirits of those it struck down, imbuing Leth with their vitality. Though most of the tales are dismissed as idle rumours, some theorise that Leth may have practised arcanism and imbued some of these properties into the artifacts. While the 'Eye of Leth' was apparently discovered and now resides in the Alethe Chamber of Curiosities, the locations of the 'Helm of Leth' and the 'Blood Axe' are unknown - if one supposes they actually exist.

Leth Bloodaxe

Alleged symbol of Leth Bloodaxe

Date of Birth

c. 820s

Date of Death

c. 870s

Sex

Male

Hair

Dark, bearded

Height

Claimed to be over 2 metres