Garrison

'Nuff said.

Origin

Garrison was trained by the great swordsman and leader of King Vaneer's Marshal Paladins, Maestro. It is said that Garrison was Maestro's greatest student, far surpassing Maestro's own abilities at a young age. Deciding that joining the strict force of paladins would be a waste of talent, Garrison became a "lone wolf" swordsman; part vigilante. Garrison has always had the desire to fight for himself and his own beliefs rather than for king and country.

Garrison had a natural attraction towards great heroes of his time and began fighting alongside the greatest hero of his era, Aramus. Together, the two were able to overcome the greatest evils of the world, Garrison wielding his blade and Aramus wielding the magic power of the gauntlets. They imprisoned many of the worlds most powerful villains, banishing those unfortunate evil doers to Skyhold; A floating fortress in the sky, with cells bound and protected by the meditation of several monks.

For a time, Garrison became very close to Aramus, looking up to the hero as a father-figure. Aramus is said to have thought of Garrison as a son, as mentioned by Gully in an issue of Battle Chasers.

Fall from Grace

Garrison was to be wed to the love of his life, Vionna. In his honor, an estate with a beautiful home was to be built as a wedding gift for the two lovers. On the day of his wedding, his to-be wife was killed in an attack by enemies of Garrison (to which he had plenty). He was able to defeat his enemies but could not undo the damage that had been done. In many ways, Garrison died on that day along side his wife. He cursed his militant background and upbringing, blaming his sword and those that had been brought to justice by it for the death of his wife.

He vowed never to use his blade again, burying it along with his wife. For a period of time, the legendary blade sat encased in a giant cross above his wifes grave. Garrison began drinking heavily to drown away his sorrows and the once heroic swordsman became nothing more than a severely depressed alcoholic. He left his estate and home unfinished, never seeing reason in finishing up anything of his former life.

His alcoholism pushed him away from his once healthy relationship with Aramus and his daughter Gully. Though his family and friends tried to comfort him and visit their ailing swordsman, it was to no avail. He declined all offers at helping the armies of King Vaneer, even from close friends with personal requests such as Clavius. It appeared that Garrison had given up on living and preferred to be left alone, out of contact with the world with only his alcohol to comfort him.

An unkempt and broken man: Garrison, as he appears after the death of his wife.
Garrison soon disappeared from the public eye, drinking himself into nonexistence. Even a rather flamboyant meeting with the rogue thief Red Monika could not stir him from his stupor. A once energetic and adventurous Garrison might have taken Red Monika up on her offer to break a man from Skyhold prison, a somewhat suicidal mission. However, Garrison showed that he had no interest in adventure or even life, opting to remain drinking alone, amidst the company of hooligans, drunkards, and thieves; the dregs of society. When Red Monika finally is ushered away, she bitterly replies, "Go to hell Garrison" to which he responds under his drunken breath, "already there..." Many of the people began to fear that he had died or that he had deserted those he once stood to protect. Many soldiers were surprised to find out about his existence when he later reappeared to save Vaneer's city. With his disappearance combined with the recent disappearance of Aramus, the grasp of evil began to clasp around the world once more. 

With the reported attack on the House of Aramus and the missing Gully, Garrison attempted to discover the whereabouts of Gully on his own; His first real action since the death of his wife. It should be noted that Garrison was without sword and forced to use stealth and reconnaissance tactics. Several times during his tracking attempts of Gully, he found himself debating whether he was strong enough to overcome the difficulties without the sword, to which, he cursed himself for even thinking about the blade. Under the cover of night, Garrison was forced to scrounge for clues beneath the wreckage of Aramus' estate, all the while, avoiding Vaneer's sentries. He was successful in tracking down the child; a feat that not even the most notably hired trackers could boast.

Meeting Gully, 'Bretto, and Knolan

Gully, 'Bretto, Knolan, and Garrison
It is unclear just how Garrison was able to track the whereabouts of Gully and friends, however, it can be assumed that the trail would become significantly easier to follow once the tracks of a War Golem were linked to the same trail of Gully. With his best educated guess and supreme use of stealth and tactics, Garrison was able to set up an ensnarement trap to relieve Gully of her would be captors.

The plan went off without a hitch, ensnaring the unsuspecting War Golem Calibretto, in a deep chasm and managing to safely apprehend Gully. It seems that Garrison had no knowledge of Knolan, the wizard, and was somewhat surprised to see a fireball casted toward him. This presented a difficulty Garrison was not prepared to deal with. At least not without the sword. There were some shots fired from both sides until Knolan threatened to end the fight quickly with powerful magicks, stating, "I have not killed a man in quite some time but I will to protect this child (Gully)". At this point, Garrison realized that both parties only had good intentions for the safety and well-being of Gully to which words were exchanged between the two parties, albeit with guard up and ready for attack at any moment.

During the conversation, Gully finally realized that the man who had attacked Knolan and 'Bretto was none other than Garrison, the swordsman, to whom her father had once referred to as a son. His unkempt hair and appearance, along with the extended absence from her life had caused the child to not realize who it was. Garrison pulled his hair from his face so that Gully could recognize the face of a man she had not seen in sometime. This reunion did not go as expected though, Gully becoming very upset at Garrison for leaving everyone. She partially blamed Garrison for the disappearance of her father Aramus, claiming that he would go to visit Garrison to cheer him up and Garrison would show no sign of emotion towards the once close friend.

