Calgacus (Cal-Gac-us)

Calgacus "the swordsman" chief of the Vacomagi  tribe and lord of the lands of the Northeast. A man who won glory and great renown for his deeds in his youth, through these deeds he rose from humble beginnings as a the son of a blacksmith to assume the leadership of one of the most powerful chiefdoms of Caledonia. From his court at a place named the winged fort (Burghead) he holds sway over all the clans under the Vacomagi  banner, here he sits upon his throne surrounded by his many courtiers and retinue all of them sycophants and shills. For the Vacomagi  are a populous and wealthy clan, with countless curved fields of fertile soil and many herds of cattle, the people all pay a tithe in tribute to Calgaucs' house, this collected regularly by his subordinates on pain of death. From this tithe Calgacus amassed a great store of wealth, distributing much of the grain and cattle to his courtiers as gifts, in this way he surrounds himself in folk unwilling to question his rule. He likes nothing more than to drink to excess and talk of his youthful exploits. Flagons of expensive Roman wine are brought to him by Venicones  merchants paid for by the tithe of the people. Through this excess he has grown fat, with the red face of a drunkard. Still he commands a certain presence with his long curly red greying beard and a guttural deep voice booming out commands. He wears a bear pelt as a cloak which makes him appear even larger than he is, a spurious prize he claims to have slain himself.

 No one can doubt that Calgacus was once a mighty warrior known to be the best swordsman in all of Caledonia, although many moons have passed since that time the folk still speak of his legendary duels. The story has it that Calgacus' father was a bladesmith of renown, plying his trade along the North Eastern shores among the Vacomagi . His father was commissioned by the then chief of the Vacomagi  to forge a great sword for his eldest son Fergal the fair. Calgacus' father knew this would be the most important blade he would forge in all of his career. Without hesitation he set his mind to work devising how he might forge the mightiest sword, longer, lighter and sharper than all others. He enlisted the help of Calgacus to source the best ore from the Smertae , peculiar rocks of metal that the Smertae  say come down from the heavens lighting up the sky as balls of fire. Calgacus' father used a yew tree that had been struck down by lighting to stoke the furnace, the sacred yew burning brighter and hotter than any other wood. With this the forging began, seven days and nights blow upon blow stroke upon stroke his father laboured by the dim light of the forge by night, Calgacus worked the bellows and both chanted the blacksmiths verse to keep the rhythm of the labour and imbuing the blade with the incantations of the haunting old verse. When the blade was complete calgacus and his father brought the sword to the clan chief who was impressed beyond measure with the length and nimble weight of the blade. He called upon Fergal the fair to present him with the mighty sword. Fergal was in the bloom of his youth when he received the sword. His father told him to hold the sword aloft and strike the centre pole of the house to put the blade to the test. Fergal drew the sword up but was unable to wield it, having not the strength or skill to wield the blade. Calgacus laughed at Fergal, his father reprimanded him for laughing at the chiefs son, and Fergal pleaded with the chief not to let Calgacus away with such disrespect toward their superiors. With this the chief bade Calgacus come forward and wield the great sword, no sooner was Calgacus commanded did he leap forward and swung the sword above his head three times before striking the centre pole with such force that the blade cut half way into the bore. Calgacus called out Fergal to remove the blade from the bore and if he could not he was unfit to ever wield it, Fergal was not impressed by this remark and he challenged Calgacus to a duel, Calgacus wielding the great sword and Fergal his preferred spear and shield. The chief laughed and agreed to this spectacle but Calgacus' father pleaded with him to concede defeat lest they be outcast from the clan. The pair stood back to back in the centre of the house with arms drawn ready for the command. Before the command to begin was given Fergal concealed by his shield struck back with his elbow into the ribs of Calgacus, winding him before the batlle had begun. The command was given and the two turned to commence the duel, Fergal crouched low with his spear held above his shoulder behind his shield and Calgacus stood tall in a peculiar stance with sword held high above his head swinging and rotated, whirling like a dancer in constant state of motion. Fergal took the first strike and missed thanks to Calgacus's pivot, with this Calgacus struck down with all his might, Fergal held up his shield to the sword but the sword cleaved right through it and into the neck of Fergal causing blood to gush into he air as Fergal slumped to his knees before collapsing. The chief cried allowed for his son and bade his guards to lay hands on Calgacus and his father. Calgacus could not be caught or cornered , killing a number of the chiefs men before fleeing with his life. On the other hand his father was captured and hung up on a pole by the wrists and left to the crows.

In this way Calgacus got his hands on the great sword but lost his father in the process, being sower of heart and banished from his homeland he took to roaming the country as a vagrant offering his services to various chiefs for raiding parties and occasional contests, through this he rose to fame as the best swordsman in all the land, warriors came from all parts to challenge Calgacus to duel, but none could stand the might of the two handed sword in single combat, such was the skill and nimble movement of Calgacus that many young boys were sent to watch him fight and many a blacksmith copied the great sword but none could match his fathers blade.

Many years had passed when Calgacus was hired by the Taexali to raid the easternmost granaries of the Vacomagi after years of poor harvest for the Taexali they were in want of stores of grain to sow their fields for the spring. It happened that when Calgacus and his band raided the Vacomagi lands the chieftain was lying in ambush for him, set on having his revenge for the death of Fergal. when Calgacus and his raiding party came to the granaries and found them unguarded, here whilst they filled their wagons with the grain they were set upon by the chiefs men, a fierce battle ensued and although Calgacgus' men were outnumbered and taken by surprise they bested the chiefs men and perused the chief himself, once they had caught up with him they took him prisoner and rode not for Taexali  lands but instead to the citadel of the Vacomagi  at the winged fort. Upon arrival calgacus bade his men enter the settlement and promise the townsfolk a bushel of grain if they were to come to the gate and watch a spectacle. with this the townsfolk hurried to the ramparts and once they were congregated there he made speech to them. he told them that the chief was a coward and a poor ruler who abused his power and made light of their toil on his behalf, with this he challenged the chief a to a duel for the right to rule the Vacomagi, the townsfolk let out a cry to go ahead, having no love for the tyrant and all in one wanting their share of the grain. Now Calgacus had his men release the fetters from the chief and threw a spear down in front of him, goading him to pick it up and make good his Vengance upon Calgacus. The chief took up arms and launched himself at Calgacus, an evenly matched fight ensued, for the chief was no coward and was no stranger to single combat. After some time both men grew tired of fighting in the thick mud, the youthful energy of Calgacus carried him through the spectacle, the chief dropped to his knees exhausted and Calgacus cut his head of at the neck in a single strike. With this he took up the head and held it aloft to the cries of the townsfolk. In this way Calgacus made himself master of the Vacomagi  and famous across the north as a warrior of great renown.