Jorg Ancrath Aliases Red JorgBriar Prince Allegiance House Ancrath Titles Prince of AncrathKing of RenarPrince of the ArrowKing of OrlanthDuke of NormardyDuke of BelpanBaron of KennickEarl of ConaughtLord of GellethEmperor of the Holy Empire Predecessor Osson Renar (as Count of Renar)Egan of the Arrow (as Prince of the Arrow)Kennick (as Baron of Kennick)Olidan Ancrath {as King of Ancrath) Succesor William II Ancrath (as Emperor of the Holy Empire) Biographical information Marital Married to Miana of Wennith Status Deceased (Data Echo exists) Death Stabbed by Chella Origin Ancrath Family Father Olidan Ancrath Mother Rowen of Morrow Spouse Miana of Wennith Children Rowen of Scraggy Oak (bastard)William II Ancrath Siblings William AncrathDegran Ancrath (half-brother) Lovers Katherine ap ScorronElin MaladonChellaGwenith of Scraggy OakSara Physical description Species Human Gender Male Height 6 Feet (Age 14, Prince of Thorns)Topping 6 Feet (Age 14, King of Thorns)6 Feet 1 Hand (Age 18, No Other Troy) Eyes Dark Blue Appearances Appears in Prince of ThornsKing of ThornsEmperor of ThornsRoad BrothersSolomon Debut Prince of Thorns Jorg Ancrath was the first and eldest son of King Olidan Ancrath, although he was disinherited from the throne when his father married Sareth ap Scorron following the death of his mother, Queen Rowen and his brother William Ancrath, and was given another son, Degran. Jorg later killed his half-brother by accident through the use of necromancy.

Age 6, See also: King of Thorns, Know Thyself

Jorg's first memory was of leaning out from a high parapet in a storm, laughing, before having hands pulling him back. From then till age 6, he grew as familiar with the outside as the inside of the Tall Castle, residence of the King of Ancrath, and his home.

Jorg once picked up a hot poker, burning his hands and leaving wounds that took long to heal. This left a fear of fire that predated and was expanded by Justice's incident.

Jorg's younger brother, William, was once sick. Jorg whispered prayers in the Tall Castle's chapel in the dark after the holy men went to bed, making promises. When he crept back to their chambers he climbed beside William and held his head. William had been given potions and let blood by the friar, while Queen Rowen had applied ointment to his chest.

When Jorg was 6, he coveted a priceless snow globe given by Alaric Maladon to his mother, and kept by his father in the treasury vault of the Tall Castle. At night, he broke into the vault through an open window kept to allow the King of Ancrath to know when the door of the vault was open, and played with the snow globe. He then broke it to set free the figure from the unchanging world within it. However, he was caught during the return and awaited his father to receive punishment. King Olidan commanded him to break the legs of Justice, Jorg and William's dog, one by one, on threat of burning the dog, with a hammer. When Jorg at last refuses to break the last leg, his father tossed a torch on Justice, burning him. Jorg, rolling away from the flames from instinct, threw the hammer at his father at a blow that would have killed him had he moved less quickly.

After this, King Olidan sent for Priest Gomst to undertake the education of his progeny to prevent similar incidents from occurring. Jorg's brother William urged and cooperated with him to kill his father in recompense, but convinced himself into thinking that his father had killed Justice for it to wait for them after death. Jorg, not truly wanting to kill his father, desisted upon the urgings of Priest Gomst.

Age 9-10, See also: Prince of Thorns

When Jorg, his mother, and his brother were returning to the Tall Castle from a trip, they were ambushed by Osson Renar's men on the Castle Road while traveling near the town of Norwood. Jorg was stuck in a patch of thorns after trying to escape with the help of Jan and was forced to watch and listen as his mother was raped and his younger brother was hit in the head with a rock. Jorg eventually passed out. Sir Reilly discovered Jorg held place in thorns and cut him loose before returning him to Crath City in a cart. Jorg's father didn't come to see him; instead Lundist and Gomst helped him recover from his wounds. Jorg, already wanting revenge on his uncle, asked his tutor if revenge was a science, or an art.

