The Knight of Roses, Man without a Country, Supporter of Rebels, Leader of Soldiers

The Knight of Roses, Man without a Country, Supporter of Rebels, Leader of Soldiers

Quote: With honor, sword and spear, we will see this land freed!
War is a terrible thing.  We must do what we can to protect the people.  We will be their shield in this time of need.

Description: The Knight of Roses age is indeterminate, somewhere between and thirty and fifty, he is a man that has seen and survived much.  His dark blond hair is graying and worn short, usually he is clean-shaven but he will adapt to the local style.   His eyes are a pale gray and oft seem to bear a great sadness.  He has a warrior’s build and no lack of scars but nothing disfiguring (so far).  He moves like a fighter, aware of his surrounding and prepared to act, not nervous but ready.

He dresses to blend in wherever he might be, wearing the simple clothes or a laborer or traveler (with as much armor as he can easily conceal beneath).  When armed for war, he dons his battered and much repaired suit of plate and a shield painted with a rose in whatever color favored by the cause he currently serves.  When he can, he will wear his sword, a trusty and well-worn weapon, bereft of decoration.  He always has at least a dagger to hand and is skilled in the use of most weapons.

Background: The Knight of Roses was once a simple country knight, his talent in combat allowed him to supplement his income in tournaments.  It was on his return from one such tournament that he found his keep sacked, his family and small folk killed, everything he had built and loved, burned to ashes.  After he and his squire had done what they could to honor the dead, they rode off to join others to stop those that had killed his family.

The next few years were nothing but war, leading and training men, killing enemies and watching his friends and allies being killed.  Finally, he found and slew the beings responsible for the death of his family and the destruction of his lands.  The war was won . . . for the time.  But now that vengeance was no longer clouding his vision, he saw the destruction the war had caused.  That so many others’ families had suffered as he did.  He resolved to do what he could to prevent such suffering in the future.

Since then he has traveled from disaster area to war zone to trouble spot, aiding the oppressed, guarding the weak, training those that would fight for their freedom.  He has made many enemies and many more friends and allies.

Presenting this Character: The Knight of Roses is tired, but resolute, he will not be broken.  He has lived through so many battles, skirmishes and raids.  But there are still those who need to be safeguarded, people must be taught to defend those that they love.

He is an honorable man, that is something he will not compromise.  But he is also devoted to protecting those that cannot defend themselves and, more importantly, teaching them to how to defend themselves.  Sometime, it proves very difficult to achieve both.

What can he do?: While not at his physical peak, that passed some years ago, he is still a formidable combatant.  His knowledge of combat styles, and tricks, is extensive.  Very little can surprise him in combat.

The Knight’s speciality has become training people in how to use weapons, basic tactics, field craft and first aid.  He can make almost any group of people into a passable military force in a couple of months.

Who might know him and why: The Knight has trained many soldiers over the years.  A fighter could easily have been set on the path of the warrior by him.  He tries to instill the ideals of honor and loyalty into all of his students, with various levels of success.

The Knight has had several squires, many have not survived, accepting only those who seek him out and prove themselves willing to work hard under harsh conditions.  He works closely with his squire, teaching them to be the best that they can be and then setting them free to, hopefully, carry on with his mission.

Across many a land, the Knight of Roses has appeared to oppose tyranny and help the helpless.  To many, he is just a story, but other have seen and been helped by him.

Plot Hooks: A village is in trouble, they have been plagued by raiders (bandits, pirates, as appropriate) and they need to be taught to defend themselves.  Can the character help either by finding the legendary Knight of Roses or by performing the task themselves?

A decade of so ago, the Knight of Roses aided a rebellion against a corrupt and tyrannical lord, driving him from a confederation of -now free- towns.  Now his son is seeking to reconquer them.  He claims to have captured the Knight and is going to tortured him to death to break the spirit of the confederation.  Is it really the Knight?  Can he be rescued?  Can the confederation be inspired to resist if its greatest hero is dead?

If the heroes need information on fighting styles or training a militia, there are worse people to ask for advice than the Knight.  He is free with advice to those who share his aims and sense of honor.

Notes: I was inspired by the Ultimate Tavern idea over at the Treehouse to finally get the Knight written up.

The Knight is a character that has been floating around my mind for sometime.  Originally intended as a viewpoint character for fiction based on the Warlord CCG, later a background character for a freeform RPG at an earlier incarnation of Barrok’s Tower, and now an NPC for all to use.