In the end, Garrison was asked to leave by an upset and tearful Gully, to which 'Bretto was more than happy to enforce (Being the one in the group to be sabotaged by Garrison within the chasm). Garrison seemed confused and hurt. The one thing that had caused him to focus on something other than his own tragic life had now denied him any right to continue protection of the child. Also, during the scuffle prior to the conversation, Garrison had thought much about the sword, noting he was not powerful enough to take on both the wizard and the war golem without it. He seemed to be at an apparent crossroad in his life, not knowing which direction to go in. How could he wield the blade that had cursed him and robbed him of his wife? Knolan was quick to sympathize with Garrison, and upon parting, mentioned to, "...get some rest, kid. You look like hell." Garrison was a completely defeated man once again, without direction or purpose, thinking only about the cursed blade.

The Return of the Sword

A mournful Garrison with the cursed sword and locket
With the escape of four super enhanced criminals from Skyhold (to which Red Monika had something to do with, exploding the mana tanks of skyhold prison, unintentionally releasing the four criminals) of which the four criminals were originally imprisoned by Garrison himself, Garrison was forced to become the Legendary Swordsman once again whether he was ready and willing or not.

These four criminals led by the monk Brass Demur and consisting of the wizard Cranius and the demon Bulgrim, began an assault on King Vaneers capital city. Their one demand was Garrison to be handed over to them, to which the assault on the city would end as abruptly as it had started. The group of super enhanced criminals were quite capable of destroying the capital city on their own, collectively overpowering the entire armed forces of King Vaneer. Garrison went to the grave of his wife Vionna, the final resting place of his sword, to think things over. Upon his arrival, Maestro, his original instructor was waiting for him to confront Garrison of his problems. Garrison was disgusted with Maestro for violating the grounds on where his wife was buried, fully knowing that Maestro was there to convince him to pick up the sword.

Bitter words of regret and what-ifs were exchanged as well as fighting, Maestro mainly beating a defeated and somber Garrison. Garrison blamed his mentor for failing to teach him the painful lessons of heartbreak, claiming the hardest blows are struck from the inside. Their was mutual disgust for one another at the scene of Vionna's grave. Maestro than mentioned his 'final lesson' left to teach his former student Garrison. For although Garrison had far surpassed his instructor in fighting technique, he had yet to pass on all that he knew. He cut down the cross that encased his sword, the grave marking of his wifes tomb, and told Garrison, "not to look upon this sword as a curse, but as your salvation." When the blade was revealed, Garrison looked away from the blade in fear. The blade was cemented in the form of a cross over the grave of his wife; a constant reminder of why she had died and a visual representation of his desire to never use the blade again. With his entire world falling down around him, including the rejection of Gully, his wifes legacy, and the attack on the Capital City, Garrison had no other choice left. His destiny had come full circle and Garrison reluctantly took the blade from the grave. He would become the greatest sword fighter that ever lived once again.

Garrison right after his encounter with Maestro at the grave of his wife
Shortly after, Garrison had cleaned himself up, cutting his hair and donning the armor he had worn when he was the notorious swordsman. There was one new addition to his gear this time around however. It was a locket worn around his neck, with an image of his deceased wife Viona to which he clasp around his neck, asking for her forgiveness.__________

Battles

Garrison is the ultimate warrior. He seems to have no other purpose than to battle. He doesn't do it for money, for king and country, or for glory. It just seems to be the thing he was born to do and, while he became reluctant of this lifestyle after the death of his wife, through the events of the comic book BATTLE CHASERS, we see Garrison becoming the true warrior he used to be; The greatest swordsman that ever lived.

Brass Demur

The monk Brass Demur and his protective tattoos
Brass Demur, the insane monk as some put it. This is actually a very polar opposite description of the character. He is the essence of balance, achieving enlightenment through meditation and body strengthening techniques. Brass Demur possesses supernatural strength and durability and has trained his physical and mental prowess through his monk training. He is larger than a normal man, standing at an estimated eight to nine feet tall with an extremely muscular and cut build. His skin is a dark blue to which there is no apparent origin or explanation and his body is covered in shiny metallic tattoos of basic geometric shapes. These Tattoos grant him invulnerability to all attacks, including Garrisons legendary blade. No description is given for their first encounter together, other than that it happened in the capital city and that Garrison was the victor.

Brass Demur is extremely intelligent and had well thought out plans for encountering and defeating Garrison. During his imprisonment at skyhold, he would constantly meditate on how he would defeat Garrison and, once free, set out to do so, leading a band of super enhanced criminals with him.

Garrison was quick to act, going straight to where Brass Demur was located upon arriving at the Capital City of King Vaneer. Along the way, Garrison was assaulted by deadly booby traps set out by Brass Demur. Through his meditation, somehow, Brass Demur was able to 'see' Garrison through these trials and tribulations and, upon review and estimation of Garrisons current skills, Brass Demur was delighted to find Garrison apparently rusty or worse off than their last encounter. "He is already beaten" was stated by the monk before Garrison arrived in the room.