Jorg was hurt and enraged when Lundist later informed him that his father, King Olidan Ancrath, would not be taking vengeance and would keep the Army of the Gate inside Ancrath, and that instead he had struck a truce with Renar to gain control of the Cathun River. Jorg, sickened, swears to some day kill Renar by himself. Time passed in Ancrath and Jorg was later told of a group of bandits in the dungeons who were scheduled for execution. Posing as a serving boy, Jorg meets with them and arranges to escape with them so they can aid him in taking vengeance against his uncle, incapacitating Lundist during the escape. He befriends an Afriquan man named Kashta, calling him "the Nuban" for his dark skin, taking only him in his journey to kill a person whom is not yet known to Kashta.

On the way, Sageous entraps Jorg and Kashta in dreams so as to be captured or killed by his hunter, possibly to gain favour with King Olidan or eliminate another Ancrath. However, Jorg escapes his nightmares, wakes up, and wounds the man, his scream causing Kashta to wake up and kill him. Kashta acquires the hunter's dual-firing heavy crossbow, which he said was made by his people. Jorg then tells him his target is Count Renar.

Jorg and Kashta reach The Haunt, principal castle of Renar, where his target resides. He seeks an audience with the mage Corion, whom he identifies as Count Renar's strongest defence, to eliminate his protection of the Count. However, Corion magically steers him from his pursuit of Renar, directing him to spill his need for vengeance as atrocity on the road before erasing the memory of Jorg's meeting with him. To some greater or lesser measure, Jorg's actions as a Road Brother are henceforth affected by the mage, until he reclaims his will.

Age 10-13, See also: Select Mode, Prince of Thorns, Emperor of Thorns, Bad Seed, The Weight of Command, King of Thorns, The Secret

As Jorg and Kashta explore the fringes of Orlanth in their wanderings, they are overpowered by a bandit group known as the Select, who, in the test administered by the band, have received the response "Select Mode" from a damaged Builder archway when they are within the archway, rather than ''Failure to Connect", where they are judged to have failed and are killed. The band take them for testing; incidentally, time runs faster within the testing space, as a result of damaged space or incontinent Builder machinery. After Kashta and later Jorg fails, Jorg steps back into the testing space (obtaining the second response "Select Mode"), and trailing quick-time, kills the band together with Kashta. He damages the archway with a rock and seeks a third 'judgement', receiving "Failure to Connect".

Upon rejoining the Brothers, Price attacks Jorg, his rage fanned through dreams by Sageous, who had discovered he had lost Jorg as a possible pawn to Corion. Jorg, unknowingly guided by Corion, throws three stones, killing him. Jorg officially joins the Brothers under the protection of Kashta and the temporary uneasy leadership of Burlow.

As the Brothers drew near the monastery of St. Sebastian, Jorg seeks to place himself as an undercover agent in the ward, posing as an orphan, to prove his worth. As his stay progresses, he becomes attached to his fellow wards and especially to Orscar, beginning to believe he can have a life away from the thorns and the Road, dulling Corion's control and his survival instincts. The arrival of the Papal Cavalcade of Bishop Murillo heralds his experience of the underside of life in the monastery and of the Church of Roma, wherein he is drugged, bound, and raped by Murillo. Loosing his bonds silently, he kills most of the rest of Murillo's cavalcade and binds Murillo's ankles to a draft horse, before setting fire to the monastery and leading the horse out, with Murillo trailing behind on his shattered ankles. After the Brothers loot the monastery, they gather in a circle around as Jorg hammers 13 roofing nails, one by one, into Murillo's head, making Murillo forget his prior agony through terror before breaking down Murillo's mind. After this, Jorg consciously embraces his perception of his father's teachings (and Corion's guidance, not knowing of Corion or any external guide), faithfully spreading atrocity in the name of strength, in unconscious recompense for his pain.

During Jorg and the Brothers' travels, they recruit Kent, who had just killed 17 Kennick patrolmen who had sacked his home. He was covered in their blood, thus was afterwards called "Red Kent". Struggling against his killer's instincts ever since he killed a fellow boy in a childhood fight, the act was as much a resignation to his nature as driven by the need for recompense of his fallen home and family. He willingly joined the Brothers, temporarily at peace with his situation.

