Bertram was born on 24 Juillet 1829 in the town of Harcourt, around 50 miles from what would eventually become the city of Four Corners in the then Aequorean province of Demesne. His father was a wainwright and wheeler, making wheels and carts for any who needed them, while his mother was a weaver. Together, Bertram’s family made a decent living that fed their five children, kept a roof over their head and kept the fire burning in winter.
Of course, the Thirty Years War was raging as the young boy grew up. Bertram’s father had already fought in the small town militia over the years. As the boy grew up, the soldiers marching off to war in the summer became a normal pattern of life, along with their return with some fewer in the early autumn. Each year, House Arkanin and its vassals bit deeply into the territory of House al’Demesne. Harcourt was far enough from the border to not be targeted, but perfect for drawing militia and levies from.
The summer when Bertram turned 13, his father did not come home, victim of a Hawkness reaver’s javelin. This coincided nicely with his first year’s training at the muster and reinforced the point that he could die at any time. Meanwhile, times got harder without the extra coin coming into the house, though his guild made sure the family did not starve or freeze. When not at the muster, Bertram did his best to learn his father’s trade. Again, the Carpenter’s Guild was more than happy to take the boy in; they provided for their own.
The next year, Bertram marched for the first time in the militia. They travelled all around the Duchy of Demesne, wherever their lords told them to go. Bertram, for his part, did not pay much attention to the why and where. He marched, he scavenged, he did the odd jobs and many of the more demeaning tasks (he was the junior one, after all). On occasion, he fought. Most of the time, this was in small skirmish, but he participated in several larger battles in the summer of 1843 as part of the pike line. These were almost surely defeats, and many of his comrades were wounded, some killed by the skilled Arkanin infantry line. They were professionals, and Bertram’s cohorts were not, it was as simple as that. The war was not going well for House al’Demesne.
When he returned in the autumn, he got back to his trade. Peace, unfortunately, was not to be had. That year, the Arkanin forces edged in deeper into the province instead of retiring as weather got colder, and Bertram was called out. All winter the militia and Demesne troops fought. All winter people died. Eventually, they were pushed back to Harcourt itself, which was put under siege. The winter siege was appalling in nature, but it gave Bertram his first taste of something new.
In order to combat Arkanin mining of the wall, the few professional troops at Harcourt asked for volunteers to help in counter mining. Bertram was one who put his hands up – after all, who could resist double rations? The work was hard, the confines cramped, but it was better than being on sentry on the town’s walls. Several months in, they collapsed an enemy tunnel. Several months later, as the weather warmed, they broke into an enemy tunnel and fought them, driving the Arkanins back to their siege lines.
Alas, it was not to be a victory in the conventional sense. That same summer, High Priest Alejander negotiated with Aequor to let the province of Demesne detach from the Kingdom and form its own, neutral city state – Four Corners. As the Galenthian soldiers marched back to their home, Bertram realised that his calling was not to be a carpenter working in a ragged, half ruined town, but rather to be a sapper.
He argued this convincingly enough with his mother, especially talking up the idea of high pay (not like he knew what they got paid) to support her and his siblings. A few months later, the young man departed from Harcourt in search of the Wolf Company. After all, Harcourt’s sigil was a fox, and a canine is a canine. Good luck, right?
The young man enlisted with the Wolf Company as an apprentice sapper. Over the next six years, he fought in the Duchy of Alasce for House al’Morena. His position actually rendered him aware of important things on the field. He dug mines, learned how to use flash powder and fought in the dark, close confines of tunnels. Beyond sapping and counter works during sieges, Bertram built bridges and roads, dug trenches and improved fortifications. He also learned much about laying and concealing traps, something which came in handy given the Company’s propensity for ambush and tricks. He also learned the essence of scouting and riding in the Company.
The war ended. Bertram remained for several years in the employ of the Company, but as an engineer felt he could learn more engaged in actual warfare. In light of the Succession War having begun in neighbouring Galenthia, Bertram resigned from his Company (with some regret at leaving good comrades) and enlisted with another group. Unorginally, this new outfit called itself the Wolf’s Sons, made up as it were mostly of Wolf Company veterans.
The Wolf’s Sons fought on Lord Anton’s side for several years until their contract lapsed and they decided not to renew, despite the request of the Thorn’s lieutenants to continue on. The war, as it turned out, was not going in a manner that they wanted to continue on with and anyways, a pile of coin had been made and now needed to be spent. During his time in Galenthia, Bertram rose to the rank of Serjeant of Engineers and perfected his skills in all manner of engagements. During this time he gained the byname of The Terrier due to his tenacious nature, diminutive height and digging exploits.
After returning to Harcourt to bury his mother, Betram continued on to Four Corners with the rest of his outfit. He had decided that the mercenary’s life was indeed for him. Happy as he could be and rolling in cash, the man enjoyed his life in the city, cavorting with some seedier elements and selling his services on an individual basis. The Wolf’s Sons still were employed on short term contracts, most notably in the far north with Crusaders. Most of their contracts were caravan guards and garrison, which called less on Bertram’s engineering skills but helped broaden his experience.
When House d’Armaz came calling for any and all mercenaries in their nascent conflict with Arkanin, the Wolf’s Sons obliged. While shadowing the reavers of House Hawkness, the same House whose forces killed his father, Bertram’s outfit was ambushed in closed terrain. Most of them were killed in the initial portion of the battle, before d’Armaz forces rallied to them and defeated the enemy.
It was done, though. The Wolf’s Sons were essentially no more, either dead or wounded on the field. Bertram was among the latter; an arrow to the leg, a sword slash to the torso. It took him nearly a year to recover entirely. On his feet once more, he set out for new adventures in Four Corners.