Garrison entered the room with panache, slicing a perfect circle from the brick wall with his legendary sword. Brass Demur was quick to remind him that his magick tattoos could defend even against his blade. So Garrison simply put the sword away. This, naturally, was completely unforeseen in Demur's plans, showing some shock on his calm face exclaiming, "(are you to fight me) Hand to Hand? Are you mad!?". Hand to hand fighting is obviously a monk's strength as they do not often use weapons. This advantage, combined with his size and strength advantage gave Brass Demur a guaranteed victory.

Fighting Brass Demur hand to hand: aka suicide
Garrison began by assaulting Brass Demur with strikes to the face to which Demur sat unphased, taking every strike Garrison could give out. After a series of blows, Demur had had enough, mocking Garrison, "you have grossly underestimated me". This was directly followed by a grapple and a dislocating maneuver, leaving Garrison's right arm useless. Garrison was able to fight past the pain, re-setting his arm in place and continuing his unarmed fight, finding weak spots in the protective tattoos of Demur. Demur finally brought about a reason to wield the sword, sending boulders down upon Garrison. With the blade, he was able to escape the danger and the true fight began...or did it?
Resetting his dislocated arm
Garrison swung with all his might in one strike to which the blade was caught with both hands by the monk, a blade grasp technique that only the most enlightened monks are capable of. Demur retorted, "That was disappointing. I saw that one coming". Garrison then released a powerful plasma type energy from his sword, leaving the hulking monk completely defeated, blue energy spiraling from his head. This is the only time we have seen garrison use this technique and the only time we have seen his eyes glowing red like a demons. Nothing has been mentioned since of this ability or the appearance of his eyes.

The Borrower

Garrison fighting the borrower
The borrower is a creature that is made up of fallen warriors, congealed in a giant mass of creature, often showing the multiple personalities it has overtaken in the from of many faces, mouths, eyes, and limbs. Most borrowers are formed in the wake of a devastating battle; an essence with unfinished business that will collect enough 'material' to make sure it's final task is accomplished. This particular borrower seems hellbent on causing as much destruction as possible and in the general vicinity of innocent bystanders.

The creature itself cannot be killed. It is, in a sense, a simple collection of organic material fighting as a single creature. The only way to truly be rid of the borrower is to destroy the soul or essence that is inside the being. The difficulty here being that it is generally the most protected area of the Borrower, often times encasing the essence in the most compact, central location of material with the best defense.

Garrison leads Vaneers army to try and combat the creature. There is really nothing the army can do except distract it from feeding on the helpless villagers. Garrison wisely has his troops use ranged weapons to hold the beast off, sending a hail of arrows towards the creature. This helps reduce casualties, however, his fool hardy captain, Clavius, directly orders his men to melee the creature. Garrison argues with him telling him he's sending the men to their deaths and, at the same time, increasing the power of the borrower, giving it more material to collect. The wave of men crash into the beast and are quickly swallowed up. Garrison, unable to stand idly by, attempts to fight the beast on his own.

Causing massive amounts of damage to the creature yet unable to kill it completely
Dodging with extreme agility, he is able to avoid attacks that had proven instant death to Vaneers soldiers and is able to scale the beast on one of it's outstretched limbs. With extreme dexterity, he is able to get close enough to strike the body of the beast, opening up a chasm, rending flesh, and placing powerful explosives inside the creature. With a graceful leap, he escapes the creature just before the explosion occurs, sending body parts scattering in all directions. While the men think the battle is over, Garrison stands vigilant and unmoved, waiting for the emergence of the spirit, or 'essence' of the creature. When it does appear, as a willow' wisp, it is too quick for Garrison to attack and escapes to reform it's body.

Garrison than orders the men to cast all the bodies into the fire so that the creature can't 'borrow' the material to grow stronger. It is inevitable however, since the beast finds it's way into an old and large cemetery, strengthening the beast ten fold. The army is forced to stand down and the true controller of the beast is revealed to be none other than Sebastius Nefar, the older brother of Gully. Garrison is captured and bound and is basically taken from the fight. Gully would later allow the borrower to consume her, and tear apart the creature from the inside with the power of Aramus' gauntlets.

Powers/Abilities

Garrison wielding the legendary blade

Swordsmanship

While Garrison possesses no super natural abilities, he is often referred to as the greatest swordsman that ever lived. He is quite human and possesses no special ability that makes him better in a super enhanced fashion. His abilities are a direct result of his intense training with Maestro and his own abilities.

Garrisons sword prowess goes far beyond that of a natural fighter. With his blade, Garrison is able to defeat foes far greater in power and ability. He fights with brute force, occasionally cleaving an enemy completely in two and often fights solely with finesse, preferring to use his sword to alter his surroundings for more favorable fighting conditions.

It is hard to determine just how sharp his blade is. It has been seen cutting through brick walls, cutting through falling boulders, and cleaving a Lycan with armor completely in half. The blade appears to be made of steel though it is not mentioned whether or not the sword is constructed of a special kind of element. Runic symbols run up and down the length of the blade. These may imbue the blade with special powers or unnatural sharpness though this is yet to be confirmed. His legendary blade has been seen emitting powerful energies that are not yet explained as to how they are created, where they come from, and how powerful they are. This ability is activated with the hilt of the sword (opening up with a serious of clicks and clacks. Joe Mad, the creator of the character and sword said he thought it reminded him of the sword of omens, which is used on the 1980's cartoon, THUNDERCATS) and is used to finish his fight with the monk Brass Demur. It should be noted that Brass Demur was holding onto the sword, direct contact, when this ability occurred and seemed to warp the monks mind rendering him a useless pile on the floor.

