Septimus
"These voices won't leave me alone; my heart is gold but my hands are cold."
Appearance
Almost universally clad in the armor of a Warden, Septimus is known for his white visor and the red clover painted onto the cheek of the helm. Moreso, he is known for eyes so pale as to almost have a milky hue, and many a man has met his end for picking a fight with 'the blind knight.'
Sturdily built, his broad shoulders and long torso give him plenty of strength upon which to draw when it comes to swinging a sword or carrying his armor. His legs, short and stocky, provide a stable base from which to strike. Not just taller but heavier than his average countryman, he is considered large, but not over-sized, and maintains the benefits thereof.
Beneath the helmet is known to be a youthful face, thinned by infrequent nutrition. His eyes are rimmed by exhaustion, but it seems more a genetic look than an actual lack of rest. Full lips, a thin nose, and bushy brows are all capped by thin, dark hair that's either brown or black, depending on the lighting and who is determining the color.
Skills and Abilities
Knightly Oaths: Armor, a sword, and his word; the only three things a man needs to be successful in life.
Knightly Virtue: Everyone is judged on their own merits, meaning he has established a wide network of relationships upon which to draw favors, from mighty Lords to seemingly lowly peasants.
Still Waters Run Deep: A creature of habit, 'predictable' fits him like fine tailored silk. Trapping him is easy, holding him there is hard.
From Shame and Shadow Recast: His story has left him alone and feared among his countrymen. Just as a monster-slayer is lumped in with the things he kills, so too has Septimus seen his fortunes turn.
Personality
Both amiable and gruff, the Gorgon earned his nickname from the way his heart is seemingly able to turn to stone on a whim. Many times in the fading light of a tavern, when lips get loose and purses looser, a shocked gasp might startle the revelry as a severed head rolls across the floor.
While he is known to be friends with criminals, once a line is crossed, the humor fades and the sword swings. Friend and enemy in equal measure, it all depends on where you fall on his moral compass.
Biography
Blackwood is known for two things; knightly orders, and religious wars. Warfare is in their blood, and even the lowliest peasant is called upon to serve when his Lord rides into conflict against the enemy; be it his neighbor, or something more sinister. Built upon the ruins of empires past, Blackwood is a bit of a backwater in that magic is still viewed with superstition, and only the sword is viewed as the proper way of warfare.
From stone keeps, armored knights ride to battle, safeguarding the sanctuaries in which their people dwell. Each sanctuary is protected, defended, or owned by a Knightly Order, the most famous of which - The Watch - has become as close to a government as Blackwood has ever had. From it's city of progress, The Watch dictate the pace of life, be they medical improvements or new farming techniques. And while the city-states of Blackwood are free to rule themselves as they see fit, it's no secret that displeasing The Watch is a swift way to find yourself under siege.
But their rise to power was meteoric, to say the least. Once a lowly, marginalized unit of knightly sellswords, their leader - one of the most secretive women in Blackwood - organized, trained, and marketed them into taking ever richer contracts abroad. By the time the returned home, their keep - The Tower - had transformed into a metropolis upon which it's name would be draped, and it had become the de facto capital of Blackwood.
Shortly after their return, however, The Watch had to ride again; this time to save their own people. A powerful Lich erupted from the Morass with an army of undead, swarming outlying territories not only in Blackwood, but neighboring provinces as well. Their armies banded together, attempting to penetrate the wall of undead flesh hiding the Lich from their justice. Only one unit penetrated the cordon, and of that unit, only one Knight survived. His original name was stricken from the scrolls, to be replaced by the name 'Septimus,' the fabled hero who had banished necromancers from Blackwood in centuries past. The Harvest had passed, but so too had many of their most skilled fighters.
In the manner all peasants do, Septimus was spoken of in hushed whispers as the Stalker of Death, because only a creature such as that could have tracked down the Lich and slain it. Though he takes no credit, fables require no fact, and he endures the nickname with just a wry bit of humor for the trouble. Older, wiser, but still fairly young, Septimus is hoping to move on from fame so he can return to what he does best; hunt monsters, and protect the peace.
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