04/06/2020 "Monday Character Spotlight" - High Commander Terrin Korsing
We meet High Commander Terrin Korsing briefly in the first half of chapter one. We later learn that he has been poisoned and Eræn has to rush off with Met and some of the CoEns on a quest to try to save him. But, to avoid spoilers, today we're just going to focus on his background.
When we first encounter him, he is already the seasoned veteran leader we know him as—confident, capable, trusted, responsible—but how did he become that person? For answers we need to take the details we learn about his background in chapter one and flesh them out a little bit.
Terrin Korsing was born to a wealthy family of nobles in the city of Temparr in southern Monorac. His family was one of many with familial ties to the throne of what was at that time nothing more than a powerful city-state—though they were distant ties at best. Like all young Temparr men from influential families, he spent his teen years attending Academy in Temparr (which had many branches of study including warfare, magyk, politics and public service, religion, and the arts). It was quickly realized that he was a near-genius with military tactics, so he was directed into the military officer training program.
During his time at academy he excelled greatly despite befriending a destitute young man from a nearly ruined family of the lesser nobility who was less than serious about his studies. Greggor Metrigale was his family's last hope to regain their wealth and social position and because of this (and his constant pranks and antics), he was largely shunned by the other students (nearly all of whom were from privileged backgrounds). Terrin Korsing, however, was brought up in a family that valued service to others and humility above all else, and thus didn't hold to the same prejudices as his classmates.
To say he and Met clicked from the outset would not be truthful. But Korsing did not ostracize him as the other students did, so Met latched onto him. Over time Met's unshakable loyalty and gruff humor won Korsing over and they became inseparable for the remainder of their years at Academy. In fact, it is greatly surmised (and extremely likely) that Met would not have graduated without the constant tutoring and good influence Korsing brought to him over those years. Of course, it would also be fair to state that Korsing would likely not have developed any sense of humor without Met, nor would he have learned to connect to the common man as well as he did. In the end, they were good for each other.
Korsing's military mind garnered him more and more attention as he progressed through Academy, and upon graduating as far-and-away the top student in his class, he was approached by his distant cousin, King Marryn. For King Marryn was not satisfied being simply the king of one small city-state, even if it was the most powerful city-state south of the Taurrin Mountains—or maybe because it was the most powerful city-state in the region. No, King Marryn had dreams of empire and Korsing would be the vessel by which he would spread his influence.
And so, at the ripe young age of twenty, Terrin Korsing accepted the position of High Commander over all the Temparr forces. Not because he was power hungry as Marryn was, but because he could see the benefits of uniting the constantly feuding city-states and the many villages often trampled under foot in-between. Korsing dreamed of a network of roads and expanded trade, a common language and shared ideas, and over time he achieved these things.
His first great victory came against the neighboring city-state of Lore, home to the Loreshi—ancient enemies of Temparr. The story of that campaign is too long to tell here, but suffice to say that this feat—conquering such long-standing foes—ensured High Commander Korsing's legendary status and won him the loyalty of the "old guard"—commanders who had been passed over for Korsing's position and who, up until this point, had hindered his command every step of the way.
Merely defeating the Loreshi, however, in no way ensured further victories in the attempt to build an empire. In fact, the difficulty in winning that first campaign could have thwarted Marryn's plans entirely due to the attrition involved. But the way Korsing won it actually ensured that his march could continue. For he did not crush the Loreshi and allow his men to have their way with them, but instead, when their defeat was inevitable, he pulled back his men and offered the leaders of Lore favorable terms of surrender, allowing them to retain their lives and positions and granting the Loreshi people citizenship in the nascent empire. Because of this, Korsing not only preserved the lives of many of his own men, but also the lives of many of Lore's soldiers who were then added to his own rolls as he pushed his campaign forward.
And so he continued on over the next twenty years, fighting battles and conquering lands by force when necessary, but accepting peaceful surrender when it was offered. He brought all of the land south of the Taurrin Mountains under Marryn's control, then—as you know if you've read Chapter 1 of Start of the Storm—retired. By this point he was forty years old and ready to spend the rest of his life in peace with his wife and ten-year-old son.
But Emperor Marryn was not content to stop there. He set his sights on conquering Crotaurr next, then the rest of the continent. However, after five years of attempting to raze the Crotaurrin Wall with no positive results, his jealousy of Korsing got the better of him and his scheme to rid the Empire of the former High Commander and anyone loyal to him was hatched.
