Stronghold /Characters

The Lord

The lord of the player's castle, and also the most important character. If the Lord falls in battle, then the game is over.

Lord Woolsack

Lord Woolsack is a trusted advisor. Since the player's father died in the ambush, Woolsack has looked after the player. He is a bit on the careful side, and will scold the player when he takes too many risks. Lord Woolsack and Sir Longarm spend a lot of time in dispute about how the player should conduct himself.

Sir Longarm

Sir Longarm is an old warhorse. He's an accomplished soldier and will carry out missions elsewhere in the kingdom while the player is busy fighting his own battles. He and Lord Woolsack don't agree on all things and often he will push the player to take more risks than might be prudent.

The King

The king is seen only once near the end of the military campaign, though he is mentioned several times throughout the game.

Duc de Puce "The Rat"

The Rat was raised as an only child in lands belonging to the de Puce family. The duke showed his mother favour, ensuring that she never paid taxes and always had enough to get by. One day a messenger came by and it was revealed that his father was the Duc de Puce, for whom his mother once worked as a serving wench. Due to an unfortunate accident, the entire de Puce family was lost at sea while returning from holiday, leaving the Rat next in line to inherit the title of Duke. The Rat is a childish sort of character - any setback will cause him to lose his cool in a spectacular way, and he gets nervous as the player claims more and more of his counties. The Rat holds the southern counties of England and is the first of the enemy lords to be beaten. The Rat's troops wear orange.

Duc Beauregard "The Snake"

The Snake was once governor of some of the richest provinces in the homeland, where he made an extremely fruitful living by under-declaring the taxes he collected. When the king found out, he had the Snake posted to the 'new colonies'. During one of his first military encounters, the Snake went up against the Lord’s father and lost an eye to him in combat. On that day, the Snake swore he would not rest until the decapitated heads of the player's entire family were lined up on spikes outside his keep. The Snake is a conniving enemy. At one stage he offers the player help against the troops of the Rat, but he does so for a price, like everything he does. He is confident at first; however, once the player begins to surpass him he will start to panic. The bulk of the Snake's land is in Wales, though he secures one of the Rat's counties during the campaign. The Snake's troops wear yellow.

Duc Truffe "The Pig"

When The Pig was born it is rumoured he appeared so hideous that his parents abandoned him in the street. Whatever the case, it is known that he was taken in by a group of travelling bandits who raided small towns and villages throughout the land. While growing up with this small army of rogues he was vastly underfed, but after developing a crude but effective understanding of basic military tactics and being nominated as the rogues' leader, the Pig made sure he had the best food after each raid and has overeaten ever since. The Pig is a brute. When he talks to the player, the player can almost feel the bits of food and spittle flying in his face. He is vindictive and has little patience with fools. The only one he's somewhat afraid of is the Wolf. The Pig primarily controls the East Midland counties. The Pig's troops wear red.

Duc Volpe "The Wolf"

The Wolf's past is shrouded in mystery, and what is known of his history is mainly patched together from stories and unreliable rumours. It is believed that both his parents died from natural causes in close succession shortly after his eighteenth birthday. Cold and raging inside, the Wolf is the player's worst enemy. He puts up with the presence of the other dukes, but none of them approach his level of depravity and hate for the player. He is the most dangerous of the game's enemies. It is revealed near the end of the campaign that he is responsible for the player's father's death. The campaign ends when the player takes the Wolf's castle and slays him, avenging his father's death. The Wolf holds the northernmost counties of England, and his troops wear black.

Sources

• Stronghold Wikipedia