Origin
Drake Alexander was a Sergent in the United States Army fighting in France in 1944. While trying to move across a war torn battlefield he was struck by a stray bullet. Drake dropped his rifle and jumped into the nearest trench for cover. After diving in the hole, however, a German grenade landed a few feet from his head. Drake thought that for certain his life was over, but it was not meant to be. Seconds before the grenade detonated a portal opened above Drake’s head and hand pulled him through to the land of Valhalla.
Creation
Sgt. Drake Alexander was created as the main protagonist of the collectible miniature game Heroscape, created by Craig Van Ness, Rob Daviau, and Stephen Baker. Drake actually got his name when two of the designers of the game named him after both of their sons. Drake and Alexander.
Major Story Arcs
Rise of the Valkyrie
After being pulled through the portal Drake found himself inside a clean white castle standing in front of an eight foot tall angel, or valkyrie, named Jandar. At first Drake thought that he had died and had entered heaven, but Jandar informed him that he was alive and on the planet of Valhalla.
Jandar explained that years ago magical wellsprings were discovered on Valhalla and kyrie who drank from them would be healed, strengthened, and, if drank often enough, be given godlike powers and become Valkyrie. Jandar had drank from the wellspring and thought that its waters should be used by all and that it might help to bring peace to the world. But others such as the dark Valkyrie Utgar, had also drank from the wellsprings and he believed only the strongest and richest should be able to have the water’s power.
Soon Utgar raised an army determined to keep the wellsprings’ water for himself and his allies. Aligned with Utgar was the disciplined militaristic Valkyrie known as Einar and his army. These two terrorized Valhalla in order to secure their own strength. Left with little option Jandar and his friend the wise and intelligent Valkyrie, Ullar, raised armies in order to protect Valhalla from the power hungry tyrants. A fifth Valkyrie, known as Vydar, joined in the war with an army of mercenaries who would fight for which ever side payed the better price.
After years of bloodshed Utgar soon discovered that had the power to snatch powerful warriors from across all of time and space. These warriors would share Utgar’s bloodlust and desire for power. And it wasn’t long before Utgar had a horde of machines, aliens, and undead monsters under his command. After discovering this power the other Valkyrie generals also began to summon warriors from other eras and planets to help them in the fight. Einar summoned the most disciplined warriors, Vydar summoned the most deceptive, Ullar summoned the most intelligent, and Jandar summoned the most noble. This new circumstance has only served to escalate the war for Valhalla and bring the threat to all of time and space.
After learning about the war’s history Drake eagerly agreed to fight for Jandar. His wounds were healed by the kyrie Kelda, and Jandar granted Drake two gifts. The first was a grapple gun that he could use to quickly get across the battlefield. The second was The Katana of Thorian. A magical sword that granted Drake the power to blur his image to far off enemies so that they would not be able to target him with ranged attacks. Drake quickly took his place on the front lines and cut down many of Utgar’s strongest fighters. Jandar was so impressed with Drake’s skill he appointed him the leader of his Northern Army and appointed Raelin the Kyrie Warrior as his second in command.
Trapped Behind Enemy Lines
While on an expedition to recover a mystic artifact from the bottom of a lake, Drake and his team were ambushed by Utgar’s Forces. During the battle Drake lost his sword and was soon captured by the dragon Mimring and taken back to an enemy stronghold to be interrogated.
The creature doing the interrogating was the Marro Hivelord Ne-Gok-Sa, a master at telepathy and mind control. Yet Drake’s strong will allowed him to resist Ne-Gok-Sa’s torture for hours. Finally, the rest of Jandar’s Army managed to locate Drake and break into the enemy base.
Among them was a young Viking warrior whom Drake had taken on as his protege. He had taken up the Katana of Thorian in Drake’s absence. He rushed towards Drake and freed him from his restraints. But as soon as the two friends were reunited, the protege was struck dead by the massive soulborg Deathwalker 9000. In a fit of anger Drake picked up the Katana and charged into battle striking down as many members of Utgar’s Army as he could before the cowards could retreat.
The Will of Kee-Mo-Shi
During a battle with Utgar’s Army, Raelin was captured by Utgar’s general Taelord the Kyrie Warrior. Determined not to let another one of his friends die, Drake quickly tracked Taelord to an old castle and mounted an assault.
During the fight Drake was attack by Mimring who was now being ridden and commanded by a Kyrie clad in battle armor. Drake used his grapple gun to swing onto the dragon’s back and knocked the rider to the ground. The rider took off her helmet to reveal that she was actually Raelin. She told Drake that she had been freed from Jandar’s illusions and now served Utgar.
Unwilling to believe that such a noble warrior could do such a thing, Drake concluded that she must have been under some kind of spell. He tried to negotiate with Raelin, but she refused to listen and attacked Drake. Not wanting to hurt her, Drake focused solely on defensive blocks. Eventually the two’s fighting lead them to the top of the castle’s tower where Raelin managed to push Drake off the edge. Drake managed to hook on to the tower as he fell with his grappling hook, preventing him from falling to his death, although he was left dangling on the side of the structure.
Drake looked down the tower to see his friend Shotgun Sullivan climbing towards him. Sullivan shouted at Drake, and told him that he planned to shoot him dead. It was then Drake noticed a green medallion around Sullivan’s neck, the same medallion also appeared on Raelin’s new armor. Realizing that the medallions must be controlling his friends, Drake set into action. When Raelin flew by to finish Drake off, Drake jumped at her and cut the medallion off of her armor. As he fell by Sullivan he managed to grab the medallion and pull it off of his neck. Now being freed, Sullivan quickly grabbed Drake before he could fall further. The two were then picked up by the now freed Raelin who flew them to the ground.
As they landed they saw the Marro witch Kee-Mo-Shi, a master of mind control and the creator of the medallions, fleeing from the battlefield. Drake thought that in order for Kee-Mo-Shi to mind control her victims, the medallions must be an active link to her own mind. Drake quickly smashed the medallion he took from Sullivan on the ground, and destroyed it. This sent a mental shock into Kee-Mo-Shi’s mind, causing her to fall to the ground in a comatose state.
After defeating Kee-Mo-Shi the three friends saw that Jandar’s Army had overtaken the Castle and Utgar’s Army was in full retreat.