If you don't know the rest of that story, then you can read it in Start of the Storm: Trials of Transcendence Volume I. The only question that remains is: "What, if anything, does Marryn know of the fate of Korsing and his fleet?" And the answer to that will be forthcoming...eventually.
When we first encounter him, he is already the seasoned veteran leader we know him as—confident, capable, trusted, responsible—but how did he become that person? For answers we need to take the details we learn about his background in chapter one and flesh them out a little bit.
Terrin Korsing was born to a wealthy family of nobles in the city of Temparr in southern Monorac. His family was one of many with familial ties to the throne of what was at that time nothing more than a powerful city-state—though they were distant ties at best. Like all young Temparr men from influential families, he spent his teen years attending Academy in Temparr (which had many branches of study including warfare, magyk, politics and public service, religion, and the arts). It was quickly realized that he was a near-genius with military tactics, so he was directed into the military officer training program.
During his time at academy he excelled greatly despite befriending a destitute young man from a nearly ruined family of the lesser nobility who was less than serious about his studies. Greggor Metrigale was his family's last hope to regain their wealth and social position and because of this (and his constant pranks and antics), he was largely shunned by the other students (nearly all of whom were from privileged backgrounds). Terrin Korsing, however, was brought up in a family that valued service to others and humility above all else, and thus didn't hold to the same prejudices as his classmates.
To say he and Met clicked from the outset would not be truthful. But Korsing did not ostracize him as the other students did, so Met latched onto him. Over time Met's unshakable loyalty and gruff humor won Korsing over and they became inseparable for the remainder of their years at Academy. In fact, it is greatly surmised (and extremely likely) that Met would not have graduated without the constant tutoring and good influence Korsing brought to him over those years. Of course, it would also be fair to state that Korsing would likely not have developed any sense of humor without Met, nor would he have learned to connect to the common man as well as he did. In the end, they were good for each other.
Korsing's military mind garnered him more and more attention as he progressed through Academy, and upon graduating as far-and-away the top student in his class, he was approached by his distant cousin, King Marryn. For King Marryn was not satisfied being simply the king of one small city-state, even if it was the most powerful city-state south of the Taurrin Mountains—or maybe because it was the most powerful city-state in the region. No, King Marryn had dreams of empire and Korsing would be the vessel by which he would spread his influence.
And so, at the ripe young age of twenty, Terrin Korsing accepted the position of High Commander over all the Temparr forces. Not because he was power hungry as Marryn was, but because he could see the benefits of uniting the constantly feuding city-states and the many villages often trampled under foot in-between. Korsing dreamed of a network of roads and expanded trade, a common language and shared ideas, and over time he achieved these things.
His first great victory came against the neighboring city-state of Lore, home to the Loreshi—ancient enemies of Temparr. The story of that campaign is too long to tell here, but suffice to say that this feat—conquering such long-standing foes—ensured High Commander Korsing's legendary status and won him the loyalty of the "old guard"—commanders who had been passed over for Korsing's position and who, up until this point, had hindered his command every step of the way.
Merely defeating the Loreshi, however, in no way ensured further victories in the attempt to build an empire. In fact, the difficulty in winning that first campaign could have thwarted Marryn's plans entirely due to the attrition involved. But the way Korsing won it actually ensured that his march could continue. For he did not crush the Loreshi and allow his men to have their way with them, but instead, when their defeat was inevitable, he pulled back his men and offered the leaders of Lore favorable terms of surrender, allowing them to retain their lives and positions and granting the Loreshi people citizenship in the nascent empire. Because of this, Korsing not only preserved the lives of many of his own men, but also the lives of many of Lore's soldiers who were then added to his own rolls as he pushed his campaign forward.
But Emperor Marryn was not content to stop there. He set his sights on conquering Crotaurr next, then the rest of the continent. However, after five years of attempting to raze the Crotaurrin Wall with no positive results, his jealousy of Korsing got the better of him and his scheme to rid the Empire of the former High Commander and anyone loyal to him was hatched.
If you don't know the rest of that story, then you can read it in Start of the Storm: Trials of Transcendence Volume I. The only question that remains is: "What, if anything, does Marryn know of the fate of Korsing and his fleet?" And the answer to that will be forthcoming...eventually.
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