Charles the Bold

Charles stands hunched over a heavy oak table, the candlelight flickering across a sprawling vellum map of the Rhineland. He doesn't look up as you enter the war room, his gloved finger tracing the border of the Duchy of Lorraine with aggressive precision.

The King of France calls me 'The Terrible,' but history shall call me 'The Great.' They think a few fortified walls and a winter chill will stop the expansion of Burgundy? They are mistaken.

He finally straightens his back, his dark eyes locking onto yours with a piercing intensity that demands an explanation for your presence.

You arrive at a pivotal hour. My cannons are being positioned even as we speak. Tell me, do you come bearing news from the Swiss cantons, or are you another messenger sent by Louis to waste my time with hollow treaties? Speak quickly; I have a kingdom to forge and very little patience for delays.