Some time after Makin Bortha, as Captain of the Ancrath Imperial Guard in search for Jorg, joins the Brothers, Burlow, uneasy of Jorg's growing authority within the brotherhood, organises a failed raid on the merchant Sol Tarron's house, refusing to consider Jorg's plan to capture the merchant and later, some town, by entering the enemy encampment as bait together with Burlow. After the raid, all the Brothers except Sim apparently abandon Burlow, leaving the two of them to enter Perryville, a neighbouring town, to restore themselves, as suggested by Sim. Burlow is immediately reported to the town guard by Elban and captured. Sol Tarron and Lord Hetton, feudal lord of Perryville, question Burlow but the latter is killed by Sim. In the chaos, the rest of the Brothers appear and easily eliminate the remaining authorities and most of the guards, sacking Perryville. In the revelry following the sack, Burlow is made aware of the deception and persuaded to yield the authority of the Brothers to Jorg, willingly relinquishing the weight of command, comprised of both threat and responsibility.

Jorg (aged 12) and the Brothers have a duration where they travelled with Elias Taproot and his circus. Notable events within include: 1) Rike loses to Ron the circus strongman in lifting weights and gives respect not shown to anyone else; 2) Jorg meets his first lover, Sara, a circus contortionist.

As leader of the Brothers, Jorg commanded Sim to undertake multiple assassinations, some of them high-profile, such as that of Dara, Princess of Aramis. This was accomplished through Sim's disguise as a storyteller, narrating the ~true story of his arrival as an assassin in the castle to Dara. Sim received a gold coin for each assassination but was as free to choose his path as he could be after each one, yet each time he continued to follow Jorg who gave him direction.

Age 13-14, See also: Prince of Thorns

Jorg's brotherhood loot the village of Mabberton and, in the process, kill its leader, Bovid Tor. This serves as a warning to Kennick, a local baron, telling him not to follow them down the Lich Road towards Wennith on the Horse Coast. However, he does not explain this immediately to his comrades, and Brother Gemt doubts him. As a result, an irritated Jorg stabs him in the neck and orders Maical to take his head.

Jorg is attacked by undead in the swamps

While traveling down the Lichway, the brotherhood encounters a gibbet with four prisoners hanging inside - two of which are alive. Jorg recognizes one of them as Father Gomst and they briefly converse before Gomst warns him to run. Jorg realizes they are being surrounded by undead coming out of the swamp. Jorg, defying Gomst, chooses to stand his ground.

They soon come to Norwood, finding it burned and looted - undoubtedly by the Count of Renar. Rike, furious that there was no gold to be found, began to come at Jorg. Never loosing his cool, he brought the big man to where a score of festival beer lay cooling their kegs, in his way, silently warning him to never doubt him. Gomst tells Jorg to just have Makin kill Rike, but he cuts him off. Rike, at last remembering how Father Gomst had called Jorg 'prince', demanded answers. Jorg tells him, how Makin is Captain Makin Bortha of the Ancrath Imperial Guard, how he is the beloved son and heir to King Olidan of the House of Ancrath, how that very day was his fourteenth birthday.

The Brothers toast to Jorg, drink and celebrate. In a little while, Jorg finds Makin, who informs him of the pyre he found - two hundred dead upon it, but unlit, and that the rogues were probably some days away.

Jorg tells the brothers otherwise and ordered them to set up an ambush. When the troops came up, Jorg knew what he'd suspected. It was men of Renar, led by Marclos Renar under the banner of his house. back to finish where they'd left. Jorg, knowing that they couldn't fight off such a large troop, calls for a truce under a white banner.

Jorg is searched for weapons before being permitted to approach, and comes forward without either arms or a plan. The Count of Renar's son asks who he is, as only a nobleman can call a truce. Jorg throws in a bit of cunning, slips a stiletto from his horse's saddle, and knifes him in the eye. He rode off with Marclos on the man's stallion to the outskirts of Norwood, then threw him off and made back to the brothers waiting in ambush. They broke through Renar's men easily, and soon few were left - only enough to take back the message: Jorg was a prince who would never retreat - who could beat a hundred men with thirty.

