Characters / Stronghold

List of all the AI lords that you will encounter in the Stronghold game. The characters in the folder are when they first appeared.

Introduced in Stronghold

The Boy

The Player Character in both Stronghold and Stronghold 3, who fights against The Wolf and his forces in both games.

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• A Father to His Men: Has the ability to make his soldiers fight harder by building gardens and maypoles for their families to relax in.
• Alone with the Psycho: The ending of Stronghold 3 involves The Wolf capturing and imprisoning The Boy. Despite being the protagonist and the player character, there are no hints as to what happened to him. Lady Catherine doesn't even mention looking for him in the economic campaign.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Has the ability to make his peasants work harder by torturing them (in some cases to death). In Stronghold 3 it is revealed that he executed The Pig by tying him to a stake and shooting him full of arrows. This might be his ultimate fate, as he was last seen being captured by The Wolf.
• Featureless Protagonist: In the first Stronghold Game he has no lines, and in-game has a blank lord model. Averted in Stronghold 3, in which he has distinct features and narrates half of the cutscenes.
• Rags to Riches: Starts out as the son of a minor nobleman, and by the end of Stronghold is commanding a massive army. By the start of Stronghold 3 he is living in the Royal Castle with The King and Lady Catherine.
• Satellite Love Interest: He gets married in one mission, and it provides a a temporary happiness boost. His wife is never mentioned again, and is totally absent from Stronghold 3. The Boy might be a widower.
• Ship Tease: In Stronghold 3, he and Lady Catherine seem comfortable around each other despite the story not hinting at romance.
• Too Dumb to Live: Averted in the first Stronghold, but played strait in Stronghold 3. The Boy walks right into an obvious trap laid by The Wolf, and after defeating him there chases The Wolf without guards and ends up getting captured.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: At the end of the Stronghold 3 military campaign, he is captured by The Wolf. We never hear from him again, and he isn't mentioned in Stronghold Crusader 2.
• You Killed My Father: His father was killed by The Wolf, in a trap orchestrated by The Snake, while attempting to negotiate with The Four Tyrants. While the Briefing, Lord Longarm, and Lord Woolsack mention this a few times in the beginning, it is quite absent save for The Wolf's taunts. By Stronghold 3, The Boy has almost completely forgotten his dead father.
  • The Boy is on the receiving end of this trope in Stronghold 3, when The Wolf Returns for revenge. The Wolf is aided by the sons of The Rat and The Pig. While the motivations of The Rat's Sons are unknown, The Pig's Sons are confirmed to have joined The Wolf so as to pursue a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.

Rat, Duc De Puce

"My plans worked perfectly! You are no match for me!"

The Rat combines appallingly poor skill in managing a castle with a shockingly naïve grasp of military tactics. Making him one of the most useless opponents in the game!

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• Animal Motif: Befitting of his title, Rat has many characteristics of a rat. He squeaks like one, he wrings his hands when he is nervous and his hounskull helmet resembles a rat's nose.
• Badass Boast: Attempts one on the player as he tries to attack your castle.
  Oh yes. I bet now you're worried, my imperial troops will soon be upon you.
• Bastard Bastard: He is the son of a bar wench and the previous Duc De Puce, and he only inherited because all the legitimate heirs died at sea.
• Beware the Silly Ones: The Rat is an utter ignoramus who is as craven as he is incompetent. However, he still comes exceedingly close to killing the heroes early in the campaign of the first game, and it is only double dealing by The Snake that thwarts him.
• Churchgoing Villain: Participated in the crusade to retake Jerusalem in Stronghold Crusader, Stronghold Crusader Extreme, and Stronghold Crusader 2.
• Crippling Overspecialization: His tactics boil down to: Zerg Rush with Spearmen, backed up with smaller numbers of archers. He has no effective counter to armored units or any but the lightest fortifications.
• Dirty Coward: Upon being defeated, he certainly reacts this way.
  Please, please. Please... don't hurt me, please!
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: In Stronghold 3, his three bastard sons are helping The Wolf to take over the kingdom.
• Harmless Villain: By far the weakest leader in Stronghold with his inability to manage his castle nor develop any other tactics than swarm with heaps of Archers and Spearmen.
  • Not-So-Harmless Villain: In spite of everything, he still comes the closest to killing the hero of any in the original campaign.
• Joke Character: Easily one of the worst A.I. controlled lords to boot, par with Sultan.
• Laughably Evil: He is such an ineffective and childish leader that he appears very silly.
• Never My Fault: When he loses either his Gatehouse or his Tower, he blames his troops for such failure.
  Aaaaaarrgh! My stupid troops can't... won't... didn't follow my foolproof plan!
• Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth. He is too lazy to effectively manage his lands, and also displays moral apathy.
• Small Name, Big Ego: He often brags that his "imperial troops" will destroy the player's castle.
• Sore Loser: He does not react well upon having his attack foiled.
  The world has gone crazy I.. I... I should have destroyed you.
• Too Dumb to Live:
  • Original Stronghold: When he is down to his last county, he panics and stupidly takes his army out for no good reason, leaving his castle undefended and allowing Sir Longarm's small force to capture it by surprise!
  • Stronghold Crusader: Poor castle management aside, the Rat can occasionally place his stairs outside of his castle, allowing opponents to just swoop in and kill him outright.
• Villainous Breakdown: As the player closes into his castle, Rat begins panicking as he fails to try and remain calm.
• Villain Decay: While he was already laughably weak in the original Stronghold, he at least had the sense to send some catapults to knock down your fortifications. In Crusader he relies exclusively on Spearmen and Archers, meaning he'll have big trouble breaking through even a simple wall.
• Zerg Rush: Rat's plan of attacking in a nutshell: send vast amounts of spearmen to attack the enemy's the walls with a small group of archers supporting them, and hope to defeat the Lord.

Snake, Duc Beaureguard

"Can you hear it, hmm? That's your death, drawing near."

The Snake has some ability to run his estate, but little stomach for a full on fight. He likes the hired help to do most of his dirty work for him.

