Ridmark Arban vs Mazael Cravenlock

(Note that this post has SPOILERS for the DEMONSOULED series and FROSTBORN: THE GRAY KNIGHT.)

After reading FROSTBORN: THE DARK WARDEN, a reader asked me a serious question that we must now consider with sober deliberation. 🙂 Namely, who would win in a fight, Ridmark Arban or Mazael Cravenlock?

It depends on the timing.

When Ridmark was still a Knight of the Soulblade, he would win handily. Heartwarden’s power would let him match Mazael’s strength and speed, and a soulblade would do tremendous damage to Mazael’s Demonsouled blood. It would also inhibit Mazael’s Demonsouled healing abilities.

However, after Ridmark loses Heartwarden, he wouldn’t last long against Mazael. Mazael would have the better strength and speed, coupled to Demonsouled healing. Additionally, Mazael would have the greater experience. So without Heartwarden, Mazael would defeat Ridmark.

But what about an army? Ridmark commanded Andomhaim’s army at the battle of Black Mountain, but Mazael commanded an army in many battles. Tactically, Mazael would likely win an individual battle, simply based on greater experience. If Ridmark won the battle, though, there is still a good chance Mazael would win the war, because it’s possible to lose most of the battles but still win a war. Mazael has also lost battles before, which is important – how a general handles major setbacks is just as important as handling a victory. A good example is the Roman general Pompey, who won every battle of his career until he lost to Caesar at the Battle of Pharsalus. Having never been defeated before, Pompey did not respond well, and fled the battlefield with his family and gold. A counter-example from the American civil war is Robert E. Lee, who kept his army together after the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg. Or George Washington, who lost several battles during the Revolutionary War, but kept going.

So, to sum up, Ridmark could defeat Mazael with Heartwarden, but without the soulblade his chances are much worse. However, the FROSTBORN series isn’t over yet, and there’s more in store for Ridmark…

-JM