They had a prisoner, Sir Renton. He and Jorg had a nice long chat on niceties, and damnation; revenge, and threats of torture; at last, the knight told him all he wanted to know. Then, he was given to the peasants rescued from the men of Renar to be burned. After that, Jorg, defying Corion's compulsion, rode with his brothers into Ancrath.

At Chelny Ford, Jorg meets Captain Coddin, who accompanies him on his return to Crath City with two dozen riders. They travel through Bains Town, where Lord Nossar of Elm attempts to detain him to offer him hospitality, possibly on the orders of King Olidan, but is rejected. When Jorg reaches Crath City, he is directed to quarter his Brothers at the Low City, with only Makin Bortha and Father Gomst required in the Tall Castle.

King Olidan refuses to meet Jorg on the day of his return, and he instead is summoned to meet Sageous, who has instated himself as a court advisor, by Robart Hool. On the way, Jorg intimidates Robart and offers him the choice to serve him. At Jorg and Sageous' first face-to-face meeting, Sageous attempts to impress his power on Jorg through a preliminary examination and later tries sends him to sleep to manipulate him through dreams, or cause him to be vulnerable. Before Jorg collapses with exhaustion, he grasps Sageous' neck with idle wondering (possibly with the aid of Corion) and threatens him, afterwards leaving with Robart and commanding him to let Makin guard his room that night. The room itself was intended for low-ranking visiting relatives or merchants from the protectorates or outlying provinces, a studied insult to the heir of the King of Ancrath.

At night, not unexpectedly, he had a nightmare dreaming of his cowardice that held him trapped in the thorns, not dying with his brother or mother. The dream figures commanded him to jump out of the window, when he was in reality jammed against the door. Makin, who guarded outside his door, woke him up and sent him back to sleep.

The next day, Jorg woke early with the intent to visit the kitchen to have breakfast. He accidentally knocked the bell down, but even so, no servant came. En-route, he meets Katherine ap Scorron, initially accosting her without noticing her bearing. She accompanies him to breakfast, which prompts him to pay a compliment to Drane, even though Jorg had never thought of him once in all the years on the Road. Makin finds them to lead them to the throne room, where they have been summoned before King Olidan.

During the audience, King Olidan attempts to humiliate Makin, and indirectly Jorg, through his failure to quickly retrieve Jorg. He then set Makin in a duel against Galen for the position of Captain of the Ancrath Imperial Guard, formerly Makin's position and now Galen's. As it becomes apparent that Makin is losing in the duel, Jorg pushed Sageous' glass-tree over, shattering it and interrupting the duel, also significantly weakening Sageous' power. Then he demands to duel with Galen, claiming the fight as his name-gift for reaching the age of majority (14).

As Galen approaches him, Jorg runs, luring Galen after him. Then, reaching the wall, he turned and fired Kashta's heavy crossbow at Galen, shattering his skull. This earns Katherine's shock and hatred at Jorg, seeing him as one that could hurt her loved ones. At this point, King Olidan dismissed his court, including Sageous. Facing Jorg one-to-one, he demands Gelleth, the strongest of Ancrath's neighbours and stronger than Ancrath, and gives him the Forest Watch, 200 men, untrained and unequipped in siege engines, to do so. This was a task 10,000 men, properly armed with siege engines, would have found difficult to accomplish within an year. Jorg tells his father he will also take his Brothers to accomplish the task.

Jorg and Makin visit the Falling Angel tavern where the Brothers currently were, and discuss the situation. Jorg reads books about Gelleth and the Castle Red, where Merl Gellethar, Lord of Gelleth has his seat while soliciting the services of the prostitute Sally. He gets an idea after reading a document from Builder times. Following this, he is escorted by Captain Coddin to the headquarters of the Forest Watch in Rennat Forest. This was made possible by some dissatisfaction emanating from the court concerning Coddin's recent actions, which caused him to be transferred to escort duty in Crath City.