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• Animal Motif: He is vain, sly and treacherous. Snakes Are Sinister, after all. He uses Trrrilling Rrrs rather than Sssssnake Talk, though.
• Beard of Evil: He sports a thin moustache and a goatee.
• Cannon Fodder: He certainly thinks this way judging from the fact that he sends Laddermen for the purpose of having a human shield for his other soldiers.
• Churchgoing Villain: Participated in the crusade to retake Jerusalem in Stronghold Crusader and Stronghold Crusader Extreme.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: He is incredibly prone to backstabbing anyone loyal to him, including the Rat (by first tricking him out of a county and then leaving him to his fate once the player gains the upper hand), the player's father (by leading him into an ambush where the Wolf kills him), and eventually the player (by helping him defend a county against the Rat, only to take it for himself at the end). This costs him his life in the end, as the player refuses to spare someone who is so untrustworthy.
• Dirty Coward: He quickly loses his composure when things don't go his way, and will grovel and beg for his life when cornered.
• Dummied Out: An unused voiceline that was to be used upon his death in the main campaign would have had him confess to the Boy that while he did lure the Boy's father to the trap that cost him his life, he wasn't the one who actually killed him. This was likely changed to avoid the shocking reveal that the Wolf was the one who personally ended the life of the Boy's father.
• Eyepatch of Power: Receives his eyepatch as a direct result from the confrontation with the player's father.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: His scheming and greed contribute to his downfall, as he — sometimes accidentally and sometimes deliberately — weakens the Rat, which allows the Boy and Sir Longarm to build up the rebel arny and crush both him and the Rat.
• Kill It with Fire: Prone to use Slaves to ignite the player's buildings in Stronghold: Crusader.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Greed. His avarice is what gets him exiled from his homeland after he is caught embezzling funds. It is also the main reason why he constantly betrays others, and it even weakens his army as he spends a lot of money on personal luxuries rather than his troops. Also Pride, as he believes himself smarter than others and vastly overestimates his skills.
• Smug Snake: Fitting his own title, Duc Beaureguard is vain, snide and sneering, and utterly full of himself, even though he's not that much of a threat. He's also prone to panicking and pleading for mercy when things don't go his way.
• Too Dumb to Live:
  • Original Stronghold: When he built his new castle, he didn't bother demolishing or garrisoning the old one, even though it offers a perfect staging point for any besieging force. The player naturally takes advantage of this.
  • Stronghold Crusader: Two of his castles are so badly designed that they effectively lock him in his castle. Another two of his castles have sections with towers that are unreachable to his troops because they lack stairs or connections to a gatehouse.
• Villain Decay: He uses Macemen and Crossbowmen in the original Stronghold, but not in Stronghold: Crusader. He does compensate to an extent by using better tactics and trying to set fire to your buildings, but adding the mentioned troop types would have made his attacks far more effective.
• Zerg Rush: When he launch a full-scale attack on the player, he deploys as much Archers, Spearman and Laddermen as much as possible with a bit of Catapult to attack the player's wall. He also uses Slaves to set fire to their buildings and Slingers to harass their workers.

Pig, Duc Truffe

"Run away little chicken, I'm going to clip your wings. Mwahahaha."

The Pig, whilst not being one of the regions best economists, likes a fight. His greed for (other peoples) gold will soon have him 'trying it on', with even the smallest of siege forces...

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• Animal Motif: He is overweight, eats messily, grunts, and even looks rather piggish.
• Big Eater: Virtually every single scene with Pig has him eating whatever food he has in his hand.
• Blood Knight: He clearly enjoys fighting and his descriptions and taunts when he is about to attack you clearly demonstrates this.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Eagerly indulges in this, Lord Woolsack numbering among his victims.
• Churchgoing Villain: Participated in the crusade to retake Jerusalem in Stronghold Crusader, Stronghold Crusader Extreme, and Stronghold Crusader 2. In the first Stronghold he has a church in his castle.
• The Dragon: Unofficially in the first game. He is the most skilled enemy short of The Wolf himself, and you send most of the last third of the game fighting him.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: In Stronghold 3, it is revealed that The Pig has two sons. They mourn his death, and help The Wolf so as to avenge their father's death.
• Fat Bastard: The Pig is quite fat because he eats a lot and is a cruel lord too. He frequently boasts about how he enjoys torturing people to death Which is exactly what he does to Lord Woolsack in the original game.
• Freudian Excuse: The Pig was so ugly at birth that his parents abandoned him to die in the streets, where he was found and raised by a gang of bandits. He overeats because he was chronically underfed in childhood.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: He begins as a simple peasant bandit and ends up becoming a powerful duke.
• Gonk: The Pig has quite an ugly face, one that actually looks like a pig’s, too.
• Lack of Empathy: When the Pig discusses having tortured and killed Lord Woolsack with the Wolf, he doesn’t seem to show any regret for what he just did.
• Lower-Class Lout: His accent is noticeably more thuggish than that of his peers, justified considering he started out as a peasant bandit.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony, obviously, as he overindulges in food, but also Wrath, as shown by his outbursts of violence and sadism.
• Unskilled, but Strong: Doesn't have much in the way of castle building and his method of attacking is simply rushing the opponent with Crossbowmen and Macemen supported by a few Catapults and Battering Rams, but nevertheless his forces prove to be formidable.
• Villain Decay: He's far more dangerous in the original Stronghold than in Stronghold: Crusader. He uses a wider variety of troops, including large mobs of Pikemen. Furthermore, his castle is very well-designed and is actually harder to take than the Wolf's (albeit mostly because your army is weaker than when you besiege the Wolf).

Wolf, Duc Volpe

"I will tear down your castle... stone by stone if I have to, but I will have your head."

The Wolf holds his castle in an iron grip, but it is passion for warfare that makes him one of the most feared opponents. Deliberate and cunning, he will use every military trick and tactic at his disposal to win the day.

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• Animal Motif: He snarls and paces about like a wolf.
• Bad Boss: Invests in a negative Fear Factor, implying that he is not a good person.
• The Bad Guy Wins: In Stronghold 3, the Boy makes a bad move and tries to go after the Wolf alone, allowing the Wolf to capture him.
• Better to Die than Be Killed: After he loses, he demands that the player kills him, refusing to become a subservient servant of the player after he is defeated.
• Blood Knight: He clearly enjoys showing off his military skills. This is the only time when he casts aside his negative persona, becoming energetic and even smiling slightly.
  • He shares this with Richard The Lionheart, who replaces him in the side series of games as the title character. However Richard is shown to be much more noble than the Wolf.
• Churchgoing Villain: Participated in the crusade to retake Jerusalem in Stronghold Crusader, Stronghold Crusader Extreme, and Stronghold Crusader 2. In the first Stronghold he has a church in his castle.
• The Dreaded: Even The Pig, who is known for torturing and killing prisoners, shows a considerable fear towards The Wolf.
• Disney Villain Death: He endures this when you defeated him at the end of the game.
• Evil Counterpart: To Richard Lionheart. Both are tough opponents who enjoy showing off their military skill, favour complex strategies, and show respect for a Worthy Opponent (albeit very grudgingly in the Wolf's case). However, Richard is a much more noble character who lacks the Wolf's cruelty and bitterness.
• Evil Sounds Deep: His voice is a deep, baritone growl.
• Not Quite Dead: Returns in Stronghold 3 to take revenge.
• Oop North: His domain in the first Stronghold.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking:
  • In contrast to his other three dukes above, Wolf stands above them as one of the strongest leaders ever fought in Stronghold thanks to his mighty fortress, his powerful siege attack forces and his stable and booming economy. Destroying his castle will prove no easy task.
  • This also applies to his "Crusader" counterpart. While the other three lords are arguably nerfed due to lesser tactics compared to the last game, and considering the fact that Wolf was lowered in the pecking order due to newer characters such as Richard and Saladin. The Wolf is still among the strongest AI lord (if not the strongest) in the game. His attacking power isn't far behind Richard The Lionheart. Sends Horse Archers to harass, uses the highest variety of troops compared to ANY other AI lord, and has among the best economies in the game. His attacking numbers tend to be higher than Richard's too. His castles also are well defended and are among the biggest of any AI lord and even his compact castles have defenses that would make the Caliph blush. His only real faults are that he uses negative fear factor (meaning his troops die faster than Richard, who uses positive) and he takes a good while to fully set up his castle, even if he has 40,000 starting gold.
• Savage Wolves: The Wolf's entire demeanor invokes the image of a ruthless predator, who only cares about who is strongest, and not only can keep the rest of his collaborator's in line through intimidation, but can actually back up his threats with ferocious force.
• Self-Made Orphan: The only thing known for sure about his past is that both his parents died around his eighteenth birthday, allegedly from natural causes. The implication being that the causes aren't so natural.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Wrath. He is power-hungry, enjoys warfare, is cruel to his subjects, and is obsessed with getting revenge against those who foil his plans. While he is more restrained than the Pig, this only makes his anger more terrifying when he displays it.
• Worthy Opponent: He'll occasionally show you some grudging respect after you foil his attack.

