There are hundreds of personalities located in Cheshire worthy of note. Below are some of my top choices for newcomers into Cheshire.
Silver Sabre – If you are engaged in “questionable” activities and you hear the words, “Never give up! Never Surrender!”, it would be best to put your weapons down and assume a non threatening posture. Those words are the battle cry of the vigilante known as the Silver Sabre. The Silver Sabre is an almost foppish adventurer dressed in, as expected, silver leather armor. His signature weapon is where he draws his name. The current Silver Sabre wears a silver skullcap that comes down and covers the upper portions of his face, concealing his identity. He is an excellent combatant and all around do-gooder. I say current because prior to assuming the throne, Prince Armer XI adventured under that name with his company, The Argent Shield, most of whom perished trying to stop the Corruption.
There are several reasons to “surrender” immediately if you come face to face with the Silver Sabre. First. He is well loved by the public. Second. Ironguards are never far behind when he arrives. Finally, harming him could mean your death. The answer to all three reason are simple. The Silver Sabre IS King Armer XI. Apparently he gets restless, and seeks adventures from time to time. The locals all know, which is why they’ll cheer for him when he arrives to save the day. It is also why local criminal surrender, or fight with a skill level far below their ability and allow him to take them into custody. It is also why the Ironguards are never far behind, for they must protect their King. It goes without saying harming the King is a grave offense.
A few fun facts. Apparently King Armer XI, while typically displaying above average reasoning, does not know the general public knows the identity of the Silver Saber. If he did, why wear the mask? Or perhaps, the mask is all part of the show. A little way of getting some of the adventuring thrills he clearly craves, while keeping the peace at home. Queen Selene loathes the “new” Silver Sabre, seeing him as an insult to her husband’s former glory. It was she that demanded the vigilante be branded a criminal. Unfortunately, the criminal keeps evading capture. Rumor has it, she has tasked her personal guard, the Queen’s Own with finding and killing the Silver Sabre. The Queen’s Own are a ruthless bunch, and interesting enough to warrant an article of their own. Finally, even local criminals enjoy the patrols of the Silver Sabre. On occasion, a new upstart arrives and begins making waves. That outlaw is rarely informed about the Silver Sabre. Such an outlaw is always surprised when he finds himself alone against the swordsman, and his allies either on the floor in “fear”, or vanished.
Talos the Mad – The High Magistrate of Cheshire. Meaning, while King Armer XI can counter any decisions he makes, the king rarely does so, making Talos is the highest form of judicial power in the land. In truth, Talos is a fair and impartial judge. Perhaps impartial is the more important part of his description. A powerful elven mage, Talos behaves rationally, rarely ever emotionally. In fact, if his face changes, it will likely be the last thing you see. There is a reason criminals have added “the Mad” appellation. One can never tell when Talos will show up, so criminals tend to do their work in the shadows, hoping that they don’t draw attention to themselves. Talos though knows every head of every criminal organization. Those heads know they survive, simply because they serve a purpose. If they step outside that purpose, incarceration is the best they can hope for. Talos does not believe in half measures. Even Draen Do’Gra, the archmage speaks of him with respect. Rumor has it that they once crossed paths in Shire. According to the story, they both stood there, eyes locked, for hours. Then for no reason anyone could see, they continued on their way. I asked Draen about that, and he smiled, murmured something about that being a story he would save for a special occasion. I’m still waiting.
Purple Lotus – The duchy of Castin has been nicknamed the Realm of Guilds. Every occupation throughout the kingdom belongs to a guild. The heads of those guilds are all established somewhere in Castin. So it should be no surprise that the brothel guild leaders also exist here. What is unknown to most of the populace is that the courtesans of the Purple Lotus – male, female, and everything in between – also double as assassins. They pride themselves on getting to targets that are notoriously difficult to approach. Rumor has it, every brothel in Cheshire has at least one Purple Lotus in its employ. The Duchess of Castin, Mira Koranta is believed to have one as a personal spy. The Purple Lotus is interesting though I fear its days are numbered. Recent decrees from Castin have demanded that all guilds of a particular profession consolidate under one banner. This would eliminate competition and promote higher quality services. The decree however has left the decision in the hands of individual guilds. This of course has prompted an unprecedented Guild War. Instead of one rival faction going against another, they are all killing, cheating, or buying their way to the top. As the Purple Lotus has two “professions” it is unlikely to survive threats from the various assassin’s guilds as well as the more brutish, by comparison, brothel guilds.
Grand Order – The Grand Order is the name of the premier mercenary guild that operates in Cheshire. Every rogue, fighter, spellcaster and every adventurer in between longs for the day they are invited to join the ranks of the Grand Order. It is a mercenary guild with a reputation for not only getting things done, but earning better pay because of it. Thus it only invites members whose skills are above par. It is not uncommon for a Grand Order bounty hunt to end with the bounty being offered a position. In the cases where proof of death is required, Grand Order has powerful spellcasters that can restore the deceased to life, earning the Grand Order not only another successful mission, but a valuable, and often very appreciative new member. The Grand Order is led by the mysterious Lord D’spaer, who is very much the epitome of his name. He is grim, unforgiving and utterly ruthless in battle. Curiously, he did not speak to me much. He didn’t do so out of dismissiveness though, more like caution. What I did gleen from him though is that he is not some thug . He has a very keen intellect to complement his battle savviness. His rule is undisputed, as is the place of his seconds, the Lords of Platinum. What makes him so interesting is that people have guessed for years as to what exactly he is. Lord D’spaer is never seen without his full face helm on. Some believe he is some sort of undead, others some sort of half-demon. Both are supported by the magics he wields in combat as well as the great strength he shows, often wielding his two-handed sword with one hand to devastating effect.
Next time I will pick location and people of interest from each of the differing regions.
“Music is immortal, and my gift to myself and those I write about”
Chord, the Ivory Bard
A Darkness Rising 