Unarmed Combat

Garrison has also shown excellent unarmed combat abilities, taking on Brass Demur in hand to hand combat ( a monks specialty). Garrison manages to hold his own until at last, he brings out his "accursed" blade. While he prefers to do things with the sword, their are occasions where Garrison will use unarmed combat instead. It should be noted that Garrison used a an excellent combination of kicks, sweeps and punches to 'feel' out the weakest parts of Brass Demurs protective tattoos. Against the most skilled unarmed fighter (monks in general), Garrison was able to survive, having Brass Demur admit that, "(Garrison provided) Excellent counters to his unarmed fighting" that was unexpected at the time.

Weapon Master

Great Cleave: Slicing through multiple persons in one swing
Along with his sword, the main weapon, Garrison has demonstrated amazing abilities with other forms of weapons. In a particularly spectacular sequence of events, Garrison took on the Borrower, a beast which King Vaneers entire army could not defeat, and used both sword and demolitions to inflict massive damage to the beast. It is assumed that Garrison is always in possession of some form of explosive and he used them deftly against the Borrower to disfigure the beast and break it down into it's true essence.__________

Tracking

Garrison is by far the best tracker in his universe (battle chasers). While the best trackers hired by Vaneers were unable to pick up the trail of Gully, Garrison, along the cover of night and avoiding sentries, was able to find the trail that led to Gully. He was able to stealthily sneak up on 'Bretto, Knolan, and Gully, and ambush the group in an attempt to liberate Gully from the two apparent strangers.

Relationship

Red Monika

Red Monika!
Garrison has an interesting relationship with the extravagant adventurer Red Monika. It was revealed that the two have known each other since they were very young and had always treaded down separate paths, even at a young age. Where Monika was flighty and above the law, Garrison was disciplined and wished to bring justice to the land. If it weren't for these differing views, the two may have become something more than friends. It seems appropriate that both are incredibly adventuresome, sharing similar abilities in combat like swordsmanship, reckless enthusiasm, and a general love of battle.

However, the two separated ways at some point in which their careers took separate paths. Garrison later settled down and married a woman known as Viona. Well, almost married Viona. On the day of their wedding, his wife was killed by villains with which he was somehow associated with in defeating. This devastating event in his life not only ended any thoughts of relationships and love but also is zeal for living. Garrison began drinking heavily and became completely removed from the heroic spotlight.

Monika had attempted to reach out to Garrison during his "fall from grace" period, offering him an exciting position on her skyhold prison liberation attempt. His decline of the invitation seemed to be the final straw between the two. After Garrison reclaimed his sword, he protected Monika's innocence by standing up for her in the court of King Vaneer.

However, in the last issue released, Monika and Garrison had met and seemed to have their collective differences brushed aside. It's hard to say whether or not Monika was showing any deep feelings towards Garrison or if she was being overly flirty (or she was delirious from the injuries she had sustained). It is very clear that Garrison still loves his deceased wife, wearing a locket with her picture in it during battle. However, it seems as though the two, Monika and Garrison, are headed down the relationship road sometime in the near future.

Friendships

Garrison is always depicted as the lone wolf. The solitary soldier. However, deep down, it seems as though he is a compassionate man, caring for friends, most notably checking up on the young Gully when he finds out that she has disappeared. While he doesn't have any perfect friendships with those of his teammates on Battle Chasers, he seems to get along well with everyone. At least, as well as any lone wolf type character can...

Aramus: The legendary hero of his time
__Aramus__

Aramus was a near father figure for the younger Garrison. When Garrison was just beginning his legendary career with the then best swordsman of the land, Maestro, Aramus had already established himself as the Hero of his time. Garrison probably grew up admiring or even idolizing the great feats and victories of Aramus, intensifying his training as a swordsman to one day mimic or even surpass the Great Hero Aramus.

When Garrison became the notable swordsman of his time, surpassing the skills of Maestro, Garrison began working with Aramus. A proverbial dream come true. Things had come full circle, his power coming to fruition and Aramus recognizing greatness in the young swordsman, creating a dynamic duo of power, skill, and finesse. Evil across the land was in fear of the two, as a chance encounter with both Aramus and Garrison surely meant defeat and capture. The two became very close, Aramus referring to Garrison as the son he never had (much to the ultimate dismay of Sebastius Nefar). Garrison was known to be about the estate of Aramus, having met his daughter Gully and becoming friends with those of Aramus.

Of course, things would end up taking a turn for the very worst, Garrison having the tragic incident of his wedding and the death of his wife. It is made mention by Gully after the fact that Aramus had made many attempts at comforting the devastated young Garrison. This is where we have somewhat of a falling out, though it seemed to be understandable by both parties involved. Garrison simply had no desire to be happy now that his wife had died and Aramus knew that it would just take time for the once-energetic young man to snap out of his stupor and join society once more. However, these events never transpired, Aramus disappearing off the face of the earth. In a way, the disappearance of Aramus is what sprung Garrison out of his drunken miserable stupor, and got him back into action. He continues to look for his long time friend and father figure Aramus, allowing Aramus's daughter to tag along for the fun.

