The Lion of Elbe, King Duran ruled his kingdom with a harsh, yet firm command. Intelligent, and seasoned, Duran was not only a king, but fought along side his men as a battlefield commander.
When the Sederan Empire was working on expanding its reaches, King Duran would swear fealty to the Emperor, allowing his army to serve as a vassal to their larger forces. Through his rule, he would be allowed to oversee his smaller Kingdom of Elbe until the GATE reopened and a new war would begin.
In the following weeks, the Empire would face a terrifying new foe, with technology unlike anything they had ever seen. And on top of this the Empire was already on the verge of collapse, with previous kingdoms taking up arms and rebelling against the Emperor. And with it, King Duran would consider joining the movement. But, as the new force showed up on Alnus Hill, the Emperor would call him and other nearby vassals to prepare for a second assault.
Emboldened by a potentially glorious battle, and the prestige in saving a faltering Empire, each king was more than willing to commit large portions of their armies to fight at Alnus Hill. The end result was over 40,000 killed or injured within the first night. Duran oversaw the massacre and pulled his forces back as he began to realize this new army was far more powerful. Instead of following the other Kings in open combat during the day, he favored sneaking his troops under a new moon, to outflank and surround them in a night raid. The attack was an utter catastrophe, resulting in the near instant obliteration of his army. Defeated and humiliated, Duran was caught in nearby artillery explosions, and would barely survive, loosing his left leg and arm in the battle.
Though he survived, King Duran realized his joining the battle was only to wipe out the usurping army, his kingdom along with those whom joined were now virtually defenseless. In a sense, the invading army utterly crushed a potential rebellion, without even knowing they did so. Enraged, he would condemn the Emperor, and would find himself allying with those he fought at Alnus Hill.
To compensate for his injuries sustained at the Battle of Alnus, King Duran was eventually outfitted with advanced prosthetics. The prothsetetics in question were far more advanced than any in the world- as they came from those on the other side of the GATE. In addition to having the ability to walk and better interact with the world around him once more, the King's arm prosthetic was outfitted with new features that also included a small crossbow. Despite his older age, and delimbed state, he was able to recuperate and continue to fight in the eventual Sederan Civil War, using his new crossbow in battle.
Even if Duran is seen as strict and decisive in his role as a ruler, he is one of the vassal kings that happens to be more likely to listen to reason and to take a step back to analyze everything around him before making another move. His experience on both the battlefield and other matters have been well regarded among his peers.
