Ralph Gambier

General Sir Ralph Gambier is the head of the Gambier family and the closest friend of Liam Jones. He is a high ranking commander in the Crown Army.

Early Life
Ralph Gambier is the son of Sir James Gambier and Jemima Gambier. He is the second child out of fourteen.

Ralph was born into wealth, his Great Uncle had been made a life peer after a successful Naval career fighting Avonlea under the orders of Admiral Trafalgar. The family were not aristocratic but were considered members of the gentry having climbed up the social ladder several generations before. The family was highly ambitious and the desire to continue the upward trajectory was instilled in Ralph at an early age.

Ralph was not considered to be a very bright nor charismatic child, his father complained that he was sullen, "unremarkable and terribly dull" even when he was a child. He lacked a lot of attention from his parents and from his nanny having been followed swiftly by two younger sisters and another younger brother while he was still very young.

He was sent to school at eleven where he excelled in his lessons having finally received an equal level of attention from his teachers. Although he was often in trouble for making rash decisions and engaging in pranks with his fellow students.

He wrote home to his family every week and received letters from his brothers and sisters but very few from his parents who were either preoccupied or disinterested in Ralph.

When he was eighteen years old he attended a ball in Grosvenor held by one of his cousins, it was here Ralph was introduced to Anne Hill, a young woman of similar social standing to himself. Ralph asked her to dance and spent most of the evening talking to her. Anne was polite but showed little interest. She was lively and good humoured, and although not the most beautiful girl in their social circle was popular for her warm nature and sense of humour. After a few weeks he arrived at her house and asked for her hand in marriage which she firmly refused stating that he had been presumptuous to assume they were anything more than acquaintances. Ralph continued to call on her and attend social events that he knew she would attend, much to Anne's chagrin. Although they did eventually become closer to pleaded for him to stop his proposals believing them to be a bad match with nothing in common and also far too young for marriage.

Wartime and Defection
Ralph had been preparing to attend Ridgby University to study Law when he was called up to fight in the war against the Empire. Ralph was sent to the trench lines in the Forest to defend the border of the Crown. He wrote home regularly to his family and also to Anne to express his continued feelings for her. She wrote back with more affection wishing him good health and her prayers while he served in the war.

Ralph excelled in the army, and found the discipline and hierarchy an honest way of living. He showed strong ability in tactics and was commended for his bravery by his superior officers. However, after just a year and a half of fighting Ralph was summoned home due to a family emergency. It was cleared by his superior officers on the behest of his Uncle William who was a important figure in parliament. Ralph followed orders to travel to the nearest port to board the ship The Cornucopia that would bring him home. However, he saw almost immediately that something was amiss, that the crew was not formed of many officers but by privateers and foreigners. Aboard the ship too were members of his family who were similarly none the wiser. The ship sailed off course up the coast of the Forest where Ralph was joined by his Uncle William, his parents and siblings and a few members of his extended family. William informed Ralph that the Crown was losing the war and an executive decision had been made by certain family members to go into exile. William had defected to the Empire and arranged with Gambiers in Naval command to turn over ships to the Imperial Fleet in exchange for citizenship in an Imperial state. William had trade contacts in the Middle Kingdom and had secured refuge for the family in Haichen, a port city. The Gambiers had betrayed the Crown before the surrender to work for the Imperial Army in the Middle Kingdom region.

Ralph was highly distressed by this decision and repeatedly asked his Uncle to return him to the Crown. His mother had also been against the decision but compelled by her husband. Ralph was told that the Crown would no longer exist soon and that he had to be loyal to his family. Ralph also expressed concerns about Anne being left behind with no knowledge of what was coming.

Return to the Crown
The Gambiers arrived in Haichen after five months at sea and were forced to swear fealty to Hua Qiaoyuan the dominant warlord of the region. Ralph refused to kowtow to the man but his father forced his head down onto the floor. He was informed that he, along with other relatives, would be joining Hua Qiaoyuan's army as soon as the family had settled in. Ralph was indignant about the prospect and expressed his views to his mother who had similar sentiments. She had given birth to her eighth child while on board the ship, Mary that had reminded him how vulnerable they were now, and how important it was to survive.

The family settled in a traditional Haichen courtyard house, or Siheyuan, that allowed the extended family to live altogether, comfortably in one residence with mutiple buildings. Ralph and his mother shared their disgust at the state of the streets of Haichen and of Middle Kingdom culture. Ralph later described it "as a rape of the senses."

Despite his family's pressure Ralph could not settle in Haichen out of worry for Anne. As soon as he received his military status, instead of reporting for duty with his commanding officer Ralph used his new status to board a ship out of Haichen. He took a long journey changing ships at many ports and islands until he managed to get to the Crown. By then it was long past the surrender and the country was in chaos with tens of thousands of people fleeing the island especially since the Empire had given allowance for slaves to be taken from the conquered peoples. Ralph travelled to Anne's family home only to find it an empty ruin, half destroyed by fire. He went to the Governor in charge of the island who claimed to have no knowledge of any of the families having kept no records of who had occurred.

Ralph travelled to a house just outside Grosvenor that had belonged to family friends of Anne. He found the family in hiding who informed him Anne had been staying with them when surrender had been announced but rather than staying where it was safe had left to try and meet her family at the port to escape to Avonlea. Ralph travelled to the nearest port and asked every administrative agent if they had seen her. He was laughed away repeatedly. Miraculously, he found Anne shackled in a chain gang of women ready to be taken aboard a slave ship. She recognised him first and called out to him, Ralph demanded she be set free and bribed an official with his family ring.

Ralph and Anne boarded a ship readying for another arduous journey back to Haichen. Anne's gratitude was replaced when heard he had joined the Imperial Forces, she was appalled asked to be dropped off at the next port to find her own way. Ralph refused to on the grounds that there was no where that was safe for women on their own. They eventually reconciled and due to issues with Anne's status they married aboard the ship, although Ralph admitted that he knew it was out of necessity on her part.

When they finally arrived back in Haichen Ralph, who had written ahead, was arrested by Hua Qiaoyuan's men as soon as he stepped onto the docks. He was taken to the palace jail where he was forced to kneel on the stone floor for 24 hours with his hands tied behind his neck. During this time his father and William Gambier implored Hua Qiaoyuan not to execute him. Eventually William was able to settle a bribe and Ralph was spared on the conditions that he immediately served in the army.

Military career in the Middle Kingdom
As a punishment for his desertion Ralph was sent far away from Haichen up into the North East mountains of Hulunbuir guarding a trade route. It was a lonely barracks with very few soldiers all of whom were Han people who could not converse with him. Ralph began learning Guangha, the official dialect of the Middle Kingdom, when he was off-duty.

During the ten years Ralph served the Imperial forces by guarding