John Declan I

Founder of the Declan Dynasty, “The Noble Rebel”

Details of John Declan’s early life are scarce; records place him as a Brigadier General in the Felderian Army by the mid-1680s. Known among his peers as pragmatic rather than ideological, Declan valued the lives of his men over blind obedience — a trait that set him apart from Felderian command culture, where soldiers were treated as expendable.

Cut off from the main Felderian front by an Emberstonian spearhead, Declan’s battalion withdrew into forested territory. Instead of forcing a bloody return, he chose to save his command by building a hidden encampment.

• His forces lived by harassing both sides for supplies, raiding for food, medicine, and ammunition, and escorting displaced civilians into the camp. Over time, his “battalion” became a community in arms.
• Declan’s wife and infant son (John II) were smuggled into the camp during this period, alongside other dependents, cementing the encampment as both military refuge and civilian sanctuary.
• Felderia branded him a deserter and sent punitive forces and even airstrikes to bring him back in line. Emberstone, meanwhile, initially hunted them as Felderians in uniform until intercepted radio chatter revealed Felderians fighting Felderians.

REAF intelligence overheard Declan’s forces using captured Emberstone radios to coordinate defense. Interpreting this as civilians under fire, the Emberstone Foreign Legion dispatched an air cav platoon with two SHARAs and STARAH transports.

• Engagement: SHARAs tore apart Felderian strafers and scattered their ground support. STARAHs dropped supplies and crates of captured Felderian weapons.
• Aftermath: An REFL officer reportedly told Declan, “King Masdrin’s heard about what you’re doing here, son. Keep it up — you’re doing the gods’ work.” Then the STARAHs lifted off, leaving behind medicine, food, and machine guns.

• To Emberstone: Routine meddling, “surplus disposal,” and a petty strike against Felderia. Barely worth recording.
• To Declan and his men: Salvation. The “gods of war” had descended, fought off their enemies, and armed them for survival.

• Reality: Likely one plane, a punitive regiment, and a single STARAH load of supplies.
• Declan’s Retelling: Six elite fighters, three full divisions, a desperate last stand shattered by SHARAs and STARAHs disgorging Emberstonian heroes into the fray.
• Why It Stuck: His men experienced real chaos, real losses, and real Emberstonian aid. The exaggeration was never corrected — Masdrin and the REFL had no reason to downplay a story that made their forces look godlike.

After Brynn Bladeshard’s execution at Gatham and Emberstone’s withdrawal, Felderia fractured. Declan realized he now commanded a cohesive force with combat legitimacy and popular support.

• He framed his Woods Battalion as the nucleus of a resistance movement, not a deserter camp.
• Emberstone’s silence allowed his legend to grow unchallenged.
• With open backing from Masdrin, including uniformed Barra D’aron fighting on his side, Declan’s faction won the Felderian civil war.

• Founder of the Declan Dynasty: His rise ended centuries of Bladeshard tyranny, abolished slavery, and aligned Felderia more closely with Emberstone’s model.
• The Legend of the Noble Rebel: To his followers, he was a freedom fighter blessed by Emberstone. To Masdrin, he was just another opportunist who picked the winning side.
• Historical View: Declan I’s genius wasn’t battlefield brilliance but narrative mastery. He knew how to spin survival into rebellion, rebellion into legitimacy, and legitimacy into power.