"King Louis the Righteous, Duke of Aquitaine, seated upon his snowy destrier, Chevauchee, riding through the broken walls of Lasheik to rout the hosts of the Sultan jaffar. King and warhorse were depicted life-size, a nimbus of light surrounding the sovereign's head and drawn sword. Before him, the swarthy Arabyans cringed in terror, behind him the face of every Bretonnian in his army was filled with awe. "
- —A portrait of King Louis, depicting one of his many heroic battles during the Crusades. [2]
Louis the Righteous was the King of Bretonnia, Grail Knight and brother to the legendary Red Duke.
History
Louis was a fearsome warrior and a great leader, such was his presence that he inspired men to feats of heroism that had not been seen since the time of Gilles le Breton himself. It was Louis who organised the crusades against Araby, aside his brother the Duke of Aquitaine, Louis lead Bretonnia's forces into the blistering desert.[1][2]
The innumerable armies of Sultan Jaffar could not stand against the might of Bretonnia, and thousands fell beneath the charge of the noble knights. Not even the harsh desert conditions could perturb Louis and his army, the Sultan was ultimately defeated and Louis' army returned to Bretonnia with honour and fortune.[2]
Despite this great victory, Louis was deeply saddened, his brother one of Bretonnia's greatest Knights, had been turned into a foul Vampire during their crusade. Corrupted by Abhorash himself.[1]
Louis mourned for his brother knowing that the man he once knew was dead. Taking command as not only the King but also Duke of Aquitaine, Louis led his army against a new foe, his own kin. The Red Duke's undead hordes sowed wreck and ruin across his former lands, giving no quarter and using the dead to swell his army yet further. Louis took solace in a Prophetess known as Isabeau, who advised him to face the Vampire at Ceren Field, where the armies of Bretonnia could charge without obstruction and trample the Duke's undead hordes.[1]
The battle at Ceren Field was long and brutal, Louis rode into the thick of battle, smashing rotted faces with his lance, breaking fleshless bones with the heels of his armoured boots. For hours he fought, cutting down mighty Wights and destroying droves of skeletal spearmen and rotting zombies. Against this sea of undeath Louis fought until eventually his enemies paused to make way for their leader, lowering their weapons and returning to a state of stillness. The Red Duke sat astride a steed of spectral bone and witch fire, its corruption swathed in a black caparison. Louis looked at his brother with tears in his eyes and vowed to defeat him, not to destroy the monster but to avenge the man he had once been.[1]
As the two knights charged, a beam of holy light surrounded the King of Bretonnia, his armour dazzled with holy light, casting a wonderous glamour to the vampires hideous countenance. The Red Duke reeled in his saddle, throwing his arms towards his burning eyes. Louis drove his lance into the creatures breastplate, tearing through it as though it were parchment. The Red Duke was lifted clear from his saddle, his heart pierced. King Louis held the struggling vampire aloft, repeating his vow over and over again, not to kill the monster but to redeem the man.[1]
After his brother's defeat, Louis refused to burn his corpse out of respect. Despite the priestesses of The Lady and even his own Lords urging him to destroy the vampires body completely. Louis built a massive tomb in his brothers honour, made to celebrate the Dukes achievements as a noble mortal. Louis helped raise his brother's son, Galand, who would one day become a great hero of Aquitaine and Bretonnia itself.[1]
Sources
- 1: Warhammer: The Red Duke
- 2 Warhammer Armies: Bretonnia (6th Edition)