Introduced in Stronghold: Crusader

Saladin, The Wise

"I am not a vindictive man. Once you are my prisoner, you shall live. Maybe, you will tend my camels..."

More than any other lord, Saladin knows how to run the desert economy. He will be in no great rush to lead his forces out into the field, but when he strikes, it will be from a position of power.

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• Benevolent Boss: He cares about his people and is fully willing to invest in positive fear factor to demonstrate it.
• Defeat Means Friendship: After the Crusaders successfully defeat his assault on the castle of Jaffa, Saladin and Richard the Lionheart start corresponding and negotiate a treaty that brings peace to the region for five years.
• Graceful Loser: His response upon being defeated is to willingly surrenders himself to the player and ask whether you are merciful or not.
• Made a Slave: At the end of the Saracen Campaign, Saladin recaptures Jerusalem and enslaves the European civilians and POWs who are unable to pay their ransoms.
• Magikarp Power: While he requires a lot of time to set up, once his castle is fully fortified, sieging him will be one of the player's most difficult task yet.
• Nice Guy: He is one of the kindest lord in all of Stronghold, regardless whether he is your enemy or your ally, Saladin always treats the player with respect.
• Pyromaniac: Three of the missions in the Saracen Campaign involve Saladin defeating crusaders by burning their cities to the ground along with every crusader inside. This tactic - using fire to burn enemies to death - is actually forbidden by Islamic Military Jurisprudence.
• The Stoic: Always speaks in a calm and polite tone and almost never loses his cool.
• Stone Wall: His castle is regarded as one of the toughest out of all the lords while having an average siege attack himself.

Caliph, The Scorpion

"Let the siege begin! Take no prisoners! Kill them all."

Cruel and vindictive, the Caliph is skilled at bringing misery to both his own people and to yours. If he can get his tyrannical act together, his underhand methods of fighting will prove a constant thorn in your side.

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• Axe-Crazy: Uses Negative Fear Factor to motivate his populous, and acts threatening even when he's your ally.
• Bad Boss: Heavily employs a Negative Fear Factor to motivate his men to work faster.
• Evil Sounds Raspy
• The Faceless: We never see his face as he always conceal himself in a cloak. Averted in SC 2, where his face is finally revealed; he is a robust man sporting an unkempt beard.
• Jerkass: Constantly acts like a condescending dick towards everyone from his own men, to his opponent, and even to his own ally.
• Pyromaniac: Is one of the few lords to use flaming arrows, sends in swarms of slaves to burn your buildings, and likes using fire Ballistae.
• Sore Loser: He does not his defeat well if the player managed to slay the lord.

Sultan Abdul

"The camels are restless. They are bad omen for you, I think."

This Sultan is more... say… a poet, than a warrior, preferring feasting to the humdrum of running his own castle. In short not the sharpest sword in the desert. His people love him however and his soldiers will fight well to defend him.

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• Cool Old Guy: Especially if he is an ally, then he will always kindly talk to player.
• Developer's Foresight: He normally doesn't dig moats or hire any units that can do it, but if you make a custom castle for him and give it a moat, he will hire three Slaves to dig it (and this is the only time he uses Slaves).
• Easy Level Trick: A simple moat will completely stop his attacks on your castle, since he uses no troops who can fill it in (though his archers and slingers will still probably be able to harass some of your peasants).
• The Exile: In Stronghold 3 it is revealed that The Sultan was driven out of the middle east by The Jackal, and that he had to flee to northern England
• Joke Character: Essentially, he is the Arabian version of the Rat, only he is a bit more competent than him.
• Kindhearted Simpleton: He is not exactly a smart guy considering that he buys the foods rather than make one himself and is an incompetent lord but otherwise he is a Nice Guy on par with Saladin.
• Nice Guy: He's one of kindest lords, beloved by his people who fight eagerly to defend him.
• Oop North: Where The Sultan lives after fleeing from The Jackal. He landed in a backwater fishing village and turned it into a wealthy trading city.
• Too Dumb to Live: A simple moat will stop his attacks because he has no troops that can fill it in.
• Zerg Rush: His attack plan is very similar to the Rat's: rush the enemy with mobs of Arabian Swordsmen backed up by small numbers of Arabian Bowmen, and occasionally send small groups of Slingers to harass the enemy's peasants. Because he never uses siege engines or any unit that can fill in moats, he only presents a threat early in the game.

Richard the Lionheart I

"The desert is a cruel place to fight. Are you sure you have the heart for it?"

The Lionheart has a reasonable grasp of the regions economy.. for a soldier, but it is in the field of battle where he is in his element. Brave and fearless, his ability to siege a castle is second to none.

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• Blood Knight: He is always eager to fight on the battlefield and tends to siege quite frequently. In Stronghold Crusader 2, he is so eager to fight that in his campaign he rushes to battle without taking time to prepare.
• A Father to His Men: Considering that he greatly invests in positive Fear Factor to motivate his men, it is clear he cares greatly for his own troops.
• Force and Finesse: The force to King Phillip and arguably Saladin's Finesse. Could also be considered the Finesse to Emperor Frederick, who bypasses most of Richard's uniqueness of attack pattern and positive fear factor for high numbers in his attacks.
• Hypocrite: Uses siege equipment and sends units in his higher scale attacks specifically do destroy your walls towers and buildings and taunts you about how "dangerous" war is when he destroys something but implies you are a coward and asks for a fair fight if you destroy anything of his.
• Mighty Glacier: With exception of Archers, his troops are consisting Swordsmen, Pikemen, and assorted siege units, all of them have pretty slow movement speed, but they are tough to boot, not to mention he sieges your castle in large number.
• Nice Guy: Greatly respects the player when you're his opponent and as an ally, always acts polite and kind to you.
• Real Men Love Jesus: Participated in the Crusade to retake Jerusalem in Stronghold Crusader, Stronghold Crusader Extreme, and Stronghold Crusader 2.
• Too Dumb to Live: While he has among the strongest attacking force bolstered by positive fear factor, his defenses are absolutely pitiful with literally assigning less archers than the fingers in your hand in their towers.
• Worthy Opponent: When enemy, if you successfully defend yourself against his attacks, he will applaud you, without any hint of hate or sarcasm.

