Holds A Black Lance

Holds A Black Lance was a veteran Ghostfaces warrior of high rank in the warlike tribe's hierarchy and was the leader of the Imsinnis Skassak expedition of 656 C.E., so named in the tongue of the Ghostfaces for his skill in wielding a black Ghostfaces lance in combat. He was partially decapitated by Ingvar's voulge during a duel with the hulking Skandian warrior, his death marking the beginning of the Battle of the Mawagansett Village.

History[]

At an unknown point in time, Holds A Black Lance joined his tribe's military and gained his name in the Ghostfaces tongue for his primary use of a simple lance hewn from black wood. Like all of his people, Holds A Black Lance was presumably taught to believe that the Imsinnis Skassak were superior to their southern neighbours/victims. Holds A Black Lance took part in a unknown previous raid on the villages of the southern river tribes, including that of the Mawagansett tribe, which gave him a good knowledge of the surrounding region (it can be safely assumed that the raid Black Lance partook in was the expedition of 648 C.E.). Burning, looting and pillaging, Holds A Black Lance and his tribesmen tired of their cruel game and returning to their own domain in canoes laden with booty and spoils of 'war'.

Holds A Black Lance rose through the ranks, through what included a score of single combats, eventually becoming the tribe's seeming war leader (although it is unconfirmed if the position of war leader and tribe chieftain were separate titles or if the positions were taken by the same individual). He also seems to have gained a close friendship with his second-in-command, Crusher of Heads.

The Ghostfaces[]

After eight years of silence, the Ghostfaces, led by Holds A Black Lance, launched another raid on their southern neighbours, striking out under the darkness of night and sailing their fleet of canoes down the river that wound through the seven tribes' territories, attacking suddenly and ferociously, stripping the settlements of their supplies and valuables, burning crops and huts and remaining at each tribe's village to celebrate their perceived 'victory', in which they executed the tribe's men and prepared to take the womenfolk and children into slavery. Holds A Black Lance thus led quick, violent raids on the five of the six tribes, including the clans of Tillicum, Pallikan and Limigina.

Following their conquering of the settlement belonging to the Limigina Tribe, Black Lance and his troops hosted their typical victory celebration, creating a colossal bonfire added to by the glow of several flaming huts which the Ghostfaces danced around in a vast circle, leaping and gyrating to the pounding rhythm of drums. Despite their confidence, Holds A Black Lance still dispatched a patrol of over four warriors to watch over the beach where the raiders canoes were drawn up. The celebration was interrupted by the arrival of a terrified member of Black Lance's patrol babbling of his troop's defeat at the hands of several "pale -haired demons", which cumulated with the escape of the Imsinnis Skassak's Limigina prisoners-of-'war', although Holds A Black Lance disbelieves his terrified tribesman, regarding this as an attempt to cover cowardice and had him executed. Black Lance and his Ghostfaces also found the shore to be scattered with the body of the patrol leader, the unconscious forms of his two other patrolmen and one of the canoes than made up his fleet either lost to fire or smashed beyond repair and the other eighteen canoes each damaged, forcing the Imsinnis Skassak to delay their raid of the Mawagansett, with Black Lance presumably overseeing his men's repairs, watching as the Ghosts melted wax and smeared it over the joints, making it utterly waterproof.

Following their repairs, Holds A Black Lance lead six other canoes crammed with his thirty-two finest warriors and hardiest paddlers while the eleven other canoes straggled behind them. Disembarking, Holds A Black Lance watched, boiling with impatience, as his elite subordinates spilled out to join him before mustering the Ghosts and leading them at a trot towards the village of their intended victims, not waiting for the other canoes currently struggling across the bay, telling Crusher of Heads that their cohorts could catch up to them and sharing his lieutenant's disbelief that the Ghostfaces would face any resistance. Using the knowledge gained on his previous raiding expedition, Black Lance led Crusher and their troops through the dim shadows of flora towards the settlement, waving them into a pair of files as they jogged through the jungle of trees, his bare feet pounding the rotting-leaf matted path.

Emerging into the sunlight, Holds A Black Lance halts in shock at the sight of the Mawagansett village readied for war before flushing red with rage at the sight of the natives brandishing weapons in defiance. Gesturing to his subordinates, Black Lance silently signals for the northern natives to form a single line, intending to launch the traditional frontal assault of the Imsinnis Skassak before deciding to give the Mawagansett one 'chance' of 'peaceful surrender' - and be cut down as a result. Bellowing in the national tongue, Holds A Black Lance orders his foes to surrender here and now and their woman and infants would be spared (no doubt only to live a life of slavery under the Ghostfaces), an offer greeted only by a growl of defiance. Once again, Black Lance repeats his offer, threatening to inflict a painful death on them all if they did not comply. Unlike the unworded growl that had meet his first call, Holds A Black Lance's words were greeted this time by Stig's jeering retort that he (who Stig refers to as "Baldy") would have to take them first, to the defenders roared laughter and Black Lance's fury (the Ghostfaces warrior understanding the insulting tone, if not the word). Hesitating at the sight of a strange pale-haired, fair-skinned being wielding a strange axe-like object, Black Lance thinks back to his terrified underling's report and, for no doubt the first time in his life, considers retreating back to the beach where the main body of his army was surely amassing, but seconds later regathers his courage, knowing that to show such weakness would open himself to shame and no-doubt death. Returning to his senses, the sound of nervous muttering from behind inflames Holds A Black Lance, who turns on his men, screaming at them to attack and slaughter the Mawagansett and 'Pale Hair' and leading the charge, running, lance raised, at the barricades, only to veer surreptitiously right, deciding to leave the dealing of such a demonic figure to another tribesman and instead focusing on the Mawagansett warriors, readying his throwing arm to cut down a youth, only for something to move into his way and send his skidding to a stop: Ingvar.

With the feeling of a heart leaping into his throat, the fear is consumed by a wave of rage as his foe smiles at him and Holds A Black Lance throws himself forwards, darting the point of his weapon at the hulky boy, only for Ingvar to flick his voulge to parry it, then, as Black Lance expected, replies with his own lung, which the invader sways out of the way, feeling the air of the weapon pass over his shoulder. But it was this action that was a fatal mistake when the voulge hook snags Holds A Black Lance's flesh as the weapon was drawn back, hooking into the Skassak leader's upper back muscles and dragging the native, screaming in blind pain, forwards. Abandoning the grip he had on his namesake weapon, Holds A Black Lance throws his arms up, fingers seeking the place his agony was erupting from as he is reeled in, only to feel another impact to the neck. Knees loosing the strength to stand, Holds A Black Lance, vision fading, comes crushing onto a sharpened stake, finding himself looking up at the seemingly-fathomless depths of his enemy and the realisation came to him that he had lost the combat for the first and last time before his conscience to fade into darkness, the light to go out in his eyes and he died.

Physical Appearance[]

Though nothing is given towards his personal appearance, Holds A Black Lance bore the same fearsome appearance of all his savage clan. Dark-skinned and shaven, Holds A Black Lance's face is painted dead-white, bare his eyes, which are encircled with black, and cheek hollows, giving him the look of a skull in uncertain lighting. Bare-chested, Black Lance is clad waist-down in deer-hide leggings and soft moccasins.

The Imsinnis Skassak marauder leader's primary weapon and namesake was a long war lance hewn from black wood and fitted with a warhead made from a piece of flint sharpened razor-edged.