Maestro

Garrisons first and only mentor. Maestro is the leader of King Vaneers marshal paladins, the most impressive armed forces of the land. Aside from Aramus and Garrison, Maestro is considered to be the most feared man in all the lands. His appearance denotes his somber and almost ruthless nature. His face tattoos, earrings, and bizarre facial hair create a striking image that enemies and friends alike will not soon forget. It is said that he was the best soldier King Vaneer had seen. This is, of course, before Garrison came along.

There was much promise in the young Garrison who seemed to have a natural ability to wield a sword. Maestro is responsible for teaching Garrison how to perfect his swordplay. Along with just teaching him how to become a great sword fighter, Maestro also taught Garrison how to become a better overall adventurer, teaching him how to track people and how to become a master of all weaponry. This is the typical training the marshall paladins receive and it is assumed that Garrison received the same, if not better, training. Maestro has been known to preform devious acts for his king. He works at a different level than most, slinking down to that of a common thief or murderer to get what he wants or complete his mission. The only difference between Maestro and a common thief/murderer is that Maestro won't leave a paper trail as to who is responsible for the deaths or actions. While Garrison has proven time and time again that he does not operate in the same way that Maestro does, he was trained by him and sometimes carry's on a 'darker' trait at times. This usually amounts to an extra ruthlessness on the field of battle but never in the killing of innocents. This is the main area where the two seem to differ.

Maestro definitely took a liking to Garrison, investing more time with him than anyone else he had trained. This is probably why Garrison ended up surpassing his mentor in fighting skills and abilities. The two ended up separating yet is not revealed why or how this event occurred. It can be assumed that Maestro had plans for Garrison joining the Marshall Paladins, especially after investing so much time into training Garrison. For whatever reason, probably because Garrison does not often work for Kings and does not consider himself a paid for fighter, Garrison decided to follow Aramus on his quest for making the world a better place by ridding the lands of evil doers. I'm sure this event is what spurred on their seeming bitterness towards one another that was displayed in the segment titled ' Return of the Sword '. While the two often converse and discuss with one another, it is generally ALL business, and not idle chit chat. When they are focussed with an objective, they seem to get along fine; like old times. When they are simply talking, they are known to argue and even fight at times (see, ' Return of the Sword').

The young and energetic captain.
__Clavius__

Captain Clavius is a young leader in Vaneers general army. Clavius has had field experience with Garrison and is somewhat of a true friend for Garrison. He might have even been a minor apprentice to Garrison, as he has never shown an interest in getting to know any other soldier within the ranks of King Vaneers army. Sometimes, this can even be a taunting feature for Garrison to mock Clavius with, telling him to obey his king (whereas Garrison is a lone wolf and obeys the commands of no one but himself).

Upon the disappearance of Gully, and the mobilization of King Vaneers army, Clavius is the first and only soldier to ask for Garrisons help in recovering the child (Gully) and finding Aramus. It is shown that not many people even know that Garrison was still alive at the time, one soldier stating that he didn't even recognize Garrison. Clavius seems to have at least stopped by to visit Garrison during his 'fall from grace' period, as Garrison does not seemed surprised to have a visitor in his home. Of course, Garrison declines Clavius' offer but Clavius has not given up on Garrison and Garrison seems to generally appreciate it. Everyone else has given up on him, but Clavius always rides by to ask if Garrison is up for adventure at every whim in the hopes the once great swordsman will snap from his drunken stupor and reclaim his status as a hero.

The two would later meet, this time Garrison the notable swordsman and not the drunkard. Clavius was in charge of the fighting force of King Vaneers men, attempting to subdue the behemoth Borrower. Garrison had agreed to help oversee Clavius's command, offering battlefield advice and suggestions on how to best combat the creature. While it wasn't really Clavius with whom Garrison was speaking to (Sebastius Nefar had shapeshifted into Clavius), Garrison showed support for the friend that had never given up on him during this time. When, later, it was revealed that Clavius was not Clavius, Garrison was faced with a horrible dilemma. The real Clavius was brought forth and Garrison had to choose who would live and who would die; Clavius or Gully. It proved to be a choice Garrison could not make and thankfully did not have to make (as the sentient gauntlets 'removed' themselves from Sebastius Nefar, thus ending the threat). Again, this event only showed the dedication and true friendship of Clavius, willing to die for Garrison to show that he still believed in the Great Swordfighter. The two were able to work in tandem, perhaps like old times, and muster enough strength between the two exhausted and injured friends to overcome Nefar and his Lycans. The two would later follow different paths, again, similar to their earlier lives, Garrison becoming a lone wolf and Clavius continuing his service in the Kings army.

The tiny titan Gully
__Gully__

Gully and Garrison get along okay. Gully is the only one from Battle Chasers he knew prior to the team being set up. Garrison was the one time friend of Aramus and, from this relationship, Garrison knew Gully when she was very young. Gully used to look up to Garrison because she knew that her father thought of Garrison as a son. When Garrison entered his fall from grace, and distanced himself from the world, Gully had a change of heart about the legendary swordsman.