Introduced in Stronghold Crusader Warchest

Emperor Frederick

"My troops are needed, elsewhere"

Emperor Frederick is perhaps the best all-round strategist in the desert. There are few weaknesses in his armor and left alone he will over time become a mighty force.

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• Captain Ersatz: He resembles the immortal knight from a movie about the search for the Holy Grail.
• Cool Old Guy: In the games, he's already 63 (he died on 68 during the crusades), and he's rather level-headed.
• Easy Level Trick: When defending against him, a moat can stop most of his troops since neither Crossbowman and Swordsman cannot get through it. His knights can also easily poked on with Crossbowman on your walls.
• Germanic Efficiency: Implied as he has good grasp both economy and warfare.
• Magikarp Power: Much like Saladin, he takes a while to build up his economy but when he given enough time, his empire will become one of the toughest in the game.
• Real Men Love Jesus: Participated in the Crusade to retake Jerusalem in Stronghold Crusader and Stronghold Crusader Extreme.
• The Stoic: His lines and expressions are flat, especially compared to Philip and Lionheart.

King Philip II

"Oh! Too boring! Please don't bother me with your silly requests!"

King Phillip is rather like the Sultan in terms of character, being more interested in feasting than planning military strategies. Like him, he shows a range of somewhat exaggerated and outlandish expressions depending on his mood and military situation.

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• Benevolent Boss: Provides his workers with a good food supply and variety, as well as gardens and statues.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Is often seen yawning, often complaining that he loses interest in the war and often not defending his allies or attacking an enemy when requested to.
• Crippling Overspecialization: Relies very heavily on mounted knights to raid an enemy's economy, and is subsequently sub-par at sieging a castle.
• French Jerk: A somewhat downplayed example. Philip II was the king of France during the Third Crusade and, while not a total Jerkass, he can sometimes be arrogant and condescending towards the player (sometimes even as an ally).
• Lightning Bruiser: As mentioned above, he relies on his squadrons of mounted knights.
• Neat Freak: The arrangements of his statues, gardens and moat are fussily precise and symmetrical.
• Purple Is Powerful: Is seen wearing purple.
• Surrounded by Idiots: When you fend off his sieges, except replace "idiots" with "fools".

Sir Longarm, the Marshal

"Things are going a bit pear shaped, eh what?"

Sir Longarm is an aid of the player in Stronghold. He mostly supplies the player with military advice and troops and proves to be a very reliable ally. In Crusader, the recurring Marshal is a retired fighter, who has spent most of his life on the battlefields. He is not the best strategist or economist, but applies some tactics that can pack quite a punch.

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• Crippling Overspecialization: Relies very heavily on mounted knights to raid an enemy's economy, and is subsequently sub-par at sieging a castle (though not quite as bad as King Phillip, as he does employ trebuchets).
• Dented Iron: He was a strong military leader and economic administrator in his younger days but old age gets him.
• Lightning Bruiser: As mentioned above, he relies on his squadrons of mounted knights.
• Magikarp Power: He will grow stronger but if there are iron ores around his castle and player left his presence. Yet, he is still one of weakest enemies in the game.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: In the first Stronghold game, he was the Red to Lord Woolsack’s Blue. This was dropped when Lord Woolsack was tortured and killed by the Pig.

Sheriff

"Are you a man or a mouse? I don't know why I asked the question... Prepare to squeak!"

The character is based on the Sheriff of Nottingham in the Robin Hood lore. His nicknames, however, suggest he also represents in minor role Sheriffs of other cities in England.

In Stronghold Crusader, The Sheriff emulates his legendary counterpart quite well. He will heavily tax his peasants and treat them with great cruelty. Much like The Snake, The Sheriff is a master of deception and will use almost every dirty trick in the book to achieve victory. Also like the Snake, he speaks slowly and has the same mocking style when he taunts his enemies. However, he is a much more easygoing lord, never showing much concern when under siege, nor any fear of defeat or death.

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• Affably Evil: He can act pleasant to PC, especially if he asks some goods.
• Bad Boss: Heavily employs a Negative Fear Factor to motivate his men to work faster.
• Combat Pragmatist: He uses forces from barrack and Arabian mercenaries alike. He is also the only Crusader lords who uses fire ballistas.
• Churchgoing Villain: Participated in the crusade to retake Jerusalem in Stronghold Crusader. He also able to build chapels and churches to in an attempt to counter the negative effect of his cruelty.
• Bow and Sword in Accord: Or rather, crossbow and sword which he displays when taunting player.
• Jerkass: He is Bad Boss, heavily taxes his populations, and speaks in condescending tone.
• Lightning Bruiser: His troops are consisting of Macemens and Crossbowmen, with some few Assassins and Fire Ballista peppered on the lines. They might not be the strongest units, but can be assembled real fast.
• Magikarp Power: He has good grasp of economy and will become difficult opponent if left alone. He also only attack if his forces are large.
• Noodle Incident: When you select the Sheriff for a match he'll say "Ah! Revenge!". And when he's defeated, he'll grumble about how he "Lost again". Both seem to imply that you've apparently met him before, but not much beyond that.
• Smug Snake: Really, just look at the quote above.^* That's his quote when taunting the player, randomly quipped when winning on a fight.
• Surrounded by Idiots: When you fend off one of his sieges.
  Blast and Thunder! You ask for a simple task to be done and what do you get?!

Emir

"Things aren't going well, are they? Still, never mind..."

The Emir is an economist who likes sending armies after one another in battle. He can do this because of his economic prowess, however he does still complain about his economy, implying that he is a bit of a perfectionist. He also complains about not having much skill on the battlefield, which further emphasizes this.

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• Benevolent Boss: He's building many good things to increase his positive fear factor.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's rather easygoing, and it's as effective as Saladin.
• Face Death with Dignity: He remains calm and easygoing, even on his last days.
• Jack of All Stats: He's the second most dangerous if-not the most dangerous Arabian lord A.I., seconded to Saladin, but he is a lot faster in terms of building troops, since his economy grows fast, and he can halt the workers to get himself some more troops early on. He will attack only if his forces are at medium-to-large, but with that quick economy, he'll do it in no time.
  • Master of None: The only reason he's not as dangerous as Saladin is that Saladin is more proficient at selling his stuff and he doesn't poke other's economies with Horse Archers like Saladin does. He also doesn't use traps to strengthen his castle walls unlike other Arabian lords do sans Saladin and Sultan.
• The Perfectionist: Despite his economical prowess and his skills at building troops, he still complains whether he did great or not. This further emphasizes in a quote if you managed to down one of his buildings.
• Smug Super: If he's not friendly towards you, or you're his current opponent, then he's this, and he has the skill to boot up his claim.

