Post by Adela Heidenreich on Apr 16, 2017 15:25:15 GMT
"My good blade carves the casques of men,
My tough lance thrusteth sure,
My strength is as the strength of ten,
Because my heart is pure."
Name: Adela Heidenreich
Profession: Paladin of Roxayne
Species: Human
Gender: Female
Age: Young
Alignment: Lawful Good
Description: A young human woman, Adela Heidenreich is taller than average members of her race, further highlighting her athletic, muscular physique that serves as an indication of excellent health and years of discipline and rigid training. Raven black hair contrast the paladin’s fair skin in a particularly powerful fashion, unafraid to accentuate the young woman’s immaculate beauty and purity. Although fully clad in plate mail most of the time, only evildoers will ever be intimidated by the knight’s presence; compassion and kindness smile within her deep green eyes, voice soft and most gentle.
Wealth: The holy crusader’s vow of poverty bans her from owning more than a simple set of clothes, one suit of armour, one weapon, one bowl, a blanket and a simple sack. She can never possess more coins than she needs to feed and shelter herself for one week in humble accommodations. Performing holy duties for the sake of personal gain is forbidden, but taking modest donations to the church or food is deemed acceptable.
Combat Role: Directly smiting evil on the front lines with her claymore or staying in the back and healing the wounded.
Strengths:
- Pious – Essentially a vessel of her divine and a champion of law, justice, piety and chivalry, the paladin uses her faith to call upon Roxayne’s power. Among other effects, this connection blesses Adela with great strength, removes fear and bolsters courage.
- Trained – Receiving formal training from her order, Adela is capable and deadly with her claymore, quick to switch between offensive and defensive stance. The knight is a skilled warrior of justice who knows how to utilize the arms and armour given to her.
- Educated – In times when literacy is not common, knowing how to read and write is an especially valuable skill. Raised by the church and trained to fight against evil carries another benefit – knowledge how to effectively battle the undead, demons and other malevolent entities.
Weaknesses:
- Cursed Lineage - Adela’s forebears paid an awful price in their quest for power. Although renounced, the deal still holds, and the family will continue to pay for all eternity. Dark forces wish to claim the paladin’s soul and wrestle it from Roxayne’s embrace.
- Oath-Bound – Paladins are extremely restricted by their code of honour and chivalry, dictating their actions at all times and requiring absolute adherence. Ever breaking the oath will result in immediate loss of all divine powers.
- No Stealth – No knowledge of how to move soundlessly. Sneaking in a full suit of armour is an impossible task, anyway; clanks of metal and heavy thuds often tend to reveal the knight’s approach, which effectively makes her unsuitable for hunting.
Major Motivations: Spread justice, compassion, kindness. Redeem her bloodline. Reclaim Kalabúrz and turn it into a safe haven for the needy.
Magic: All of Adela’s abilities are essentially connected to the divine, thus performing pious acts driven by faith often carries additional effects. By bestowing Roxayne’s blessing, the paladin can temporarily bless weapons wielded by the nearby hands of good, be it her own or those of her allies. Healing wounds, easing pain and curing ailments by touch is possible when channelling divine power through one’s own body. A simple recitation of a prayer will cause some variants of the undead to flee in absolute terror and increase their vulnerability to the holy knight’s blows.
Background: The name of lord Heidenreich used to be feared throughout Darkwood. From the castle of Kalabúrz, well protected by an undead army, the heartless ruler and his cursed family terrorized the entire surrounding region, stealing men and women from nearby villages for mass sacrifices to the goddess named Morryxa. Suffering and fear permeated through the ancient walls predating the human race, each faithless ritual equalled power, yet it also meant a rise in hatred directed against the family and their ancestral estate.
A brave villager eventually dared to cross Darkwood’s dangers and send out a plea for help – reaching the right ears, the message played a pivotal role in summoning a group of brave knights and paladins who crusaded against the dark lord and his undead servants in an exhausting campaign. Countless good people have died, but they ultimately succeeded in trapping the Heidenreichs inside Kalabúrz.
Besieged and knowing their end was drawing near, the Heidenreich family retreated into the castle’s inmost sanctum, a black chapel devoted to Morryxa. There, the lord sacrificed his bloodline in the Ceremony of Endless Night, throwing his relatives into a well that was rumoured to lead straight into the Underworld. There was just one more to sacrifice – a new addition to the family, born to the tyrant and his wife this very night, yet destined to die mere hours after entering the world of the living. Lord Heidenreich pledged his newborn daughter’s soul to Morryxa in return for immortality. One final incantation separated him from tossing the baby down the bottomless well and becoming a deathless lich when a small group of paladins broke into the chapel.
Heidenreich’s despotic rule was ended after a blessed sword struck the tyrant’s chest, sending the vile sorcerer plummeting down the abyss. Alone; the child was torn from his arms by Sir Eadwine, who had also planted his sword into the necromancer’s black heart. It is said that when the lord died, all undead creatures guarding Kalabúrz crumbled into dust. Although the castle is rumoured to be haunted to this very day, its surroundings are serene, peaceful, and safe.
The orphan was taken to county Dawning, where Sir Eadwine gave her to the church of Resplendent Dawn, hoping faith would free the child from her dark lineage and Morryxa’s pact. Prayers, discipline and service awaited her within the order of Roxayne. Named Adela and raised a deeply religious, virtuous young woman to champion the cause of good, she performed diligently in her duties, not once showing a sign of her cursed heritage. Taking vows, training in martial arts, reading and memorizing holy scriptures, the sweet scent of frankincense – it all became a part of everyday life.
It came as no surprise when the aging Sir Eadwine chose the young woman as his squire, becoming her mentor and also revealing the dark history tied to her family. The information did nothing to unhinge Adela’s faith, quite the opposite; she started to perform twice as good, even more devoted to the cause. When the old knight entered the Holy City and embraced eternity, he died knowing his young protégé walked in his footsteps, safe from Morryxa’s influence. Laid to rest alongside his brothers and sisters in faith, Sir Eadwine sleeps within tombs below the county of Dawning.
Although all the evil committed by her family could not be undone, Adela pledged her life to helping the weak and needy, protecting the innocent and smiting the wicked. Under Roxayne’s watchful gaze, the squire became a holy knight, spreading her divine’s guiding light and teachings.