With the disappearance of Garrison for a while, Gully's father became heartbroken over the grief that he suffered. Aramus tried many times to help Garrison out, reaching out to a friend in need. Garrison was quick to reject the offer and ties were severed between the two. This took an exceptional toll on the young Gully, who once thought of Garrison as the older caring brother she never had. Garrison's absence also had a negative impact on her father and for that, she grew to despise the 'cowardly' Garrison for abandoning her and her father.

The two didn't have a wonderful reunion when they met for the first time since the disappearance of Aramus. Gully was disappointed in Garrison for abandoning her and her father after the death of his wife. While this might be easy to argue with an adult about, Garrison could find no way in explaining to Gully why he ignored her father during those dark and difficult times. When Garrison heard about the disappearance of Gully, he began searching for the child. When he finally met with her in the presence of Knolan and 'Bretto, there were mixed emotions. Gully was furious to see that Garrison was now ready to join the rest of the world at this particular time but also glad to see that he was in fact alive and well. Overall, Garrison's presence was far too upsetting for the young girl. In short, while every effort and attempt of Garrison to make sure Gully was okay fell flat to the misunderstanding child, Garrison was asked to leave Gully alone for the time being. This event had a positive impact on Garrison. He knew that he had to change himself if he was to gain the trust and friendships of old friends like Gully.

After his transformation back into the heroic swordsman, Gully was much more affectionate of Garrison. They seemed to get along alright, though, the age difference posed difficulties for the two to sit down and just talk. Garrison seemed to not be very well versed in simple conversation, especially with nine year old girls, so it wasn't an easy period to catch up on old times. While Garrison made it clear that he would help Gully in any way possible to find her missing father, he also made it a bit of his priority to protect the child from harm. This is a difficult situation for Garrison, Gully being such an energetic and willing combatant. In one particular event, Gully gets consumed by the Borrower, to which Garrison is completely angry with himself for letting the child into a dangerous environment (that of the borrowers stomach).

Sometimes, Gully has trouble understanding why Garrison is so glum or serious. She can't quite register the burden and weight of Garrisons past because she is so young. When Garrison has to deal with adult issues, she thinks that he is just being mean or ignoring her during those times. Garrison on the other hand never seems to get mad at Gully, even putting on a better face for the girl when he might normally show another mood. The two seem to get along for the most part, aside from the obvious age difference.

'Bretto

'Bretto the war golem
There is hardly a relationship here. The common things that these two share help keep them on the same page but they don't seem to have a further interest in getting to know one another. With all of the similarities between the two, it is strange to see that they really have no interest in becoming close friends. While 'Bretto was born for war, and has battled literally all his life, Garrison is much the same. Garrison is a lone wolf warrior who is constantly battling for justice. They share the same approach to fighting as well, often preferring to solve conflicts without bringing out the big guns. Along with these similarities is the fact that both want to protect Gully from harm and will do anything they can to ensure the childs safety.

It could be that they got off to a bit of a rough start. 'Bretto and Knolan were taking Gully to the capital city in order to seek King Vaneers advice on what should be done about the Gauntlets and to see if any news of Gullys father had come in. Meanwhile, Garrison was pursuing the group under suspicion that 'Bretto and Knolan had kidnapped Gully. Garrison ambushed the group, booby-trapping Calibretto into a giant chasm and rescuing Gully from the would-be kidnappers. Well, Knolan and 'Bretto responded in the same way Garrison had, believing the rogue warrior had attempted to kidnap the child with evil intentions. They exchanged blows, 'Bretto warning Garrison that he would take his life if the child was not returned safely. Garrison was far outmatched without his blade but it didn't much matter when Gully jumped in the mix revealing that the mysterious rogue warrior was none other than Garrison; legendary swordsman. After things were explained, it seemed like 'Bretto was a little bit protective of Gully, stopping the advancing Garrison and telling him to obey the child's wishes to leave the group.

It's not that they don't like each other, it's more the fact that they never get a chance to sit down and talk/bond with one another. They always seem on the go and in opposite directions from one another. There lack of a friendship has no ramifications on the battle field. Together, they are capable of working in perfect tandem, there abilities complementing the others quite well.

Knolan

The great wizard Knolan
The old codger gives Garrison a hard time but they remain on relatively good terms most of the time. Knolan, because of his age, can be a father figure for almost every living being on the planet and Garrison is no exception. There are things both parties can teach one another and Knolan offers patience and intelligence when Garrison needs answers.

The two are almost complete polar opposites when it comes to combat. While Garrison only relies on his own abilities, drawing his strength from his own skills and blade, Knolan relies on the power of arcane magic to eliminate his foes. It can be summed up in one rather clever statement from Knolan just how different the two are when it comes to fighting. Knolan ends up shouting down at Gully and 'Bretto as he rockets off on his nimbus, "I don't save the day kid, i just try to enjoy it."

While they are at odds when it comes to offensive mindsets, the two have an unlimited appreciation for each other. While Garrison is certainly impressed with the amount of preparation and studying Knolan does, Knolan in turn is impressed by the youth and enthusiasm of the young man. The two have a unifying objective that really helps glue their friendship together and that is the protection of Gully. Both of these men have sworn to see that the child falls into no more harm and that her missing father is found. This is the foundation of their friendship. Everything else is built upon this factor.

