Vaklav Sikova was born in southern Moldova 72 years ago, the second son of Vigor Sikova, an influential zor (lord) and drakanoi. Vaklav was an accomplished child, excelling in both his studies and in combat. He began his training to become a drakanoi as soon as he was old enough to ride and was accepted into his father's army at the age of 15. Within a year of Vaklav becoming a drakanoi, Regatul Poloniei was invaded by a vast host of barbarians from the north called the Nanda. The Nanda were a terrible enemy who were feared by all. Regatul Poloniei feared for its very survival and called upon the aid of Konack Grigor III of Moldova for aid. The prince of Moldova responded to the call with an army of many of his best soldiers, including Vaklav and his older brother Vigor.
The fighting was terrible and many brave fighters among the Regatulians and Moldovans perished, including Vaklav's older brother Vigor. With his older brother dead, Vaklav was put in charge of his father's armies at just 18 years of age. Vaklav used many of the tactics he had read about in his studies, analyzing the enemy and their strengths and weaknesses, planning on how to pit those against the qualities of the army he fought with. In a great battle at the very gates of Regatul Poloniei, severally outnumbered, Vaklav was able to lead his drakanoi into the flanks of the invading army and crush them, drawing victory from the jaws of defeat.
After this victory, the Emperor of Regatul Poloniei put Vaklav in charge of his own army of Regatulians and Moldovans. Under Vaklav's leadership, the combined force was able to not only turn away the barbarians but also to push into their territory. Vaklav lead a ten year long campaign to drive out the barbarian hordes and then to follow them into their lands to punish them for their aggression and atrocities against the people of Regatul Poloniei. When Vaklav returned home from his long campaign, he found that he was a hero in both of Moldova but of the entire empire. Also, much to his sadness, his father had passed away, leaving him as Zor Vaklav Sikova.
The Prince was pleased with Vaklav's accomplishments and the glory he brought to Moldova, though the Emperor now felt threatened by the popularity of this upstart young lord from Moldova. Over the next several years Vaklav was married to a young daughter of a prince, named Avena, and had several children with her, while occasionally leading a force of soldiers against an enemy of Moldova or the Empire. Vaklav's fame as a courageous soldier and brilliant commander continued to grow until the battle of Togorod.
The mountains of Togorod are the chain which separates the territory controlled by the Moldovans with that of the Valsha people. Vaklav was selected to lead a force into the mountains to disperse the barbarians and to expand the Prince's territories in the southern lands. Unfortunately the harsh terrain combined with the ability of the locals to exploit it, as well as their fighting prowess, lead to Vaklav's first major defeat and the death of many of his soldiers. Vaklav himself suffered from terrible wounds, including losing one eye. After this defeat, the prince ordered the army to withdraw to the southern wall and to fortify it, as he saw no point in trying to push south again. Vaklav returned home in failure. Though many of his fellow Moldovans still respected him and his bravery at the Battle of Togorod, the Emperor used this opportunity to publically disparage Vaklav and blame him for the defeat, thus eliminating him as a threat to the Empire and as a source of Moldovan pride.
Vaklav decided to retire from fighting to his lands to raise his family and manage his estates. Unfortunately, life for an influential nobleman is seldom so simple. When Vaklav ruled over his own lands instead of merely leading an army, he began to realize that there were numerous struggles and conflicts within the empire and principality that did not rely on martial prowess. He began to involve himself in politics of his region of southern Moldova, and with politics of Moldova itself and eventually with the intricacies of Regatulian politics. The prince, still having a great deal of respect for Vaklav's intellect as well as his honor, drew Vaklav close to him and followed his council, both teaching Vaklav about the complex web between nobles, courtiers, and merchants and receiving advice from Vaklav on matters of war or others issues. With time, the prince and Vaklav became friends and fought many battles of intrigue and manipulation together.
When Vaklav was in his 64th year, his wife Avena passed away. They had been married for 35 years and she had given him 4 sons and 6 daughters in that time. He loved her dearly and consulted her on many important decisions and well and leaning on her in his times of weakness and hardship. Avena's death devastated Vaklav and he seemed to lose his zeal for life.Vaklav retired from his position as Zor Sikova, turning the rule over to his son Vigor. He moved back to his castle and buried Avena, planting a white oak tree at her grave site, which he visited every day. From time to time the prince would come to visit and they would share wine together as they reminisced about old times or spoke of how much they missed Avena.
Eventually he prince died as well. The prince had had no living sons, so the scepter passed to the prince's young grandson, the only living child of the Grigor III's oldest son. While the prince had been Vaklav's best friend, he did not know this new young Prince, Konack Moldov XXI. Vaklav was not an young man anymore, at the age of 71 he thought it unwise to get involves in the affairs of court again, but he felt that he had a duty to his old friend Grigor to see that his grandson was not being taken advantage of. Vaklav knew about many of the vipers who surrounded the new prince and that a young and inexperienced prince might succumb to their lies. Vaklav went to court to speak to the new prince, and being an older man who had become used to speaking his mind did not have the subtlety of his youth. Within a month of being at court, Vaklav learned that an adviser from one of the merchant families, an odious little worm named Giorgi who had never so much as set foot on a battlefield or earned his red, had his coils firmly around the prince. He learned this truth too late and was ordered by the prince, at the behest of Giorgi Shonov, on an extended diplomatic mission that would take him out of Moldova. Being bound to the prince by earth and blood, Vaklav was obliged to obey.
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