Kurt Helborg
Kurt Helborg is the Grand Master of the Reiksguard knights, and Reiksmarshal of the Empire, meaning he controls their entire armed forces, second only to Emperor Karl Franz himself. He won the job by having the most magnificent mustache in the Empire. This magnificently mustachioed gentleman, is one of the most experienced generals in The Empire, and widely regarded as one of The Empire's best swordsmen (in more ways than one, as he's quite the womanizer off the battlefield). His only real competition on that front comes from Karl Franz's personal champion Ludwig Schwarzhelm, who also matches him in the epic facial hair department. He wields the Solland Runefang Grudge Settler in battle and is outfitted with the Laurels of Victory which is enchanted by Wizards of the Grey Order to make him appear fiercer in battle and scare opponents so thoroughly that few can actually muster the courage to face him. He's fought the length and breadth of The Old World from the frozen wastes of Kislev in the north to the deserts of Araby in the south and everywhere in between. He's only ever been beaten in personal combat by one man, Viscount d’Alembençon of Bretonnia.
You see, Bretonnia and The Empire aren't always on the best of terms. There have been numerous skirmishes and border wars between the two nations. In one such instance Viscount d’Alembençon was leading a Bretonnian army from Couronne against the forces of The Empire led by Kurt Helborg. With the war having settled into a bloody stalemate, and loathe to see more lives taken, The Viscount decided on a plan. He challenged the Reiksmarshal to an honorable duel. The losers army goes home and the conflict ends. Helborg, being a legend in his own time and having never have been beaten accepted. The duel was fierce. Helborg was pressed to his absolute limit and The Viscount came at him like an untiring machine. Eventually, Helborg grew tired and his guard slipped and the Bretonnian knight's sword punched through his breastplate and tore up his ribs, knocking the Reiksmarshal to the ground and sending his sword spinning from his grasp. While scrabbling for his sword, The Viscount's blade came to rest on his throat. Helborg demanded to know just what the hell The Viscount was, d’Alembençon announced that he was a Grail Knight and removed his helmet to show his face shining with holy light. He thanked Helborg for the valiant fight and informed him that he regretted that he was going to have to kill him to stop more bloodshed. At that point, the sound of cannon fire roared from the positions occupied by The Empire's forces. The Reiksmarshal had used the duel as a distraction to allow his army to get into position. As the Bretonnian army was torn apart by cannon fire, Helborg used the distraction to retrieve his sword, disarm The Viscount, and decapitate him with his runefang. The Viscount's last words were a hiss of "Faithless" at the victorious Helborg. Although, one could argue that suckering your basic human opponent into a duel against a demigod of battle directly touched and blessed by a god might be a little on the dishonorable side itself. Helborg looked down at the decapitated body of his foe, felt a twinge of regret, and then went on to lead his army in smashing the now leaderless and demoralized Bretonnian force.