King Vaneer

This is one of the most unlikely friendships that Garrison has. In fact, it's debatable whether these two even like each other at all. As has been stated, Garrison is a lone wolf type fighter. He doesn't conform to the regular standards of typical soldiers. For this reason, King Vaneer and Garrison rarely see eye to eye. However, there is some respect between the two and thus,forms the interesting and unique 'friendship' that they have. This is evidenced during a conversation with King Vaneer and Maestro, Garrisons trainer and mentor. Vaneer and Maestro were overseeing the events of the battle between the Borrower and the Royal Guard. Maestro was complaining to Vaneer to let the Marshall Paladins come in and deal with the Demon Spirit that was causing so many casualties and fatalities. However, Vaneer stayed the course, opting instead to watch what Garrison would do.

At the time this was happening, Garrison was merely a spectator in the fight, giving advice to Clavius and providing morale for the troops. Because of all the inevitable loss of life (spurred about by bad decision making from Captain Clavius), Garrison sprang into action. This is what Vaneer had waited to see. Vaneer spoke highly of Garrison and his refusal to fight for King and Country. Vaneer couldn't quite put his finger down on why Garrison was fighting but the sole fact of him fighting with no other purpose but to fight impressed him deeply. Afterwards, Garrison was able to singlehandedly defeat the Borrower, or at least disrupt the contents of the Borrower enough for Vaneers liking. This conversation was never revealed to Garrison however, and upon their next meeting face to face, a much different result ensued.

With the gauntlets encased on display (gully no longer wanting to wear them or keep them for the time being) the question came about as to who might wear them in the hopes of using them to fight for the kingdom and perhaps even find Aramus. Vaneer surprisingly opted out, as did Maestro. Garrison was the next logical choice and he too declined. This was upsetting to Vaneer and when Garrison left the capital city for a time, Vaneer ended up turning on Garrison, sending mercenaries out to 'rough him up', stating, "we'll show him(garrison) how tough it is to be a lone wolf, away from the pack". The results of this event were never finished as the book was canceled but this is the most current form of their relationship.

Battle Chasers

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Battle Chasers

Garrison belongs to the colorful and charismatic group of fantasy heroes that call themselves Battle Chasers. The team consists of Four Members (Gully, Calibretto, Garrison, and Knolan)with an additional helping hand from the extravagant thief Red Monika. Together, they create a powerful team that is well balanced and able to deal with any dangerous situation or powerful villain/villains. The team itself really doesn't consist of any SUPER heroes. The Battle Chasers exist in a universe that is heavily fantasy based, meaning that the skills and abilities of the heroes are from their exceptional and almost legendary prowess as adventurers, with the exception of Knolan, who bases his power off of the magical arts of spell casting.

Garrison is undoubtedly the leader of the team. He has the most combat experience of the team and has assumed the leadership role since there were no official discussions or voting from the team itself. It is obvious to see that Garrison is torn between his ideals of being a "lone wolf" vigilante and "team player" leader mentality. At times, he issues no commands and simply springs into action, something that comes much more naturally to him than issuing orders. His teammates safety is always a major importance for him and it often seems he is fighting merely for the sake of making sure his other teammates won't have to put themselves in the way of dangers he is facing. He isn't the best leader at times but his team supports him as a leader and looks up to him in making decisions during battles.

Outside of battle, Garrison is somewhat at a loss as to what do with his teammates. It was made very evident that he is not good with social problems, referencing his argument and fight with Maestro. So when it comes to the seemingly quirky band of fighters, he really doesn't fit in too well. Knolan is one of the oldest humans on earth and enjoys enjoying the day, not saving it. 'Bretto is a War Golem from another age, with nothing more to offer Garrison other than questions about life, or the way in which Garrison chooses to live his life. Gully has somewhat of a better relationship with Garrison since they knew one another prior to the team officially forming up. They have Aramus as their most common denominator. Other than that though, Gully thinks Garrison is always being mean, writing in one of her letters that he 'never smiles'.

The fearsome foursome
The most unifying ideal that the group shares is its desire to find Aramus and reunite the child with her father. When situations are difficult and times are tough, this is often the glue that keeps everyone together. They all realize that they are in action because of this ideal, and genuinely feel that they are doing a great thing.

The way the team operates in combat is incredibly balanced for a four man team. Gully serves as the biggest physical threat, overpowering her opponents with sheer force and determination. She is also able to 'tank' the most damage with her invulnerability often outlasting the entire team in a long battle. The second front line fighter is Garrison, the swordsman. He is more of a finesse fighter, using his awesome swordskills and legendary blade to strike down opponents. He is the most agile member of the team using a balance of skill and power to defeat his opponents.

The other two members are more catered to long range attacks though 'Bretto can take it to the house with physical domination. That said, 'Bretto is a long range master wielding many advanced long range weapons and is able to fire them all with deadly accuracy. His tracking and locking system is second to none making him the perfect marksman in tight situations. Knolan rounds out the team adding a lot of diversity in ranged attacks. This magician is one of the oldest human beings alive and has one of the most varied and devastating spell books. He can do it all when it comes to spell casting, protecting himself using magical barricades, casting explosive spells with singular targeting and area of effect damage, and is even able to banish enemies to another plane or dimension. It seems there is no limit to his power as he has demonstrated spells of all kinds, melding with walls, creating duplicates of himself, and summoning his traveling cloud 'nimbus'.