Nizar

"Like the tall river grasses I bend in the wind."

''Though the inspiration for the character is not entirely clear, it is possible that The Nizar and his followers are based on a medieval Islamic group known as "The Hashashins/Assassins." During the middle ages, "Nizar" refered to those who were followers of Nizari Isma'ilism (a branch of Shia Islam), of which the Assassins were a part of. The Assassins relied on murder and scare tactics to achieve their goals, and thrived well into the thirteenth century.Despite his fearsome reputation as a leader of Assassins, to his own people, the Nizar is actually a relatively benevolent lord, allowing his workers some time off. However he is suspicious of his allies, sometimes to the point of being disrespectful, and lacks chivalry towards his enemies.''

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• Benevolent Boss: Unlike the likes of Caliph and Wazir, he does not force the laborers to work twice as hard and is very benevolent toward his workers, by building shrines and parks and letting them go on their spare time.
  • Good Is Not Nice: Despite all of this, Nizar is a rather untrustworthy towards his allies. He'll refuse most of the request you've send.
• Combat Pragmatist: He will send assassins to jump onto your place unnoticed. He can do this as early as the beginning of the game.
• The Faceless: His face is always covered.
• Glass Cannon: Combined by maxing out his positive fear factor, he'll be able to dish out inside your walls with ease using his assassins. However, his castle consisting only of Moats, few towers, and no walls at all, making him an easy target to cheese on with siege weapons. Still be careful of the traps you are going to face along the way.

Wazir

"I will strike you down!"

The Wazir is an extremely cruel ruler. He's working his men to the limit of human ability, allowing him to generate more goods, which he sells for gold to fund his armies. He can be somewhat weak starting out, especially if lacking in starting gold, but progressively becomes a dangerous force.

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• Awesome, but Impractical: He usually utilizes Fire Thrower on his siege, which can be poked from far away by archers. Not to mention that it can hurt his units as well.
  • His reliance on negative fear factor to bolster his economy (especially food) is also this. He's producing twice more breads than any other lord in this game, but he never buys food, and single strike towards the Granary will seal his fate.
• Bad Boss: He uses Fear Factor to maximize productivity of his people and taxes them.
• Boring, but Practical: On the other hand, his Horse Raids are a force to be reckoned with. Early on, he'll be sending few Horse Archers to your perimeter and slowly cripple you if not quickly handled. Later on, he'll be sending lots of them and quickly cripples you from afar, and finishes you off with barrage of swordsmen.
• Evil Vizier: Wazir is Arabic pronunciation of vizier. Add his cruelty and you get an Evil Vizier.
• Fragile Speedster: He start off in rather humble, but annoying numbers of Horse Archers to poke and harass your perimeters early on. Take too long and left him undisturbed, and he'll become...
  • Lightning Bruiser: Hoo boy. Once his star-shaped castle is complete, all he need to do is assemble large mount of Horse Archers to tire you out then finish it with a large scale siege consisting of trebuchets, fire thrower, and large amount of Swordsman. And you'll be pressed if you think laying siege on his castle is easy, because he'll be setting everyone on fire once you got close enough.
• The Faceless: His face is always covered.

The Abbot

"The brothers are meditating... they cannot be disturbed."

A vindictive man, The Abbot considers himself entrusted with the defense of his faith. He and his very large following of monks (and a few archers and catapults) will do whatever it takes to achieve this goal.

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• Bad Boss: He is as bad as Caliph and Wazir, building many bad things to bolster productivity.
• Barefisted Monk: Abbot utilizes armed monk in his armies, which fights using martial arts and quarterstaff.
• Churchgoing Villain: Abbot is very religious, uses monks as his primary armed force, and build many religious structures throughout the games.
• Corrupt Church: His institution can be considered this.
• Crippling Overspecialization: His troops are powerful in melee, but none of them wear armor. As a result, they die easily to massed archer fire. In addition, his core troops cannot fill in moats.
• Fragile Speedster: His monks are among the weakest in terms of health, but it's as fast as the Slaves and can pack quite a punch, and he uses them in raids.
• Zerg Rush: His offensive strategy is based on sending increasingly large waves of Monks supported by a small number of Archers and Catapults. Left unchecked, these waves will number literally hundreds of monks.

Introduced in Stronghold 2

Sir Matthew Steele

• Big Damn Heroes: Saves Sir Grey when he is besieged by McLoud's forces, saves Sir William from an execution by taking an axe from the tree and throwing it at the noose's rope, then saves Sir William again when he is besieged by one of The Hawk's vassals.
• Big Eater: Sir Steele regularly hosts feasts, and an entire mission in The Path of Peace basically amounts to him convincing The King to give him a bigger estate by eating suckling pigs and boiled cabbages (feasting is how lords gain honor).
• Churchgoing Villain: In the Traitor Path Missions, Sir Matthew Steele can still build Churches and Monastaries even as he murders his friends and usurps the throne from The Rightful King.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Because Stronghold 2 adds a Crime And Punishment system, Sir Steele has to make his judge punish thieves in order to turn them back into productive peasants. Some of these punishments are simple (being locked in cages, being placed in stocks, being forced to wear a humiliation mask, etc), others can be downright cruel (having a hot poker stuck in your mouth, being stretched on a stretching rack, being spun on a spinning wheel, being burned alive, etc). And no, burning peasants at the stake for petty theft does not cost you any honor. In fact, it grants you honor.
• Color-Coded Characters: Sir Matthew Steele is bright red.
• Good Is Not Nice: In the first part of the campaign, and in the three Loyalist Missions, Sir Steele is a noble knight fighting to help ensure that the Rightful King Returns. However still tortures and executes peasants for stealing food, march his soldiers to certain death, and he almost hangs Edwin Blackfry for treason.
• Feudal Overlord: In the second traitor mission, the peasants revolt and attempt to kill Sir Steele. They failed.
• Hold the Line: Most of the missions see Sir Steele doing this. In the first mission he defends his village and the nearby Monestary from Olaf Grimtooth's Berserkers. Later in The Borderlands he defends his castle from a combined assault by both Angus McLoud and Olaf Grimtooth. Later on he defends a castle from a combined siege of Lord Barclay and Pascal Deveraux. If he continues to serve Lord William than he ends up defending the Monastery from those two again, and afterwards defends a castle from Pascal's full force.
• The Kingslayer: If Sir Steele takes the traitor path, then the last mission has him besieging The King's Castle in an attempt to kill him before Pascal or Barclay can (because whoever kills him gets the crown).
• Knight in Shining Armor: Let's see. Knight? Check. Bravery in battle? Check. Fighting for a noble cause? If the player so chooses.
• Player Character
• Rags to Riches: Sir Steele started out as Sir William's page, as a peasant freeman. Over the course of The Path Of Peace campaign he becomes a Land Holder with several estates. In The Path of War Campaign he becomes a Knight on top of that and (if he stays loyal to Sir William's cause) ends up as Royal Champion.
• Rags to Royalty: Sir Steele started out as Sir William's page, as a peasant freeman. If he sides with Lord Barclay, then he becomes the new King.
• Real Men Love Jesus: In the main war campaign and in the three missions of the Loyalist Path, Matthew Steele can build a Church and a Monastery in his castle and his estates. Additionally he defends a Monastery from pagan vikings in the in one Main Campaign mission, rebuilds it in a later Main Campaign mission, and in the first Loyalist Path mission he defended an Abbey from Lord Barclay and Lord Pascal.
• Satellite Love Interest: Sir Steele has a wife. She is unnamed and only appears in missions where you can build the royal bedchamber. She never talks, and her only interactions with Sir Steele are sitting next to him at feasts and making heirs with him. Her interests include attending feasts, hosting dances, attending church, and sewing.
• Two Roads Before You: In mission 6 of the main campaign, Steele is given the choice between continuing to aid Sir William in defense of the rightful king or joining Lord Barclay in an attempt to claim the crown for himself. You get three missions for the timeline where he continues to aid Sir William, and three for the timeline where he betrays him.

