Jakob Stonewall

Jakob Stonewall is a renowned military leader of the Dornish Army, serving in the Dornish Succession Wars, Dornish Civil War, and the Last War. During the Last War, he was the Field Marshal of the Dorn Army. As an aristocrat, when he joined the Dornish armed forces he purchased an officer's commission, but Jakob never coasted on his birthright. He was known as a dedicated and ambitious man, devoted to his nation and its people. The loss of the Last War, the devastation wrought upon Dorn by the Hallowed Lands, and the subsequent rise of the Dornish National Front all weigh heavily on Stonewall. He currently resides in Kaisadroupolis as the head of the Dornish government-in-exile, having fled his homeland after the Dorn National Front seized power.

Physical Characteristics

Once a tall and imposing man, hard years have caught up with Jakob Stonewall. He has lost weight, lending him a sunken appearance, and he walks with a pronounced limp. Pain, both physical and emotional, seems to follow him like a cloud. Nevertheless, the legendary military leader still knows how to command a room, and his voice is as strong as it ever was.

Biography

Military Career

Stonewall began his career at the age of twenty-five in 1309 as a lieutenant. During the Dornish Succession Wars, Stonewall rose to the rank of captain and received accolades and several awards for meritorious service and dedication to his command.   After the Succession Wars, Stonewall continued to rise, eventually becoming a general, placed in charge of the suppression of the rebellious Poyidd clans of Thom Island. When the Dornish Civil War began, General Stonewall remained with the Loyalists, but he began secretly providing information to the Republicans. Before long, he realized that it was only a matter of time before he was discovered, and he left his post, officially switching sides in the war. He became the field marshal of the Bronze Isle Republican Army, and he played a vital role in the victory of the Republicans.   After the civil war, Stonewall retired from military service, but when the Last War began only a few years later, he requested reinstatement and was returned to the position of Field Marshal. The Last War was hard on Stonewall, and while he led the Dornish army in their successful defense of the isle against Hallowed Lands forces, his health was beginning to fail, many long years of stress taking its toll on the aging man. At the end of the war, Stonewall returned to retirement, but once again, his rest would be short-lived. When the Dorn National Front took power in 1349 CE, Stonewall was one of the targets of the political purges undertaken by the totalists. He and other political figures targeted by the DNF fled to Kaisa, where they formed a government-in-exile.

Personal Life

In 1311 CE, Jakob married Marie Kaverish, a woman from another noble house. Their daughter, Alice was born a few years later. However, tragedy struck when Marie fell deathly ill in 1318. She fought for several years before she passed away, when Alice was still very young. Stonewall threw himself into his career, and while he ensured his daughter was cared for, he grew distant. The weight of his wife's death became a shadow over their family. After years of estrangement, they reconciled somewhat following the Dornish Civil War.