Together, the team is able to take on the likes of any. Melee, Ranged, and Magical. There is no area where the team does not excel. The team itself has never tasted defeat though it has come close at times. This can be attributed to the well balanced nature of the team as well as their expertise in all forms of combat.

Creator: Joe Mad!

Initial Garrison sketches by Joe Madureira
The character Garrison is the creation of comic book penciler Joe Madureira. In the short summary about the book Battle Chasers, located in the trade paper back, Madureira explains how he came up with the idea for the rough and tough Swordsman.

Madureira took the tough lone wolf swordsman and put it on steroids when he created Garrison. Everything about the guy, from his sad and tragic history, to his heroic status and incredible feats he has accomplish make Garrison a truly iconic style hero. Garrison is the closest thing to a normal hero you will see in the Battle Chasers book and even he has his traits that separate him from the rest.

Madureira has expressed a certain flair for the fantasy realm, explaining that he had played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons as a kid and a lot of the fantasy element had brushed off on him. This is clearly evidenced in the magical weapons that are often seen in Battle Chasers. The epic abilities of Garrison's sword isn't exactly in Dungeons and Dragons but there are similar items with much less power in the game. The unique aspect of the power items is that it allows anyone to become a hero, allowing the writers to focus on the personality and decision making of the heroes rather than the building and maintaining of powers. With Garrison, this is modified slightly, having Garrison as a skilled swordsman AND equipped with a devastating blade.

Garrison is portrayed by Madureira as a brave, courageous, self sacrificing and loyal man. He is not above wallowing in self pity however, which makes him easy to relate to. He portrays a lot of the best traits in a human and a lot of the worst traits. That's what makes Garrison a very unique character. He has ups and downs like everyone else. He questions his purpose, the rights and wrongs, and, at the same time, he has to learn to move on after a life changing event. His development through the book is equaled only by his teammates Gully and 'Bretto. Battle Chasers had a unique take on it's characters, actually developing them, aging them, and these traits were evident in only nine books.

While nothing is written in stone as to how the series will end or continue, Madureira has expressed some regret to leaving the project and has mentioned that he would like to finish the story at some point in time. This is of course all speculation and fans are still awaiting some kind of closure on the book and on the characters. There is some minor hope for fans of the book as Madureira has stepped once more into the realm of penciling after a long break in the video game industry. Perhaps there will be a conclusion sooner than later...

Garrison graces the cover of Wizard Magazine!

Popularity

The innovative contest for the book in where readers got a chance to create the villain
Garrison and crew were a smash success right off the bat. It is hard to put a finger on what exactly was the biggest seller for fans, but this is mainly due to each element of the book being of exceptional quality. Garrison's character is certainly a major part in the success of the nine issue series, giving fans and readers a tough hero that can face any danger with a signature grimace and 'tough guy' look. Madureira talks about the character and the developing process of creating him, saying that he wanted to be as different as possible with the series, giving readers something new and refreshing. With the success of the story and characters, Madureira, who was running the entire show (character developement, story, and art), allowed fans to become an actual part of the comic book series, holding contests to 'create' the next enemy in the series. This was a unique concept that allowed readers to really feel like they were as much a part of the product that they were enjoying so much as was the actual creator.

Along with a change of pace storyline, characters, and universe, the book also featured amazing pencils by Joe Madureira, voted one of the top ten comic artists of the 90's. His amazing pencils were topped off by solid inking by McWeeny and then became immortalized in Liquid Color. At the time, Liquid was raising the bar for the entire comic artist community almost single handedly using techniques of computer colors that are now considered the norm. With sizzling artwork and luscious colors, it was very clear that the book was going to go far... or was it?

Sadly, Battle Chasers suffered some of the worst comic book lag ever. The book was to be released each month however, it would often be pushed back months at a time, leaving fans upset with the delayed product as well as confused with the storyline (having large, two month gaps inbetween story lines can be very confusing). One book had several months of lag before, sadly and finally, the book was discontinued. Madureira and co had assessed the situation as such: They were no longer able to produce the book at a desired pace (no kidding) and decided it should be set aside until a more regular production schedule could be attained.

It is obvious to see that the book was extremely successful and popular, selling out quickly and then selling out of it's reprints. Also, cover art was done by Madureira to promote and sustain the popularity of the comic, having Battle Chaser characters grace the covers of Wizard Magazine as well as appearing on the cover of Frank Frezzattas Fantasy Illustrated. Even now, it is speculated that there will be a full length live action feature movie to be based on the book. The records of this film have been seen on imdb and are still in the early production stages. It is difficult to find a discontinued comic book series that is drawing attention from Hollywood.

While it isn't impossible that the series will be continued at some point in time, it looks highly improbable that we will be seeing any closure on the characters and stories involved with the series for quite some time. Madureira has expressed some interest in finishing up the series but is currently working on the Ultimates as well as with his Video Game company (for which he ended up leaving Battle Chasers for)

The popularity of the series lands Gully and co on the cover of Fantasy Illustrated