Sir William:

• Color-Coded Characters: Sir William is blood red.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Sir William is this to Lady Seren, and in fact only became Royal Champion to impress her.
• Knight in Shining Armor: Knight? Check. Bravery in battle? Check. Fighting for a noble cause? Check. Courtly Love? Check.
• Last Stand: If Sir Steele chooses to side with Lord Barclay, then the second traitor mission involves killing Sir William.
• The Mentor: Sir William is this to Ser Steele. He taught Ser Steele how to be a knight and gives him advice in battle.
• Real Men Love Jesus: Sir William has a Church and a Monastery in his own castle, and in the Path of Peace Campaign he goes on a Crusade to reclaim a holy scepter.
• Red Herring: The King's sources inform him that there is a traitor among the loyalist lords, and that he suspects it of being Sir William. This is justified (Sir William did free known traitor Edwin Blackfry from imprisonment) but also totally incorrect.
• Shoot the Rope: How Matthew Steele saves Sir Willaim's life when Olaf Grimtooth tries to hang him.
• Ungrateful Bastard: In the Path of Peace campaign, while he is on a Crusade, the player helps him become Royal Champion by managing his Castle in such a way that it produces lots of honor. When he returns, he attributes his winning the title to a holy scepter he found and your efforts are forgotten.

Sir Grey:

• Color-Coded Characters: Guess what color Sir GREY is.
• Big Damn Heroes: In the second Loyalist Mission, Lord Barclay arrives with a large army to besiege your now underdefended castle. Sir Grey arrives with his own big army, preventing him from doing so. This doubles as a Heroic Sacrifice as Lord Barclay shoots him dead with a crossbow. Conversely in the second Traitor Mission, Sir Grey arrives with an army to prevent you from killing Sir William. Sadly he fails.
• Changed My Mind, Kid: When Sir William proposes fighting off a giant siege by Lord Barclay and Pascal Deveraux, Sir Grey calls the plan foolhearty and leaves because he doesn't want his men to die on what he sees as a fools errand. Later when Lord Barclay and Pascal Deveraux do arrive, they talk about how Sir Grey's army attacked them on the road and delayed their advance. In the second Loyalist Path mission, he arrives to prevent Lord Barclay from finishing off your weakened forces and dies for it. In the second Traitor Path mission, he attempts to rescue Sir William from you and McLoud. In both attempts he dies.
• Good Is Not Soft: Sir Grey is a kindly old man who sleeps a lot ... but he'll still arrive with an army to kill you if you try to hurt Sir William or otherwise try to usurp The Kings Throne.
• Heavy Sleeper: In The Path of Peace, The King states that Sir Grey spends most of his time sleeping. And when Sir William goes on a crusade in an attempt to become The Royal Champion, he states that Sir Grey is taking a nap.

• Old Soldier: Despite being old and tired, Sir Grey can still lead soldiers into battle when the situation demands.

Lady Seren:

• Color-Coded Characters: Lady Seren is pink.
• Dying Declaration of Love: In the first traitor mission, Sir Steele storms the abbey and kills Lady Seren. When she dies she declares her love for Ser William.
• Fake Defector: Pretends to have sided with Lord Barclay in order to shelter the real king, and in order to undermine his efforts. She reveals her true allegiance by surprise attacking his forces when he tries to assault one of Sir Steele's castles.
• Last Stand: If Ser Steele chooses to side with Lord Barclay, then the first traitor mission involves storming the abbey and killing Lady Seren.
• Real Women Love Jesus: In the first Traitor Path mission, she dies attempting to defend an Abbey from you and Lord Barclay.
• Wicked Witch: Edwin Blackfly accuses her of being one. She isn't..

The King:

• Color-Coded Characters: The King is purple.
• The Good King: The Path of Peace shows him legitimately caring about the well-being of his people, giving Sir Steele missions to improve the nation.
• Last Stand: If Ser Steele joins Lord Barclay, then The King's allies are all killed. The last traitor mission involves The King making a last stand in his castle as it is assaulted by Sir Steele, Lord Barclay, and Pascal.
• Rightful King Returns: If Ser Steele continues to aid Sir William in defending him, then The King ends up coming out of hiding and leading the final assault on Lord Barclay's castle.

Lord Barclay:

• Color-Coded Characters: Lord Barclay is green.
• Bald of Evil: Lord Barclay is bald and is ripping the kingdom apart in a civil war because he wants to be The Usurper.
• Graceful Loser: In the third loyalist mission, Sir Steele and Sir William and The King are all assaulting Lord Barclay's castle. Once his health is reduced he surrenders.
• The Usurper: Lord Barclay is trying to take the Crown for himself.
• The Straight and Arrow Path: Uses a crossbow first to kill one of his own men, and later to kill Sir Grey in the end of the second loyalist mission.
• You Have Failed Me: Shoots one of his men to death with a crossbow when the man's poor catapult fire allows Sir William to escape.

Sir Edwin Blackfly:

• Color-Coded Characters: Edwin Blackfly is yellow.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: In The Path of Peace, Edwin attacks Sir Grey's castle in a bid to expand his lands. When this fails he is imprisoned. Later, during Lord Barclay's Rebellion, Edwin asks Sir William to set him free in exchange for desperately needed help. In exchange, Edwin hands Sir William over to Olaf Grimtooth.
• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: When cornered by Sir Steele, Edwin begs and grovels for his life.
• Dirty Coward: Edwin taunts his enemies when succeeding, commands from the rear of his army, betrays his allies, and begs for mercy when defeated.
• Feudal Overlord: In The Path of Peace he extorts money from his peasants.
• Kill It with Fire: Edwin threatens to cook one of his peasants for withholding money, and states that he wants to burn Lady Seren at the stake.
• Obvious Judas: He is introduced as "an English Traitor". You don't get an introduction like that by being a loyal ally.
• Public Execution: Subverted. Matthew Steele orders his soldiers to hang Edwin Blackfly from his own gallows ... but relents when Edwin reveals Lord Barclay's plan to assault the Abby. Instead Edwin is thrown in the stalks.
• Speech Impediment: Lord Edwin has a lisp.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: If Sir Steele chooses to support the rightful king, then the ending cut-scene shows Edwin and Lord Barclay being hauled away in a cage while the king watches. But if Sir Steele chooses to try and claim the crown for himself, then Edwin is simply forgotten. Presumably he is either still rotting in Sir Steele's dungeon or he was executed by Sir William.
• You Have Failed Me: Cuts two of his men-at-arms in half when they flee from battle.

