Xander Gabris

Xander Gabris is an antistratigos of the Kaisan Army. He began his career as an anthypilarchos, serving with distinction in the Kostakan Bush War, Swiet-Kaisan War, and the Schönntu Rebellion. During the Last War, he was in command of one of the armies fighting on the western front with the IJU.
When the order to begin a counter-offensive was sent down in 1349 CE, he was the only stratigos to refuse to pass down the order. In consequence, he has been assigned to house arrest in Kaisadroupolis, where he resides with his husband and children. This made him a hero to many of The Daffodils, especially Kaisan Army veterans. As the revolution begins, many wonder if he will take a side.

Appearance

Gabris is a short, unassuming man. You would not expect him to be a renowned war hero by appearance. He has soft features and consistently sports a scruffy, unshaven face. He never wears a uniform, when not on duty, instead wearing simple middle-class clothing.

Biography

Early Life

Xander Gabris was born in a small town just north of Kaisadroupolis. His mother was a watch-maker and his father was a soldier. His father was often gone, and his mother was often drunk. Gabris grew up a reserved child, keeping mostly to his studies, at which he did reasonably well. He had few friends and was not particularly well-liked by his peers.

Military Career Before the Last War

With his father's connections, he was able to enlist in an officer's academy, where he performed well and was given a commission as an anthypilarchos in the cavalry. Soon after, his unit was sent to Kaisan Eaorma, where Gabris fought in the Kostakan Bush War against Koberaitan settlers. He received several commendations for his service in the war.
After the Bush War, Gabris and his unit spent several years garrisoned in Kaisan Kriehehrdtia, fighting small indigenous uprisings. When the Swiet-Kaisan War broke out, his unit became a pivotal part of the Kaisan shock troops. The Kaisan cavalry, including his unit, were given the task of circling around Swiet fighters and attacking both Swiet fighters and villages behind the front lines. During one of these excursions, Gabris and a squadron of cavalry, twelve soldiers in total, were surrounded and pinned down in the hills north of a Swiet village by an opposing force of one to two hundred Swiet fighters. Though he was wounded in the opening salvos, he and his squadron held off until dawn, when he ordered his soldiers, atop their horses, to break out in different directions. Surprised by the attack, the Swiets broke, and Gabris only lost three soldiers through the whole battle. After Gabris recovered, he was awarded the Order of the Broken Sword and was promoted to lochagos.
By the time of the Schönntu Rebellion, in 1320, Gabris had been promoted to Tagmatarchis in the Kaisan Army. He was given command of an expeditionary corps, when the colonial troops failed to crush the rebellion. With eight hundred soldiers, Gabris fought Zweschra Kweulherdt and her amy, eventually succeeding in putting down the rebellion. Gabris was given several more commendations for his victory and earned a promotion to syntagmatarchis shortly after the war.

The Last War

At the beginning of the Last War, Syntagmatarchis Gabris was assigned to the western front against the Imperial Jiderani Union. The early days of the Last War were a mess, as the nations of Duun were confronted with the industrialized nature of warfare for the first time. Many of the strategies and tactical beliefs of the military leadership were proved foolhardy by this new mode of combat, and countless people died on all sides. Seeing the inability of its generals to adapt, the Kaisan Symvouli stripped a number of them of their ranks, and one of the people chosen to replace them was Xander Gabris. He had proved himself a capable leader, even in the new conditions of the Last War.
Despite the difficulties he faced, he performed admirably in his new role, even as the war began to turn against Kaisa. He was known to engage personally with his troops, even going so far as to visit positions close to the front lines. This made him popular among the conscripts. In 1349 CE, when the order came to make a last-ditch counteroffensive against the IJU, Gabris saw the futility of the action and the loss of life it would incur. He refused to give the order. He likely would have been stripped of his rank and tried for treason, but the Symvouli was forced to concede by the beginning of a general strike and widespread mutiny amongst the army. Perhaps fearing that trying the most popular general in the army would only make things worse, they ordered Gabris to return to Kaisadroupolis for house arrest pending charge, following the end of the war.

Physical Description

Apparel & Accessories

Gabris' typically wears his officers uniform, whenever serving in an official capacity, albeit a rumpled one. When not on official business, he wears equally unkempt clothes more fit for a working laborer than a well-off military official.

Current Location

Kaisadroupolis

Year of Birth

1289 61 Years old

Pronouns

He/Him

Gender

Man

Aligned Organization

Kaisa