Roshcard the Tower

Roshcard the Tower, major-domo of the Sacred Order and steward of the Eternal Citadel, is a warrior of impressive height and unyielding manner. Clad in the silver armor reserved for the greatest warriors of the Order, and wielding a great, two-handed hammer, he makes for an impressive – and intimidating — sight on the battlefield. He stands head and shoulders above even the tallest of the Order’s warriors, and his size and strength make him a match for some of the most monstrous opponents. Of his origins, little is known. He was born in the Land of Rebirth, the child of farmers who had once, perhaps, been something more. Even from an early age, his size and strength made him stand out among the other children, and he was soon hard at work in his family’s fields. By the age of ten, he was dragging a plow better than any dray-horse; at twelve, he could harvest a crop quicker than any person twice his age. It was inevitable that the armsmasters of the Sacred Order would take note of such a physical specimen, and come calling. At the age of thirteen, Roshcard joined the Order as a Novitiate. By the age of twenty, he had become one of the Order’s premier warriors. Within a decade, he had been chosen to represent the Order as a major-domo, and after successfully undergoing a series of grueling trials to prove his worthiness, including the Test of Thorns and the Walk of Blades, he became steward of the Eternal Citadel. As major-domo, Roshcard is responsible for the citadel’s defense in time of war, and its day-to-day operations in peacetime. If a matter concerns the workings of the citadel, Roshcard is the final arbiter. Even Eufemia Corday, the Abbess of the Sacred Order, acknowledges his authority in these matters, though Roshcard is careful not to overstep or abuse this privilege. While Roshcard’s rapid ascent through the ranks was largely due to both his skill in combat and his devout piety, he is nonetheless a seasoned battlefield commander. The construction and placement of siege engines and defensive works is second nature to him, and he can discern the flaws in an enemy’s stratagems simply by studying the way they array themselves for battle. On the rare occasions his duties take him away from the Eternal Citadel, he is ever at the forefront of the attack, sharing the dangers of those under his command and, as such, is much loved and respected by his subordinates. It is said by many that, in Roshcard, the original tenets of the Sacred Order are preserved. Many are the tales of Roshcard’s heroism and determination. At the Siege of Dreadfang, he led his vanguard in an assault on the Undead forces defending the sinister fortress. When the siege towers of the Sacred Order at last reached the walls, Roshcard was first onto the battlements. Swinging his great weapon in devastating arcs that shattered bone and pulped rotting flesh, he cleared the way for his warriors to enter the fortress. And when Roshcard met the master of Dreadfang – a vile blood-drinker – he slew him with one blow of his hammer. It is said by those who witnessed the duel that the weapon blazed with Lumaya’s light as it smashed the monster’s head from his shoulders. Another tale describes how Roshcard led the defense of the wharfs of the Free City of Ambergate from a raid by Shadowkin pirates. Why the steward of the Eternal Citadel was in Ambergate at the time is unknown save to his superiors in the Sacred Order. Regardless, he was there and, after commandeering a number of ships on the authority of the Sacred Order, organized a quick counter-attack that saw the vessels of the Shadowkin burnt to the waterline and the wharfs – as well as the merchant vessels docked there – preserved. It is claimed that he even saw to the interrogation of the few captured Shadowkin, and ensured that they were spared the Headsman’s axe in a show of mercy that few in the Sacred Order understood or condoned, but all respected. Those he spared have since become his trusted companions, and devoted members of the Sacred Order. More recently, Roshcard has led an expedition into the haunted ruins of Narbuk, alongside the pilgrim known as Holsring the Silent. What they found there is unknown, but stories abound of a vast necropolis, home to an army of necromancers or worse. Regardless, Roshcard and Holsring were the only survivors of the expedition – and neither will speak as to what occurred there; Holsring because he cannot, and Roshcard because he has been ordered by his superiors to say nothing of what he saw.