Angus McLoud:

• Avenging the Villain: When he dies, Angus McLoud states that his brothers will avenge him.
• Color-Coded Characters: Angus McLoud is blue.
• Big Damn Heroes: In the third Loyalist Mission, he arrives with a large army help Lord Barclay defend his castle from a final siege by The Loyalists. In the second Traitor Mission, when Sir Grey arrives to protect Sir William from you, McLoud arrives with his own army to come to your rescue. In both cases his army is insufficient, and he ultimately perishes.
• Villainous Valour: Ultimately dies coming to the rescue of his allies. See Big Damn Heroes above.
• Violent Glaswegian: Scottish, angry, and more than ready to lead a throng of mace-wielding Scotsmen into battle.

Pascal Deveraux:

• Cain and Abel: If Sir Steele does not join Lord Barclay, then the second loyalist mission involves Sir Steel and Sir William killing Pascal. The player can even order Sir William to deliver the final blow.
• Color-Coded Characters: Pascal Deveraus is teal.
• French Jerk: Pascal Deveraux has a French name, a French accent, and a habit of poisoning Kings. The first two are noticable because his brother, Sir William, has an English name and an English Accent.

Olaf Grimtooth:

• Color-Coded Characters: Olaf Grimtooth is orange.
• Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: When Sir Steele finally kills him, Olaf states that he sees Valhalla.
• The Berserker: The bulk of Olaf's army.
• Horny Vikings: Olaf is described as being "the last viking warlord", and he lives up to that reputation.
• Rape, Pillage, and Burn: When he first attacks the monastery, Ser Steele claims that Olaf murdered entire families before.
• Real Men Love Odin: Lives up to his description as "the last viking warlord" with his devotion to the Norse gods.

Tom Simpkons:

• The Good Chancellor: Provides advice to Sir Steele, teaches him how to be a lord, and informs him when something in his estate needs attention.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: Even if Sir Steel joins Lord Barclay, Tom Simpkons will continue to serve him faithfully.

Constable Briggs:

• My Master, Right or Wrong: Even if Sir Steel joins Lord Barclay, Constable Briggs will continue to serve him faithfully.

The Bishop:

• Turbulent Priest: Lord Barclay can not just declare himself King because he needs The Bishop's signature to legitimize his right to rule.

Friar Jacob:

• Good Shepherd: Recovers sacred relics and helps Sir Matthew out early on.

Introduced in Stronghold Legends

King Arthur Pendragon

• Good Is Not Nice: When he discovers that his wife Guinevere has been sleeping with Lancelot, he orders her burned at the stake. When Lancelot rescues her, Arthur goes to Lancelot's castle and kills all of his followers.
• Heroic Bastard: King Arthur was born from an… *ahm* indiscretion between King Uther and the Duchess of Cornwall.
• Real Men Love Jesus: Spends his life opposing the invading Pagan Saxons, and sends three knights of his Round Table to reclaim the holy grail that was used to collect Jesus Christ's blood when he died.
• The Voiceless: The other in-game characters shout lines when ordered to move or attack an enemy, but Arthur is silent.

Sir Lancelot

• Sympathetic Adulterer: Averted, unlike other renditions of the Arthurian Legend. The Narrator calls Sir Lancelot a traitor, compares him to a demon while he is rescuing Queen Guinevere from an execution, and highlights that Sir Lancelot murdered two innocent men in the process. One mission even involves besieging Sir Lancelot's castle and killing all his men.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Continues to sleep with King Arthur's wife, even after King Arthur saves his life.
• Karma Houdini: Sir Lancelot commits adultery with King Arthur's wife and murders Sir Gareth in cold blood while rescuing Queen Guinevere from execution. When King Arthur and Sir Gawain besiege Lancelot's castle, instead of killing him on the spot Sir Gawain challenges Lancelot to a duel. Lancelot wins, kills Sir Gawain as well, and is still allowed to leave with his life in-tact. Neither King Arthur not anyone else tries to execute or even imprison Sir Lancelot for his many crimes. Such is the fate of those who murder their allies and cuckold their sworn King after he saved their life.

Merlin

• Old Master: Merlin is still an old and talented wizard capable of killing scores of Saxon Warriors. The scribe even says "Huzzah for Merlin!" when the wizard fries an enemy with a lightning bolt.

Sir Bedivere

• Cold-Blooded Torture: Claims to have ripped a mans limbs off once before, and expresses a desire to do the same to Mordred.
• Ser Bedivere's unique ability is to collapse walls with his horn.
• Mr. Vice Guy: Sir Bedivere drinks, sleeps with bar wenches, and likes to hurt people for fun. But he's still a good guy.
• Papa Wolf: Appears to be this to King Arthur. When Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere's affair become known, Sir Bedivere's narration is frothing with outrage. Later, when Mordred tries to usurp Arthur's throne, Sir Bedivere states his desire to torture Mordred to death. Perhaps justified since Bedivere knew King Arthur since he was little.
• Real Men Love Jesus: When told to march long distances, his asks "Do we search for the Grail?"

Sir Percival

• Real Men Love Jesus: Takes part on the quest to reclaim The Holy Grail.

Sir Galahad

• Real Men Love Jesus: Takes part on the quest to reclaim The Holy Grail.

Sir Gareth

• Killed Offscreen: Sir Lancelot murders Sir Gareth in cold blood while rescuing Queen Guinevere from an execution.
• Rags to Riches: Sir Gareth starts out as a kitchen boy, but after leading soldiers to save Lady Lynette from The Red Knight he is made a knight of the Round Table.
• Ship Tease: During the mission, Lady Lynette constantly berates and criticizes Sir Gareth for being a kitchen boy. Once he is made a knight (and given a bath and a new set of clothes), Lady Lynette sees him in a different light and the two start courting. Sadly this does not end happily for the new couple as Sir Gareth ends up being murdered by Sir Lancelot.

Sir Gawain

• Battle-Halting Duel: After King Arthur besieges Sir Lancelot's castle and kills all of his followers, Sir Gawain challenges Sir Lancelot to a duel in an attempt to avenge his brother Sir Gareth. He loses.
• The Hero Dies: Despite this being a classic revenge tale, Sir Gawain actually loses his duel and is killed by Sir Lancelot.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Besieges Sir Lancelot's castle to avenge his brother.
• YouKilledMyBrother: When Sir Lancelot rescues Queen Guinevere from execution, he ends up murdering Sir Gareth. Sir Gareth's older brother, Sir Gawain, accompanies King Arthur on a siege of Lancelot's castle.