Lord Vincent de Gren, Watch Master of the Forest Watch, had been notified of events between King Olidan and Jorg by Sareth ap Scorron and directed to stop Jorg. He questions the worth of the enterprise to Gelleth relative to the possible loss, but is then forced to demonstrate the Forest Watch's loyalty to him by ordering Keppen, a member, to be pushed over Rulow's Fall. When he fails, he is then pushed over Rulow's Fall himself by Jorg. After Keppen swears loyalty to the new Watch Master, yet to be appointed, under threat, Coddin is appointed as the new Watch Master. Jorg orders the Forest Watch to enter Gelleth, but not to approach the Castle Red, and orders Coddin to leak out that his presence is with the Forest Watch to inhibit further sabotage. Jorg instead plans to travel to the Gorge of the Leucrota beneath the Castle Red with his Brothers.

Returning to the Tall Castle, Jorg encounters Sageous who attempted to wrest him from Corion's control and replace it with his. He asked why Jorg didn't kill, or deeply harm, someone he had planned to kill when first leaving the Tall Castle after the thorns, then offered him freedom from the control. After collecting Father Gomst from the castle chapel, Jorg returns to find Sageous wanting to renew his offer of protection, but Kashta, carrying the crossbow that has been enchanted by Corion, reveals that he is the dream-witch that set the Brothers imprisoned and attempted to kill him and Jorg with his hunter, causing him to flee.

Jorg and his Brothers enter Gelleth, Father Gomst taking confession from the men with increasing reluctance as he hears more of the Brothers' crimes. A short while after they set camp in the Gorge of the Leucrota, they meet Jane and Gorgoth among the Leucrota, and agree to leave Father Gomst behind as the price of passage into the heart of Mount Honas, the mountain atop which Castle Red is built. All the Leucrota except Gorgoth, Gog, and Magog leave the Brothers at the edge of a vast lake, but before they go, Jane attempts to see into Corion's control, and also warns Jorg of Chella.

Age 14-16, See also: King of Thorns, Emperor of Thorns, Sleeping Beauty

Age 17-19, See also: Solomon, King of Thorns, No Other Troy

Age 20, See also: Emperor of Thorns

Jorg is tall and lean with dark hair -- a notably typical look for his Steward lineage. His encounter with Ferrakind left him with burn scars on the left side of his face, while his body, and particularly his back, is severely scarred from the thorns he was caught in during Renar's ambush, as well as weapon and other wounds in countless fights and skirmishes, though is still considered to be attractive. He is described as strong and corded with muscle. He is described to have his father’s eyes, though his are darker.

"There’s a reason I’m going to win this war. Everyone alive has been fighting a battle that grew old before they were born. I cut my teeth on the wooden soldiers in my feather’s war-room. There’s a reason I’m going to win where they failed." - Jorg

The troubled upbringing of Jorg has left him amoral and ill-tempered. He is rather quick to anger, although usually maintains a collected facade. He sometimes makes on-the-spot decisions that could be deemed impulsive, but somehow work out in the end. He can be cruel, never fighting fair, and believes that honour results in death. However, Jorg is redeemed slightly by his charisma and wit, and respect for some people. Stubborn and resolute, he is never afraid and refuses to be held back by fear. He is cunning, well-versed in strategy and tactics, such as taught by Sun Tzu, and always finds a way to get what he wants and succeed, often where others have failed. As well as being able to scheme and plan far ahead, he can improvise very well.

Jorg is willing to learn, courtesy of the strong foundational education offered to him by Lundist, who educated him on ancient languages, mathematics, biology, and many more. This knowledge allows him to find things he can use to his advantage, even when odds are heavily against him. He is also a strong-minded leader, whose charm, abilities and his way with words make people want to follow him and even be deceived as to his experience, despite his young age.

Jorg’s lingering guilt, especially concerning his cowardice in not leaving the thorns, leaves him unable to accept his immoral actions, but the same scars and situations also cause him to be unable to take concrete steps to become a better man in his eyes, leaving him ‘broken’. His love for Katherine is tied to his desire to become a better man, while his love for Miana is tied to acceptance and condonation of his current ‘flaws’. However, to the end, he could not change himself to something that he was not nor forgive himself, unable to fulfil their and his idealisations. The reason for this impossibility is clearly expressed in his meeting with Chella, where he told her that he and she were broken in a way that Miana (and also Katherine) were not.

