William de Groente

William de Groente (*618 in Vailia) is the eldest son of two relatively wealthy merchant lords, Karel and Lilian de Groente, who is holding the esteemed position of Captain of the Guard of Vailia for 16 years already, having managed to keep it even when Grand Vailia declared its independence after the Xingqin War.

Early Life

William was always known as a rather bright and happy child, yet he showed little interest in his parents' profession, despite the many attempts of teaching it to him. However, he always showed a keen interest in combat, sticking to the heels of any swordplay instructors that occasionally visited their family estate.
By age 14, his parents finally gave up on the idea of making a merchant lord out of him and removed him from the succession, instead promising the trade house to his younger brother. William instead got his inheritance in the form of a small part of his parents' wealth upon turning 18, leaving the city of Vailia in order to join a prestigious mercenary company and make a name for himself there.

Return to Vailia

However, despite not returning to the capital for 9 years, nobody knows what he has done in the meantime. He kept up regular correspondence with his parents, yet no company is known to have hosted him. Once returning to the capital, he didn't have a single coin to his name and the only thing that separated him from a life on the streets were his parent's connections.
Thanks to his noble blood and skill with the blade, he was not only permitted into the city guard but instantly handed the position of Lieutenant as well. From that point onwards, he kept a rather low profile: he did his job well and always ensured to stay apolitical, resulting in him being elected as the Captain of the City Guard by the merchant dukes, as he was the only candidate who none of them had a grudge with.
When the war came, he made a point out of not letting any of the city guards be drafted into the army, earning him the sympathy of the merchant lord's. This is also why they permitted him to keep his position after their rebellion, whereas most military positions were purged in order to ensure loyalty.

In current times, he is known to often clash with Colonel Altea, being one of his biggest opponents on the local stage. Whether this is caused by a personal or political conflict is unknown, however.