Ulf Greig

Ulf Greig is one of the leaders of the Highlander movement. He served for over eight years in the Legion, accruing the rank of General. Eventually he left the Empire´s army and went on to create the Highlander rebellion along with his friend Nils Sprecan.

History
Ulf was a typical man from the region of Snāwhald. A sturdy build, closed-off personality and adept warrior. Ulf lived with his wife, in a small homestead tending to a garden and a few animals; occasionally he would do the odd job that required some muscle, acting as a mercenary of sorts. Ulf´s wife, Edna, did not approve of his jobs as a blade-for-hire, but he was firm in principle, explaining that it was only a way of earning extra gold.

That was his life, nothing too complicated. Destiny, it seems, would play a trick with Ulf´s future, as one day, when heading into Burhcald to acquire some supplies for his home, he was stopped. The person in question who stopped him was dressed in a light combination of leather garments, probably strong enough to protect from an incoming strike, but still light enough to allow for unrestricted movement. The leathered man questioned Ulf about his identity, if he was the same Ulf Greig he had heard about. Ulf answered with honesty, as he did not know what would follow. The man was a Legion recruiter, and had heard of Ulf´s past as an extremely successful bladesman, thus, he offered Greig with a position within the Legion.

It was not an easy decision to make, Ulf couldn't simply abandon his home and wife, even at the cost of losing all the benefits that a legionary has. So, even though he might have hesitated for a very short moment, in the end, the decision was a no. Ulf never considered  himself as a warrior, or even taking any job within the army. The leathered man asked him to reconsider, it was a unique opportunity. But Ulf was adamant, so, that same day he went back home to his wife and his life carried on without mishap.

A few months would pass, until someone came by the Greig homestead. Edna saw two men through the window, one wearing a heavy set of steel armor, shining due to the midday sun; the other carried a leather garment, it looked very nimble, as his bow protruded his shoulders at his back. No mistake could be made, they were legionaries. Edna quickly called out to her husband, who was working at the back with some metals with an anvil he recently acquired. Ulf stood tall, in front of the now-opened door, as asked without any emotion what they were doing there.

The men went straight to the point, they came for him, to convince Greig to join the Legion. Edna did not known that Ulf was requested to join the forces before, and when she heard, it was an honor for her to have her husband be selected for such a job of honor. She rapidly told Ulf of how he should accept. Ulf tried to convince his wife of how illogical she was sounding. As the armored men stood there, one of them added that Ulf would be joining with additional benefits and a higher pay than usual.

Ulf was systematically losing the argument, as even his wife was certain that he should join and she could fend off by herself by selling the animals. Thus, against his own will, Ulf accepted. Within a few hours he was taken into a journey to Heorthe, the capital of the Empire, as there he would receive training (the little he needed) and start his service. The journey would take just a little over two days in horseback, and the Imperial horses are fast ones at that.

Military service & retirement
Service in the Legion was not like the tales of legend about great soldiers marching through the outbacks of the continent, preserving order and dispatching of criminal scum all around; no, it was simpler. After the training period all recruits pass through, they are mostly used in patrols around the city, nearby Heorthe. Maybe once or twice going a bit further than that and scouting tribal camps. Ulf did not complain, he never yearned for this lifestyle, and thought to himself, that maybe after a few years he could retire.

Ulf managed to maintain a steady pace of earning promotions, as every year or so he would rise through the ranks. The journey from lowly recruit to the highest echelon of General was a long one. It took him several years, and through it all, Ulf participated in many battles, both as foot-soldier and tactician, against a variety of foes. As time went on, he became busier and busier. What once were weekly ´´reports`` to his wife, became sparingly less frequent, once every two weeks, once a month, eventually he only wrote when he had time.

As General he was engaged in many different activities, from logistics and politics to the morale of his men, and everything in between. During this time he reported directly to the Emperor, Magnus Plex, on certain decisions. It was also around this time that he met someone who would become a great friend, Nils Sprecan. They enjoyed speaking of political matters, which reminded Ulf of how he never wanted to join this world at first.

Ulf witnessed how the Empire was losing it´s force, slowly but surely, they were fading away from being the epitome of political and military power, to simply being another figure in the game. As he had grown older, so had his outlook on life, and he became more and more critical of how the Empire functioned to the decisions it made. Eventually, as inevitably as it sounds, Ulf determined that enough was enough, change was required, and it was impossible for it to come from the inside of the Empire. He contacted Nils, with whom he was able to speak freely about his disgust and even seemed to share opinions with. They left, left the Empire, left the city, left the province. Into Skáney they went, where Ulf marched back into his homestead, only to find that Edna was missing.

A letter sat on the dining table, it simply said ´´be free``, with Edna´s unmistakable handwriting. Ulf did not stop to think about all the possibilities that could have befallen his wife, from kidnapping or leaving him for another man, to suicide or similar. The old man was dumbfounded, as Nils watched in horror. After searching tirelessly around the house, Ulf checked the back, where he kept the animals, they were still there, almost dead of hunger as the small garden was left barren in the animal´s search of food. Ulf sat on a bench he had handmade so many years ago, and contemplated there for what seemed hours, even though only a couple dozen minutes passed. He informed Nils that he was ready to start planning, about whatever they were going to do, and that they should leave the place as haste-fully as possible. Nils did not question, and so they left, and within a few weeks the Highlanders were born, and like a child, what started as a defenseless infant would grow to become a powerful movement.