Dietrich

• The Big Guy: The beginning of the Ice Campaign is a description of Dietrich's enormous size and appetite.
• The Dragonslayer: Several of Dietrich's missions involve slaying dragons.
• Good Is Dumb: Dietrich isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

Siegfried

Mordred

Vlad Tepes

• Pay Evil unto Evil: Tortures thousands of Turkish POWs to death to scare away the rest of the Turkish Army, but only after the Turkish attempt to ransack his country.
• Religion of Evil: After his wife dies, Vlad becomes a Satan Worshiper and raises an army of Demons.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The Sultan held Vlad as a prisoner. While his actions were never specified, they are hinted at being very horrible. In retaliation, Vlad tortures thousands of Turks to death. When his wife commits suicide (because she mistakenly believed him to be dead, because Turkish Soldiers intercepted the messenger Vlad sent to retrieve her), Vlad even sells his soul to the devil to take his revenge.
• Tragic Villain: Vlad only really started consorting with the devil after his wife committed suicide. Before that you could argue that he was Good Is Not Nice.

Morgana

Queen Guinevere

• Kill It with Fire: When her affair with Lancelot is discovered, King Arthur sentences her to be burned at the stake. Fortunately for her, Lancelot comes to her rescue.
• Sympathetic Adulterer: Averted, unlike other renditions of the Arthurian Legend. The Narrator is utterly outraged by her adultery, calls her a whore, and outright states that she deserves to be burned at the stake for her affair.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: After Lancelot rescues her from her execution, she is never mentioned again. Not even after King Arthur sacks Lancelot's castle.

Introduced in Stronghold 3

The Jackle

• Good Samaritan: He helped save The Wolf's Life after finding him nearly dead, and helped The Wolf enact his plan for revenge.

Lady Catherine

• The High Queen: After she is crowned by The Boy.

Lord Blackstaff

• The Atoner: Despite his past treason, he is more than willing to help The Boy to save the kingdom.
• The Exile: Lord Blackstaff was exiled to Northern England as punishment for treason.
• Oop North: Where Lord Blackstaff lives after his exile. His domain is a rainy swamp and he has specialized rangers.

The Iron Duke

Rupert Silverback

• Bastard Bastard: The bastard son of Duc De Puce, and an antagonist in the game.
• Dirty Coward: Is described as ruling with an iron fist and a weak spine. Additionally he attacks at night and is called a coward for this.
• Generation Xerox: Downplayed. While he is following in his father's footsteps by terrorizing the kingdom and serving under The Wolf, he is nowhere near as useless or ugly as his father and in fact comes close to taking Lord Blackstaff's Castle.
• You Killed My Father: The Boy killed Rupert's father, so now Rupert is helping The Wolf to kill The Boy and overrun the kingdom.

Greytail

• Bastard Bastard: The bastard son of Duc De Puce, and an antagonist in the game.
• Dirty Coward: Is described as ruling with an iron fist and a weak spine.
• Generation Xerox: Downplayed. While he is following in his father's footsteps by terrorizing the kingdom and serving under The Wolf, he is nowhere near as useless as his father and he even succeeded in driving The Sultan out of his city.
• Rape Discretion Shot: The cutscene describing Greytail's reign over the city ends with the Sultan's wife cowering against a wall while Greytail looks at her, licks his tongue, and reaches towards her menacingly.
• Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: After he captures The Sultan's City, Greytail sells most of the population into slavery.
• You Killed My Father: The Boy killed Greytail's father, so now Greytail is helping The Wolf to kill The Boy and overrun the kingdom.

Roger Scabcoat

• Bastard Bastard: The bastard son of Duc De Puce, and an antagonist in the game.
• Dirty Coward: Is described as ruling with an iron fist and a weak spine.
• Generation Xerox: Downplayed. While he is following in his father's footsteps by terrorizing the kingdom and serving under The Wolf, he is nowhere near as useless as his father and almost captures The Iron Duke's forges.
• You Killed My Father: The Boy killed Scabcoat's father, so now Scabcoat is helping The Wolf to kill The Boy and overrun the kingdom.

Earl Swinefoot

• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He is the son of The Pig. One cutscene even shows he and his brother standing together, toasting to a shrine of their dead father.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The Wolf recruits them by telling them about how The Boy killed their father and left them all alone. The cutscene shows a picture of The Pig being executed, followed by a picture of him and his brother enraged.
• You Killed My Father: See Roaring Rampage of Revenge above.

Bishop Redham

• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He is the son of The Pig. One cutscene even shows he and his brother standing together, toasting to a shrine of their dead father.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The Wolf recruits them by telling them about how The Boy killed their father and left them all alone. The cutscene shows a picture of The Pig being executed, followed by a picture of him and his brother enraged.
• Sinister Minister: Redham is a Bishop, and he is also as brutish as his father. When he has Lady Catherine imprisoned, he planned on doing very horrible things to her.
• You Killed My Father: See Roaring Rampage of Revenge above.

Introduced in Stronghold Crusader 2

The Shah

The Slave King

• Slave Liberation: Is a rebellious slave, leading an army of rebellious slaves, attempting to carve out a free kingdom.

The Sultana

• Enemy Mine: Can be one of the player's allies in skirmish matches, even when you are playing as a Crusader Lord.
• Real Men Love Jesus: A muslim Example. The Sultana is a devout muslim widower and has devoted herself to fighting against the Crusaders.

The Princess

• Enemy Mine: Can be one of the player's allies in skirmish matches, even when you are playing as a Muslim Lord.
• Real Men Love Jesus: Real Women love Jesus. The Princess joined the Third Crusade for Jerusalem.

The Hermit

• Enemy Mine: Can be one of the player's allies in skirmish matches, even when you are playing as a Crusader Lord.
• The Hermit: As indicated by his name.
• Real Men Love Jesus: Real Men love Allah. The Hermit not only lives in the desert to show his devotion, but also fighting against The Crusaders.
• Worthy Opponent: One of the Hidden Achievements is to defeat The Hermit without destroying any of his Mosques.

The Emperor

• Enemy Mine: Can be one of the player's allies in skirmish matches, even when you are playing as a Muslim Lord.
• Sinister Minister: Used to be a Pope before going crazy, abdicating, and heading to the holy land to carve out an Empire.

The Templar

• Enemy Mine: Can be one of the player's allies in skirmish matches, even when you are playing as a Muslim Lord.
• Real Men Love Jesus: Joined the Third Crusade for Jerusalem and devoted himself to the Crusade by joining The Knights Templar.

The Duke

• Enemy Mine: Can be one of the player's allies in skirmish matches, even when you are playing as a Muslim Lord.
• Real Men Love Jesus: Joined the Third Crusade for Jerusalem.

The Khan

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