The Rat - Stronghold Characters

Duc de Puce is an antagonist in Stronghold.

Overview

The Rat, real name Duc de Puce, is the first of four opponents the player faces during the story. The Duc de Puce is a craven, greedy, and dishonest man. He is easily startled, and any military failures easily send the duke into uncontrolled panic. He is the weakest of the four dukes, and his comrades have little respect for him. Militarily the Rat is very inept and continuously blames his failures on others. While he is quick to boast about his superior forces or military skills, his assaults usually end in defeat and flight. The Rat's forces are first encountered during the third Mission Eliminating the Wolves, while the duke himself meets his end during the ninth Mission, The Rat's Last Stand.

Castles

The Rat is never besieged by the player directly throughout the campaign, but his castle makes an appearance during the Rat's Last Stand. Prior to the mission the Rat's castle has been captured by Sir Longarm's men. It's a very simple square shaped castle with a stone keep, a stone wall, gatehouse and unfinished moat. Inside are a granary, hovel, armoury, poleturner and barracks.

Military 

The Rat is a poor military commander and his army is of equally poor quality. He only ever uses archers and spearmen against the player, albeit in increasingly large numbers. To support his infantry the Rat also constructs catapults and brings a significant number to laddermen. De Puce is not a very dangerous opponent and except for his final appearance his armies rarely pose a significant threat.

Stronghold: Definitive Edition - Agent of the Crown

The Rat makes returns in the Stronghold: Definitive Edition's new Agent of the Crown campaign. This campaign takes place parallel to the events of the main campaign from the original game. The Rat has abducted Sir Longarm's niece, the Jewel of the North, and is holding her prisoner at a coastal fortress called Seaward Tower. Sir Longarm tasks one of his trusted young captains along with the sergeant with saving her. Throughout the campaign, the captain inflicts multiple military defeats on the Rat's forces, assists the local population against bandits and finally takes Seaward Tower, only to find out the Jewel has been taken to a different location by ship.