Saunders

Saunders was an Elven soldier and a member of the Seventy-Eighth Regiment of the Greyland Crown Army. He is deceased.

Service
Saunders' background is mostly unknown. At some point, he joined the Greyland Crown Army and served alongside Anthony Burke, who he developed a romantic relationship with. As Anthony's service spanned ten years, however, it is unknown when this relatonship took place.

Saunders was a member of the army by at least the year 339, when he was serving as a recruitment officer. He visited Bangoro to attempt to gather forces for the Island War, where he encountered a runaway Azlan, who subsequently joined the army due to Saunders' charisma, believing they could be 'as hot as he was' if they went into combat.

Saunders served under Anthony in the Seventy-Eighth Regiment as a sergeant, ranking below Anthony but above everybody else. At some point, a love triangle developed between Saunders, Anthony, and Barry Longacre, with Barry leaving feeling jilted by both. Shortly after, on a mission in the trenches behind enemy lines, Anthony tripped and detonated a Thunder Stone, alerting an Orc dragoon to the regiment's presence. Saunders was helping Anthony up when he was killed by a crossbow bolt from the dragoon. He was presumably given a soldier's interrment.

Flashbacks
Saunders appears frequently in Anthony's flashbacks. He is usually shown in the trench in the moments before he died. When Loreli first invaded Anthony's mind, she spoke through Saunders' body.

Reanimation
Two years after Saunders' death, Azlan and Anthony went to visit Barry, now living in Halburton. When they reached him, they discovered he'd been working with primordial magic and new technologies to 'bring Saunders back' through some form of bodily reanimation. Saunders' corpse had not deteriorated to a significant degree, implying Barry either restored it through magic or had stolen and preserved it shortly after his burial. Barry, jealous at feeling spurned and looked down upon by Saunders and Anthony, directed Saunders to kill Anthony with his bare hands. Saunders, who was being controlled by a memulacrum (a sentimental object appealing to the construct's former humanity: in this case, a locket with an engraving of him and Anthony inside) at the time, attempted to do so, slamming Anthony into a wall and beating him relentlessly.

During the fight, Saunders, who was generally moving with a lack of dexterity, broke a lantern in Barry's laboratory, starting a fire on the wooden floorboards. Azlan finally toppled Saunders from behind and then dissolved the locket with their corrosive spit, leaving him blankly collapsed on the floor. Anthony killed Barry with his sword, directing Azlan to leave the house behind him, as he couldn't bear to be there any longer. Azlan then covered Saunders with a Greyland flag from Barry's workshop and left him in the burning ruins of Barry's house.

Saunders was presumably consumed by the inferno. He is still considered deceased.

Personality
By Anthony's account, Saunders was warm and kind, with a welcoming and accepting demeanor. His relationship with Anthony is portrayed as having been much healthier than Anthony's with Barry, insinuating he was a more caring and selfless partner. It is unclear whether Saunders knew of his reputation for charm, or whether he was vain at all.

Anthony
Anthony and Saunders were in a long-standing romantic relationship, and it is unclear whether it was still ongoing at the time of Saunders' death. Anthony misses Saunders greatly, and due to the memulacrum being a depiction of the two together, it is clear their love was highly important to each of them. Still, Anthony seems insecure about Saunders' connection to Barry, and even implied on occassion that he worried Saunders may have been cheating on him. It is also unclear whether their same-sex relationship would have been stigmatized in the army at all, although they seem generally commonplace and accepted in most settings.

Barry
Saunders' relationship with Barry is murky. Barry and Anthony were always mutually jealous of each other and vying for Saunders' primary attention. Saunders and Barry were involved in a relationship at some point, though it is generally shown as unhealthy. It is unclear when this relationship took place relative to Saunders' and Anthony's.

Azlan
Azlan was convinced to join the army due to Saunders' charisma and good looks. Azlan maintains that they were not attracted to Saunders, only envious of his good looks, but it is unclear whether this is true or simply a lie to keep Anthony at peace.

Appearance
Saunders was described as wildly attractive, with a tall build, fair skin, blue eyes, and blond hair that he wore trimmed back to army standards. He wore an officer's coat with a red badge for his rank insignia. On reanimation, he was described as still somewhat attractive, but his face was drawn and his skin was yellowed, and his hair had grown out.

Saunders' age is unknown. He appeared to be in the equivalent of his early thirties, but this could span hundreds of elven years.