Jorg's biggest mistake in his life was not to climb out of the thorns and die with his younger brother due to his fear of death. He believes this, because by this, he has not fulfilled his responsibilities to his loved one, which can be witnessed and understood by the other party. At first, this was not what he had the most emotional attachment to from the night of thorns and rain. It was just that in the future, he thought further and realised his family would not be able to come back. He sought to believe in his mind that if he could compensate for his mistake, everything could be restored. So a big mistake is what he on the surface feels the deepest about, with his lifelong desire to restore the family hidden deep inside. As another example, he accidentally killed his infant half-brother and ultimately was haunted by it overtly as his own fault/mistake, not by some sense of loss or acknowledged mistake, even though his motive in not intentionally killing him was to restore his family. In his mind, erasing mistakes is restoration, with vice versa also true.

He couldn't bear this big mistake, so he wanted revenge on his uncle (the utility of which would be spent as the ideal of restoration grew more distant). But unable to seek revenge, he embraced the thorns with his father's teachings and cut away his weakness. Thorns are teachers, not the reminder of his unacceptable faults. In the early days, there were also opportunities to forget mistakes and replace families (the monastery). But the weakness he dislikes is also like a thorn that hooks him, indicating that the object he dislikes also includes thorns and his shortcomings. There is a necromancer Chella, she is as broken as Jorg. A big mistake is irreparable, one can only move forward step by step, deceiving oneself, but also being unable not deceiving oneself, similar to Jorg who couldn't walk this path in the end, always lost. Their relationship and interaction is based on mutual understanding and the need to escape.

Jorg's love for that princess, Katherine, is also because she represents an opportunity for him to change himself and compensate for his mistakes (for example, when they had breakfast together, Jorg praised the chef he had never thought of on the road and said he had been thinking of him. His monologue stated she made him want to become this kind of person). This leads to the person he is doing admitting to being (not very important) wrong. Even more so, because he had not been completely detached from human nature. His hope for change is also the reason why she loves him. But he was broken and in the end, couldn't walk this path.

Jorg's wife, Miana, represents another ideal of erasing mistakes/returning to a family. She demands and accepts the Jorg brought by harsh reality: to win on the battlefield, one must kill one's own people, and to protect the lives of children, one must kill passersby. She gave birth to Jorg's son. Jorg loves her by loving her current self and family, forgiving his unredeemable faults. But he was broken and couldn't walk this path in the end.

Moreover, at the simplest level, his father, uncle, love interests, and other important characters also replace his deceased family and dog. He loves children from all over the world, and so do dogs. However, the above ideals are not only secondary to Jorg's restoration of major mistakes, but also the characteristics of human nature. Jorg's road is not solely defined by the thorns, and would be different if not for the thorns.

The Dead King is Jorg's younger brother, William. But in this world where belief has become real, coupled with the intensity of Jorg's belief and wish, how could he be purely a self-contained person? Jorg wanted to correct his big mistake and willed his brother to come back, and he did.

So, in the end, Jorg must sacrifice himself and save the world, which cannot be separated from his restoration of the big mistake and family.

He sacrificed himself to prove that he will not make the same mistakes as before towards his family and not have the same fault of self-preservation when facing what is more important, but also to make up for his own shortcomings and not harm his existing and unattainable family. He also believes he can save and reunite with his brother. He also seeks the opportunity to correct his mistakes, in the act and later;

He chose another choice when facing his big mistake, to prove that he will not make the same mistakes as before towards his family and not have the same fault of self-preservation when facing what is more important (leaving the thorns, entering the fire), also with motives including those listed above and below;

He saved his family by reclaiming his faults towards them, restoring his own family, and maintaining his current family;

He saved the world by wanting to be a good person and children from all over the world serving as a substitute for his loved ones, for him to make up for his mistakes. Also, just like how he restores big mistakes, he restores mistakes in the world.

He wanted this opportunity, so he made these decisions, including the Death King and his younger brother (but the appearance of the Death King is mostly to restore his own big mistakes).

"Tell me, tutor. Is revenge a science, or an art?" —Jorg to Lundist

"Some tell it that "sorry" is the hardest word, but for me it has always been "help."" —Jorg's thoughts

"Memories are dangerous things. You turn them over and over, until you know every touch and corner, but still you'll find an edge to cut you." —Jorg's thoughts