Errol

Born the second son of a minor noble family from the Redspike Mountains, Errol lacked purpose in his life. Unlikely to inherit the family estates, and unwilling to make his own way in the world, he contented himself with a life of indolent hedonism, punctuated by bursts of violence toward those he felt had insulted the honor of either himself or his family. Errol became infamous for these displays of temper. The last straw came when he challenged his own older brother to a duel over a point of pride. But the duel was never to take place. His parents, at their wits’ end, used their influence to secure him a position within the Sacred Order. They hoped that the Order might teach their son some discipline – or at the very least, keep him out of trouble. Errol was reluctant, at first. He chafed at the thought of surrendering his freedom to join what he saw as a humorless brotherhood of goddess-botherers. But surprisingly to all, something in the Sacred Order’s creed spoke to him. For the first time, his rank and privilege meant nothing, and he found it liberating. He had always come second in the eyes of his family, but here, at last, he could make something of himself. He eagerly threw himself into the life of a Novitiate, and through a combination of determination and personal conviction, Errol quickly surpassed his fellows and ascended to the rank of Sergeant. It was there that he at last found his true calling; violence had always been in his nature, and he saw the opportunity to direct it toward the enemies of the Sacred Order as a blessing. A Sergeant was meant to be at the forefront of the Order’s activities, ever taking the battle to the foe, whoever or whatever they might be. In the months that followed, Errol vented his wrath against heretics and bandits. Despite his satisfaction with his new purpose, however, he yearned to do something greater — to truly prove his worth to the Order and Lumaya. Time and again, Errol, armed with unyielding faith and a sharp sword, proved himself a match for the enemies of the Order. When the Red Crusade swept across Anhelt, Errol was at its forefront, especially when rooting out any traces of the Skinwalker menace. Now a grizzled veteran, Errol led his fellow Crusaders through the vales of the Redspike Mountains, hunting down any Skinwalkers courageous — or foolish — enough not to flee. Those who sought to fight were slain outright by Errol and his followers; those who fled were hunted down like animals. Errol ordered that any villages that offered sanctuary to the Skinwalkers be put to the torch, and their inhabitants executed. Through it all, Errol’s faith in the rightness of his cause never wavered. Indeed, the greater the carnage, the mightier his sword arm seemed to become… as if he drew strength from the slaughter. Some among his followers believed this to be a sign of Lumaya’s favor; others whispered that it was instead a sort of madness. Regardless, Errol continued his march through the mountains, determined to rid his homeland of every trace of the Skinwalkers, until at last he returned to his family estates — only to find that his kin were providing sanctuary for those they saw as innocent victims of the Sacred Order’s madness. What followed was a tense confrontation between Errol and his older brother — now the lord of the manor — that turned to violence. It is not known who struck the first blow, but Errol struck the last, killing his brother in the same great hall where they had once played together as children. By the end of the night, Errol’s ancestral steading was aflame, and every member of his family lay dead at the hands of the warriors of the Sacred Order. Errol returned from the mountains a blood-drenched killer, empty of everything save an unshakeable belief in the rightness of his holy cause. His fanaticism was such that it unsettled even the most devoted servants of the Order, and few would willingly follow him into battle, fearing that he might turn his blade on them for their insufficient piety. And it was for this reason that the Arbiter, in her infinite wisdom, visited him in his quarters one night to ask him to enter a Shard. Someone so fanatical, she thought, would be a necessary weapon against enemies yet to come, and entering a Shard would keep him away from Teleria’s innocents for at least a time. Errol eagerly accepted her offer, ready to wage war without end in Lumaya’s name.